THE WORK OF A MINISTER
1 Timothy 3:1-4
It is not enough to be busy; so are the ants. The
question is: What are we busy about? - Henry David Thoreau
It is possible to be so active in the service of Christ as to forget to love
him. - P. T. Forsyth
We can sometime forget who we work (serve) for in
the ministry. In this sermon outline we point out some of the many things we as
ministers and believers need to do in our daily Christian lives as we serve,
work and love the Lord Jesus.
- 1 Tim 3:1 This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he
desireth a good work.
I. The work of a minister of God is a Good Work
-Fine Work-and a minister of God is --Willing to Work.
A. Minister of God believes on Jesus.
- John 6:28 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work
the works of God?
- John 6:29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God,
that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
B. We must work quickly as Gods Work will be a fast Work in these last
days.
- Romans 9:28 For he will finish the work, and cut it short in
righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth.
C. We can and will see the result of doing His Work. We want one day hear
Him say, "Well Done".
- 1 Cor 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable,
always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour
is not in vain in the Lord.
D. The reason we do the Work of God is given in the following verse:
- Eph 4:12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the
ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
1. To try to perfect the saints.
2. Edify the whole Church.
E. The important work of the minister is Soul winning, we all need to do
the work of an evangelist.
- 2 Tim 4:5 But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work
of an
evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.
F. Jesus said His ministers would do Greater Works.
- John 14:12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the
works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do;
because I go unto my Father. In many ways we act our way into Christlikeness
more than we pray our way into Christlikeness.
II. A minister must keep order in the Church.
A. We need to know the condition of the people we minister unto.
- Pro 27:23 Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look
well to thy herds.
B. We must keep correct order in the belief of the saints.
- Luke 1:1 Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a
declaration of those things, which are most surely believed among us,
C. We need to have order in our preaching, the heavens declare His order
- Acts 11:4 But Peter rehearsed the matter from the beginning, and
expounded it by order unto them, saying,
D. We should keep order in your services.
- 1 Cor 14:40 Let all things be done decently and in order.
- Col 2:5 For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the
spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the stedfastness of your faith in
Christ.
1. We do not let the enemy disturb our service and worship.
a. In our large overseas crusades we have workers
whose job is to take care of any misconduct that would disturb the service.
b. In Chile, I remember, one man heading for the platform was
stopped by a worker. He said he was god and how could we keep him off the
platform? When he saw the policeman coming he took off. The next day in the
newspaper there was a photo of him behind bars. The caption said something like
god was captured and put in jail. That same night that he tried to disturb the
service we had about 200 people come to Christ for Salvation. The devil lost.
III. In the Work of the minister that is RISK,
- Matt 10:27 What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what
ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops.
A. Many of God’s ministers are preaching in dangerous places.
1. We have preached in many dangerous places.
- Romans 1:15 So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach
the gospel to you that are at Rome also.
B. There is risk in preaching the wrong gospel, it can be a curse.
- Gal 1:8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel
unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
C. We must risk being at the right time in the right place.
- 2 Tim 4:2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season;
reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
D. Some places in the world the work of a minister can bring death.
- Acts 7:59 And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord
Jesus, receive my spirit.
E. The main work of a minister is to always obey God.
- Acts 5:40 And to him they agreed: and when they had called the
apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name
of Jesus, and let them go.
F. The work of a minister can bring suffering. Look at Paul.
- 2 Cor 6:5 In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in
watchings, in fastings;
- 2 Cor 11:25 Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I
suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep;
- 2 Cor 11:26 In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of
robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils
in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among
false brethren;
- 2 Cor 11:27 In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger
and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.
- 2 Cor 11:28 Beside those things that are without, that which cometh
upon me daily, the care of all the churches.
IV. KNOWLEDGE, the work of the minister is to continue to seek after
knowledge.
- Romans 10:2 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not
according to knowledge.
- Romans 10:4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one
that believeth.
A. As a minister and believer we can never know too much about Jesus.
- Romans 11:33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge
of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!
At the heart of ministry is the heart, a heart close to God.
B. We must impart this knowledge into others.
- Col 1:9 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease
to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his
will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;
C. We must continue to grow in this knowledge.
- 2 Pet 3:18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and
Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.
D. We must keep learning. Paul is a great example.
- Phil 3:10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and
the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
- Phil 3:14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of
God in Christ Jesus.
Spurgeon often worked 18 hours a day. Famous
explorer and missionary David Livingstone once asked him, "How do you manage to
do two men’s work in a single day?" Spurgeon replied, "You have forgotten that
there are two of us."
Whether we are a minister, worker or believer we
need to love the Lord and the way we prove it is to serve Him. To serve Him is
to do His Word and to do His Word we must do his work and all of us that are
saved by His grace are ministers of what He has given us in our Christian life.
God bless you and yours!
On behalf of this generation,
Your friends in the service of Christ,
Tony
and Marge Abram
Abundant Life Crusades
If we could be
of more help or if you want more information please visit:
www.tonyabram.com or
www.abundantlifecrusades.com
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