Man of God

Part 2

As was mentioned in the previous article, what qualifies a man (and I use man intentionally as the Bible does) to be placed as an overseer in a local congregation is both his giftedness and his character.

It is clear from Scripture that a pastor must possess the gift of teaching1 as well as be a person of godly integrity. To be godly alone does not qualify a man to be a pastor; neither is a man qualified if he has the teaching gift alone. Historically, the evangelical tradition has insisted that its ministers be both gifted and godly. But sadly, this is not always the case.

A young man comes to mind just now. I heard him preach on a number of occasions–I believe he loves God with all his heart and I have no reason to believe that he lives anything but a godly life. He delivered his sermons with both passion and sincerity. However, he is severely handicapped when it comes to explaining the Scriptures. Although this person is gifted in other areas, it is plain to me that he is not called to teach/preach the gospel, for he doesn't possess the prerequisite gift of teaching. Hopefully, someone in position of influence will have the courage to convey this to the aspiring preacher before he does too much damage to others and becomes a discouragement to himself.

Giftedness is indeed fundamental to pastoral ministry, but here we are addressing primarily the character, the moral and spiritual integrity of the person who is engaged in ministry. What makes a man of God a man of God?

The Holy Spirit says that God-called ministers should earnestly seek to live righteously and godly. Furthermore, they are exhorted to be men who are characterized by faith and love.

Faith.

"But you, man of God, ... pursue ... faith."

The man of God is to be characterized by a confidence which enables him to trust God in every situation. This doesn't mean that the outcome in every situation will be favorable or successful as man defines these terms. But it does mean that regardless as to where Providence places the man of God, that man will look to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in every pastoral challenge and problem.

The man of God has learned that it is "'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the LORD of hosts."2 The Spirit has indelibly written on his heart, "apart from me you can do nothing"3 and "Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it."4

Fear is faith's opposite. And fear is the unfortunate posture that many pastors and church leaders minister from. They are fear-filled instead of being faith-filled. They are intimidated by those who hold the purse strings in the church; they fear those who control the church. They are constantly walking on ecclesiastical eggs in their preaching and administrating. They are continually reminded who holds the power.

I recently heard of a pastor who oversaw the construction of a sizeable new facility. He confessed to a colleague one day that he had to be extremely careful as to what topics he preached on for fear of alienating those who were paying the mortgage. What a shame! Didn't John Wesley warn his preachers against building facilities that would make rich people necessary to their upkeep?

The fearless apostle reminded Pastor Timothy that "God did not give us a spirit of fear."5 Timothy was timid by nature and so he was reluctant to confront the undisciplined, rebellious, proud, false teachers and troublemakers. He shrank, as any man would, from performing this aspect of ministry.

Is it too extreme to say that in the typical American evangelical church if a pastor dares to minister the whole Word of God, both publicly and privately, that inevitably a local power-broker will report him to the district superintendent, and if that person has power in the district, the pastor is in trouble? I think not! That is happening all across the American ecclesiastical landscape. So what does the pastor do? He's paralyzed! He dare not offend Brother Money Bags or Sister Controls-It-All. If he expects to get a good vote, if he wants to pay his bills, if he intends to climb the church ladder, he must play the game, by their rules, not God's.

Today, God is looking for men who are fearless. Men who will preach His entire counsel. Men who will stand up against the troublemakers and preacher-killers. Men who will declare the truth of God, the whole truth of God, and nothing but the truth of God. And if the pastor won't do that, he should either get down on his knees and repent or leave the pulpit. It's about time that we had men who cared less about their salaries, benefits and pensions, and started thinking seriously about what God thinks of them and their ministry.

But thank God we still have many faith-filled men–men who won't pander to the self-willed, carnal board members who insist on things going their way or no way. They may be God's faithful minority, but they are still out there. May the God in heaven multiply their number.

Love.

"But you, man of God, ... pursue ... love."

For a man of God to minister fearlessly doesn't mean he must minister lovelessly. The same Christ who drove the greedy money changers from the temple, was the same Christ who had compassion on the publican and sinner. The same apostle who warned believers about Diotrephes, was the same apostle who exhorted Christians to love one another. The same apostle who denounced the Jewish legalists, was the same apostle who wept over the lost day and night. The God-called man must seek to always minister the truth of God in love.

Some time ago I heard Kenneth Chafin–former dean of the Billy Graham Schools of Evangelism, as well as previous pastor of Walnut Street Baptist Church in Louisville, Ky.–relate the following story.

Chafin related how he was invited one day by a ministerial colleague to go fishing. Upon arriving at one of their favorite fishing holes, Chafin knew the brother had more on his mind than fishing, so he asked him what it was.

"I just got fired by my board of deacons," the crest-fallen pastor reported.
"Why?" inquired Chafin. "What reason did they give you?"
"They said I didn't love the people."
"Is that true?" Chafin asked.
"I'm afraid it is."

That's sad. God has called us to minister truth to be sure, but to minister the truth in love.6

Years ago after accepting the call to pastor a certain church, I was informed by one of my Bible college classmates that I could expect nothing but trouble from a woman who had gained the reputation as the church's bell sheep.

This woman, I'm happy to say, became one of my fondest supporters. She was a strong woman in many respects, but she also had a deep respect for leadership. And although I had to confront her on one or two occasions about some matters, yet she knew I loved her as a pastor and brother in Christ, and she took it. She later wept when I resigned and pleaded with me to reconsider.

I once read about a person who heard two evangelists preach on the subject of hell. After listening to the one, the attendee reported that he believed the minister wanted his audience to go there. After listening to the other, he walked home believing that this preacher would have done everything in his power to prevent anyone from going to hell. The difference? Agape love.

As I mentioned in the previous article, no preacher of the gospel will infallibly hit the mark every time under all circumstances with regards to these ministerial criteria. But we are to pursue them relentlessly, tirelessly–in season and out of season.

I remember hearing the passionate evangelist, Glenn Griffith, recount a love-struggle he faced one particular Sunday morning. It occurred in an early pastorate.

He and the church board had had a difficult business meeting one evening. One brother in particular had been strongly opposed to a certain proposal Griffith had made. Neither would give any ground–they left the meeting dead-locked.

When Sunday morning came and Griffith walked to the pulpit, he said, "I was carrying with me a pocket full of rocks. I had every intention of letting that rascal have it right between the eyes!"

But the closer he got to the pulpit, the louder he heard the Lord say, "Griff, empty your pockets."

And he said, "You know, I emptied my pockets, and later that day the problem was resolved and the church moved forward."

To be realistic, the problems are not always resolved even though the man of God ministers in love. But there is never any excuse for not ministering in love. It's our calling, it's our mission.

The Spirit is still saying to every God-called man today, "But you, man of God, pursue faith and love."

Unless unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are taken from the New International Version of the Holy Bible.

1. E.g., see 1 Timothy 3:2
2. Zechariah 4:6, NASB
3. John 15:5
4. Psalm 127:1
5. 2 Timothy 1:7
6. Ephesians 4:15