Marks of a True Ministry, Part 1

The point: Consider if your list of characteristics for a true minister is a projection of biblical concepts or merely your own ideas.

A woman's idea of witnessing was 'thou must not offend,' illustrating a common, unbiblical concept of ministry that prioritizes human comfort over truth.

I heard just yesterday a woman who was talking, talked with a woman who was talking with someone else in that church who professes to be a Christian and is rather zealous and active and they were talking about witnessing to one's neighbors and I talked to my neighbors, they have their religion and I wouldn't dare offend them. You see, her concept of a true witness was this, above all things, thou must not offend. That's the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth, tenth commandment of being a true minister, a true witness, thou must not offend. Now where'd she ev...

9:21 - 9:59 Read in full sermon

Driving home: If you do not know now or have not known in the proposition leading to suffering and abuse, you are not a true minister.

The story of the demon-possessed girl whose masters exploited her for gain highlights the perverse human heart's disregard for human dignity and spiritual freedom when money is involved, leading to the persecution of Paul and Silas.

Having cast the demon out of this demon-possessed girl who was an instrument of money-making to some of her masters, when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone they caught Silas and moved them into the marketplace better trance than if they dragged them into the marketplace unto the ruins. Get the picture. Here is a poor girl so possessed with the devil that she has these unusual powers of telling the future, of fortune telling, a medium. These people didn't care that the image of God was an instrument upon which the devil played his tune and through which he accomplished his p...

15:22 - 16:29 Read in full sermon

Driving home: All persecution could do to the apostle because he was a true child of God was to nourish him and nurture him in his Christian experience so he says though we were abused and shamefully treated we waxed bold to proclaim …

The sun withering seed on stony ground but nourishing rooted plants is used to illustrate how persecution causes false professors to wither but strengthens true Christians.

in the parable of the sower. The Lord said some seed that falls on stony ground it springs up but when the sun arises it withers and it dies. In the interpretation he said the sun is like persecution. When persecution arises because of the word what happens?

21:30 - 21:48 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin clarifies that biblical boldness is not impudence, haughtiness, or bombast, but rather openness, freedom, and confidence, unfettered by fear of reputation, physical harm…

This metaphor describes bombastic speech as lacking substance, like an empty cart, contrasting it with true biblical boldness.

That's not the boldness Paul is speaking about. Neither is it what we call bombastic. Bombastic is when a person doesn't have too much worth listening to so he tries to make it up by noise. He doesn't have much content so he sort of pads it with noise. As someone said it's the empty cart that makes the loudest noise. And this is often true. When we see someone who blusters about and is always we say maybe witnessing or talking about the Lord when if you really just take away all that flash and fire and get down to what they're actually saying you realize what it is is a lot of fraud. There jus...

23:14 - 23:52 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin clarifies that biblical boldness is not impudence, haughtiness, or bombast, but rather openness, freedom, and confidence, unfettered by fear of reputation, physical harm…

The experience of eating spun sugar (cotton candy) that looks substantial but leaves little behind illustrates speech that is flashy but lacks content, distinguishing it from true biblical boldness.

It's sort of like the spun sugar you know. And you get that big cone and you say boy isn't this going to be wonderful? And when you're all done there just ain't much left to it is there? You take a big wad of that and put it in your mouth and you can hardly wet your molars with it.

23:52 - 24:06 Read in full sermon

The point: Be unfettered by the fear of man in your ministry, conscious only of God's glory and the propagation of His truth.

A preacher avoiding a passage because it might offend specific individuals illustrates how the fear of man can snare a minister's tongue and mind, preventing faithful exposition.

And in his study he comes to a passage and he says oh no I can't I can't. That'll devastate the sister so and so. Why Mr. so and so will think that I've chosen that just for him. And so what does he do?

28:31 - 28:45 Read in full sermon

The point: Enforce God's counsel and commands with boldness, even when your children don't like it, fearing God more than their frowns.

A parent enforcing rules despite a child's displeasure, even at mealtime, illustrates how parents must exercise boldness and authority, fearing God more than their children's frowns, to discharge their duty.

Now this might have happened a few times in the history of the human race but it's the rare exception now as a parent face it there are times when your little darling just ain't gonna like your advice rather more he isn't gonna like if you blow off you put some barriers that steam and say not only is this my counsel but this is my command what we do and as long as you're under the roof you're part of that we this is the way we operate I didn't like this roof you eat what's put before you and do there's not a short order cook when you're old enough go and sit at a restaurant and pick through a ...

29:37 - 30:54 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not be ensnared by the fear of man from speaking the truth to your work companions.

Gurnall's quote comparing a minister without boldness to a smooth file or a sentinel afraid to shoot his gun emphasizes the ineffectiveness of a timid witness.

neighbor Martin thinks we're lost and need to get saved that's exactly right I do you got the message and I may be reading something in but I think I detect when people are right out within a few yards they don't even as you're getting in their car and you're looking ready to say hi to them and they don't even look up enough to grunt and this happens a few times you begin to get the impression maybe they just aren't too interested in looking up and even grunting out a hello or a hi so what are you going to do that you'll be ensnared from giving that trust from speaking that word from taking in...

32:22 - 33:47 Read in full sermon

The point: Be equally bold in public settings (e.g., barber shop) to speak God's truth, just as others are bold in their sin.

Martin's personal experience of being ashamed to pull out his Bible in a barber shop, while others were bold in their sin, illustrates the struggle with the fear of man and the need for boldness in everyday witness.

if ministers be bold you're sitting in that barber's chair and the guy next to you you'll be equally bold to say hey Mac did you ever hear the third commandment God hears every word and one day he'll hold you into account for it well things may get deathly silent in the barber shop like they have on a few occasions for me but so what people sitting next to me they were bold they smoked their cigarettes and blow all that smoke in my face and permeate my clothes bold when I reached down to get my bible to do a little study that fear of man came on me and then I got so ashamed of myself I said wh...

33:47 - 35:14 Read in full sermon

The point: Let the sense of God's commission and accountability to Him keep you faithful as a parent, rather than seeking your children's continual smile.

The excuses of Moses and Jeremiah about their inability to speak are used to highlight how the human heart cleverly excuses its silence in witnessing, often due to fear of man rather than lack of knowledge or ability.

notice we were what the source of boldness is they would say well if only seems to me that argument was given a long time ago Lord I can't speak remember Moses Jeremiah you see I just a little bible that if I just knew more I feel more free to open up because I'm afraid now if I say anything I'll get hung up with questions I can't answer oh isn't the human heart clever to excuse its silence come on be honest you know why you don't open your mouth it's your fear of the face of man isn't it come on be honest isn't that it you know a hundred times more than that poor pagan knows that poor pagan y...

35:14 - 36:40 Read in full sermon

The point: Let the sense of God's commission and accountability to Him keep you faithful as a parent, rather than seeking your children's continual smile.

The absurdity of waiting for 'experience' before attempting to drive or cook is used to show the illogicality of waiting for more experience before being bold in witnessing.

I'll have to wait until I get experience boy I'd love to be a good cook so I'll just send him on out burgers at the white tower until I get some experience well where are you going to get the experience you see in other areas we'd be hopelessly stymied in every single endeavor that we undertake and yet when it comes to being bold we say well if I just had more well where in the world are you going to get the experience if you just don't open up your mouth and start speaking where is it going to come that was the root of this concept well others would say well you know I think just like the sta...

36:40 - 38:03 Read in full sermon

The point: Let the sense of God's commission and accountability to Him keep you faithful as a parent, rather than seeking your children's continual smile.

The idea of being a 'silent witness' like the stars or waves is presented as a common excuse for timidity, contrasting it with Paul's active, verbal boldness.

I'll have to wait until I get experience boy I'd love to be a good cook so I'll just send him on out burgers at the white tower until I get some experience well where are you going to get the experience you see in other areas we'd be hopelessly stymied in every single endeavor that we undertake and yet when it comes to being bold we say well if I just had more well where in the world are you going to get the experience if you just don't open up your mouth and start speaking where is it going to come that was the root of this concept well others would say well you know I think just like the sta...

36:40 - 38:03 Read in full sermon

The point: Let the sense of God's commission and accountability to Him keep you faithful as a parent, rather than seeking your children's continual smile.

Martin shares his personal testimony of being a sensitive person who desires acceptance, yet rejects the notion that his boldness is a 'special gift,' attributing it instead to a spiritual commission from God and fear of Him alone.

we were bold bold mentioned but it is a God initiated God bold it was the consideration he was united in the flesh of his flesh of Christ that he was drawn looking to him alone as you read the account in Philippi singing hymn in that jail at midnight conscious that they were not there alone that they were joined to their sovereign God and that they were there by his appointment this is the thing that produced the boldness it must be in a disposition of such love to him such regard for his confidence in his power his considerations overshadow our natural timidity and our natural reticence may I...

38:03 - 39:31 Read in full sermon

The point: Let the sense of God's commission and accountability to Him keep you faithful as a parent, rather than seeking your children's continual smile.

Martin's childhood memory of being afraid of the dark and imagining things chasing him illustrates the 'wicked flees when no man pursues' from Proverbs 28:1, contrasting it with the lion-like boldness of the righteous.

you see this matter of boldness is not a temperamental or psychological issue but it's a spiritual issue Proverbs 28 1 an excellent verse the latter part of the verse says the righteous are bold and it says the wicked flees when no man pursues you can remember what it was like as a child taking a walk at night and afraid of the dark and I can appreciate it any of you kiddies afraid of the dark problems with fear of the dark I'll fess up, I do I can remember walking down the street and if just a leaf twitched I'd go 90 miles an hour I was sure there was something in that tree coming out to get ...

42:14 - 43:42 Read in full sermon

The point: Overcome natural timidity in witnessing by recognizing that you are speaking the word of God, not your own opinion.

Martin's experience of initial shame and fear when reaching for his Bible on a crowded plane illustrates the natural timidity believers face when witnessing and how recognizing the message as God's word overcomes it.

He said, God gave me unfettered boldness to speak that. How blessed to be unfettered to speak the message of God. And if somehow this can get hold of us, dear ones, when you go to witness to that neighbor, and there is that natural timidity. That's why I fessed up to you as many times as I've witnessed to strangers.

45:19 - 45:41 Read in full sermon