Christian Ministry: What Is It?

Driving home: You see, at point after point, in the church of Jesus Christ, people are doing nothing less than thumbing their nose at Christ and telling him to mind his own business while they run the church the way they want to run i…

Martin uses the example of so-called ordained homosexual ministers to illustrate the church's blatant disregard for biblical teaching on morality.

And it says one man, one woman, for life. And men thumb their nose at God, and when they get the hots for another skirt, they feel they've got the right to commit adultery. Even Christian ministers. The Bible tells us that homosexuality is perversion, and yet we've got so-called ordained homosexual ministers.

2:05 - 2:29 Read in full sermon

Driving home: You see, at point after point, in the church of Jesus Christ, people are doing nothing less than thumbing their nose at Christ and telling him to mind his own business while they run the church the way they want to run i…

The presence of women preachers and elders is cited as another example of the church 'thumbing its nose at Christ' and ignoring biblical authority.

The Bible tells us that I suffer not a woman, to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man. And we've got women preachers, women elders. You see, at point after point, in the church of Jesus Christ, people are doing nothing less than thumbing their nose at Christ and telling him to mind his own business while they run the church the way they want to run it. And brethren, that's not overstatement.

2:29 - 2:54 Read in full sermon

The point: If you claim to be a minister, you must know who you are and whether you belong where you are by understanding what the Christian ministry is and who ought to be in it.

Martin presents a hypothetical scenario of a man claiming a call to preach based on a voice, to highlight the need for biblical criteria to guide such individuals.

You get some man that comes to you and says in the middle of the night he woke up and he heard a voice saying, Preach Christ. And he says, Brother, I'm called to preach. I know I am. I heard the voice of God.

4:40 - 4:52 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Persevering faith is the only faith that will take a man to heaven.

He contrasts the apostles' ministry of confirming souls with 'so-called ministers that spend all their time emptying the pockets of the disciples,' emphasizing the apostles' focus on spiritual growth over financial gain.

what did they do? It says they confirmed the souls of the disciples. That is, they had a ministry of establishing these disciples more firmly in their Christian faith. They didn't go back to fleece the pockets of the disciples, and God have mercy on so-called ministers that spend all their time emptying the pockets of the disciples, begging for money.

9:11 - 9:41 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Persevering faith is the only faith that will take a man to heaven.

Martin uses the example of false teaching that suggests one can 'live like the devil' after a decision, to underscore the apostles' emphasis on persevering faith.

Second thing they did was they exhorted them to continue in the faith. They didn't tell them, well, you've made your decision, you can live like the devil now, and you're all fixed up, you're going to go to heaven when you die, once saved, always saved. They didn't preach any such doctrine. They established those disciples and they exhorted them to continue in the faith.

9:54 - 10:18 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Persevering faith is the only faith that will take a man to heaven.

He contrasts the apostles' teaching of entering the kingdom through 'many tribulations' with the modern 'health, wealth, and prosperity gospel,' highlighting the biblical reality of suffering.

They hadn't heard the health, wealth, and prosperity gospel yet. They didn't say you're going to be carried to heaven on a cloud of ease. They said through many tribulations you will enter the kingdom of God. So there was their message to the disciples.

10:39 - 10:57 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Persevering faith is the only faith that will take a man to heaven.

Martin references John Owen's masterful treatment of the Greek verb for 'appointed' in Acts 14:23, to explain that apostolic appointment involved congregational suffrage, not arbitrary selection.

There was only one kind of spiritual leadership that they instituted in the churches. Do you see that? And they appointed, and the Greek verb used, means appointment in terms of securing the suffrage or the vote of the congregation, John Owen has a masterful treatment of this verse and traces out the use of that word five pages in I think volume 13 or volume 16 on the church of Christ. So it wasn't as though they just came in and appointed their favorites, but it was an appointment that involved assessing the character and the gifts of various men in cooperation with the congregation. They app...

12:15 - 13:28 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Examining Acts 14, Martin shows how apostles established believers and then appointed elders in every church. In Acts 20, Paul charges the Ephesian elders, identifying them as…

Paul likens the church to a 'flock of sheep' when charging the elders, illustrating the protective and guiding role of spiritual leaders.

and charge them with their responsibility. Verse 28. Take heed unto yourselves, you elders, and to all of the flock, he likens the church to a flock of sheep, now notice carefully, in which the Holy Spirit has made you bishops. Now that word bishop means overseer, a looker over.

15:54 - 16:23 Read in full sermon

Driving home: There's many a time I've wished I could have the luxury of going back to being a hod carrier it's kids play compared to truly laboring in the word and doctrine

Martin compares the physical labor of construction work, which he did in college, to the mental and spiritual toil of preparing to preach and teach, emphasizing the intense effort required for faithful ministry.

in doing the work necessary to be able preachers and good teachers of God's people and I put myself through college by the sweat of my brow and the pain of my back doing construction work and I tell you the worst construction work I ever did in August weather up in Connecticut when it was in the 90's with 80% humidity and worked out in the hot sun that's kids play compared to the labor at sitting at my desk bent over my bible trying to prepare to preach and teach God's people as I ought there's many a time I've wished I could have the luxury of going back to being a hod carrier it's kids play ...

37:25 - 38:51 Read in full sermon