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er’s heels. They are remembered as the com pa ssiona te , kind, thoughtful, loving, Jesus-like per son. They were there in a tender way putting people in remem brance of the Gospel — not by their awesome lectures, but by their wholesome life. I would confess that a few peo ple have made some changes in my life by their direct verbal brutality, but most of the changes I’ve made for good have come be cause of people who have dis turbed me by the gross contrast of their tenderness and my harsh ness. They have driven me to pray, “God help me to be what they already are!” That is what a good minister is — one who walks so intimately with Jesus that his love and devo tion stimulate others to spiritual growth. “Nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, where- unto thou hast attained. But re fuse profane and old wives’ fa bles, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness” (I Tim. 4:6-7). There are three steps. First, to become a good minister, you must know the One in whose Name you are ministering. You can’t be a good minister of Christ until you belong to Christ by faith. You must know who He was, what He did, what He wants, and then commit your life to Him. Salva tion is the unavoidable, inescap able first step. Unfortunately, so many never go beyond the first step, because they become satis fied with their salvation. The second step is to “refuse profane and old wives’ fables” (I Tim. 4:7). Paul isn’t intending to pick on the women. He is ac cused of this but I think he will justify every one of his state ments about women when they question him in heaven — and question him they will! Apparent ly, there were some “old wives’ fables.” The nearest parallel in our day might be evangelical Christianity’s defense of dead How To Become A Good Minister
G rea t goals dw a rf th e D ev il’s d a r ts
by Harold L. Adams
these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ.” A dogmatist responds, “I do that! I put the brethren in re membrance of the things they ought to be doing. I’m faithful in giving those church members a piece of mind.” (People who are giving away a piece of their minds usually give evidence of their generosity by the smallness of what remains!) Paul isn’t ad vocating their practice. The words in the Greek are expressions of tenderness, com passion, kindness,- sympathy. A good minister in a compassion ate, kindly way shows people by his life (not a hard tongue) what they ought to be. In every church I have ever pastored there has been a saint of God who has gone to glory preceding my arrival. They have stood out above all others as the very essence of what a Christian ought to be. When people talk about them, they don’t depict them as someone who was for ever laying down the law with a “holier-than-thou” authority. They don’t recall them as the per son at the business meeting who was forever setting his brother s-t-r-a-i-g-h-t. They have not been the German Shepherd of the congregation, the watchdog bark ing and nipping at their broth
V e r y o f t e n T H E preacher’s pur pose is to shake people from their complacency and to up root them from their lethargy. Not so with this message. It is not directed to the hardened sin ner. It isn’t meant to disturb. It is aimed at those who want to be good servants of Jesus Christ— those who are committed to God with a deep desire to please Him. “Thou shalt be a good minis ter” (I Tim. 4:5). The word minister is translated in other places as “deacon,” “servant.” The King James translators used “minister” b ecau se they were aware that Paul was writing to Timothy—a minister. In a very real sense all Chris tians are ministers — servants of our Lord. I would, therefore, like to broaden the application from the ordained clergy to all who de sire to be good servants [minis ters] of Jesus Christ. Paul is writing to Timothy who wanted to be a good minister of Jesus Christ, a good servant of God. He wants to help him ful fill the wholesome desires of his heart by telling him (1) what a good minister is, (2) how to be come one, and (3) why! What is A Good Minister? I Timothy 4:6: “If thou put the brethren in remembrance of
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OCTOBER, 1969
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