Generic Duties; Conscience; Body-Life

Warning 2: Beware of Neglecting Generic Christian Duties

0:00 The following address was delivered at the 7th Annual Trinity Pastors Conference held at the Trinity Baptist Church in Montville, New Jersey. Now, in seeking to set before you, my brethren, those things that I need desperately to preach again and again to my own heart, we are considering warnings to avoid ministerial backsliding and ministerial burnout. And after seeking to describe what I mean by the use of the terms ministerial backsliding and ministerial burnout, we considered our first warning, which was to beware of allowing the official duties of the ministry to erode the devotional disciplines and nurture of our own inner life. Now we come. We come to the second warning for the avoidance primarily of ministerial backsliding, and it is this.

1:08 Beware of thinking that the performance of official ministerial duties warrants the non-performance of generic Christian duties.

1:26 Beware of thinking that the performance of official, or specific ministerial duties, warrants the non-performance or non-fulfillment of generic Christian duties. Now when I speak of specific or official ministerial or pastoral duties, I am referring, of course, to those duties that grow out of our responsibility to share, shepherd the flock of God, to prepare good food for them in public ministry, to give close, loving, discerning, personal care to the sheep, the general study which becomes the living well out of which we draw for specific sermon preparation, and that host of other duties in the general study, in the general realm of administration, and the care of the life of the church, and for those of you who have fellow elders, in conjunction with the labors of your fellow overseers. That's what I mean when I say, beware of thinking that these official,

2:53 these specific ministerial duties, warrant the non-fulfillment or the non-performance of generic Christian duties. Generic Christian duties. And what are our generic Christian duties? Well, they are all those duties addressed to you simply as a Christian man in your various God-ordained relationships.

3:21 When the scriptures say, husbands, and you have a wife, then everything it says to husbands applies one-to-one to you. And there is to be no negation, suspension, or dilution of the generic Christian duties of a husband simply because you have a host of specific ministerial duties to perform. There's not a shred of evidence in the Word of God that says that specific ministerial duties warrant either suspension, negation, or dilution of the performance of generic Christian duties. So everything that is said to husbands as husbands is said to you. Everything said to fathers as fathers is said to you. Everything said to you as a son is said to you.

4:23 And you remember how Jesus looked upon people who used religious duties to negate the demands of the fifth commandment. In Matthew 15, everything said to fathers as fathers is said to you. Everything said to citizens. And amazingly, everything said to ordinary church members.

4:41 Even, oh, in a situation of a plurality of elders to the rule of government of your fellow elders.

4:56 Regardless of the uniqueness of your profile in public ministry, you have the generic duty of an ordinary Christian to be submissive to those who have the rule over you. So having defined my terms, what is the heart of the warning? The heart of the warning is this. Beware thinking that because you have these specific official ministerial duties, you have some special dispensation to be indifferent or careless in the performance of generic Christian duties.

5:38 Whereas Jesus said, if ye love me, keep. My commandments. Furthermore, the very requirement for our office demands that we are not only rendering a modicum of obedience to generic Christian duties, but that we have exemplary in the fulfillment of those duties.

6:07 If I understand rightly 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1, what those passages are saying is this. Apart from the requirement apt to teach, every other standard, every other grace is a generic Christian duty in some other place in the Word of God. So the apostle is saying by the inspiration of the Spirit, while every man ought to love his wife as Christ loved the church, no man is to be recognized as an elder who has not a daughter, to some degree of evident competence in loving and caring for his wife as Christ loved the church, so as to make him a good ruler. For if a man rule not well his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God? If he has not learned blending with sensitivity and compassion and understanding, if he's not learned it with reference to his wife and to his children, he has no business exercising that delicate interplay over the whole house of God. And so if one takes all of those other words that are used, blameless, not soon angry, etc.,

7:34 we have either the use of the exact same words or the same idea of that virtue set before the people of God as a generic Christian duty. Then there is further, Titus 2, in which after giving to Titus a whole list of duties and ethical norms that he is to set before the people of God, Paul turns to Titus and says, and in all things showing yourself a pattern, a tupos of good works. Everything you are admonishing others to be, Titus, be the example of that in your own life. When you give an ethical norm and people say, but Titus, how does that work out in the concrete? Titus, you should be able to say, be a follower of me as I am of Christ.

8:34 And this is a biblical injunction. Paul says to the Philippians, mark those which so was for an example. He assumes that in the assembly at Philippi, among the ordinary membership, there would be those eminent and consistent enough in godliness as to become patterns of what other believers ought to be.

9:03 But so subtle are the actings of our indwelling sin. So clever are we at rationalization that we take one generic Christian duty after another and we either suspend it, we negate it, or we greatly dilute our performance of it and then we cover that butchery, disobedience under the pious guise. Well, it was the demands of the ministry that caused the negation, the suspension, or the dilution of the performance of that duty. For example, I have met many women, pastors' wives, who are in one sense some of the most neglected creatures on the face of the earth. The husband has all, all kinds of hours to listen to all kinds of problems from all kinds of women in the assembly, but he never has a half. Let this poor distressed woman sit and pour out her frustrations in his ear. And they're bitter, frustrated, grieved, wounded. Why?

10:26 That ministering to all those needy sheep with their frustrations and their problems warrants the suspension of ministering to the needs of his own wives, his own wife's emotional problems and concerns. Children who resent the ministry because the ministry is that ugly, foul thing that robbed them of having a dad. Other kids talk about how it wrestles on the floor with them, how dad goes out and plays ball with them, and how dad makes time to take them fishing and hunting. And when they hear it, they say, not my dad.

11:11 Fathers nurture them. It doesn't say, quote, that is, if you're not a pastor. I can remember in the earlier years of my ministry when my children were younger and I cut back greatly on any commitments that would take me away from home for any length of time. I can remember men taking me to task for it, not my own elders, but other men who felt they had some responsibility to tell me what to do.

11:45 And they said, brother, God's given you this stewardship and you ought to be exercising this stewardship, blah, blah, blah. And I just remember handing my Bible to more than one of them and saying, will you please read Ephesians 6, 4? And they'd read it. I'd said, now you show me where the Holy Ghost said, fathers, nurture your children, parenthesis, except if your name is Al Martin.

12:08 Except if God has given you some stewardship to minister to his servants or to preach the gospel evangelistically to aid the churches in their... Show me where I can stand and prove that I'm the exception.

12:26 And they just shake their heads and say, there you go with that stubborn biblicism of yours. Oh yes, oh yes. Stubborn biblicism. Yes.

12:39 Yes. Because my duties are determined by the word of God. And God never gave any as a warrant to produce disobedience to his duties as a Christian. I remind you of 1 Samuel 15, 22.

13:01 To obey is better than to sacrifice and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft and stubbornness is as idolatry. You know what God labels Saul's unwillingness to completely destroy all of the stuff of the ark? Of the stuff of the Amalekites?

13:30 He calls it not partial obedience but blatant rebellion. So I've slain everything but we've held the best of the sheep, the best of the oxen and King Agag. When the prophet says to obey is better than to sacrifice, he doesn't say for partial obedience is better than sacrifice. He says obedience is better than to sacrifice or rebellion.

An Example of Christian Nobility in Prioritizing Generic Duties

14:03 Rebellion, not partial obedience, is as the sin of witchcraft and stubbornness as idolatry. I came across something a few weeks ago that moved me in this area and I asked God to write it upon my heart. There is a man whose theological position in many ways we would not be sympathetic to. He's a solidly evangelical man but in terms of the wider concerns that we would have and yet I believe he has acted with Christian nobility.

14:36 He has had a place of leadership in a certain evangelical college and under his leadership that college has greatly thrived. Enrollment, buildings, usefulness and again in terms of what is there in mainline evangelicalism it represents some of the best. But he writes a letter to all of the constituency who receive news about that college and he says my dear wife so and so has been failing in mental health for about eight years. So far I've been able to carry both her ever growing needs and my leadership and responsibility as president of blank college. But recently it's become apparent that my wife is contented most of the time if she's with me and almost none of the time when I'm away from her. It's not just discontent she's filled with fear even terror that she has lost me and always goes out in search of me whenever I leave home. Then she may be full of anger when she cannot get to me so it's clear she needs me now full time.

15:47 Perhaps it would help you to understand if I shared with you what I shared at the time of the announcement of my resignation from the presidency of the college. My decision was made in a real sense 42 years ago when I promised to care for my wife in sickness and in health till death do us part. So as I told the students and faculty as a man of my word integrity has something to do with it. But so does fairness.

16:16 She's cared for me fully and sacrificially all these years. If I cared for her for the next 40 years it would not be out of debt. I would not be out of debt. Duty however can be grim and stoic.

16:30 There's more. I love my wife. She's a delight to me. Her childlike dependence and confidence in me.

16:36 Her warm love, occasional flashes of the wit that I used to relish so. Her happy spirit and tough resilience in the face of her continuing distressing frustration. I don't have to care for her. I get the privilege of doing so.

16:55 It is a high honor to care for so wonderful a person. That man's thinking biblically. His generic Christian duty to care for his wife's over an inferred duty to be president of a Christian college with a worldwide influence. Brethren, that's the mentality I'm talking about.

Warning 3: Beware of Trading a Good Conscience for Usefulness

17:19 Beware of thinking that the performance of specific official ministerial duties warrants the non-fulfillment of generic Christian duties. Once you fall into that trap, where will you stop? Because if you're worth anything in the ministry, there will always be more people who want your time than you have time to give them. There will always be more things to do than there are hours in the day to do it.

Warning 3: Beware of Trading a Good Conscience for Usefulness

17:55 And yet there is no duty of the ministry that must be used as an excuse not to fulfill generic Christian duties. Warning number three to avoid ministerial backsliding and perhaps this is the most sober warning of all. Beware of trading off a good conscience before God because of apparent giftedness and usefulness in the service of God. Beware of conscience before God because of apparent giftedness and usefulness in the work of God. Now again, let me explain my terminology. What do I mean by a good conscience before God? I mean what Paul addressed in Acts 24 in verse 16.

18:59 Herein, that is in the light of the coming day of judgment, herein do I exercise myself to have always a conscience void of offense towards God and man. He was determined that he would have a conscience open to the full light of the law and will of God in scripture and that under that biblically conscience he would have no offense in the realm of conscience. That is, if he were conscious of sin committed against God and not only against God but a sin that may have also been against man, he was determined immediately to be bound and open for sin and uncleanness and in the way of renewed repentance and faith have his conscience pacified, his conscience freshly sprinkled in the blood of Christ and where necessary to make right any wrong at the horizontal level whether it meant asking forgiveness for a wrong done, or for a duty not performed that was owed to another, whether making restitution, to have a biblically enlightened conscience,

20:26 a continually blood sprinkled conscience and a conscience that having fulfilled the frontal duties of confession and restitution has no offense when it looks out into the face of its fellow men. Now why is this so critical? Why is this so crucial? Well, the apostle tells us in 1 Timothy 1.6 that the very end of the charge given to Timothy for the maintenance of sound doctrine is a good conscience, faith unfeigned. This is the end of the charge. Love out of a pure heart, conscience, faith unfeigned. One of the great ends of God's saving truth is to bring sinners into a state of a good as opposed to a defiled and an accusing conscience.

21:23 Now what happens to us in the ministry is this. We become conscious of a controversy with God. It may be, quote, a little thing. It may be a big thing.

21:37 Maybe upon reflection of the last Lord's day's ministry in a particular biographical illustration, upon reflection we know that there was exaggeration of such a nature as to make what we said a lie. And upon reflection and we're honest with ourselves, we say, I lied from the pulpit to put myself in a better light. I pushed the truth beyond the bounds of any legitimate elasticity with reference to the things I was communicating. I launched and smite you.

22:16 Now the moment of truth has come. What are you going to do? You've got to go down before God and say, oh God, forgive me. To think that in the very context of handling the word of truth, under the peculiar impulses and influences of the spirit of truth, attending me in my preaching, oh God, I lied.

22:41 And you ask God to forgive you for your lying tongue, your conscience is at rest, that if we confess our sins, He's faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. But you see, your lie was not just something that you did against God. You lied to God's people. And there isn't a long stretch of time between Monday, Sunday and Wednesday when you must stand as people and lead them in what?

23:21 A prayer. Lead them in drawing me. And as you contemplate that, you say, how can I be the mouthpiece of the people of God? How can I with them, as part of the new covenant priesthood come within the veil?

23:38 Not acknowledged and made right the lie. And now warfare begins. Ah, but if I confess my lie, what will my people think of me? What will they think of me?

24:02 That I lied in the midst of a sermon, preaching the word of truth. And the struggle goes on. And the moment of truth comes. Wednesday comes around.

24:15 And if you're going to have a conscience void of offense to man, you know, that the first order of business after the opening hymn is to say, Dear people, before we bow in prayer, I must come before God with a good conscience. In the sermon last Sunday morning, when I said such and such, upon reflection I see that was a calculated exaggeration under the impulse of seeking to make myself appear in a better light. God has forgiven my sin. The fact is this.

24:52 The accurate statement is this. I beg your forgiveness. That's the way of keeping a good conscience biblically. But now, what happens?

The Process of Conscience Defilement in Ministry

25:09 As you begin to rationalize, well, that really wasn't that big a thing. I mean, we can get overly sensitive. And the Bible talks about an overly scrupulous conscience. And so you begin to play head games on yourself under the influence of your remaining sin.

25:25 And then you say, But wait a minute. If the lie was that bad, how come, even after I said it, I was conscious and people spoke afterwards of being conscious that there was even a greater in the light of his felt presence upon the people and upon my own soul so that my own...

25:52 It couldn't have been that bad. What have you begun to do? You've begun to trade off and usefulness for keeping a good conscience in a biblical manner. And then if you led the prayer meeting without having made it right with your people and it wasn't on you, with a co-base in supplication, you go home even more hardened in your deception.

26:28 And once you've started down that road, where will you end? Because having learned in the work of God to the destruction of your own soul. Because we read in 1 Timothy 1, verses 18 and 19 words, that are frightening words, but they speak directly to this issue, my brethren, directly to this issue. The apostle says, This charge I commit unto thee, my child Timothy, prophecies which led the way to thee, that by them thou mightest war the good warfare, and the relative pro...

27:44 And exclusively to the latter commodity in number and gender it agrees with conscience, which thee, some having thrust from them, made shipwreck concerning thee faith, of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I delivered unto Satan, that they might be taught not to blaspheme. Timothy, Timothy, if you're to war a day with me, I have fought the...

28:21 I have kept injecting its insidious and defiling... into your own...

28:35 It doesn't matter in public, it doesn't... Timothy, I have spoken of the following things.

29:00 To you, I have an unholy conscience as for life itself. But once you thrust that aside, you're in the path, which leads men to spiritual shipwreck. You see, the truth is always productive of holiness. And if we would preach in the felt part of the truth, we must preach in the context of holding a good conscience.

29:30 Error and sin the unholy trinity truth god a good conscience now obviously there's going to be a great number in the day of judgment who made this fatal mistake because my lord in matthew 7 says these words many will say unto me in that day lord lord have we not prophesied in thy name and in thy name cast out demons and in thy name we have in the service of god and jesus does not debate their claims but what does he say to them depart from me i never knew you ye workers of iniquity you handled and sought a deliverance of others that truth was not governing your own heart

30:46 and your own life because it wasn't reigning in your own conscience oh my brethren how much backsliding begins in the ministry when we start trading off a good conscience before god fullness in the service of god and it may begin with something as little as the thing i've mentioned and once the conscience is defiled that next tuesday after you've gone through the form of confessing the sin to god but you've either suspended the commitment to the프 confess it to your people or you're still wrestling with it no one Tuesday morning instead of going directly to the place we ordinarily pray you suddenly begin to think of all the telephone calls that accumulated over the weekend that you certainly if you're going to pray and keep your mind on the Lord you're going to have to get those phone calls out of the way and then when they're all out of the way and you start to go to the place where you pray you start thinking well there are several letters that you know my testimony will be jeopardized if I don't get those written and dictated and so the letters get dictated and it's almost near noon and you say well it's time for lunch I'll pray after lunch and and after lunch you say well you know this

32:11 is the worst time of the day to pray it's my dopey time I wouldn't dishonor God by coming with the broken legs and with the crippled body of this present state and offer that to God so So I'll go make a call or two. And then when my mind's, brethren, is this all fantasy?

32:35 No, no. That's what happens when you have an warfare with God in the realm of your conscience. There's an indisposition to pray. Now what happens when you're indisposed to pray and don't pray?

32:48 And you don't watch. Now you're vulnerable in one of your areas of weakness in the past that hadn't troubled you. Lust to the eye. And on your way to make that call at the hospital, ostensibly in the name of Christ, your eyes lingered where they shouldn't.

33:08 Now the conscience being once defiled is more quick to feel comfortable with a second defilement. And need I go on to describe the sordid, horrible process of declension?

33:23 Ministerial. You see, our conscience, for a parry, if our gifts and our usefulness should be the occasion of our death, should be the examination to let us go on thinking. Because we speak in his name,

33:58 God must not take too seriously our sins that are not biblically dealt with.

Owen's Warning on Apostasy and Conscience

34:03 Oh, my brothers, I warn you as I warn myself afresh, beware of thinking that the performance,

34:15 I'm sorry, beware of trading off a good conscience before God for apparent giftedness and usefulness by God. Listen to the sagacious Owen, who, as few others, seem to be able to dive into the depths of the human heart and not only discover what's there, but to articulate the sorry sight. Owen said, I am persuaded that there are very few that apostatize from a profession of any continuance, such as our days abound with, but their entrance into the folly of backsliding, was either some great and notorious sin that bloodied their conscience, tainted their affections, and intercepted all delight of having anything more to do with God, or else it was a course of neglect in private duties, arising from a weariness of contending against that powerful aversion which they had created. They found in themselves, one to the other,

35:41 as when men grow weird with this constant tendency to rash our sin, tendency to justify our sin, to opposition, foreclosed. He said, that's how some enter the door that eventually leads into their very apostasy.

Warning 4: Beware of Isolation from the Body of Christ

36:08 Oh, may God help us to lay the warning to heart, to avoid ministerial backsliding in this way, but then, fourthly, and here again,

36:24 I want to address something that in most of the books on pastoral theology is not addressed, and I'm both surprised and grieved, and I can only say it's not addressed because it's either assumed to be so self-evident or, what I rather believe, it reflects an incipient clericalism that negates a very vital truth of Scripture. Here's my fourth warning. Beware of allowing the position and duties of the ministry to isolate you from the nurture of the body of Christ in which you serve. Beware of allowing the position and duties of the ministry to isolate you from the nurture of the body of Christ in which you serve. Beware of allowing the position and duties of the ministry to isolate you from the nurture of the body of Christ in which you serve. Beware of allowing the position and duties of the ministry to isolate you from the nurture of the body of Christ in which you serve.

37:19 Beware of allowing the position and duties of the ministry to isolate you from the nurture of the body of Christ in which you serve. Beware of allowing the position and duties of the ministry to isolate you from the nurture of the body of Christ in which you serve. Beware of allowing the position and duties of the ministry from the nurture of the body of Christ in which you serve.

37:28 Now the basic texts that set the framework for what is in my mind are Ephesians 4, where Paul starts by saying that within this one body indwelt by the one Spirit submissive to the one Lord, there are diversities of gifts. Then he mentions some of the gifts, and then he says, The ascended Christ gives pastors and teachers for the perfecting of the saints unto the work of service, unto the building up of the body of Christ, and concludes with that marvelous picture of the body building up itself through that which every joint supplieth, growing up into the fullness of the stature of Christ in a context of love. Now you see, assumed in all of that is that though pastors and teachers pastors and teachers are given to the church for a specific and in one sense prominent high-profile function within the body, that does not make them exempt from organic connection to the body and therefore dependent upon the nourishment of that which comes from the other joints of the body. And the other, members of the body.

38:50 For the picture is that the body is brought to maturity through itself.

39:12 Fear of influence in that process of maturation. By what kind of reason do we take the leap that says we are therefore de facto for all intents and purposes cut off from the body and we do not need it for the well-being of our own souls. I see nothing in the Bible. That puts me in that position.

39:41 Second text that points in this same direction is in Acts chapter 20. When Paul says to the elders, you have peculiar responsibilities to the church. Verse 28, take heed unto yourselves and to all the flock. The language is very precise now.

40:03 It doesn't say over which the Holy Spirit made you bishops, but. And, O whom us,

40:16 to the flock,

40:22 you're in the flock. Do all your taking as ones who are in the flock.

40:31 Not all tangential bishops in the very flock where the Holy Spirit has constituted you overseers. Now brethren, those two perspectives from Ephesians 4 and Acts 20 are critical.

The Pastor's Need for Nurture from the Flock

40:58 For if we view ourselves for official position and duties, we have put ourselves, ministerial backsliding because we've negated the means ordained of god himself for our spiritual maturation your spiritual maturation does not come simply or exclusively meeting with fellow ministers at the local presbyterial or any other higher level given whatever our ecclesiastical associations may be i must look upon my people biblically not only before them when i preach recognizing the holy ghost instituted me and over them to feed to shepherd perform all functions of a shepherd and when i'm preaching i am doing the work of public feeding and there are many other aspects of that task i must not only see myself as a pastor teacher given to the church but when i'm out of that pulpit and i'm among my people may i say it reverently i ain't nobody special i'm just a member of the body

42:21 needs what the body can contribute to me do i make it plain that i believe that do i ask my brethren the kind of questions that make it plain that i'm ready to be taught by them maybe that man with the grease under his nails and with limited formal and has something to teach me about how do you maintain a godly mindset in an ungodly way this is a very important point he may know a lot more about that than you do do you ever ask team the teach you may be that dear woman harassed with mommy mommy mommy all day long for kids all under the usual and yet there is the serenity peace and glory upon account and ins you see when you preach he thinks he was a

43:47 evangelical nun who just came out of uh... uh... uh... uh... i don't want to know that if the current issue is a part of our life is that you're not a godly man out of the other out of a common she's been called a godly man, but not by life sits utterly undistracted her face is toward you she's around do you go to her and say sister i got a little idea what your world is like but it's evident when you come into the house of god and you're among the people of god people have put all would you mind telling me your secret do you really believe that those insignificant members have something to contribute to you put yourself in the place where they can are you going to backslide because you've despised god's means as much as you'll backslide if you despise the means of the devotional assimilation of the word and certainly brethren certainly brethren with our fellow elders whatever our particular ecclesiology may be in terms of a two or three office theory this much is true there's no one in the new testament who is without possible paul was no freelancer first thing he did when he went to jerusalem was apply for church membership they wouldn't let him in they said we don't think you're for real you read about it in

45:13 acts 9 first thing he did he went to jerusalem he didn't go out in the street corner go to the temple and start preaching he tried to become a church member they said uh-uh we've heard about you you're a heartless character you drag women away from their kids leave their crying kids on the porch and you commit them to prison no sir you just want to get on the inside so you can get all our names and and bar barnabas came along said look he's for real then it says he was with them going in and going out preaching the word of god accountability even as an apostle do you have real accountability to your fellow elders and if you don't have fellow elders have you singled out some men who have the oil on their forehead men who know god and walk with god and have anything that even approaches on real accountability when's the last time anyone boldly and lovingly said paul was no freelancer we all had to pray for him how's your devotional life and without you bristling and saying who are you to ask me i remember the young woman came into our membership about a year two years ago and when inquiring upon how she was settling into the life of the church quite well she said although a few things shocked me at first i said what's that she said i had been here long when one of my sisters in the church came up to me and said so-and-so

46:36 how's your devotional life she said i felt like saying none of your business she said i've been an evangelical man churches for over 20 years and no one ever asked me that what a shame what a shame members one of another and no communication and the things that are most vital I tell you it's a double shame when you have access to the affections and esteem of your people and you don't use it as a means of your own spiritual advancement do you with your elders have that kind of mutual respect and confidence that you can call one another to account where necessary or you can lovingly point out one another's sins when in a posture of assuming the best you can ask questions that may uncover the worst beware my brethren of allowing the position and duties of the ministry to isolate you from the nurture of the body of Christ in which you serve you must have real accountability have real spiritual interaction with the flock where you're prepared in that one process you'll be encouraged by them may I share something as recently as last

47:59 night one of the most hallowed moments I've had in a pastoral setting in at least a few weeks if not months was right at that door last night one of the young men went out and took my hand and said pastor I'm no officer I don't have any aspirations to church but I want to say that sitting under the Word tonight the Holy Spirit was unusually present upon my own mind and heart and I was brought to see as I've never seen before the commitment that those of you who've gone before us have had and what the truths are that you've given yourselves to that have molded and shaped this place that's been a haven for my wife and for me and the crucible of our spiritual Maturation I want to tell you Pastor that we are in such a place and we seek to know your God and God doesn't know our God. Master, I'm ready, by the grace of God, to spend and be spent and spill my blood so that my children will have the same legacy.

49:02 Now, you don't get that if you are the distant reverend, you see.

49:09 You're the exalted padre. Put yourself among your people so that there is a climate in which they feel free to be your teacher, to be your encourager. I'm convinced many men are discouraged in the ministry because they've created a climate in which it never occurs to their people.

49:31 That's meant.

49:42 I was in the dumps and I was lonely. In the dumps and lonely? Every bit of artificial water. It stinks.

50:10 Jesus moved freely among children and children never feel at ease with austere men. When it came time to need one for an illustration, all he had to do was snap his fingers. And say, Sonny, I need you for an illustration. Will you come for a minute?

50:26 And the kid comes over and pops up on his knee. If that's the first time he ever was seen with a kid, it wouldn't have happened. They'd have run. And it's amazing how at times even the children, out of the mouth of bathed in sucklings, God not only perfects praise, but he ministers grace to his servants.

The Importance of Accountability and Close Friends

50:45 So have real accountability, real interaction with the flock. And dear people, in spite of the false theology under which I labored for years. And dear people, in spite of the false theology under which I labored for years. And dear people, in spite of the false theology under which I labored for years.

50:54 And dear people, in spite of the false theology under which I labored for years. And I thank God for one of my fellow elders being used to purge it out of me. Have some close friends in the flock. The incarnate God was unashamed to make it known that among the twelve he had three special friends.

51:10 And among the three he had one special, special friend. You can argue with that. He showed favoritism. Jealousy, yes it did.

51:23 Scripture says it did. The Lord still went right on. The eve of his crucifixion. Left them all.

51:38 Left them all by the inner gate of the walled garden. His Peter, James and John, you come with me. Well that might leave the others jealous. That's their problem.

51:50 If Jesus wants the companionship of the three in his hour of sorrow. He doesn't do it in a clandestine way. And when the scripture says that John was the disciple whom he loved. Well he loved them all.

52:05 Having loved his own, he loved them unto the end. Yes. But there was a unique. A special thing.

52:10 Dear brethren I beg of you. In the position and duties of the ministry. To isolate you from the nurture of the body of Christ. In which you serve.

Concluding Prayer and Reflection

52:32 Well our time is gone. And I'm half way through. Well. You must prayerfully consider whether just to give these in distilled form tomorrow.

52:48 The remaining four. Or take the first session. You pray that God will. You pray that God will guide us.

52:54 I have not. Ridden the material in this way. There's one sitting among us. Who heard it fresh off.

53:01 The pan in a very much more distilled form. Over in Scotland a few weeks ago. But as I've worked through the material. And sought to give it more biblical substance.

53:11 And applicatory dimensions. I didn't think it would take this much time to work through it. So you bear with me and pray that God will guide us. And if God's primary word to us.

53:23 Is in the area of avoiding ministerial backsliding and burnout. Then so be it. That may be the very word for which he's brought us together. To hear.

53:34 And if so then we'll be content. With what God desires to set before us. Let's pray. Our Father.

53:48 As we have turned our attention to those peculiar ways. In which the devil. And our indwelling sin can ensnare us. In the very course of seeking to be your servants.

54:03 We confess that it has not been pleasant for us to look into our own hearts. What we see of our almost infinite capacity. To deceive ourselves. And to leave ourselves vulnerable.

54:18 Shocks us. Lord it scares us. And when we hear you say. Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.

54:29 We cry out. Oh God have mercy upon us. Lest we fall. We thank you for your word.

54:39 That says that you are the one who is able. To keep us from falling. And to present us faultless before your presence with exceeding joy. And we pray that by the word and the spirit.

54:54 These principles would so be written upon our hearts. And become regulative of our thought and conduct. That we may not only be preserved from ministerial backsliding. And ministerial burn out.

55:08 But oh God that we may go from strength to strength. That we may by your grace continue to make progress. Progress that is evident to all. That we may in the language of your own word.

55:23 Of promise be full of sap and green. Even unto old age. Oh God deliver us from ministerial brittleness. And dryness and fruitlessness.

55:37 Where we say the same things. With the same or even increasing precision of orthodoxy. But say them without feeling. And without warmth.

55:49 And present felt enjoyment of them all. God have mercy upon us. Look upon us in all of our unusual vulnerability. As the servants of God.

56:02 And deliver us and keep us. For your glory. And for the good of your church. We thank you again for the privilege of meeting together.

56:14 We thank you for the privilege that will now be ours. Of sitting together about the tables. And ministering one to another. Lord give us a disposition that will make us truly open.

56:28 To the ministry that our brethren in your good will and purpose will have to our own hearts. We thank you again for calling us together for these days. Continue with us we plead. As we offer our prayers and our thanksgiving for all of your mercies.

56:51 Through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.