Anatomy of a Man of God: His Hands

The point: Consider what constitutes a true man of God, especially in the context of training men for ministry.

The Shunammite woman's recognition of Elisha as a 'holy man of God' after intimate social exposure illustrates that a true man of God is known by his character, not just his title.

And it fell upon a day that Elisha passed to Shunamm, where was a great woman, and she constrained him to eat bread. And it was so that as oft as he passed by, he turned in thither to eat bread. And she said to her husband, Behold now, I perceive this is a holy man of God that passes by us continually. After intimate social exposure to the man who wore the mantle of a prophet, she confesses her conviction that he had more than the mantle, the bearing and the name of a prophet,

4:31 - 5:13 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He explains three reasons why clean hands are especially crucial for a man of God: explicit biblical requirement (1 Timothy 3, Titus 1), being a pattern to believers (1 Timothy 4…

A man trying to sell a magical cream for moles and dark spots, but whose own face is covered in them, illustrates how a minister with 'defiled hands' undermines the credibility of the truth he preaches, which is intended to make men holy.

as the truth which is according to godliness what a contradiction to be trafficking in a commodity which is intended to make men holy to use our imagery to make men of clean hands when he who most traffics in it has defiled hands. What quicker way to create skepticism and unbelief concerning the word of God. It's like a man trying to pedal from door to door a magical cream to remove all moles and dark spots upon one's face. And he appears

27:40 - 28:24 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin demonstrates that 'hands' in Scripture symbolize labor and hard work, referencing Ephesians 4 and Proverbs 10. He emphasizes that a man of God's hands should be 'calloused…

God having two sons, one a gardener (Adam) and one a carpenter (Jesus), is used to dignify manual labor and challenge the notion that intellectual work is inherently superior to physical work.

Let him that stole steal no more, but rather let him labor working with his hands the thing that is good. Now is God saying that the only kind of labor that he recognizes as legitimate is manual labor? No. He certainly has forever sanctified it and we need to get converted from this stupid notion that a man who works with his hands is a little less dignified than the man who works with his head alone.

34:02 - 34:41 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He describes ministerial work as 'labor unto toil and unto pain' (kopiao, agonizomai), citing 1 Timothy 5, 1 Thessalonians 5, and Colossians 1. Martin uses Paul's example of…

The fishermen's arduous labor all night, catching nothing, is used to illustrate the Greek word 'kopiao,' describing the intense toil and pain involved in the work of a man of God in word and teaching.

Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and teaching. And the word here, kopiao is the word that Luke uses to describe what those fishermen did all through the long lonely hours of the night when they were casting out their nets and pulling them in and casting them out and pulling them in. We have labored all night and have taken nothing. Luke 5

37:55 - 38:40 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not remain distant and detached from your people; engage in personal touch and interaction.

The image of a woman with quintuplets and only two breasts, all hungry at once, illustrates the frustrating and overwhelming demands on a pastor who is committed to empathy and accessibility with his people.

It's costly. Yes, it is costly. There are times I've thought of it this way, and I hope you don't think me crude in the imagery. What must it be like for a woman who has quintuplets and she's only got two breasts and they're all hungry at the same time?

60:52 - 61:07 Read in full sermon