(A synopsis of Bible studies given at the Philadelphia ministerial institute.)
By Arthur G. Daniells
The Gospel Ministry — No. 3
(A synopsis of Bible studies given at the Philadelphia ministerial institute.)
A MINISTER is represented in the Scriptures as an ambassador, a watchman, a soldier, a teacher, a fisher. All these terms are used to express the character of the work the minister has to do—his relationship to the people to whom he is sent to bear the message of God. Let us consider, first, the ambassador. The definition is as follows: “An ambassador is one sent by a king or a state to carry important tidings or transact affairs of great moment with another prince or state. An ambassador is always the true representative of the monarch or state from which he receives his commission.” That reveals to us a position of dignity, importance, and weight that we ought to consider. Note what Paul says about this in 2 Cor. 5:20: “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.” Ministers of the gospel are ambassadors, not of crowned rulers of this world, but of Jesus Christ, the King of all these kings. They are ambassadors of the kingdom of God, which is to take the place of all these earthly kingdoms, and to stand forever. They come from God with good tidings of salvation to sinful men in the kingdom of darkness here below. They come as representatives of God to transact important business for him in this sinful world. Now, when we think of the great care an ambassador must exercise in the country or government to which he is sent, so that he shall not in any way dishonor his sovereign or the people whom he represents, we can get some little sense of the great care we should take in our ambassadorship not to in any way dishonor our Sovereign and the kingdom which we represent. It is no light affair to be called to this ambassadorship. And when we once surrender to this call, and give our lives to it, we ought to realize that we have entered upon the highest, the most sacred, and the most dignified calling in this world. We should realize that from that very moment we are under bonds to God. We are not our own. We can not do as we please. We must gird up the loins of our minds, and deport ourselves as ambassadors of Christ Jesus. Here are a few points on this question: An ambassador of an earthly kingdom is a messenger. An ambassador of Christ is also a messenger. He represents the Sovereign of the universe; he also represents the people of that Sovereign. By his deportment, his words, and his endeavors of every sort, every Christian minister should, as he comes in contact with men of the world, rightly represent to them the people of God, who have been saved by the gospel of his grace. An ambassador in this world has prescribed powers. He is subject to recall if he exceeds those powers, and also if he fails to meet them. And is it not just the same in this ambassadorship for Christ? God has prescribed our powers, our duties, our place, and our work. We must neither go beyond them nor fall short of them. In a state, when a man goes from one country to another as an ambassador, he is supposed to look after the interests of all the people whose country he represents, and they have the right to appeal to him for assistance. If he is careless, or thoughtless, or regardless of the interests of those people, he is subject to recall, and to be replaced by a man who will appreciate his responsibilities, and look after the interests of those people. So God’s people have the right to go to the minister—God’s ambassador—for counsel, and help, and protection in various ways; and the true ambassador must give a willing ear to those people, and help them to the extent of his ability. He must look after their interests, denying himself, and abandoning himself to the welfare of those people. If he neglects his duty, and fails to help those who need help, he is subject to retirement by the Lord through his representatives on earth. Again, a man must not exceed the powers that are conferred upon him. He is to preach the Word; and he must stop with the Word, too. That is one of his duties. When he goes beyond the Word, teaching the people fables, and devoting his service to something outside of the Word, he exceeds his powers, and goes beyond what God has commissioned him to do. He is to feed the flock of God, taking the oversight of them, but not for filthy lucre. Should the salary become the motive of service, or should he become arbitrary and harsh in his treatment of God’s people, he will be subject to reproof and correction. Ministers should realize that they are subject to observation, and instruction, and recall, and retirement, if they do not meet the demands of God as set forth in his Word. Then how carefully ought Christ’s ambassadors to walk every day! How circumspect, pure, and true should be their lives and service! And this should not be a matter of eye-service, but of faithfulness before the Lord. The minister is to be a watchman. Perhaps the best statement we have regarding the duties of the minister as a watchman is found in the first nine verses of the thirty-third chapter of Ezekiel. Here God shows us that when the watchman sees danger coming, he is to warn the wicked in order that they may turn from their sins. If he warns them faithfully, and they refuse to turn away from their sins, they will die in them, but their blood will be upon themselves. On the other hand, if those people die without warning, when God’s ministers might have made known to them the hour in which they were living, and the doom that was hanging over them, they will die in their iniquity; but God will require their blood of his watchman. The minister is a soldier. “Thou therefore endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.” 2 Tim. 2:3.21 A soldier of an earthly kingdom is called to fight battles for his sovereign; he is to meet the enemy of his sovereign, vanquish him, and deliver the people from their captivity, their danger, and their peril. Those who are called to the work of the gospel ministry are to join one another under the banner of Prince Immanuel in warfare against the powers of darkness. In that warfare they are to endure hardness, privation, self-sacrifice, hardships, trials, and even death itself; but they are to do this cheerfully, as “good soldiers of Jesus Christ.” The minister is a shepherd. Here we have quite a different picture presented to us. A shepherd does not go out with a sword to fight, but with his staff, to lead the sheep and lambs into good pastures, to keep them from harm, and to lead them back to the fold at night. The apostle Peter says to the ministers of the gospel: “Feed the flock of God which is among you.” 1 Peter 5:1-4. Here is something for the preacher to remember as he goes about visiting the churches. He may not have the privilege of feeding that flock again for a long time. Then how earnestly he should endeavor, by prayer and study and close association with the members of the flock, to give them just the food they need! He should not go there to deliver some nice-sounding essay prepared at some previous time. He should have something fresh and appropriate for them, something that will be meat in due season. This will take careful thought, and study, and close association with the people. Some ministers seem very careless about this. When they are to preach in a tent in a new place, or in some large hall, they feel that they must make special preparation; but when they go to a little church, where there are only a few of our people, they seem to think that it is not necessary to study or pray much, and that almost any kind of sermon will do. But that is a grave mistake. There are souls right there that need help. They are struggling under temptations and trials, and the same effort should be put forth for that little church as for a large, new congregation. The children should receive attention. Some may not have had the best influences thrown around them to draw them to Christ. It may be the Lord has directed you to that place at just the right time to save the young people of that church. If you are living close to God, and have a clear vision to discern what is needed and an earnest yearning for the salvation of souls, you may be able to win these young people to Christ. The preacher is a fisher. When Jesus was selecting his disciples, he called some fishermen from their nets, and said to them: “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Matt. 4:19. How different is the manner of the fisherman in his work from the watchman who goes about blowing his trumpet of warning, and the soldier who goes forth in his armor to battle! You know how careful and quiet one must be in order to catch fish. He must not go about that business with a great blare of trumpets; neither should he jump into the water with a sword to do battle with the fish. The fisherman must do his work in a calm, quiet, cautious way, or he will catch few fish. This illustrates very forcibly another side of the work of the gospel minister. While he must at one time sound an alarm, and at another time meet the enemy on the battle-field, he must at other times do the careful, noiseless, unseen work of successful fishing. This is what the apostle Paul meant when he said: “Being crafty, I caught you with guile.” 2 Cor. 2:16. “I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.” 1 Cor. 9:22. Thus the work of the gospel minister is many-sided, calling for the full consecration of all his powers and talents to the one great end of soul-saving.