PASTORAL MINISTRY-CHARACTER
God does not
call all elders to be entrepreneurs, men who begin ministries and build
them. Nor does He call all elders to be
producers, men who accomplish a great amount of work in the church, although
those are worthy things. Neither does He
call all of them to be managers, adept at mobilizing others in the Lord's
service, although that, too, is a worthy thing.
The Lord does, however, call all elders to be godly leaders, men who by
their exemplary lives as well as their sound teaching and preaching set a
pattern of virtue and devotion to the Lord for other believers to follow.
Titus, Moody, 1996, p. 23.
Someone has
said that more is learned from what is “caught” that “taught”…Though it is
certainly important to communicate God’s Word didactically,
it’s what people see in our lives that gives weight to our words. That is why the qualifications for elders are
so important. If we are to “teach the
Word of God” effectively, we must simultaneously “live the Word of God.”
Gene Getz
Elders and Leaders, Moody, 2003, p. 267.
It is an
obvious error for all to see in those ministers of the Church who make such a
wide gulf between their preaching and their living. They will study hard, to preach
exactly, and yet study little or not at all to live exactly. All the week long
is little enough to study how to speak for two hours; and yet one hour seems
too much time to study how to live all the week. They are loath to misplace a
word in their sermons; yet they think nothing of misplacing affections, words,
and actions in the course of their lives. Oh, how curiously I have heard some
men preach, and how carelessly have I seen them live!
Richard Baxter
Eight reasons
that ministers should examine themselves:
1. You have heaven to win or lose
yourselves… A holy calling will not save
an unholy man.
2. You have sinful inclinations as well
as others.
3. (You) have greater temptations than
most men.
4. The tempter will make his first and sharpest
onset upon you. If you will be leaders
against him, he will spare you no further than God restrains him.
5. Many eyes are upon you, and therefore
there will be many to observe your falls.
6. Your sins are more aggravated than
those of other men. They have more of
hypocrisy in them, and are more detrimental to the cause of religion.
7. The honor of your Lord and Master, and
of His holy truth, doth lie more on you than other men.
8. The souls of your hearers and the
success of your labors do very much depend upon your self-examination.
Richard Baxter
Quoted in: Derek Prime and Alistair Begg. On Being a Pastor,
Moody Press, 2004, p. 307-308.
It is easier
to declaim like an orator against a thousand sins in others than to mortify one
sin in ourselves; to be more industrious in our pulpits than in our closets; to
preach twenty sermons to our people than one to our own hearts.
John Flavel
We must heed
the memorable words written by Robert Murray McCheyne
to the Rev. Dan Edwards on 2 October 1840 after his ordination as a missionary
to the Jews: “I trust you will have a pleasant and profitable time in Germany.
I know you will apply hard to German; but do not forget the culture of the
inner man – I mean of the heart. How diligently the cavalry officer keeps his sabre clean and sharp; every stain he rubs off with the
greatest care. Remember you are God’s sword – His instrument – I trust a chosen
vessel unto Him to bear His name. In great measure, according to the purity and
perfections of the instrument, will be the success. It is not great talents God
blesses so much as great likeness to Jesus. A holy
minister is an awful weapon in the hand of God.”
John Stott
The Preacher’s Portrait, Some New
Testament Word Studies, Eerdmans, 1961, p. 120.
We preachers
cannot expect to communicate verbally from the pulpit if we visually out of it
contradict ourselves.
John Stott
Between Two Worlds, Eerdmans, 1882, p. 78.
How many of
us, who are engaged in the Lord's holy service, are secretly cherishing some
proud aspiration of excelling other men, of making a name for ourselves, of
securing money or fame! We will use the
pulpit as a pedestal for the adulation of the world, and the cross for a post
on which to hang garlands to our own glory.
How often do we preach sermons, or make addresses, and attend meetings,
with no other thought than to secure the recognition and praise of those to
whom we “minister.” All of this must be
laid aside. We must have no selfish, prideful ulterior motives to serve Christ.
F.B. Meyer
He who would
be a faithful minister of the gospel must deny the pride of his heart, be
emptied of ambition, and set himself wholly to seek the glory of God in his
calling.
William Perkins
Quoted by Curtis C. Thomas, Practical
Wisdom for Pastors, Crossway Books, 2001, p. 143.
Used by Permission.
The true
shepherd spirit is an amalgam of many precious graces. He is hot with zeal, but he is not fiery with
passion. He is gentle, and yet he rules
his class. He is
loving, but he does not wink at sin.
He has power over the lambs, but he is not domineering or sharp. He has cheerfulness, but not levity; freedom,
but not license; solemnity, but not gloom.
C.H. Spurgeon
28.573.
It is a
terribly easy matter to be a minister of the gospel and a vile hypocrite at the
same time.
C.H. Spurgeon
52.483.
A preacher’s
life should be a commentary of his doctrine; his practice should be a
counterpart of his sermons. Heavenly
doctrines should always be adorned with a heavenly life.
Thomas Brooks
It is a
morbid and depressing fact that when it comes to adultery, there are too many
casualties among pastors. Ministers are
just as vulnerable as others. No area,
no country, no denomination is immune.
The damage done in each case is irreparable: the breakdown, as far as
ministry is concerned, final. This is a
distasteful subject, but we cannot shirk it. The matter demands faithful
treatment. Let him who thinks that he
stands take heed lest he fall.
Erroll
Hulse
The Preacher and Preaching, ed. Samuel Logan,
p. 75-76.
There are a
lot of temptations for pastors, one of which, because of our public role, is to
think of ourselves more highly than we should.
And in so doing, we can develop a tendency to depreciate those who are
under our leadership. This can be
manifested in a number of ways. Our
messages can be occasions where we talk down to people. We can berate people about particular sins,
though our own sins are just as heinous.
We can assume a know-it-all attitude.
We can conduct meetings in such a way that we take advantage of people
or make light of their thoughts or suggestions.
We can make public, veiled references to people. And we can use humor about our members from
the pulpit at their emotional expense.
Curtis C. Thomas
Practical Wisdom for Pastors, Crossway Books,
2001, p. 121. Used by Permission.
We cannot
make up for failure in our devotional life by redoubling energy in service. We
shall never take people beyond our own spiritual attainment.
W.H. Griffith Thomas
Accountability
questions asked of his fellow pastors:
1. Have you been with a woman anywhere
this past week that might be seen as compromising?
2. Have any of your financial dealings
lacked integrity?
3. Have you exposed yourself to any
sexually explicit material?
4. Have you spend adequate time in Bible
study and prayer?
5. Have you given priority time to your
family?
6. Have you fulfilled the mandates of
your calling?
7. Have you just lied to me?
Chuck Swindoll
Unholiness in a preacher’s life will either stop
his mouth from reproving, or the people’s ears from receiving.
William Gurnall
A Puritan Golden Treasury,
compiled by I.D.E. Thomas, by permission of Banner of Truth, Carlisle, PA. 2000, p. 192.
Those who
teach by their doctrine must teach by their life, or else they pull down with
one hand what they build up with the other.
Matthew Henry
Ministers
must know how to lose arguments on non-essential matters. Care must be taken not to harangue others
into silence. Preachers have a way with
words. Their whole career is related to
the skillful communication of ideas. It
is a disgraceful fact that some ministers love to talk and have a habit of
dominating discussion on every subject.
Even when ignorant on an issue, a preacher can usually out-talk
knowledgeable men. Thus in a controversy
it is possible to silence men by sheer force of verbiage without convincing
them. How exemplary would it be if all
ministers exercised self-control over their tongues in the church! It is to be feared that some men are able to
handle texts of Scripture who cannot discipline themselves.
Walter J. Chantry
The
Shadow of the Cross – Studies in Self-Denial, 1981, p. 63-64, by permission
Banner of Truth, Carlisle, PA.