Summary: It is the Son of the living God, Christ Jesus, who has called and chosen you to be a minister. He has chosen you to go and bear fruit among men. You are the most privileged person in all the world. Behold your Kingdom guidelines.

December 2006

SWORD N SPIRIT

www.swordnspirit.com

KINGDOM GUIDELINES FOR THE LORD’S MINISTER #1

YOUR MINISTRY

You have been given the greatest ministry in all the world, that of ministering to people and reconciling them to the Lord and Majesty of the universe, God Himself. For this reason, you must understand and be fully committed to the great ministry He has given you.

What Your Call as a Minister Is

As a minister, you have been given the greatest privilege and responsibility in all the world: called to be a minister of the living God, called by the Sovereign Lord and Majesty of the universe.

1. You are chosen by God Himself.

"Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me" (Isaiah 43:10).

"Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet’s son; but I was an herdman, and a gatherer of sycamore fruit: and the LORD took me as I followed the flock, and the LORD said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel" (Amos 7:14-15).

"There was a man sent from God, whose name was John" (John 1:6).

It is God the Father—the only living and true God, the Sovereign Lord and Majesty of the universe—who has called and chosen you to be a minister. You have been given the highest privilege in all the world: you have been called and chosen to be a minister by the Lord GOD Himself.

"Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child. But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak" (Jeremiah 1:5-7).

2. You are chosen by Jesus Christ.

"Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you" (John 15:16).

"Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my father hath sent me, even so send I you" (John 20:21).

"And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry" (1 Tim. 1:12).

It is the Son of the living God, Christ Jesus, who has called and chosen you to be a minister. He has chosen you to go and bear fruit among men. You are the most privileged person in all the world: you have been chosen to be a minister—chosen by the Son of God Himself.

3. You are chosen by the Holy Spirit of God.

"Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood" (Acts 20:28).

"What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s" (1 Cor. 6:19-20).

It is the Holy Spirit of God who has called you to be a minister. He has chosen you so that He can live within you—chosen you to be His instrument, His channel, His person through whom He can live and work upon earth.

• The Holy Spirit wants to use your body and your life to show how a person is to live upon earth.

• The Holy Spirit wants to conform you to the image of Christ—to make you an example for the world, an example of how God wants people to live: in all godliness and righteousness.

• The Holy Spirit wants to use you to preach and teach the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ.

You have been given the most glorious privilege in all the world. You have been called and chosen by the Holy Spirit of God: you have been called to live just like Christ lived—a holy and righteous life—and you have been called to proclaim the gospel of Christ to a world lost and reeling under the weight of enormous need.

4. You are counted faithful—counted trustworthy—by Christ.

"And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry" (1 Tim. 1:12).

"Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful" (1 Cor. 4:2).

"I am made a minister, according to the dispensation [stewardship, trust] of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God" (Col. 1:25).

"Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, here am I; send me" (Isaiah 6:8).

This is a most wonderful thought, that Christ Jesus counts you trustworthy (1 Tim. 1:12). He trusts you to be faithful, and in the final analysis, He knows that you will be faithful to Him. This is one of the reasons He has chosen you and put you into the ministry.

Note the word "enabled." It means strength and power. The power of your ministry comes from Christ. Christ gives you the power to minister and to conquer all. You must always remember this: No matter what may confront you or how far down you may fall, Christ counts you faithful and Christ will give you the power to be faithful. Christ knows that you will arise and begin to serve with renewed fervor.

This is the reason Christ called you: because in the final analysis you will be faithful. How can you know and be assured of this? Because of the forgiveness and the power and faithfulness of Christ. Christ will lift you up. Therefore when you fall, you must arise and seek the forgiveness of Christ and begin to walk anew in the strength and power of Christ.

5. You have been called to be a minister by the gift of God’s grace.

"I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power. Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles [unbelievers] the unsearchable riches of Christ" (Ephes. 3:7-8).

"Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God" (1 Cor. 4:1).

You have been called to be a minister of Christ (1 Cor. 4:1). Note four significant facts.

a) The word "minister" means an under-rower. It refers to the slaves who sat in the belly of the large ships and pulled at the great oars to carry the boat through the sea. Christ is the Master of the ship and the minister is one of the slaves of Christ. Note: you are only one of many under-rowing servants. Remember also that slaves in the belly of the ship were bound by chains. They were allowed to do nothing but serve the master of the ship. You are a bound slave of Christ: you exist only to row for the Master. You do not and cannot serve anyone else.

b) God has showered His grace upon you and made you a minister (Ephes. 3:7-8). God has been merciful to you, forgiven you so much. You owe God your life, to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ. No greater call and privilege could ever be given a person.

c) Your greatest glory is God’s call and God’s work. This was certainly true of Paul (Ephes. 3:7-8). Paul saw the dignity of the ministry, the dignity of being especially chosen by God. William Barclay points out that the ministry was a radiant privilege for Paul. He writes, "God did not have to persuade Paul to be a minister. No one had to persuade Paul to teach (Ephes. 4:1); to sing (Ephes. 5:19); to speak for God (Ephes. 4:17); to visit (2 Cor. 13:1f); to administer the affairs of the church (1 Cor. 7:1f); to give his money (2 Cor. 8:1f; 2 Cor. 9:1f). Paul did not have to be coerced. He saw his call to be a minister as the greatest of all privileges. As a minister of God, you must see the glorious privilege you have in serving Christ."

d) Your call to be a minister and a preacher is a gift, a free gift of God’s grace. This is exactly what Paul says (Ephes. 3:7-8). God had the right to call Paul simply because God has all rights. God is God. There was no merit, no worth, no value within Paul that caused God to choose him as a minister and as a preacher. Paul simply exclaims, "What a privilege! What a responsibility! The less of the least called by God to minister and to preach!"

• The salvation in Christ caused Paul to become a minister (Ephes. 3:7).

• The salvation in Christ caused Paul to become a preacher. Note Paul’s utter humility. He had what we all need: a deep, intense sense of unworthiness before God.

As a minister of God, you have the greatest of all calls. You have been privileged with the highest of privileges. God has showered His grace upon you and called you to be His minister to a world that reels under the weight of suffering and death.

6. You have been called to be a steward—a servant—of God.

"Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God" (1 Cor. 4:1).

"For a bishop [minister] must be blameless, as the steward of God" (Titus 1:7).

"As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God" (1 Peter 4:10).

You are the steward of God. The word "steward" (oikonomos) means the overseer of an estate. The steward was always a slave, subject to a master, but he was placed in charge of the other slaves throughout the master’s house or estate. He controlled the staff and ran the whole operation for the master. He was set over others, yet he himself was still a slave of the master. His work was not closely supervised; therefore, he had to be trustworthy and responsible.

Note what the minister is made a steward over: the mysteries of God. A mystery is not something hard to understand. Rather, it is something that has been hidden and kept secret. It is something that was undiscoverable by human reason, but now is revealed by God. It is crystal clear to those to whom it is revealed, but it is completely alien to those who do not receive it. What are the mysteries of God? They are the truths—the glorious truths—of God’s Word. Who are the ones to whom the mysteries are revealed? The stewards, the ministers, the believing servants of Christ.

As a minister of God, you are to be esteemed highly for your work’s sake. You are only a servant of God’s, but you are the servant whom God has made steward over His household, over His church and His people. You have been honored by God: you have been made responsible for the imperishable mysteries of God, the great truths of God’s Holy Word. You do not deal with perishable things such as money and possessions, but with the eternal things of God Himself, the eternal truths that God wants proclaimed to the world.

7. You have been called to be an ambassador for Christ.

"And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; to wit [oh! to know], that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God" (2 Cor. 5:18-21).

God has called you to be His ambassador to the world. He has given you the ministry of delivering the message of God to the whole world, the message of reconciliation. No greater call could ever be issued; no higher position could ever be held. Note two significant points.

a) You are given the highest of titles: you are an "ambassador for Christ." The "ambassador" (presbeuomen) is a person who is sent forth as an official envoy to represent the Sender and to announce the message of the Sender. Four things are always true about the ambassador.

• You belong to the One who sent you out.

• You are commissioned to be sent out. You exist only for the purpose for which you were sent.

• You possess all the authority and power of the One who sent you out.

• You are sent forth with the message of the Sender. The message is not your own.

b) You are given the greatest of messages: "Be reconciled to God." The message is so critical that you are to "beseech" (deometha) men: beg, intreat, cry, and plead with them to be reconciled to God.

Note that it is "for Christ’s sake" that you are to plead with men. Christ has paid the ultimate price to make reconciliation available to men: He has taken the sins of men upon Himself and borne the condemnation for them. Because He has done so much, every person owes his life to Christ—every person should be reconciled to God. For Christ’s sake, a person should give himself to God.

What Your Aim as a Minister Must Be

As a minister, the aim—the target and mark—of your life is clearly spelled out in Scripture. You are to set your life upon these goals. You are to adopt these goals and be utterly consumed with reaching them.

1. You must know, believe, and understand God.

"Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me" (Isaiah 43:10).

This is the reason God created you, saved you, and called you into the ministry: that you may know, believe, and understand Him.

a) Your aim must be to know God: know Him personally and intimately—grow to know Him more and more as you walk day by day.

b) Your aim must be to believe God.

• Believe His love for the world.

• Believe His salvation and call.

• Believe His promise of eternal life.

• Believe His Word, the Holy Scriptures.

• Believe He is with you no matter the trial or temptation: that He will never forsake you, that He cares for you and is looking after you.

• Believe He has called and commissioned you to proclaim His Word to a lost and dying world, a world reeling in desperate need.

c) Your aim must be to understand God.

• Understand that He alone is God, the only living and true God, the Sovereign Lord and Majesty of the universe.

• Understand that God is loving as well as holy and righteous—that God is merciful and gracious as well as just—that God will forgive sin as well as judge sin.

• Understand that God loves and cares for man, that He has demonstrated His love in the most supreme way possible: He has given His Son to die for sin so that whoever believes in Him might not perish but have everlasting life.

• Understand that God alone saves man; therefore, He alone is to be worshiped and served by man.

You have been called to be God’s witness and servant upon earth for this one great aim: that you may know, believe, and understand God.

2. You must personally know Christ and the power of His resurrection.

"That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead" (Phil. 3:10-11).

As a minister, you must seek a victorious experience with Christ. You must seek to know Christ—to know Him personally and to know Him intimately—to know His glorious power over the world and all that is in the world. Your great pursuit in life must be to seek Christ.

a) Your aim must be to know Christ: know Him personally and intimately—grow to know Him more and more as you walk day by day.

b) Your aim must be to know the power of Christ’s resurrection: to call upon the power of Christ in conquering this world with all its trials and temptations, sin and death.

c) Your aim must be to know the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings: to suffer for the same reasons that Christ suffered—to save and minister to people.

d) Your aim must be to be conformed to Christ’s death: to subject yourself totally to God—to deny yourself and put your desires and flesh to death and to do only the will of God.

"If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me" (Luke 9:23).

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service" (Romans 12:1).

3. You must forget the past and press on for the prize.

"Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 3:13-14).

Forgetting the past and pressing on is a difficult thing to do. But as a minister you must do it. How? By concentrating and controlling your mind and by reaching forth to those things which are before you. Note the concentration and focus: BUT THIS ONE THING I DO.

In one focused act, you must forget the past and reach forth to those things that are before you. This act involves two steps: both forgetting and reaching forth. The past cannot be forgotten without reaching forth to what lies ahead. You must not sit around moaning and regretting the past. You must not wallow around in self-pity when you come short or fail. You must not allow the feelings of being unworthy to grip you. We are all unworthy, totally unworthy, and we cannot be more unworthy than to be totally unworthy. This is not to excuse our failure and shortcoming. God holds us accountable. But we are to confess and forsake sin and failure. This is what you—all ministers of God—must always do. Confess and repent and get up and begin to serve Christ with a renewed commitment. You must not concentrate upon the past. The things of the past are to be forgotten. The things of the future are to be the focus of your mind. You are to zero in on the things at hand and on the things that lie ahead. If you do this, you will conquer and overcome in life, and you will complete and fulfill your ministry for the Lord Jesus Christ.

4. You must set this as your great aim and eagerly expect and hope to reach it:

• not to be ashamed in anything

• to exalt Christ whether it be by life or by death

"According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death" (Phil. 1:20).

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God" (Romans 12:1-2).

"I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience" (2 Tim. 1:3).

The only place people can see Jesus Christ living is in the body and life of a believer. Consequently, there is only one place where you can magnify and glorify Jesus Christ: that place is in your body. You must, therefore, commit your body totally to Jesus Christ.

a) You must guard and keep your body from . . .

• wondering and questioning God and His Word

• becoming discouraged and depressed

• becoming complacent and slothful

• becoming lazy and undisciplined

• sinning and failing

• denying and turning away from Christ

• overeating and drunkenness

• immorality and drugs

b) You must commit your body totally to Jesus Christ . . .

• so that you will not be ashamed of anything

• so that you will exalt Christ, whether it be by life or by death

5. You must have one great concern: consistency, not to offend in anything. You must prove that you are a true minister of God—that you are faithful through all the experiences of life, through all trials and temptations.

"Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed: but in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God,

• in much patience

• in afflictions

• in necessities

• in distresses

• in stripes

• in imprisonments

• in tumults

• in labours

• in watchings

• in fastings

• by pureness

• by knowledge

• by longsuffering

• by kindness

• by the Holy Ghost

• by love unfeigned

• by the word of truth

• by the power of God

• by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left

• by honour and dishonour

• by evil report and good report

• as deceivers, and yet true

• as unknown, and yet well known

• as dying, and, behold, we live

• as chastened, and not killed

• as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing

• as poor, yet making many rich

• as having nothing, and yet possessing all things"

(2 Cor. 6:3-10; cp. 2 Cor. 4:8-10).

"There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it" (1 Cor. 10:13).

As a minister, you must have one great concern: consistency, to offend in nothing. You must aim to be so consistent . . .

• that you will never cause anyone to reject or turn sour on the Lord Jesus Christ.

• that you will never cause a person to stumble or fall.

• that you will never be a poor reflection upon the ministry.

You must aim and seek diligently to bring only honor to the ministry and the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. You must prove that you are a true minister of God, no matter the severity of the trial or temptation. You must be strong against all trials and temptations, struggling to conquer them all. You must not offend anyone in anything. This must be your great concern, your great aim in the ministry.

6. You must fulfill the supreme requirement of God: that you be faithful.

"Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful" (1 Cor. 4:1-2).

As a minister of Christ, God requires one thing of you: faithfulness. Faithfulness is the one essential demanded of you.

• You are not required to be eloquent, brilliant, intelligent, loaded with ability, or successful. You are required to be faithful.

• You are not required by God to be an administrator, counsellor, visitor, door-greeter, or socializer—as important as these ministries are. You are required to be faithful.

You are required to be faithful in ministering the mysteries of God. By mysteries is meant the truths of God’s Word. You are held accountable and shall be judged for how well you minister the truths of God’s Word.

• You must not hold back or fail to share the truths of God.

• You must not substitute some other message for the truths of God.

• You must not mix some other message with the truths of God.

You must be faithful to your call. You are the minister of Christ and the steward of God’s mysteries, of the truths of His Word. You must—absolutely must—proclaim the mysteries of God, His Holy Word.

"According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust. And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry" (1 Tim. 1:11-12).

"Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD" (Jonah 1:1-3).

"And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time, saying, Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee. So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD" (Jonah 3:1-3).

7. You must be faithful, so faithful that you are totally abandoned and surrendered to Christ.

"But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God" (Acts 20:24).

This is a striking verse, but it is also a precious verse, and should be read many times to get the full impact of its message.

Paul did not count his life "dear" unto himself. His life was not for him to use as he pleased, not for earthly comfort or pleasure. His life was not for himself; it was for Christ. His life was "dear" (timian), that is, precious and valuable; but it was not for himself, not for his own use. His life was the precious and valuable possession of the Lord. The Lord possessed his life, for he had given it to the Lord, and the Lord was using it to the maximum. Paul had given his life to the Lord for two reasons.

First, Paul wished to finish the course of his life with joy. He wished to be faithful and diligent, running the Christian race to the end (1 Cor. 9:24-27; Phil. 3:13-14). Note: he did complete his course, proclaiming its fulfillment to all believers.

"For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing" (2 Tim. 4:6-8).

What a glorious testimony and challenge to you and to all others who preach the gospel of Christ. May God grant that you—that every true minister of God—finish your course with joy, faithfully and diligently running the race to the end.

"Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: but I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway" (1 Cor. 9:24-27).

Second, Paul wished to finish the ministry which the Lord Jesus Christ had given him. Note what his ministry was—to proclaim the gospel of the grace of God.

As the minister of Christ, you must do just what Paul did; you must have the same testimony that Paul had: you must abandon and surrender yourself totally to Christ.

"Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me" (Isaiah 6:8).

"And thou [Ezekiel] shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear: for they are most rebellious" (Ezekiel 2:7).

8. You must be faithful to the end of life.

"I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing" (2 Tim. 4:7-8).

As a minister, when you come to the end of life, you must have the most glorious of testimonies. You must be able to say with Paul: "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day" (2 Tim. 4:7-8a).

The way Paul describes his life is full of meaning. He quickly glances back over his life and uses three pictures to describe it, the pictures of a soldier, an athlete, and a steward. As a minister, you must be able to say the same things about your life.

a) You must live life just like a faithful soldier: "I have fought a good fight." Paul had responded to the call of the Lord Jesus Christ . . .

• He had volunteered to serve Christ.

• He had separated himself from this world, sacrificing all that he was and had to be a soldier for Christ—a soldier totally committed to the mission of Christ.

• He had suffered through the trials, temptations, criticisms, and attacks launched by the enemies of Christ, both the human and spiritual enemies.

• He had fought a "good" (kalos) fight: a fight that was worthy, honorable, noble, and commendable.

• He had done his time, stuck to the mission of Christ to the very end.

Therefore, Paul could victoriously declare, "I have fought a good fight." He was being released from his service as a soldier for the King, released to go home to live at peace in the kingdom of his dear Lord forever and ever. This, too, must be your testimony: as a good soldier of Jesus Christ, you must be able to declare, "I have fought a good fight."

"Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses" (1 Tim. 6:12).

"But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions" (Hebrews 10:32).

b) You must run and finish the course of your life; you must complete the race of life just like the athlete runs and finishes the course of his race. This is powerful, for it means that Paul disciplined and controlled his life to the utmost—just like the Olympian athlete.

• He controlled what he ate and drank and what he did with his body and mind.

• He focused upon the course of life, how he ran it. He could not risk being distracted by the things of the world nor of the flesh lest he become a castaway and be disqualified from running the race.

"Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: but I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway" (1 Cor. 9:23-27).

c) You must keep the faith. You must look after the faith just like a good steward looks after the estate of his master. The Lord had entrusted the faith to Paul, and Paul had kept the faith. He had proven faithful; he had faithfully managed the faith for his Master, the Lord Jesus Christ. The idea is that of a trust, of a management contract between Christ and Paul. Paul is saying that he had kept the terms of the contract; he had managed and looked after the trust faithfully and well. Think about this for a moment—all the sufferings that Paul went through—the terrible trials—the times that he could have . . .

• dumped the trust of the faith or laid it aside and ignored it. But he never did. He had been chosen by the Lord and Master of life to manage the trust of God, even the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, Paul took the trust and managed it through all—both good and bad times. He never forsook the faith. And because he had been faithful, it was time for him to bear the fruit of his labor. He was now to reap the benefits of the faith; he was to be given all the rights and privileges of the Lord’s estate—to live and enjoy its pleasures forevermore.

What Your Purpose as a Minister Is

Why has God called you to be a minister? What are His purposes for calling you? God has several very specific purposes He wants to accomplish through you. Scripture is clear in describing just what these purposes are.

1. You are to be a pattern of the glorious truth that God saves sinners—a living example of God’s mercy.

"Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting" (1 Tim. 1:16).

"Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity" (1 Tim. 4:12).

"In all things showing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine showing . . .

• uncorruptness

• gravity

• sincerity

• sound speech

… that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you" (Titus 2:6-8).

God has been longsuffering toward you—very longsuffering. He has had mercy upon you, saved you, and called you to be His minister to the world. But there is a reason God has done so much for you: that you might be a living example of His longsuffering and mercy.

a) You are to be a pattern—a demonstration, an example—that God is longsuffering and not willing that any should perish or die. You are to be a pattern of God’s mercy, that He will have mercy upon anyone who comes to Him for mercy. And note: you are God’s minister to the world; therefore, you are to be the first—the foremost—example of God’s longsuffering and mercy. You are to be the first to live and proclaim the longsuffering and mercy of God.

b) You are to be an example to all believers . . .

• in word • in the Holy Spirit

• in purity • in behavior

• in love • in faith

c) You are to be a pattern—an example—of good works in doctrine and teaching:

• in proclaiming a pure doctrine

• in proclaiming the message sincerely and with dignity

• in proclaiming the message with sound words

As stated, you are to be the first—the foremost—example of God’s longsuffering and mercy to the human race. You are to set a blazing example in all good works and in keeping the message of God uncorrupted.

2. You are to go and make disciples of all nations.

"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching [making disciples of] them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world" (Matthew 28:19-20).

"And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also" (2 Tim. 2:2).

This is the great commission of Jesus Christ to His followers (Matthew 28:19-20). This is one of the most important verses in all the Bible, for it tells you as a minister of the gospel exactly what your purpose and task are: you are to go and make disciples of all nations. The word "teach" in some translations is the Greek word make disciples. What does it mean to make disciples? It means to do exactly what Christ did. When Christ found a person who was willing to commit his life to God—totally commit his life—Christ attached Himself to that person. Christ began to mold and make that person into His image. The word attach is the key word. It is probably the word that best describes discipleship. Christ made disciples of men by attaching Himself to them, and through that personal attachment, they were able to observe His life and conversation. In seeing and hearing Him, they began to absorb and assimilate His very character and behavior. They began to follow Him and to serve Him more closely. In simple terms this is what our Lord did. This is the way He made disciples. This was His mission and His method, His obsession: to attach Himself to willing believers.

There is another way to describe what Christ did. Christ envisioned something beyond Himself and beyond His day and time. He envisioned an extension of Himself, an extension of His very being, and an extension of His mission and method. The way He chose to extend Himself was discipleship, attaching Himself to committed persons, and through attachment, the persons absorbed and assimilated the Lord’s very character and mission. They in turn attached themselves to others and discipled them. They, too, expected their disciples to make disciples of others who were willing to commit their lives to Christ. This was the way the glorious message of Christ was to march down through the centuries (2 Tim. 2:2).

There is no question what our Lord’s commission is: we are to go. But more than that, we are to make disciples, to attach ourselves to those persons who will follow our Lord until they in turn can make disciples (2 Tim. 2:2).

Your purpose as a minister of God is . . .

• to disciple others: pick out several believers who are willing to commit all they are and have to Jesus Christ and attach yourself to them. (Pick out as many as you can handle.)

• to teach the willing believer all you know: let him walk and talk with you and see you live, pray, teach, minister, eat, and relax. Let him observe you day by day as much as possible and absorb Christ in you.

• to always be discipling some believers, and then turning them loose to disciple others. (Set a goal as to how long you think it will take to train each disciple, and then turn each one loose to disciple others. As you turn each one loose, then pick out another committed believer to replace him in your group of disciples.)

Do this—disciple others—for it is the great commission of Christ, the very method He used. We can soon reach the world if you and all other ministers will follow this simple instruction of Christ: disciple—pick out and attach yourself to all who are willing to commit their lives to the ministry.

3. You are to present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.

"[Christ] whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus" (Col. 1:28).

God wants every person to be reached and presented perfect before Him. "Perfect" means mature and complete. This is your overriding purpose, your supreme objective: to go after every person—try to reach every single soul—and present every person to God as a mature and complete believer in Christ Jesus. How can you accomplish this task? Note the verse:

• Preach Christ.

• Warn every man.

• Teach every man in all wisdom.

4. You are to be a witness for the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ came to earth that you might have life, both abundant and eternal life. He came to save you from the enslavement of sin, death, and judgment to come. You have been called by Christ to be a witness of His salvation. Your very purpose for existing—for being a minister—is to be a witness for Christ.

FIRST, YOU ARE TO BE AN UNASHAMED WITNESS.

"Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner; but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God" (2 Tim. 1:8).

"I will speak of thy testimonies also before kings, and will not be ashamed" (Psalm 119:46).

"And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly" (2 Peter 2:5).

You are not to be ashamed of the gospel nor of strong believers who are living and witnessing for Christ. The point and verse are clear enough. You are not to shrink . . .

• from identifying with the gospel and the Lord of the gospel.

• from identifying with strong believers who are sharing and living for Christ.

You are to share the gospel—share by living for Christ and by speaking up for Him, bearing testimony of His saving grace. You are to stand up for those who share Christ when they are being ridiculed and persecuted. In fact, note the verse: you are to share in the sufferings of the gospel. You will be opposed and misunderstood by the world. Why? Because you do not live like the world; you do not live a sensual, immoral, ungodly, and worldly life. You do not follow after the things of the world. Therefore, your righteous and godly life convicts the world of its ungodly deeds. Hence, the world will ridicule and persecute you. But you are not to let this stop you: you are not to shrink from living for and sharing the gospel. You are to jump right in with other strong believers and share the gospel with a starving and lost world that reels under the weight of evil, corruption, and death.

SECOND, YOU ARE TO BE A STRONG, BOLD WITNESS.

"Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee" (Titus 2:14-15, cp. Titus 2:11-13).

"Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace: for I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city" (Acts 18:9-10).

The death of Jesus Christ is to be proclaimed with all authority—strongly and boldly (Titus 2:14-15).

• You are to speak about the death of Christ, that His death redeems man. There is no argument about the grace of God, no argument about the Lord Jesus Christ and His death. Unquestionably, God loves the world. He has demonstrated His love by sending His Son into the world to redeem man. You are, therefore, to proclaim the death of Christ for the sins of the world.

• You are to use every method of speech and communication there is. You are to declare the grace of God and the death of His Son for the sins of the world.

• You are to exhort people in the death of Christ, how His death redeems man. The word exhort means to encourage. People are lonely, empty, without purpose, discouraged, distressed, and without hope. They need to hear the glorious message of God’s grace, of the Lord Jesus Christ. They need to hear about the wonderful life God gives us now and eternally—all through the Lord Jesus Christ and His death.

• You are to rebuke people in the death of Christ. There is no excuse for men living in sin and rejecting the grace of God. God has done too much for us in Christ Jesus, His Son. A man is a fool to reject eternal life, the glorious redemption and hope which Christ gives. Men need to be told the truth, rebuked, and put under conviction by your proclaiming the grace of God and the death of Jesus Christ.

THIRD, YOU ARE TO BE CHRIST’S WITNESS.

"Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God" (2 Cor. 5:20).

You are an ambassador for Christ. In God’s eyes, you have the highest of titles, that of being an ambassador for your Lord and Master. As the ambassador of Christ, four things are true of you (the same four things are always true of the ambassador of a nation):

• You—the Lord’s ambassador—belong to Christ, the One who has sent you out to the world.

• You—the Lord’s ambassador—are commissioned to be sent out. You now exist only for the purpose for which you were sent out.

• You—the Lord’s ambassador—possess all the authority and power of Christ, of the One who has sent you out into the world.

• You—the Lord’s ambassador—are sent forth with the message of Christ, the Lord of the universe. You are not free to deliver your own message nor the message of anyone else. You have been appointed by Christ as His ambassador to deliver His message and His message alone.

Note a most significant fact: you have been given the greatest of messages to deliver—"Be reconciled to God."

FOURTH, YOU ARE TO BE A FAMILY AND COMMUNITY WITNESS.

"Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee" (Mark 5:19).

You are to witness first to your own family and home. Too often, the very opposite is true: our homes—both spouse and children—are often neglected and overlooked. We just fail to make a clearcut presentation of the gospel to our loved ones. But this is not to be, not if you are a minister of Christ. Your first duty is to witness to your family.

FIFTH, YOU ARE TO BE A WORLDWIDE WITNESS.

"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world" (Matthew 28:19-20).

"And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15).

"For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard" (Acts 22:15).

Christ has given you the method to follow as you bear witness for Him (Acts 1:8).

a) You are to witness where you are (Jerusalem) and move progressively outward (Judaea and Samaria) until you have a part in reaching the uttermost part of the earth.

• You are to go—personally go—as far as you can.

• You are to give as sacrificially as you can so that others can go.

• You are to use every method and ministry you can to reach the world.

b) You are to witness where you are first. See to it that Christ is well known throughout your home and community before moving on. But once Christ is well known, you are to move out, ever pressing outward from where you are. Your first witness is to be . . .

• in Jerusalem: where you are, your home and local community. in all Judaea: other communities and areas and cities and states. Note the word "all Judaea."

• in Samaria: other nations and countries, perhaps even where people are antagonistic. There was bitter hatred between the Jews and Samaritans. Yet Christ tells His witnesses to carry the message of salvation even to their enemies.

• to the uttermost part of the earth: to the unknown countries and regions of the world.

A critical point is this: you are to see that each area receives the message of Christ. You are to stay where you are before reaching out. But once the area knows the message—has received your ministry and gift—the message is to be carried out into another area.

SIXTH, YOU ARE TO BE AN OBEDIENT WITNESS.

"Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life. And when they heard that, they entered into the temple early in the morning, and taught" (Acts 5:20-21a).

"Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay [refuse to witness any longer]" (Jeremiah 20:9).

Witnessing is often difficult. There are many reasons why:

• You may be busy or rushed.

• You may be tired and exhausted; you may need rest.

• You may face opposition, ridicule, imprisonment, or outright persecution.

• You may have other pressing duties demanding your immediate attention.

• You may have to go out and visit and witness alone. There may be no one available or willing to go with you.

But God’s commission to you, His minister, is clear: "Go, stand and speak . . . to the people" (Acts 5:20-21a). The Greek is strong, demanding boldness and courage.

• "Go": go now, immediately.

• "Stand": take your stand; stand forth without reservation or hesitation.

• "Speak": proclaim, preach, teach—courageously, boldly, without fear.

• "All the words of this life": the whole gospel of salvation; the glorious message of the death and resurrection of Christ; not watering down or changing anything; not holding back; not trying to soften the message to make it more acceptable.

God has no one to go but His followers, and the leaders of His followers are His ministers. If you are not obedient in witnessing, then others—your people, your church, your class, your fellow ministers, your friends, your dynamic laymen—will not witness. You, as God’s minister, must take the lead in witnessing. The highest authority in the universe—God Himself—has commissioned you to be His witness. You must, therefore, be obedient and bear witness to the glorious gospel of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

SEVENTH, YOU ARE TO BE A CONSTANT WITNESS.

"For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard" (Acts 4:20).

"But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear" (1 Peter 3:15).

"Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name" (Malachi 3:16).

"My mouth shall show forth thy righteousness and thy salvation all the day; for I know not the numbers [of my days] thereof" (Psalm 71:15).

"I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the LORD, keep not silence" (Isaiah 62:6).

You have the most glorious message in all the world: man can now live abundantly and live forever. Man never has to die; he never has to suffer emptiness, loneliness, or anxiety; he never has to lack purpose, love, joy, or peace. The world is crying for this news, the news that they can have life—real life—both now and forever.

You must, therefore, proclaim the gospel and proclaim it constantly. You must grasp every opportunity, and even make opportunity, to share the gospel. You must never shirk your duty, never neglect or ignore anyone. Day by day as you cross the paths of others, you must constantly share the gospel, share the glorious news that the world so desperately needs, the news that man can now live both abundantly and eternally.

EIGHTH, YOU ARE TO BE A SPIRIT-FILLED WITNESS.

"But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: and ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning" (John 15:26-27, cp. Acts 1:8).

"And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him" (Acts 5:32).

You cannot witness on your own, in your own physical and mental strength, and win people to Jesus Christ. Neither you nor any other person can enter the heart of a person and place the divine nature—the incorruptible seed of God—into that person. Only the Holy Spirit can do this. You must, therefore, trust God’s Spirit to convict and convert the souls of people when you share the gospel. Your task is twofold:

• to speak and share the gospel.

• to pray and trust the Holy Spirit to convict and convert the person.

When you pray and trust God’s Spirit to work through you, then God’s Spirit does just that. God’s Word—His witness—never returns to Him void.

"So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it" (Isaiah 55:11).

God’s Spirit takes your witness, prayer, and trust, and He convicts the souls of people. He convicts and saves all who willingly receive Christ as their Savior.

NINTH, YOU ARE TO BE A BELIEVING WITNESS, A WITNESS WHO IS A TRUE BELIEVER.

"And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning" (John 15:27).

"We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak" (2 Cor. 4:13).

"Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul" (Psalm 66:16).

The Son of God came to earth; He partook of flesh and blood and became a Man just like all other men. He is called Jesus Christ or Jesus the Messiah, the Savior of the world. He was heard, seen, intensely looked upon and handled by John and the other apostles and by many others who believed and followed Him (1 John 1:3). Jesus Christ did everything He could to show man that the Son of God had come to earth—that He had come to save and to deliver man from this corruptible world of sin and death and to give man life eternal. Jesus Christ did everything He could to show man that man can live with God forever and ever.

As a minister, you yourself believe the gospel. Now, it is your duty to declare to the world the very message proclaimed by John: "That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ" (1 John 1:3).

What Your Resources as a Minister Are

How can you fulfill the purposes of God for your life and ministry? God has not left you alone; He has not left you with only human wisdom and strength to accomplish your task. God has provided great help—unbelievable resources—to equip you to live for Him and to carry out His great purposes for you.

1. You are given the grace and power of Christ.

"And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong" (2 Cor. 12:9-10; cp. 1 Cor. 1:3-4; 2 Cor. 9:8).

Christ wants to reveal His grace and power in you. But note a most significant fact: the weaker the vessel, the more Christ is glorified. This is seen in four striking points.

a) The grace of Christ is sufficient for you. The presence of God and His grace are sufficient to help you walk through any suffering. The word "sufficient" (arkei) means the power or strength to withstand any danger. Christ’s grace within you can carry you through anything. In Paul’s case, it was physical suffering. In your case it may be either physical or spiritual attacks, but no matter: Christ’s grace is sufficient to see you through whatever you suffer.

b) The strength of Christ is made perfect in your weakness. The weaker the minister, the more Christ can demonstrate His strength in the minister. If you are self-sufficient, you do not need Christ; but if you are weak, you need Christ: the help, provision, and sufficiency of Christ. You must, therefore, walk humbly before Christ, depending upon His grace and sufficiency.

c) The power of Christ will rest upon you through all your infirmities and trials. Note the point of this statement: infirmities or weaknesses are purposeful. You suffer for a reason: that the power of Christ may be demonstrated and clearly seen in your life. The word "rest" (episkenosei) means to fix a tent upon. The idea is that the power of Christ rests upon the suffering minister just as the Shekinah glory dwelt in the holy place of the tabernacle. What a glorious thought! The strength of Christ fixes itself upon and dwells within you—filling you with the Shekinah glory of God—when you suffer trials and temptations.

d) When you suffer some infirmity or weakness, it gives Christ the chance to infuse power into you and to overcome the weakness for you. Your infirmity gives Christ an opportunity to prove Himself. Therefore, you are to take pleasure . . .

• "in infirmities": a general term meaning all kinds of sufferings and weaknesses, whether moral or physical. The power of Christ can overcome any weakness or temptation for the believer.

• "in reproaches": whether ridicule, insult, slander, rumor, or whatever.

• "in necessities": hardships, needs, deprivations, hunger, thirst, lack of shelter or clothing, or any other necessity.

• "in persecutions": verbal or physical attack, abuse, or injury.

• "in distresses": tight situations, perplexities, disturbances, anxious moments, inescapable problems and difficulties.

When you are weak, you are strongest. How? By the power of Christ. And the power of Christ is much stronger than all the combined forces of mankind.

Your great need is to acknowledge your weakness before the Lord. When you do, the Lord pours His strength into your mind and heart. The Lord empowers you to overcome and conquer all infirmities and weaknesses, and all trials and temptations.

2. You are given the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.

"But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth" (Acts 1:8).

"Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God" (1 Cor. 2:12).

As a minister, you are equipped with God’s very own Spirit. No greater power could ever be possessed by anyone. This is clearly seen: once the early disciples experienced the coming of God’s Spirit into their lives, they never again asked about earthly power. Experiencing the presence and power of God’s Spirit within their lives was the summit, the supreme experience of their lives. Nothing else was ever needed. It is this for which the human heart craves, and once God’s Spirit truly dwells within the minister, that minister is supremely fulfilled and satisfied. Nothing else can ever satisfy—not position or authority, recognition or fame—not if the minister has truly received the Spirit of God into his heart and life.

The point is this: you have been given a task by God, a mission to carry out on earth. You do not have the power to carry out that task, not within yourself. The power of God Himself, of His Spirit, is needed. Therefore, Christ promises: "Ye shall receive power after the Holy Spirit is come upon you" (Acts 1:8). Both the Spirit of God and His power are promised. But note a critical point: the Holy Spirit comes upon you as an equipping power. The major purpose for His coming is to equip you to carry out your task for God.

3. You are given the presence and power of God.

"But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us" (2 Cor. 4:7).

"For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved" (Acts 2:25).

"But truly I am full of power by the spirit of the LORD, and of judgment, and of might, to declare unto Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin" (Micah 3:8).

This is a precious, yet very striking, verse (2 Cor. 4:7). "This treasure" refers back to the former verse (2 Cor. 4:6). The treasure is the presence of God Himself shining in the believer’s earthly vessel, in his heart, in his earthly body. Note three significant points.

a) God’s presence is a treasure, a precious and priceless treasure.

b) God’s presence is placed into earthly vessels. God enters your body, a body that is like an earthly vessel made of pottery or glass. Your body is ever so weak and worthless, corruptible and perishable. Yet imagine—God’s presence is placed into such an earthly body!

c) God’s purpose for entering your body is to show His power by overcoming all weaknesses—all trials and temptations, all handicaps and infirmities—even death itself.

• "The excellency of the power" is a picture of the grandeur, glory, and preeminence of His power. It is the excellency, the great and overcoming power of God.

The presence of God in your heart and body is power.

• It is the power to convert and transform you into a new creature.

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new" (2 Cor. 5:17).

• It is the power to convert and transform you into a new man.

"And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness" (Ephes. 4:24).

"And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him" (Col. 3:10).

• It is the power to deliver you from all temptations and trials.

"There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it" (1 Cor. 10:13).

"Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place" (2 Cor. 2:14).

• It is the power to put His divine nature into you: "Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust" (2 Peter 1:4).

• It is the power to give you life, both abundant and eternal life: "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly" (John 10:10). "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).

The point is this: the treasure of God’s presence is in your earthly vessel, your earthly body that is ever so weak and frail. God does so much for you, and it is all wrought by Him. Therefore, God and God alone gets all the credit, and He is thereby praised. As the verse says, the power is of God, not of us.

4. You are given the assurance—absolute assurance—of victory by God Himself.

"Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place" (2 Cor. 2:14).

As a minister, you always triumph in Christ. God gives you absolute assurance of victory. God never fails His dear minister.

The picture of triumph is descriptive. It is the picture of a military commander returning to Rome after some great victory. The commander was always welcomed into the city in a great march of triumph. Most people have seen such scenes in films either on television or in movies.

What Paul pictures is the triumph of Christ. He sees God giving Christ the glorious and triumphant victory: the victory is gained as the Word of God is proclaimed throughout the world. And Paul sees himself, as a minister of God, being a part of that glorious and triumphant victory. Note several points.

a) It is God who causes you to triumph. God Himself is looking after you, never taking His eyes off you as His dear servant. The journey may sometimes get rough, and you may be attacked and abused, but God never forsakes you.

b) God always causes you to triumph. As a true minister of God, you will never know defeat—not permanently. Even if you fall and fail for a period of time, God will eventually reach you and restore you, and He will continue to use you. God will always cause His dear minister to triumph over all. There is nothing, absolutely nothing, that can conquer and gain the final victory and triumph over you—not if you are truly called of God—not if you truly serve Him. The glorious triumph over all is assured.

c) The triumph is "in Christ" and in Christ alone. You must . . .

• believe in Christ

• minister in Christ

• trust in Christ

• live in Christ

• be called in Christ

• move in Christ

• serve in Christ

• be in Christ

You are no different from anyone else: your only victory is in Christ. You must trust and live in Christ just like everyone else. You are not acceptable to God apart from Christ. Your acceptance before God is based upon the same thing as everyone else’s: faith in Christ. Therefore, to triumph "in Christ" you must be "in Christ"; that is, you must believe in and live in Christ. Your triumph is in Christ and in Christ alone.

d) God uses you, the minister, to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere. This is the reason God causes you to triumph: to spread the glorious message of Christ all over the world. God is out to reach every person He can: to see to it that every person knows about the love of Christ. The word "savour" simply means fragrance or aroma, like the fragrance of a flower. God spreads the fragrance of His Word through you, His minister.

5. You are given a spiritual gift by God.

"And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers" (Ephes. 4:11).

"And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues" (1 Cor. 12:28; cp. Romans 12:6-8).

God has equipped you for the ministry. Whatever He has called you to do, He has gifted you for that particular ministry. God has given you everything needed to complete your call and ministry:

• the spiritual office

• the spiritual gift and ability

• the authority and power

• the grace to bear all trials and temptations in order to complete your ministry.

It is important to note what is meant by spiritual gifts. A spiritual gift does not mean the natural ability or talent of a person. God, of course, keeps natural abilities and talents in mind when He gifts a person, but spiritual gifts are special gifts given to believers. They are highly specialized gifts—gifts that are given to build up believers in the church and in witnessing and ministering to the world. The point to note is this: you have received a spiritual gift, a highly specialized gift. You have received your gift to carry out the ministry of the Lord upon the earth.

Note another significant point: Jesus Christ gives you the grace to use your gift. Grace means the strength, wisdom, courage, motivation, love, concern, care, power—all the favor and blessings—of Christ. Whatever is needed to use the gift, Christ gives you. He measures out the exact amount of grace needed for the maximum use of a gift.

What a glorious truth! What a spark of encouragement! You are gifted by Christ—gifted with a highly specialized gift. And you have the measure of grace—whatever measure is needed—to use your gift. Christ pours out His grace upon you, equipping you to carry out your task upon earth. This is significant, for it means that your gift is the gift of Christ. It is the very best gift for you. You should not be displeased with your gift, nor covet someone else’s gift. Christ has placed you into your ministry and given you the very best gift—if you are truly His, yielded and committed to serve Him.

6. You are given faith to sustain you in the ministry.

"We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak" (2 Cor. 4:13; cp. Acts 27:25; Romans 4:20-21; Hebrews 11:6).

When nothing else sustains you as a minister, your faith will sustain you. You may be tempted to give up: the trouble and pressure against you may be so great that you are tempted to leave the ministry, to never again share the gospel. However as stated, when nothing else sustains you, your faith will sustain you.

"Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked" (Ephes. 6:16).

If you will hold on to your faith in Christ—pray and seek the face of God, believe and never give up no matter what attacks you—you will never fall, not for long.

Your faith will not allow you to become discouraged, not to the point that you would leave the ministry and fall into the depths of despair. By faith you must believe the promises of God. By faith you must stay in the ministry and continue to speak just as the Word of God exhorts you to do.

"For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?" (1 John 5:4-5).

7. You are given the love of Christ to compel you in the ministry.

"For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead" (2 Cor. 5:14).

As a minister, the love of Christ constrains you to hold fast to the ministry. Note: Paul does not say that he is driven to minister because of . . .

• the great teaching of Christ.

• the great example of Christ.

• the great ministry of Christ.

• the great life of Christ.

All of these areas of the Lord’s life are important, critically so, but they are not the foundation of our salvation and ministry. The foundation of the believer’s life is the love of Christ. As the above verse says, the love of Christ is seen in His death upon the cross.

Christ died that all persons might die in Him. In the Greek this verse says:

• "One died for all" (heis huper panton apethanen).

• "Therefore, all died" (ara hoi pantes apethanon).

Note the exact words: "One died for all; therefore, all died." Paul is saying . . .

• that Jesus Christ died for all men; therefore all men died when He died.

• that since Christ died for all, then it follows that all men died in Him.

• that all men were represented in Christ when He died.

• that all men are counted as having died when Christ died.

• that Jesus Christ died the ideal death, the death that stands for all men.

Of course, this is simply saying the same thing in different ways so that we can more easily grasp exactly what Paul is saying. But note: the word "all" is not teaching universal salvation, that is, that every human being is saved by the death of Christ. This passage has to be kept in context with the rest of Scripture. The word "all" means all who are redeemed by faith in the death of Christ.

Very simply stated, when a person believes that Jesus Christ died for him, God takes that person’s faith and counts it as his death in Christ.

• God counts him as having died in Christ.

• God credits him as having already died in Christ.

• God credits the death of Christ to him so that he never has to die.

Another way to say the same thing is this: God takes the person’s faith and . . .

• identifies the person with the death of Christ.

• accepts the death of Christ as the death of the person.

Although these statements may help some to more clearly understand what Paul is saying, there is no clearer statement than the one stated in Scripture: "Christ died for all; therefore, all died [in Him]." The death of Jesus Christ was the representative death for all. His death stands as the death for all men. No person ever has to die. All he has to do is believe that Jesus Christ died for him—truly commit his life to the glorious truth—and God will take his belief and count it as his having already died in Christ.

The point is this: it is the glorious love of Christ that constrains you to stick to the ministry and to serve the Lord so faithfully. You have been given the love of Christ to drive and constrain you to share the message of Christ with a world that is gripped and dying in corruption.

8. You are given the hope of the resurrection to sustain you in the ministry.

"Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you" (2 Cor. 4:14).

"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord" (1 Thes. 4:16-17).

"Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:12-13).

You serve Christ for one great reason: you know that you are to die someday, and you know there is to be a resurrection of the dead. Above all else, the one thing you want is to be with Jesus; therefore, that glorious day of resurrection, the day of full redemption, is ever before your eyes. You suffer and bear all—you continue to preach and teach, to serve and meet the needs of people—all because you know that the day of resurrection is coming. Just as God raised up the Lord Jesus, so God is going to raise you up to be with all those to whom you have ministered.

How do you know this? Because God raised up the Lord Jesus. When God raised up Christ, God demonstrated that it was His will to raise the dead, and that He had the power to raise the dead. You know that you, too, shall be raised, raised to live with Christ forever and ever. This is your great hope, the hope that sustains you in the ministry. As Paul said in giving his great testimony:

"That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead" (Phil. 3:10-11).

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MARANATHA / JD

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