When the apostle Paul wrote to the Romans he had never been to Rome yet although it was his desire to visit them and preach the gospel in Rome (Romans 1:8-15). Paul also wanted the Christians at Rome to support him on a planned missionary journey to Spain (Romans 15:23-24) and therefore at the beginning of his letter to the Romans he set forth the credentials for a minister's mission to show that he was indeed qualified as the apostle to the Gentiles. Here we see three necessary credentials for the minister's mission.
I. Paul was a bond-servant of Jesus Christ (1:1a).
His position as a bond-servant:
The modesty of the position of bond-servant.
Paul was subservient and insignificant but His Master was everything! In 1 Corinthians 4:1, Paul referred to himself as a galley slave who was an under-rower, referring to the lowest level of rowers in the large galley of a Roman ship. The position of bond-servant expresses modesty because the bond-servant does not lord it over those allotted to his charge, but proves to be an example of a faithful and loyal servant of his Lord to the flock.
The majesty of the position of bond-servant.
Paul was not belittling his position – there is no greater position than to be a bond-servant of Christ Jesus. Servants of the Lord do not exalt themselves – they exalt their Master and they do His will from the heart because He is worthy! The position of bond-servant expresses majesty because the bond-servant glories in his being a servant of the King of kings and the Lord of lords! Jesus Himself expressed the truth that with modesty comes majesty – “He who humbles himself will be exalted,” and the opposite is also true – “He who exalts himself will be humbled.” And the Lord said, “Whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave” (Matthew 20:26-27).
His practice – as a bond-servant.
Paul’s primary practice was to serve the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul gave himself wholeheartedly in love to the Lord who saved him from sin and the wrath of God – (Exodus 21:5-6) – Paul enslaved himself to Christ, to be His servant and obey His will because of Christ’s love for Him (2 Corinthians 5:14-15). A man’s enslavement to Christ as one of Christ’s servants is always based on the man’s grateful and adoring heart for Christ’s goodness and greatness as revealed in His willing sacrifice of Himself as an atoning substitute for our sins. We love Him because He first loved us! This is why we sing songs like – “Amazing love, how can it be, that you my King would die for me? Amazing love, I know it’s true, and it’s my joy to honor You in all I do.”
It is because of the love for us that the Lord demonstrated in giving Himself up for us that we serve Him with gladness by faith and not by flesh – “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me” (Galatians 2:20).
But not only do we love the Lord Jesus Christ and serve Him from a heart of gratitude because of His love for us; we also love God the Father and serve Him from the same heart of gratitude because of His love for us. Not only did the Lord Jesus love us and give Himself up for us but we also read and know that God the Father loved us and sent His Son so that He could pardon us on the only legal and righteous basis that would satisfy His own holy nature – penal substitution.
This is why we sing songs like, “How deep the Father’s love for us! How vast beyond all measure! That He would give His only Son, to make a wretch His treasure. How great the pain of searing loss, the Father turns His face away, as wounds which mar the chosen One, bring many sons to glory. Behold the man upon a cross, my sin upon His shoulders, ashamed I hear my mocking voice, call out among the scoffers. It was my sin that held Him there, until it was accomplished. His dying breath has brought me life, I know that it is finished. I will not boast in anything, no gifts, no powr's, no wisdom, but I will boast in Jesus Christ, His death and resurrection. Why should I gain from His reward? I cannot give an answer. But this I know with all my heart; His wounds have paid my ransom."
You see, Paul’s practice as a bond-servant of Christ Jesus; giving himself wholeheartedly in love to the Lord and His service; where Paul was now willingly obeying the first and greatest commandment; to love the Lord his God with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his mind; was based on his Lord’s loving him first.
Paul’s secondary practice as a bond-servant of Christ Jesus was to serve men.
Paul’s love for God which was primary, issued in his love for men and their salvation, which is secondary. Jesus put it this way when He was tested by a Pharisee with the question of which is the greatest commandment in the Law: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” ‘This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it,’ “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” ‘On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets’” (Matthew 22:37-40).
Paul put it this way in Romans 1:14-15, “I am under obligation [literally a debtor] both to Greeks and barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. So, for my part, I am eager to preach to gospel to you also who are in Rome.” As a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, Paul was also to be a bond-servant of men in order that he might preach the gospel to them.
Paul put it this way in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23, “For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more. To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those under the Law, as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law; to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some. I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it.”
And again listen to these words, “For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake” (2 Corinthians 4:5). As we love and serve God because He first loved us we will also love and serve men because of our love for God. Any love and service to man that does not flow from genuine love for God is nothing short of religious humanism; is a work of the flesh and not of faith; and is an attempt to be justified by works of the law rather than the loving and loyal obedience of faith.
II. Paul was an apostle of Jesus Christ (1:1b)
His authority - as an apostle
The word apostle means “one who is sent by authority with a commission.” It was applied in that day to the representatives of the emperor or the emissaries of a king. As an apostle of the King of kings Paul’s message from the King was one of all authority. When Paul spoke people had better listen because he wasn’t speaking on his own initiative and own authority but was speaking on behalf of the Lord Himself.
His authorization as an apostle
Paul was called by the Lord to be an apostle. Paul’s position as an apostle was not of his own doing. Paul did not volunteer for that office, he did not campaign for that office, and he was not elected to that office by fellow believers. Paul was divinely called by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Paul didn’t choose Jesus, Jesus chose him (see Galatians 1:1).
There is great and grave danger to enter the ministry without a divine call and divine authorization. Woe to those who would dare take upon themselves the pastoral office without a divine call. There are many people preaching and teaching and presuming to prophesy in the name of Christ whom Christ clearly has neither sent nor has He called them. “I did not send these prophets, but they ran. I did not speak to them, but they prophesied” (Jeremiah 23:21). For the false prophets and false teachers who claim to be called and claim to be sent the Bible says, “Their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep” (2 Peter 2:3).
When the Lord calls and authorizes a man for the ministry, the man is called and authorized to speak only that which His Lord has spoken and revealed to them through His Word. Even the apostle Paul said that the gospel that He preached was the same gospel that was promised beforehand by the Lord’s prophets in the holy Scriptures (see verse 2). False prophets speak as from the world and the world listens to them. True prophets speak God’s Word and those who know God listen to them (1 John 4:1-6).
III. Paul was set apart for God’s gospel (1:1c)
Set apart means separated unto and in this context it means that every part of Paul’s life was dedicated for the sole purpose of God’s use in spreading the gospel. As a bond-servant, Paul was the Lord’s for whatever service He required; and as an apostle, Paul was divinely authorized and divinely sent to proclaim the gospel of God. As Christians we should also be set apart for the Master’s use – “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:1-2).
Paul was singularly set apart by God to be the apostle to the Gentiles. He said to the Galatians, “But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace was pleased to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles” (Galatians 1:15-16).
It is when God calls us through His grace and we view the mercies of God that we give ourselves willingly for His service and discover that one task to which God has set us apart.
The gospel is God’s gospel; it doesn’t originate with man and isn’t an afterthought with God. It was God’s gospel to which Paul was separated and this along with being a bond-servant and being authorized by God gave Paul the necessary credentials to be a minister of Christ Jesus.
Showing posts with label ordination. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ordination. Show all posts
Monday, March 2, 2009
Monday, November 3, 2008
A Good Soldier of Christ Jesus...Ordination Service for Johnny Johnson
Being ordained into the gospel ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ is both a great privilege and great responsibility. It is a great privilege in that the Lord Himself is the one who chooses and calls according to His own purpose and grace. It is a great responsibility in that the Lord requires certain character qualifications for a man to be considered eligible to hold the office of pastor or elder and the Lord Himself will hold each teacher of God’s holy Word to a higher standard of judgment.
I pity the man who has run to obtain this office but hasn’t been either called by God or sent by God. I also pity the man who thinks that being a pastor will be easy and that professed believers will automatically love him. Being a pastor entails many serious responsibilities. The pastor must feed God’s people, lead God’s people, discipline God’s people, and guard God’s people. The pastor is to be a good soldier of Christ Jesus especially as it pertains to his responsibilities of guarding the faith and guarding the flock, both of which require warring against the enemies of God’s people.
First and Second Timothy and Titus are pastoral letters. In other words they are God’s divinely inspired accounts of what He expects of pastors and therefore what His church is to expect of their pastors. In 2 Timothy 2:1-7 we see seven aspects of how God expects the pastor to be a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
A good soldier of Christ Jesus is to be strong in grace (1) – “You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” Johnny, you are to be strengthened inwardly in order to accomplish the ministry that the Lord has called you to. He is not calling you to be popular but to be His spokesman and you will find your strength to do that in His grace. The ministry is no place for cowards who operate under the fear of man rather than the fear of God. You will be called on by the Lord to speak His truth no matter the consequences. God labors with you through His grace and His grace is sufficient. If everyone else deserts you He will stand with you and strengthen you. The ability to study, understand, and teach the Word of God is a gift of God’s grace. “Able to teach” is one of God’s requirements for the pastor (1Timothy 3:2) and in order to teach you must be able to learn and to be able to learn you must study God’s Word. It is through studying the Word of God that you learn the great doctrines of grace and guard against teaching and preaching some form of perversion of God’s grace. Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
A good soldier of Christ Jesus is to be sound in doctrine (2) – “The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” Paul had delivered the sound doctrine with which he was entrusted to Timothy and expected Timothy to guard and deliver sound doctrine to others who would be trustworthy in delivering it on to others. It is our responsibility to guard the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints and then invest it as a trust in the lives of others who will do the same with others. It is important as a pastor that you get what you preach from the Word of God and not from the ideas and philosophies of men. You are not to attempt to be relevant by speaking as from the world – this is a primary mark of the many false prophets – but you are to preach the Word because it is relevant to every generation in every culture and it is sufficient – it is enough! Be sound in doctrine!
A good soldier of Christ Jesus is to be shameless in suffering (3) – “Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.” Ours is a day of upside down theology. The false gospel of health, wealth, and prosperity has been so incorporated into modern theology until the man of God who suffers for the sake of righteousness is considered an ungodly heretic and ungodly heretics who are popular, powerful, rich, and highly influential are well spoken of. You will not be popular if you are God’s spokesman but you will be persecuted for it. However, you will find yourself in good company when this happens. This happened to the prophets, to the apostles, and even to our Lord Jesus Christ. Now you see why you are to be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. As you are sound in doctrine you will be persecuted and spoken evil of for the sake of righteousness but the Lord’s grace will allow you to be shameless in suffering. Paul told Timothy, “Do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God.” Be shameless in suffering!
A good soldier of Christ Jesus is to be separated in service (4a) – “No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life….” Johnny, the Lord is calling you into active service as His soldier. The worries of the world are not to be your concern but the war of the Lord is to be. You must not get distracted by that which is really insignificant. The Lord hasn’t called you to fight the world’s global giants and He hasn’t called you to be the prince of P.E.A.C.E. Curing AIDS or solving world hunger or educating the poor or any other socialist activity is not your calling. Men can receive these benefits and still die and go to hell without Christ as their King. Your calling is to stand against the schemes of the devil and battle against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. You are to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints and destroy speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God. Only the truth of the gospel is significant for it alone is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes. Leave the other stuff to men like Rick Warren – you preach the gospel and do not be entangled in the affairs of everyday life. Be separated in service!
A good soldier of Christ Jesus is to be singular in devotion (4b) – “…so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.” You are to please the Lord and not yourself or anyone else. What does it matter if you please yourself or everyone else and the Lord is not pleased? The Lord deserves your honor, your affection, and your obedience for all He has done for you. His own courage and singular devotion on the battlefield is unparalleled. He stayed the course and went before you to win your freedom and eternal life. Just as Jesus was singularly devoted to His Father’s will so you are to be singularly devoted to the will of Jesus Christ. Your greatest desire should be to hear your King say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.” And He will if you always seek to please Him and Him alone. Every time you preach you are to remember whose presence you are in and for whom you speak. Paul told Timothy, “I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word” (2 Timothy 4:1-2). Wanting to please the Lord Jesus Christ will set you free from worrying about what others think of your or the message. Be singular in devotion!
A good soldier of Christ Jesus is to be sensitive to the rules (5) – “Also if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules.” Regardless of what popular men may say you are not to discover the purpose of God and then strategize how to fulfill it. You do not have either the ability or the luxury of leaning on your own understanding when it comes to doing the will of God. The will of God has to be done the way of God or else you have violated the rules. The false prophets are marked by attempting to do God’s will their way instead of His way. Jesus will say to them on that day, “Depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness,” because they do not do the will of His Father who is in heaven. In Matthew 7 it is as clear as day that the false prophets attempted to do ministry in the name of the Lord Jesus but they were not sensitive to the rules. Rather, they leaned on their own understanding and took shortcuts. There are no shortcuts to doing the will of God. Shortcuts are not according to the rules. Even the Lord Jesus said that He did nothing on His own initiative – and you are not to do it either. God’s word is sufficient and He will show you His ways so that you can accomplish His will. Be sensitive to the rules!
A good soldier of Christ Jesus is to be steadfast in labor (6) – “The hard-working farmer ought to be the first to receive his share of the crops.” The word “hard-working” comes from a Greek word that means to toil intensely, to sweat and strain to the point of exhaustion. Let no man deceive you – the ministry isn’t a playground it is a battleground. The farmer knows that farming isn’t a playground but it is a battleground. A farmer has to work and he has to stay hard at it. If you leave a field to itself it will produce mostly weeds. If you leave the church unattended it will produce weeds that will eventually overtake the wheat. Without being steadfast in labor there will be no harvest of righteousness. Just like the farmer you must be patient, continually working and weeding, waiting for the harvest. The spiritual growth of the people of God takes time and hard-work. We live in a day of instant everything. Men want instant rewards without the hard-work. Do the hard-work – you will receive the reward – not only of seeing God’s children grow in grace but also of hearing the Lord say, “Well done!” Be steadfast in labor!
“Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything” (7).
I pity the man who has run to obtain this office but hasn’t been either called by God or sent by God. I also pity the man who thinks that being a pastor will be easy and that professed believers will automatically love him. Being a pastor entails many serious responsibilities. The pastor must feed God’s people, lead God’s people, discipline God’s people, and guard God’s people. The pastor is to be a good soldier of Christ Jesus especially as it pertains to his responsibilities of guarding the faith and guarding the flock, both of which require warring against the enemies of God’s people.
First and Second Timothy and Titus are pastoral letters. In other words they are God’s divinely inspired accounts of what He expects of pastors and therefore what His church is to expect of their pastors. In 2 Timothy 2:1-7 we see seven aspects of how God expects the pastor to be a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
A good soldier of Christ Jesus is to be strong in grace (1) – “You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” Johnny, you are to be strengthened inwardly in order to accomplish the ministry that the Lord has called you to. He is not calling you to be popular but to be His spokesman and you will find your strength to do that in His grace. The ministry is no place for cowards who operate under the fear of man rather than the fear of God. You will be called on by the Lord to speak His truth no matter the consequences. God labors with you through His grace and His grace is sufficient. If everyone else deserts you He will stand with you and strengthen you. The ability to study, understand, and teach the Word of God is a gift of God’s grace. “Able to teach” is one of God’s requirements for the pastor (1Timothy 3:2) and in order to teach you must be able to learn and to be able to learn you must study God’s Word. It is through studying the Word of God that you learn the great doctrines of grace and guard against teaching and preaching some form of perversion of God’s grace. Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
A good soldier of Christ Jesus is to be sound in doctrine (2) – “The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” Paul had delivered the sound doctrine with which he was entrusted to Timothy and expected Timothy to guard and deliver sound doctrine to others who would be trustworthy in delivering it on to others. It is our responsibility to guard the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints and then invest it as a trust in the lives of others who will do the same with others. It is important as a pastor that you get what you preach from the Word of God and not from the ideas and philosophies of men. You are not to attempt to be relevant by speaking as from the world – this is a primary mark of the many false prophets – but you are to preach the Word because it is relevant to every generation in every culture and it is sufficient – it is enough! Be sound in doctrine!
A good soldier of Christ Jesus is to be shameless in suffering (3) – “Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.” Ours is a day of upside down theology. The false gospel of health, wealth, and prosperity has been so incorporated into modern theology until the man of God who suffers for the sake of righteousness is considered an ungodly heretic and ungodly heretics who are popular, powerful, rich, and highly influential are well spoken of. You will not be popular if you are God’s spokesman but you will be persecuted for it. However, you will find yourself in good company when this happens. This happened to the prophets, to the apostles, and even to our Lord Jesus Christ. Now you see why you are to be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. As you are sound in doctrine you will be persecuted and spoken evil of for the sake of righteousness but the Lord’s grace will allow you to be shameless in suffering. Paul told Timothy, “Do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God.” Be shameless in suffering!
A good soldier of Christ Jesus is to be separated in service (4a) – “No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life….” Johnny, the Lord is calling you into active service as His soldier. The worries of the world are not to be your concern but the war of the Lord is to be. You must not get distracted by that which is really insignificant. The Lord hasn’t called you to fight the world’s global giants and He hasn’t called you to be the prince of P.E.A.C.E. Curing AIDS or solving world hunger or educating the poor or any other socialist activity is not your calling. Men can receive these benefits and still die and go to hell without Christ as their King. Your calling is to stand against the schemes of the devil and battle against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. You are to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints and destroy speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God. Only the truth of the gospel is significant for it alone is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes. Leave the other stuff to men like Rick Warren – you preach the gospel and do not be entangled in the affairs of everyday life. Be separated in service!
A good soldier of Christ Jesus is to be singular in devotion (4b) – “…so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.” You are to please the Lord and not yourself or anyone else. What does it matter if you please yourself or everyone else and the Lord is not pleased? The Lord deserves your honor, your affection, and your obedience for all He has done for you. His own courage and singular devotion on the battlefield is unparalleled. He stayed the course and went before you to win your freedom and eternal life. Just as Jesus was singularly devoted to His Father’s will so you are to be singularly devoted to the will of Jesus Christ. Your greatest desire should be to hear your King say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.” And He will if you always seek to please Him and Him alone. Every time you preach you are to remember whose presence you are in and for whom you speak. Paul told Timothy, “I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word” (2 Timothy 4:1-2). Wanting to please the Lord Jesus Christ will set you free from worrying about what others think of your or the message. Be singular in devotion!
A good soldier of Christ Jesus is to be sensitive to the rules (5) – “Also if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules.” Regardless of what popular men may say you are not to discover the purpose of God and then strategize how to fulfill it. You do not have either the ability or the luxury of leaning on your own understanding when it comes to doing the will of God. The will of God has to be done the way of God or else you have violated the rules. The false prophets are marked by attempting to do God’s will their way instead of His way. Jesus will say to them on that day, “Depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness,” because they do not do the will of His Father who is in heaven. In Matthew 7 it is as clear as day that the false prophets attempted to do ministry in the name of the Lord Jesus but they were not sensitive to the rules. Rather, they leaned on their own understanding and took shortcuts. There are no shortcuts to doing the will of God. Shortcuts are not according to the rules. Even the Lord Jesus said that He did nothing on His own initiative – and you are not to do it either. God’s word is sufficient and He will show you His ways so that you can accomplish His will. Be sensitive to the rules!
A good soldier of Christ Jesus is to be steadfast in labor (6) – “The hard-working farmer ought to be the first to receive his share of the crops.” The word “hard-working” comes from a Greek word that means to toil intensely, to sweat and strain to the point of exhaustion. Let no man deceive you – the ministry isn’t a playground it is a battleground. The farmer knows that farming isn’t a playground but it is a battleground. A farmer has to work and he has to stay hard at it. If you leave a field to itself it will produce mostly weeds. If you leave the church unattended it will produce weeds that will eventually overtake the wheat. Without being steadfast in labor there will be no harvest of righteousness. Just like the farmer you must be patient, continually working and weeding, waiting for the harvest. The spiritual growth of the people of God takes time and hard-work. We live in a day of instant everything. Men want instant rewards without the hard-work. Do the hard-work – you will receive the reward – not only of seeing God’s children grow in grace but also of hearing the Lord say, “Well done!” Be steadfast in labor!
“Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything” (7).
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