THE KING’S BUSINESS
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the things which he is to do not merely occasionally, but to " continue in stead fastly.” It is sometimes said that “ a min ister should know more about books than a school teacher; more about politics than a politician; more about medicine thah a doctor; more about sociology than the col lege professor.” No, that is nonsense, it is impossible; but there are two things in which the minister should be pre-eminent; first o f all he should be pre-eminent in prayer, and second, he should be pre-emi nent in the ministering o f the Word. Pray ing and ministering the W ord is the min ister’s principal business, and it really should be the principal business o f every one who would be a true Christian. Notice that praying is put first. The man who does not pray cannot satisfactorily minister the Word. More ministers, and more Christians generally, fail through neglect o f prayer than from any other cause. Pray ing is the thing that we should keep at, that we should continue steadfastly in. But next to praying stands the ministry o f the W ord; and here, too, is the second greatest place o f failure among the ministry, fail ure through not ministering the Word. There are many who preach everything but the “Word.” I f we are to minister the’ W ord we must study it, dig into it, study it daily, persistently, give hours to the study o f it, and having studied it and under stood it we should minister it. These words, we will “ continue steadfastly in prayer, and the ministry o f the Word,” should be the motto o f every minister of the Gospel, and from this purpose he should allow nothing to turn him away. vs. 5, 6. “And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philipr and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timqn, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch: whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them.” Notice the names o f these who were chosen to be the first deacons; The church was largely Hebrew Jewish, but every one of the seven chosen has a Greek name, indi-
serve tables.” It wishes him to raise finances, run charity societies, grace social functions with his presence and with his speeches, and in general, to “ serve tables.” If the minister today consents to - do all the world, and even the church, desires and expects him to do, he will have no time left for his own proper work. What his own proper work is the Apostles plainly and explicitly define: “prayer and the min istry o f the Word.” It is not pleasing to God when the church or community tries to crowd a man whom He has called into a higher office, into the poor paltry service o f serving tables. I f this work must be doné, choose somebody else to do it. Note carefully the kind o f men that the Apostles considered necessary to look after even the temporal affairs o f the church: (1 ) They should be “men o f good report.” No men o f doubtful reputation should be chosen even to look after the finances of the church merely because they are rich, or 'shrewd business,men; if they are not testi fied to as to their integrity and Christian character they should not be elected to any church office. (2 ) They should be “full o f the Spirit.” How careless some churches are in choosing their officers, especially offi cers that look after thg financial matters in the church. They never ask, “ Are these men full of the Spirit?” (3) “ Full of wisdom.” - There are many men who are deemed spiritual but who certainly have not much sense in some directions. How ever good these men may be, they ought 'n ot to be choseri for deacons. If a man really is “ full o f the Spirit” he will be full of wisdom, for the Holy Spirit is “ the Spirit o f power, o f Jove, and o f a sound mind” (more accurately, sound sense) (2 Tim. 1:7). The body o f believers was to choose these deacons; the Apostles were simply to install them in office after the church had selected them. While these men attended to the temporalities, the Apostles were to “continue steadfastly in prayer, and the ministry of the Word.” This defines the minister’s business, praying and minis tering the Word, these are the two things that are to engage his attention. These are
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