AUGUST, 1946
331
Now, somehow, when the writer first examined these and similar passages of the Bible, the weight of them left him nearly breathless. It was star tling to learn what God expected of His ministers. One pauses even now when the ordination vows come to mind, or the words of the charge are remembered: “Take thou authority in the Church of God, to perform the du ties and the offices of an elder; to preach and teach the Word of God; to be instant in season and out of sea son; to reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and doctrine; to ad minister the holy sacraments and or dinances of the Church; to guard carefully the souls for whom Christ died; to make full proof of thy min istry; in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” So far, nothing has been said about the qualifications of this one who is commanded to “rule well.” It is not that the Scripture does not place limi tations upon the exercise of this office, but in all our recent a t t e m p t s to thoroughly democratize the church in a day of Nicolaitan designs to draw it into dictatorial ecclesiastical alli ances, we b e l i e v e the minister has been too restricted. In some eases, he has been bound and gagged and tied. Even though there be no “holy or ders” in the church, there ought to be some holy order! Now it shall be seen that a man so highly exalted by the divine Lord of the churches has made it necessary that the minister have some qualifica tions, some powers that fit him for the task. In fact, God has so safe guarded this office, that if the Scrip tures are obeyed, it can never be abused by a charlatan nor disgraced by an incompetent. God has pro tected the ministry by demanding that the man who “rules well” in the church must first prove himself fit to rule in two other realms of life. So next we look at: The Minister’s Authority in the Home The meager mention this subject receives in the Scripture is not an in dication of its unimportance. Paul stated: “A bishop then must be blame less . . . one that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjec tion with all gravity; (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)” (I Tim. 3:2,4,5). One need only recall the tragic end of the sons of Eli and of the old priest himself to appreciate the necessity for, and the seriousness of, this command. One who does not use authority well in the lesser realm cannot exer cise it in the higher realm. Many a man has suffered loss in his ministry and brought reproach upon himself, his office, and his church because he failed at this point. It adds up to this:
The man who fails to teach his boy is not competent to teach the church; the man who fails to guard his wife and child is not fit to shepherd the church of God; the man who does not exercise discipline at home can never qualify to exercise it in the church; the man who cannot bring up a family to love the Lord, attend church regu larly and frequent the prayer meeting will never persuade strangers in the church to follow Christ. There is, in addition, a third realm of ministerial authority:
Lordship of the Spirit of God, he has not met the standard for rulership in the church of God. Let this truth be stated as directly as possible: The man has never lived who is fit to as sume authority over others if he has not learned to submit to authority over himself. Oh, how we need to learn this today! We live in a time when the “spirit of lawlessness” is abroad and this teaching is not popular. Un ruliness has filled the hearts of gov ernors, kings, and laborers. God pity us if it takes control of our ministers too! “And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold” (Matt. 24:12). Specifically, the minister must exer cise authority over his own thoughts and desires, his own emotions and will. “He that hath no rule over his own spirit Is like a city that is broken down, and without walls” (Prov. 25: 28). This means simply that a man needs to rule his own thoughts. Unless he does, anything may come in. As in the parable, the crows and ravens came to rest in the mustard tree, so evil thoughts and desires come into the mind, if a wall is not erected. On the other hand, as old Moses Stuart wrote about this verse, “Such a city is liable to be attacked and plundered. So the man who has no control over himself is always exposed to doing or saying something which will be in jurious to himself.” One must check both what comes in and what goes out of the mind. For instance, a minister must prove himself by demonstrating rule over his temper. “He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city” (Prov. 16:32). The application is obvious! Let God control your tem per, and He will care for your au thority over your appointed “city.” It should also be pointed out that the man of God must prove himself able to rule the church by showing himself capable of mastering his own will. To put it plainly, one must learn that he cannot always have his own way! The problem of sin began in man’s will. Lucifer said, “I will.” Sin was conquered when Jesus said, “Not my will, but thine be done.” “The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate” (Prov. 8:13). This is the end of the matter. Here is the stopping place, and the truth God would have all of us know, namely: All true authority, be it in the moral, spiritual, legal, or any other realm, flows from the yielded heart, and from the yielded will. The minister of God has a responsi bility to his Lord to faithfully de monstrate his authority in the church, the home and in his own life. Let him therefore fulfill his duty under the direction of the Holy Spirit.
"Be thou an example of the be lievers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity" (1 Tim. 4:12). The Minister s Authority over Himself In this third realm, the minister must practice the most rigid control, or he is no safe guardian of a home, much less a safe shepherd of the church of Christ. God has placed a monitor over the actions of even the unsaved man. We call it conscience. God has placed a Ruler in the heart of the new man. He is the Holy Spirit. Unless the man of God has submitted himself to the
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