Man of God Pt. 5

By Lance Lewis on October 17, 2007 | Keywords:

 'You young ministers need to stop running ahead of the pastor and be quiet until you’ve been through something with God.' I received the call to ministry at the ripe young age of 19 and can’t tell you how many times I heard older ministers chastise us youngsters for our brashness and bravado. The scheduled ‘youth rebuke’ was usually given by some assistant pastor who in my view was simply too envious of the fact that their ministry and life hadn’t turned out to be what they’d hoped.

 

 I usually tuned them out thinking that the real reason they have a problem with me and the other younger ministers was due to our youth, charisma and anointing. Fact was they didn’t want us cutting in on their precious preaching time even though it was obvious that we had the ear of the young people, the advantage of youth and of course really had it going on.

I often took comfort in Paul’s words to Timothy in 1Tim 4 ‘Let no one despise you for your youth’  which bolstered my contention that they were just jealous and had little if any interest in my spiritual development. I rarely however took the time to examine and reflect on the rest of Paul’s statement. You know the one that reads ‘but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity’

Well lo and behold I’m no longer an eager young minister with a lot to say and little experience. I’m the one now more likely to caution young men to be careful, take it slow and don’t be so eager to tell people about a God that you have a lot of knowledge about but little experience with. Does that mean that I look down on young ministers? I hope not. But I do see where some of those older assistant pastors were coming from. In my youth I really believed I knew more than those older than me. I was sure that I had the answers for church, ministry and life for my generation and was ready to get on with the task correcting the church, winning the world while kicking the old to the curb. Praise God I didn’t take charge of the souls of God’s people in my twenties. And if I had it to do over again I might have waited until I reached forty before becoming a lead pastor.

And if that were to happen I hope that I’d pay a bit more attention to the second phrase of 1Tim. 4:12. While Paul didn’t have a problem with Timothy’s youth he knew (perhaps from his own experience?) that youth has its pitfalls. Young ministers tend to shoot off at the mouth without thinking about how what they say and how they say it will affect God’s people. Paul warns Timothy to learn how to talk to people in ways that honor the humility of Christ, serve the furtherance of the gospel and build up the body of Christ. Young ministers should constantly keep in mind that speech can be used as a weapon to tear others down especially when they don’t agree with us. Those skilled in speaking must take great care to not to use that skill to carve up the saints just because we can.

Along with watching what we say and how we say it Paul reminds Timothy that the substance of biblically directed ministry is the lifestyle of the minister. How we carry ourselves out of the pulpit around God’s people, our peers, family, and those who don’t know the Lord will at times speak volumes about how seriously we take the Lord, His gospel and His church.

Young ministers must serve out of a deep love for God’s people, His church and the lost. We must never view the sheep of God as simply cogs in our ministry machine. They are neither stepping stones to a better position or cash cows created to line our wallets. We serve because we eagerly desire to see those under our ministry grow and mature in the walk before our Lord.

Men of God must grow to be reliable. It would be both wise and good if young ministers spent a few years serving quietly and consistently to support other ministries in the church before speaking the word of God. This may help to wean out those who are simply seeking a position up front from those actually called to serve God’s people.

Last, but by no means least young ministers must live in sexual purity. Sexual sin is a problem in the church. And it appears that it’s becoming more accepted for pastors to fall into sin, brush it off and keep going as if nothing happened. Considering such a climate it’s crucial for young ministers to pay close attention on their own personal purity, develop authentic accountable relationships in this area and should they find themselves caught up in sexual sin step back from ministry to work through it thoroughly.

Why are these things so important? Paul begins his short exhortation reminding Timothy that he is a role model. Thus if he talks in dismissive, demeaning ways to God’s people those who follow him will learn to do the same. Should he live in a manner that doesn’t honor God or the gospel those who follow him will get the idea that God is not be taken seriously and that biblical Christianity is a fraud. If he seeks the limelight and has an aversion to faithful, humble service God’s people may be led to think that it’s only the ministry ‘up front’ that really counts for anything. A harsh, insensitive young minister will convey that as far as he’s concerned the people of God are a means to an end. And that may lead to the mindset that God Himself is merely a means to and end not someone to love, serve and delight in as an end in and of Himself. Young ministers who dabble in sexual sin can model a careless disregard for God’s word and blatant disrespect for the Lord who died to take away sin. They run the danger of showing God’s people that the sheep are there to devour, hypocrisy is acceptable, and that personal charisma counts far more than personal integrity.

For Christ, His Church and The Truth,

LL


Comments

J. Lee Taylor

February 26, 2008

As a young boy my father would always tell me, never let anyone disrespect you. That was a valuable lesson to learn. There is nothing like the gratification of buying your first car as a young man but that gratification was disrupted when my Dad burnt a cigarette hole in the seat of my new car. Years later I was able to buy a new truck and again went to show it off to my Dad. During the return trip to the store Dad wanted to light a cigarette. Immediately my response was, Dad, no smoking in my truck. His words were hush boy and drive. I stopped completely still, looked at him and said, Daddy, I love you but you are not going to smoke in my truck. He willingly honored my request and we went onward. Mad dad had always said to never let anyone disrespect you, but when he chose to over look my request that act left the impression of being disrespected. There is a simple problem that exists here between younger and older ministers. Either in word or deedsomeone has failed to gain the honest respect of the other. It's true some young ministers are too eager to establish a name for themselves. It's also true that some older ministers do not practice the common courtesy they speak of by treating young men with plain old simple respect. Let's be real! The business of demonstrating respect has its advantages and disadvantages. The whole message summarized in I Timothy 4:12 was a word of caution. Paul was both encouraging and cautioning Timothy to conduct himself in such a way that he will be respected by all. It's true that in Timothy's position you would think some individuals would naturall respect him because of the role that he is fulfilling but this is not always the case. But if Timothy would conduct himself in the highest Christian manner (see context I Tim. 4:1-5:25) even those who are tempted to overlook the office he is fulfilling will see him serving as a good minister. This subject has a dual responsibility. Young ministers such as Timothy must turn to a a more experienced minister such as Paul and trust and follow his wise counsel. Likewise, older individuals especially servant leaders must show respect to the person holding office inspite of age differences. If the men who share the responsibility of declaring the word verbally distort the message by their deeds then our congregations can only expect to receive a tainted message that was initially intended to come from our Lord. Can't you hear the voice of God speaking through the mouth of Ezekiel saying, "Woe to you shepherds" (Ezekiel 34:2)? This is somehting we should seriously think about. 1

J. Lee Taylor

February 26, 2008

As a young boy my father would always tell me, never let anyone disrespect you. That was a valuable lesson to learn. There is nothing like the gratification of buying your first car as a young man but that gratification was disrupted when my Dad burnt a cigarette hole in the seat of my new car. Years later I was able to buy a new truck and again went to show it off to my Dad. During the return trip to the store Dad wanted to light a cigarette. Immediately my response was, Dad, no smoking in my truck. His words were hush boy and drive. I stopped completely still, looked at him and said, Daddy, I love you but you are not going to smoke in my truck. He willingly honored my request and we went onward. My dad had always said to never let anyone disrespect you, but when he chose to over look my request that act left the impression of being disrespected. There is a simple problem that exists here between younger and older ministers. Either in word or deedsomeone has failed to gain the honest respect of the other. It's true some young ministers are too eager to establish a name for themselves. It's also true that some older ministers do not practice the common courtesy they speak of by treating young men with plain old simple respect. Let's be real! The business of demonstrating respect has its advantages and disadvantages. The whole message summarized in I Timothy 4:12 was a word of caution. Paul was both encouraging and cautioning Timothy to conduct himself in such a way that he will be respected by all. It's true that in Timothy's position you would think some individuals would naturall respect him because of the role that he is fulfilling but this is not always the case. But if Timothy would conduct himself in the highest Christian manner (see context I Tim. 4:1-5:25) even those who are tempted to overlook the office he is fulfilling will see him serving as a good minister. This subject has a dual responsibility. Young ministers such as Timothy must turn to a a more experienced minister such as Paul and trust and follow his wise counsel. Likewise, older individuals especially servant leaders must show respect to the person holding office inspite of age differences. If the men who share the responsibility of declaring the word verbally distort the message by their deeds then our congregations can only expect to receive a tainted message that was initially intended to come from our Lord. Can't you hear the voice of God speaking through the mouth of Ezekiel saying, "Woe to you shepherds" (Ezekiel 34:2)? This is somehting we should seriously think about. 2

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