Biblical Perspectives on Choosing Public Ministry Topics

Introduction and Welcome to the Teaching Ministry

0:04 The following message was delivered on April 16, 1995, in the adult Sunday school class of the Trinity Baptist Church in Montville, New Jersey. We do extend a very cordial welcome to those who are visiting with us over this Easter weekend. Some of the visitors are old and familiar faces, relatives of some of our church family, and it's always a delight to have you who fit that category back amongst us. I've already seen one or two faces that, to me, are new, and then we even have faces from afar, South Africa by way of Lethbridge, Canada, and we welcome our dear friends amongst us. And there may be others that we have missed, but we do sincerely welcome you into our assembly and to the ministry of God. Now, I want to begin this morning by reminding the regular attenders of this class and informing our visitors that the basic nature of this adult class, as we presently understand it, is that it comes under the rubric of the Great Commission of our Lord Jesus, as found in Matthew's Gospel and the 28th chapter, in which the Lord Jesus said, All authority.

1:31 And given unto me in heaven and upon earth, going, therefore, make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe whatsoever I have commanded you, or all things whatsoever I commanded you, and lo, I am with you always. And we find in the Scripture, that our Lord Jesus went about teaching and preaching. We find that distinction made in the book of Acts and in the pastoral epistles. And while one could get himself enmeshed in all kinds of difficulties in trying to give precise technical distinctions between teaching and preaching, there is a fundamental distinction on which I think we would all agree. That in teaching, the primary purpose is to impart substantive biblical information. And the focus of teaching is to impart that information. Whereas all true preaching will contain teaching, the great end of preaching is to move the affections and the will into the way of God's precepts.

2:58 And we regard this adult class. Especially words are taught to us as a primary forum for the teaching ministry of the church and ordinarily we would be sitting here and Dr. Bob would be leading us in our teaching ministry through the Book of Acts which presently finds us in Chapter 15. However, Dr. Bob is out in Seattle today in his ongoing exposure to that congregation, with a view to seeing if it is the will of God that he should do. Dr Bob is outstanding in teaching work, and it is He who is standing with us as the start of our evaluation. of the world today. Of our church.

3:30 If you have anything to add to this media and throughout our organization. Come in, you're free to express yourحم of the Lord and bring me information to you, care for human rights and praises. Thanks very much. Thank you for coming.

The Elders' Collective Responsibility for Ministry Topics

3:30 Go to Хорошо2.com and join me in next part. should serve there in days to come, and it has fallen to my lot to be your teacher in this class today. And as I prayerfully considered what to do with this one class, I thought it might be helpful to address an issue which most of you know was one of the major items of concern at our most recent elders' retreat. And having been drawn in my own thoughts in that direction, I consulted with three of my fellow elders yesterday, and each of them concurred that it would indeed be a good thing to take up the subject in this hour that I was inclined to consider with you. And what is the subject? Well, it is this. The biblical precepts and principles which must regulate the decision of your elders concerning the subject matter.

4:30 When we went off on our elders' retreat, we asked you to pray for us because, among other things, we were going to deliberate and pray concerning this matter of the direction of the public ministries. We came back and gave a brief report indicating some tentative commitments and perspectives relative to that, but you may well raise your hand. The question is, how do you as elders come to a decision with respect to the subject matter of the public ministries of the Word of God? And so I want to spend the time today setting before you, and I trust eliciting from you, the biblical precepts and principles which must regulate the decisions of your elders concerning the subject matter of the public ministries of the Word. Now, underlying that rather lengthy title to our study is the assumption that the entire eldership is responsible for the selection of the subject matter of

5:48 the public ministries of the Word. Now, the Bible does recognize that in the functioning of the eldership, there is often a division of labor according to the public ministries of the Word. Now, you would say that the eldership is responsible for the division of labor and the division of labor having been to an elder who does not have the capacity to be a part of the public ministries of the Word. Do you think that the eldership is responsible for the division of labor? Now, here we have the result of the first ten points in the first ten points of the first two points of the key points directly related to the order of the church. The first point is the division of labor. Then the second point is the division of labor. So, I want you, if you would, when you read the first three points, the two first In other words, all elders rule.

6:33 But in addition to the general responsibilities of rule and government in the house of God, some elders labor hard in the word and in teaching. And there are some who would say that since it is the task of such elders who are assigned the responsibility of laboring in the word, and in doctrine, it is their prerogative to select what they shall teach and preach to the people of God. However, from the very beginning, we have adopted a policy in which we believe that the entire eldership, regardless of function, whether or not all the elders labor in the word and in teaching, that the eldership and... as a body, ought to be involved in the decision-making process by which it is determined that this particular book, this particular subject, this particular issue will be addressed by those whose particular function it is to labor in the word and in doctrine.

7:53 Now my question to you is this. What texts do you think have influenced our minds to come to...

8:00 to the conviction and to operate by the practice that all of the elders are responsible, as a body, for the selection of the subject matter of the public ministries of the word of God? Can any of you think of any text or texts which would point in that direction? If so, raise your hand and I'll recognize you and see if you've brought forward what I would regard as...

8:32 as a convincing text.

Biblical Basis for Collective Eldership Oversight

8:41 All right, let me give you a hint. It's found in one of the most concentrated charges brought to elders. To my understanding, there are only two passages in the New Testament where elders, as a group, are specifically charged with their responsibilities, and this is found in one of them. Yes, Norman?

9:02 All right, Acts 20 and verse 28. And I shall read the text, and then I'll ask Norman, how it bears upon the subject in hand. Acts 20 and verse 28, Paul is addressing the elders of the church at Ephesus. We know that from verse 17.

9:25 And from Miletus, he, that is Paul, sent to Ephesus and called to him the elders, not just the elders who labored in the word and in doctrine, not just the elders who lived of the gospel because they preached the gospel, as their life's calling, but the elders, all of them, among whom were some who, in addition to ruling, publicly taught, others who did not publicly teach, he called the elders of the church, and when they were come to him, he said to them. So in the context of addressing the entire eldership, verse 28, take heed unto yourselves and to all the flock in which those... The Holy Spirit has made you overseers to shepherd the church of the Lord, which he purchased with his own blood.

10:23 Now, Norman, what is there in that text that would indicate that the whole eldership is responsible for the selection of the subject matter of the public ministries of the word?

11:05 So that from the explicit charge, which is given to all of the elders, as surely as all of the elders are to take heed, to themselves and to all of the flock, they are to regard themselves as an eldership responsible to pay close attention to the flock and to shepherd the church of the Lord, which he purchased with his own blood. And from Paul's own example, as one who taught the whole counsel of God, no little part of the shepherding work of your elders is the...

11:44 public feeding of the sheep. They are not only to feed them and to shepherd them publicly, but also privately, but no little part of their shepherding task is carried on in the public ministry of the word of God and the stewardship of that ministry is entrusted to the entire eldership. Do you see that in the text? That he does not single out and say, now to you who labor in the word, and in doctrine, and then say, take heed to the flock.

12:18 No, to the entire eldership. And this is one of the watershed texts which has influenced our conscience to adopt a practice in which, as an ordinary rule, the entire eldership is involved in the decision-making process concerning the subject matter of the public ministries of the word. We're not talking about an occasional sermon that may be preached here or there, or one or two sermons, but the overall commitment to series of sermons, subject matter that would open up and flower into extensive series of studies in the word of God. Can someone think of another text or two?

13:01 Yes, Pete? 1 Peter chapter 5, verses 1 to 4. Here is the second passage in the New Testament where you have an explicit charge to elders. The elders.

13:19 Now, notice he doesn't say the elders who labor in the word and in doctrine alone, but all of the elders, regardless of their functional diversity. All of the elders, therefore among you I exhort, who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ. Verse 2, shepherd. You have the verb form, poimaino, so it's not just tend the flock, it is shepherd.

13:47 Exercise all of the functions of a shepherd to the flock of God which is among you, exercising the oversight. And that responsibility here, as in the parallel passage in Acts 20, is laid upon the entire eldership. Well, how can each elder have confidence that he's fulfilling the apostolic charge to shepherd the flock unless every elder has his input with regard, to what the flock is feeding upon in the substance of the overall patterns of the public ministry? Well, in the interest of time, I think we'd fish out the other text if we fished long enough. Let me mention two other buttressing texts. Hebrews 13 and verse 17, in which we read, Obey them that have the rule over you, that is, the entire elders, all of whom, as an eldership, collectively and individually, exercise divinely assigned rule, obey them that have the rule over you. Now notice, for they watch for your souls as they that shall give an account.

15:09 Well, if they are all watching for your souls, then they all ought to be involved in those decisions concerning that activity which will be given to you. Which will exercise a profound influence upon the state of your souls, namely, the substance of the public ministries of the Word of God. And because this charge is laid upon all of the elders watching for your souls, they must be concerned with your spiritual diet, which in great measure will determine the health or the non-health of your souls. And then a third or fourth text is 1 Timothy 3 and verse 5. After Paul has given the requirement for every elder that he rule well his own household, he then says why this is necessary. For if a man rule not well his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God so that every elder is not a burden to him? And then a third or fourth text is 1 Timothy 3 and verse 5.

16:18 After Paul has given the requirement for every elder that he rule well his own household, he is responsible in conjunction with his fellow elders to take care of the church of God even as a father rules and takes care of his family. Well again, as in the earthly family, it is a great concern that what is brought to the table three times a day produce a healthy family, so likewise the eldership is a great concern. Responsible with what is put on the table of the spiritual nourishment of the people of God in taking care of the house of God, the entire eldership ought to be involved. And then we can add to that all of those texts in Proverbs, such as Proverbs 11, 14, in the multitude of counselors there is safety, Acts 24, 6, where we are told to make woe under the influence of wise counsel and then the negative statement of Proverbs 18, 1, he that separates himself seeks his own desire and rages against all sound wisdom. And so it is because of the pressure of these texts that it is our policy as an eldership to seek to be involved

How Trinity Baptist Elders Discern Congregational Needs

17:46 as an eldership in the church of God. And so it is in the selection of the subject matter of the public ministries of the word of God. And to make sure that when we come to those decisions we are not making decisions in the dark. I should let you in on what happens in an ordinary Thursday night elders meeting held in my study on 25 Meadowbrook Lane in Cedar Grove after the brethren come and greet one another and usually have a little innocent conversation and banter in our living room while we wait for the late comers.

18:22 About ten minutes after seven we go up into my study. I distribute the agenda that I have printed out. Tell the men not to read it through now but to pay attention to the chairman. Lead in prayer.

18:37 Then the first part of our elders meeting that usually takes an hour to an hour and a half. You know how it's spent? Each man gives a synopsis a text, of his pastoral oversight visits, of his counseling sessions and of any concerns that have grown out of his involvement with the flock of God. And we go right around the circle and if we start to my left with the reports we then have a season of prayer framed by those reports then we start from the right and go this way.

19:11 The next time we may start the reports to the right and go right to left and then left to right. Now do you see what that does? We, after we, those six men whom you've recognized as Christ's gifts to be your under shepherds are pooling their input from their grass roots interaction with the flock of God. So that when a decision is to be made about the direction of the ministry it's not made in a vacuum.

19:48 We don't put a bunch of subjects in a vacuum. We don't put a bunch of subjects on a piece of paper put them in a jar shake them up and say alright because Pastor Lamar and Pastor Martin you labor in the word and in doctrine reach in pull one out whichever it is. No, it comes out of that growing pool of pastoral sensitivity that in turn is fed by the streams of constant pastoral involvement and frank open pastoral reporting week after week after week month after month after month year after year after year. Now frankly it's in those times when we have seen a growing pattern of an issue that needs to be addressed and we make a corporate decision to address it out of hours of grassroots pastoral interaction with you the people of God and the communication of that interaction with one another it's difficult not to be irritated and carnally angry when some of you can second guess matters from the little insulated cocoon of your contact with your close friends in the church.

21:18 Now God does give us grace to take it and not to strike out and to demean you but I tell you it's not easy.

21:28 Now that's reality.

21:32 You say well I didn't realize that. Well I've told you. Now you know it and hopefully that will be helpful to you as you pray for us that we might by the grace of God in our interaction be in touch with the real situation as we know it to be in our ongoing pastoral interaction. So I've addressed the question why the world why the whole eldership is responsible for the selection of the subject matter of the public ministries of the word and very briefly how it is that your own eldership keeps in touch with the real situation of this particular congregation as an eldership. I've expressed the mechanism in a very limited way in terms of our regular elders meeting and that says nothing about our general interaction every Lord's day some of us are the last ones to leave the building having little touch and go pastoral interaction seeking to get a feel for where you are at as the people of God in your various concerns but now then we want to address this very critical question what precepts and principles should guide us as we prayerfully seek to select the subject matter for the public ministry having asked the question why the world eldership is involved

Principle 1: Sensitivity to Peculiar Dangers and Sins

23:00 in that process then when the elders are wrestling with this matter what precepts and what biblical principles should guide them or guide us as we prayerfully seek to select the subject matter of the public ministries and without having to sweat for many hours several hours I was able to come up with one two three four five six seven eight , eight very obvious biblical precepts and principles that ought to guide us as we seek to make a wise and godly selection of subject matter for your spiritual food now would anyone want to venture what some of those precepts or principles are as you think of this question what precepts what principles ought to regulate our decision anyone want to venture suggest at least one alright bill then what biblical precepts or principles would

24:28 cause us what scripture can you think of that ought to press in upon our minds causing us to consider the peculiar temptations and dangers that the people of god may be in at any particular time in their life as the people of god let's turn to titus one bill has hit upon one of the eight that i have listed titus chapter one paul has left titus in the isle of crete to give instruction to give stability to give ongoing maturation or to seek to impart and to be the instrument of the ongoing maturation of the churches there and in the midst of his instructions we read in chapter one and verse ten there are many unruly men vain talkers and deceivers especially those of the circumcision whose mouths must be stopped men who overthrow whole houses teaching things which they ought not for filthy lucre's sake

25:55 one of themselves a prophet of their own said cretans are always liars evil beasts idle gluttons this testimony is true for which cause reproved them sharply that they may be sound in the faith so here there were peculiar sins that were part of what we might call the cultural milieu of the cretans and paul quoting from a cretan says what this cretan says about cretans is true now in our day it doesn't matter whether it's true if it's not politically correct or if it's not in the right place it's not politically correct it's not politically correct or politically polite you don't say it i mean that's stereotyping cretans to call them liars and evil beasts and idle gluttons he said well the issue is not whether it's stereotyping is it true and he says it's true for which cause reproved them sharply in other words titus recognized the peculiar sins to which cretans are vulnerable by virtue of their past association with society their present vulnerability and identify them and reprove them so that there is in the selection of the subject matter of the public ministries to be a sensitivity to the peculiar dangers that the people of god may be subject in terms of

27:24 living out their christian lives in a society marked by unusually aggravated expressions of specific sins that certainly then is one of the principles alright someone come up with another alright michael and then we'll go to george

Principle 2: Perfecting Saints and Addressing Crucial Concerns

28:48 as we consider what is needed in the life and ministry of the people of god we must ask the question what will be calculated under the blessing of god to perfect the saints unto the work of service what is particularly needed in their individual and corporate sanctification and what is needed to enhance our unity in the faith which is the opposite of the instability of being vulnerable to error tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine alright george my question is this would every single member of the church be involved

30:12 equally in each one of those issues would it be scratching every member where he itched well then isn't it really laying a burden on others who don't have a problem with an incestuous relative or don't have a problem with what to do with their unmarried virgins i mean really paul to take up a whole section i'm not even married let alone married and old enough to have an unmarried virgin daughter why do i have to suffer through listening to all of this detail you see the point i'm making and you've hit it right on the nail on the head george and this is the way i've expressed it their commitment that is the commitment to the elders to address present crucial concerns of various segments of the church that's exactly what paul did in chapter 1 in verse 10 he says it's reported to me of the household of chloe verse 11 there are divisions among you with the subject of divisions and then he deals with the subject of immorality he deals with the subject of believers going to litigation against believers then he deals with certain marital questions then he deals for chapter 8 9 10 and part of 11 three and a half chapters on

31:40 christian liberty some got a little irritated that i just expounded those chapters paul thought it important to spend three and a half chapters on them well the one that concerned me that's not the issue if we are committed to be perfected unto the work of ministry don't we need to know all we can about all the problems that any brother or sister may face that we may be equipped to minister to another even though that may not be our problem i bless god if someone opens up the most abstruse portion of the word of god that has no more direct relevance to me than putting on a space suit because i may need someone who may know need to know how to put on a space suit and if i'm concerned not just about i've got a little itch here and every sermon's got to scratch me and i've got a little itch here and it must scratch me but my concern is lord equip me to serve your people and the things that are not directly relevant to me i will relish them because they're the word of god and they will help me to be better able to minister to my brethren so the apostle has set the pattern in the passage in the whole of first corinthians the commitment elders must have to address

33:10 present crucial concerns that may apply to various segments of believers within the church and the attitude of the entire body must be that though this may not be directly addressed to me and immediately relevant to me if in the light of the passage that mike quoted i view the fact that christ gives pastors and teachers for the perfecting of the saints unto the work of service and unto the building up of the body of christ and unto the unity of the faith well then you see even in matters that may not be directly relevant to me i can give myself to the reception of that word with as much eagerness as though i were one of the segments in the church to whom it was directly relevant because i will want to be equipped to minister to others and i will want that deposited truth to become part of the larger pool in which the whole church has a unity of perspective you see that alright another principle that should guide us in the selection of our subject matter there may be peculiar sins to which people are vulnerable because of the state of society there is the general desire

Principle 3: Comprehensive and Balanced Ministry

34:38 to move the church forward in perfecting the saints unto the work of service unto their doctrinal unity unto their doctrinal stability there is the commitment to address present concerns that may touch if not large segments at least significant enough segments of people within the church that it would be better to deal with the issues publicly than simply to try to take every individual who may have that problem any other principles and precepts wait we had george and then had someone else raise their hand alright don't want to overlook him alright back to you then pete alright that's the first one that i put in my list under precepts and principles that should guide elders as they prayerfully seek to select the subject matter

36:00 of the public ministries and tell me pete if this is if i'm expressing what you have in mind from that text their commitment to pursue a course of ministry which is comprehensive and balanced that's two of the three and the third one norman already touched the three texts i listed under that were matthew 28 19 teaching them to observe all things whatsoever i commanded you elders must be committed over the long haul to seek to serve up in the public ministries a comprehensive and balanced diet of the all things that christ has commanded then second timothy 3 16 and 17 how much scripture is god breathed all scripture is god breathed and how much is profitable and also profitable for teaching reproof correction training in righteousness that the man of god may be complete thoroughly furnished unto every good work so the nature of scripture demands a commitment on the part of

Principle 4: Underscoring Most Important Truths

37:27 elders to seek to provide a comprehensive and balanced diet of the word of god because all scripture is god breathed and profitable and then the third text was from chapter 20 where paul could say in verse 26 i take you to record i am pure from the blood of all men why for i have not shunned to declare unto you the whole counsel of god so that's the first and fundamental principle that has operated in our hearts and minds over the years is this commitment to pursue a course of ministry which is both comprehensive and balanced but now if we're going to get through will you allow me the luxury of putting on my spurs and kicking the horse and running i know i'm not saying i know but i'm relatively confident if we have an extra hour we could milk all of this out of you but this is the one shot that i have so you've been involved very helpfully let me lay out the others if i may please secondly their commitment to pursue a course of ministry which continually underscores the most important truths of scripture now if you don't take one and two and keep them together you're going to be in big

38:56 bad trouble there must be a commitment to a comprehensive and balanced ministry but at the same time according to the scriptures elders must be committed to pursue a course of ministry which continually underscores the most important truths of scripture and let me give you several texts that clearly illustrate this second peter chapter one as peter writes to these christians what does he say verse twelve wherefore i shall be ready always to put you in remembrance of these things though you know them and are established in the truth that is with you i think it right as long as i'm in this tabernacle to stir you up by putting you in remembrance knowing that the putting off of my tabernacle comes swiftly in other words i'm going to die soon even as our lord jesus christ signified unto me and i will give diligence that at every time you may be able after my departure to call these things to remembrance and the things to which he makes reference are the central issues

40:24 of the gospel of the life of sanctification of the second coming of the lord jesus christ read the concerns that surround this context and you see that they are what we would call the central truths the nerve centers of the gospel for god's truth is like the human body every appendage and every organ has its place however my life is not threatened if you cut off my right pinky my ability to fully function will be threatened but if you shoot a bullet into the center of my heart i've had it or if you put a bullet to my brain i've had it and there are truths in scripture that are the brain and the heart and the lungs and the viscera in the body of god's truth and peter says even though you know the things i'm telling you you're established in them i'm repeating them i'm reminding you i'm leaving it in writing i want these truths ever to be prominent in your thinking because these are the crucial the central truths look at paul in philippians chapter 3 two times he makes this plain

41:52 verse 1 finally my brethren rejoice in the lord to write the same things to you to me indeed is not irksome but for you it is safe he says now this is not the first time you've heard this and it's not irksome for me to repeat it and what does he do he then warns about those who would go to the nerve centers of the gospel the judaizers had not yet exerted a powerful influence on the philippian church as they had on the churches in the area of galatia but they were like those predators paul describes in acts 20 i know that after my departure grievous wolves will enter in among you not sparing the flock he knew the wolves were howling about the philippian church so what does he say beware of the dogs beware of the evil workers beware of the knife wielders for we are the circumcision who worship by the spirit of god who glory in christ jesus have no confidence in the flesh and then giving his own testimony he highlights that truth which martin luther said is the article of the standing or falling church namely the imputation of the righteousness of jesus christ

43:20 received by faith alone and he says to emphasize this again and again to you is not irksome to me and it's necessary for you so when people say well you know preachers repeat themselves and they keep emphasizing third that's biblically warranted these are matters of life and death your particular views on when the lord may return in relationship to the return of the jews to palestine isn't going to make a difference whether you go to heaven or hell forever but what you believe about how a sinner finds acceptance before god in the court of heaven that's a matter of life and death therefore the apostle says i'm going to repeat myself and then on the negative side look at verse 18 for many walk of whom i told you often you mean paul was often telling them about those purveyors of error and those who were licentious in their lives yes for many walk of whom i told you often and tell you now even weeping i wonder if the parchment was stained with his tears that they are the enemies of the cross of christ

44:47 whose end is perdition whose god is the belly whose glory is in their shame who mind earthly things here were people somehow apparently professing to be christians but whose walk utterly denied the validity of their profession and paul was constantly warning about empty profession some of you got irritated with my series on are you for real because i had the gold for several months to press the issue do you have real or empty religion shame on you if someone has enough concern for your soul to tell you at times even is not enough so the elders must be committed to pursue a course of ministry which continually underscores the most important truths of scripture second peter one philippians 3 1 3 18 first corinthians 2 2 paul says when i came to you corinthians i determined to know nothing among you save jesus christ and him as crucified i came with the determination

Principle 5: Awareness of the Church's Spiritual State

46:14 to stick to those central truths and not to be sidetracked either in the manner of my presentation and make it conform to the canons and laws of the local schools of rhetoric or to the content to pair off the rough edges of a message that i knew was a stumbling block of the jews and foolishness to the greeks i was determined that the central truths of the gospel would remain pure and unsullied either by a carnal conformity to pagan rhetorical canons or to a cowardly conformity to the prejudices of jew or of greek now your elders by the grace of god have that commitment not only to pursue a course of ministry which is comprehensive and balanced but they have a commitment to pursue a course of ministry which continually underscores the most important truths of scripture then thirdly their commitment to be aware of the present general spiritual state of the church and to select subjects accordingly their commitment to be aware of the present general spiritual state of the church and to select subjects accordingly and here there are two key passages hebrews 5

47:43 11 to 14 here the writer says i have many things that i'd like to tell you about melchizedek as a type of christ of whom we have many things to say but they are hard of interpretation why seeing you are become dull of hearing for when by reason of the time you ought to be teachers you have need again that someone teach you the rudiments of the first principles of the oracles of god and to become such as have need of milk and not of solid food for everyone that partakes of milk is without experience of the word of righteousness for he is a babe solid food is for full grown men even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern good and evil you see what he's saying he's saying what i'm going to teach you is determined by your present spiritual state and he said because you have not been implementing what you've heard you're stunted in your growth and i have to give you milk when i'd love to be giving you the meat of the deeper truths that cluster around christ as the fulfillment of the type of melchizedek he said i have to go back and give you elementary things dear people you'd be amazed when we sit in our elders meeting and the reports come in that with all the instruction there's been on family

49:12 life we've got husbands and wives married 10 15 20 years who still fight like cats and dogs who don't know how to communicate so if suddenly you hear i'm going to bring a series on ephesians 5 don't sit there and say oh boy he must be running out of material he's given us old stuff it just may be that your condition demands the milk of the most elementary instruction that you've got in your premarital counseling why because you haven't put it to use you haven't put it to use your state determines in great measure the decision that godly elders will make concerning what they give you there's the biblical principle he said i have many things i'd like to say but your condition precludes my saying there's the principle and we see it in revelation two and three when the risen christ speaks to the seven churches what does he say i know thy works and then he addresses to every single church ephesus smyrna peganus thyatira laodicea and he directs his message in terms of what their present general spiritual state now we do

50:40 not know your state infallibly as christ does and therefore we may make errors in judgment and i'm sure we do but why do you think that time is spent as the prime central time in our weekly elders meeting giving a synopsis of our pastoral oversight visits our counseling visits our interaction with you in various levels why is all of that pooled well that we might obey the junction given in proverbs be diligent to know the state of thy we do not have christ eyes as a flame of fire that can see immediately without effort the true state of this church in its overall spiritual health or non health but using the means at our disposal we seek to be sensitive and to regulate the ministry accordingly it would have been tragic had the message given to the church at ephesus been given to the church at laodicea ephesus had cooled in its love laodicea had become lukewarm and christ was about to vomit them out there's the principle as under shepherds under the chief shepherd recognizing all our limitations we must

Remaining Principles: Opportunities, Protection, Stages, and Gifts

52:07 nonetheless seek prayerfully in the use of every means to have a ministry that reflects an awareness of the presence and general spiritual state of the church and then this has already been addressed our commitment to address present crucial concerns of large segments of the church first corinthians is the great example but then our commitment to be sensitive to unusual evangelistic or pastoral opportunities we try to be sensitive to unusual evangelistic or pastoral opportunities and you see this reflected in our lord jesus in luke 13 there were two current events some people had been killed while offering sacrifices and then a tower had fallen on some people and killed eighteen of them jesus took that those two current events which were the buzz words of that hour and he used them as a springboard for an evangelistic message he said do you think these were sinners above all others i tell you nay but except you repent you shall all likewise perish that's why we had a sermon on the challenger disaster from this pulpit when the mind of the whole nation was occupied with that tragedy here was an opportunity to frame a ministry for evangelistic

53:35 purposes and for pastoral ends when the church has undergone the shock of the death or a tragedy in the life of a well known and well loved member in the assembly there's an unusual opportunity to bring a concentrated word of instruction of commendation of counsel in order to minister to some critical present need in the life of god's people and the great example of that is the lord jesus in his upper room discourse he told them he was going to leave them and then he says in john 14 1 don't let your heart be troubled don't let it be afraid i'm going to come again and i'm going to receive you unto myself well our time is gone i'm going to take the liberty if i may of just listening the other heads the next commitment is a commitment to protect the flock from predatory wolves and perverse men acts 2028 and following says after my departure wolves shall enter in perverse men shall rise up take heed be watchful jesus said beware of the leaven of the scribes and pharisees which is hypocrisy he warned his own of the painful influence of evil

55:03 teachers that's a responsibility of your elders further their commitment to be sensitive to the various stages of spiritual understanding and experience in the congregation their commitment to be sensitive to the various stages of spiritual understanding and experience first john 2 12 to 14 john says i know i write to some of you that are little babes others of you are young men some of you are old men he was conscious of the various stages of spiritual development and you see that in the epistles he writes to wives he writes to husbands he writes to fathers he writes to children he writes to slaves someone could sit there and say well i'm a single and there's nothing in here for me well then you've got a problem with the holy ghost that inspired the apostle there's something to say to singles but you've got to turn over to another epistle in another chapter first corinthians chapter 7 so that when various segments of stages of spiritual understanding are being particularly addressed it is crass selfishness to sit there and say well i'm not in that category this is not for me why in the world don't we get through this and get to something that's to me dear people the world is bigger than your navel

56:27 rather you ought to be sitting there rejoicing saying thank you lord that those babes are getting the very truths that were meat and drink to my soul and that got me established lord make those truths fresh to me again give me the joy of passing them on to babes that i might be equipped to minister to babes that i might reach out to the new among us and those who are just beginning to feel their way in the great truths that we love you see this crass self-centeredness that only asks the question does this ministry meet my needs i tell you friends it's sickening there's a whole body of god's people with a broad spectrum of need to be considered and your elders are committed to that and then they have a commitment to the long-term spiritual well-being of the congregation remember what paul said to timothy in second in the before to preach the word the instant in season out of season rebuke reprove rebuke exhort with all long suffering and teaching for the time will come when they will not endure the sound teaching but will heap to themselves teachers having itching ears they will heap to themselves teachers after their own lust or their own desires it's a dangerous thing when people in the pew begin to think they know better what they need than those charged with their

57:56 spiritual well-being it's a dangerous state false teachers he says are the response to people's own desires who have their own itches and they're determined to have a ministry that scratches them where they itch not necessarily where they ought to be itching and where they ought to be scratched and then i mention quickly what pertains to those of us set apart to labor the present realities of the deposit of gift in the congregation at any given point in its life in ministry that will determine what is preached we may think that we need a good course of studies in a given subject but as we look at what christ has deposited in terms of gift we do not see a man gifted to handle that we have to recognize that that's the sovereign disposition of god and then if possible do what Barnabas did in Acts 11 when he sent for Paul to come and help him in the ministry of Antioch and that's why we seek to supplement our ministry that's why i'm listening to tapes all the time i hear of a conference somewhere and someone delivered the goods on a given subject i listen to it and often that's the beginning of how that person comes and speaks at one of our retreats and then stays on for the lord's day because we're constantly seeking to see if god has given a richer deposit of

59:24 gift and understanding in a given area in another assembly if we can bring that man in that that gift and that deposit of truth may be exercised to our benefit well at least you know dear people that when we prayerfully wrestle with this matter of the subject matter of the public ministries we're not drawing subjects out of a hat and i hope this will cause you to pray for us how we need the wisdom of god to know your state accurately to respond sensibly to be kept from our own predisposition to like certain truths more than others god knows we want to be able to say at the end of our days our hands are clean of your blood let's pray together our father we thank you for our time together this morning thank you for the contributions of your children and the evident way that your word has already impacted their thinking and we pray that the issues considered today will be taken to heart and may mightily influence our life together in the days to come oh god lead us that we may have christ ministering by his word and spirit in our midst as our great prophet as

60:50 he would guide your servants as they seek to set forth those portions of the word of god which are most needed guide us we pray in his worthy name amen amen