Preparation Of The Ministry

By RICK WILDER, Pastor

FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH

P.O. BOX 91222 – HENDERSON, NEVADA 89009

E-Mail: Rwilder317@aol.com

Our Lord says in John 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. Eternal life is knowing the living God through His Son Jesus Christ. In John 1:18 Jesus says: No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. It is through Jesus Christ we begin to know and understand the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; Colossians 2:2.

We see God as a Holy God who must punish sin Isaiah 53:10-11 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; (Christ) he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: Romans 8:32 says, God spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all.

We also begin to know God as a God of love: John 3:16, For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, I John 4:10 says, Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

We begin to know Him as a merciful God Titus 3:5, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, John 5:24, Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

This is the very reason Christ and Him crucified must be preached to a lost and dying world. Our Lord says in Jeremiah 9:24, But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.

As ministers of God, we need to truly know God, His person, His character, His attributes and His heart. Unbelievers are rebellious to God and corrupt His Word because they know not God, In Exodus 5:2, when Moses told Pharaoh to let God's people go, Pharaoh responded with Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice.

Knowing our God, makes service and worship joyous and prevents us from teaching false doctrine. Preaching a false gospel, legalism or corrupt doctrine are the fruits of not knowing God. They might know about Him but they do not know Him personally and scripturally. If they knew the nature and love of God, they would never teach salvation by works or that you can loose your salvation!

Psalms 19:7 says, the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. In order to trust someone, you need to know who they are and what they are like; in other words; their testimony. The Bible gives us the testimony of the Lord so that we can be wise and trust Him in salvation and in every area of our lives.

As you read the Bible, don't just look for something to preach, know the author! Don't just know the "letter of the law", but the Spirit. Don't study famous quotes, surveys, great illustrations and famous sermons to teach the people; study the Bible so you can bring your people to know and love God. Great sermons and quotes originally come from men who know God greatly!

When God's people repent, God promises them in Jeremiah 3:15, And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding. Remember, the more you know God, the more you can be a pastor, teacher, or missionary according to mine (God's) heart! If you study famous messages of great men, you can puppet them from the pulpit. If you really know God and His Word, you will be able to feed God's people with knowledge and understanding.

Learn so much about God that you think like God, understand like God and love like God.

God told Ezekiel in chapter 3:1, Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, eat that thou findest; eat this roll (the Bible), and go speak unto the house of Israel.

The man of God must be a "Word filled" man; Colossians 3:16 says, Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; Jeremiah says in Jeremiah 15:16, Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.

To eat food is to internalize it and draw nutrition and strength from it for yourself. Jeremiah ate the Word of God until he became like the LORD God of hosts, then he preached with power!

To "eat the Word" means that you hear the Word or read it and then meditate upon it until it becomes a part of your life, Psalms 1:2-3, But his (the blessed man's) delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

Our Lord was the Word of God that "became flesh" John 1:14, And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, we are flesh that should become the Word of God! As C.H. Spurgeon said "fill yourself with the Word of God until your brain is Bibbling!"
C. Studying the Bible

Our Lord said in John 5:39, Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. In John 5:46-47 Jesus said, For had ye believed Moses (the O. T. Scriptures), ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?

Though Israel had the scriptures read to them regularly at Sabbaths and Feasts, yet they did not know the Word of God. Therefore John 1:11 says He came unto his own, and his own received him not. What a tragedy to hear the Word of God and not know the God of the Word.

No wonder our Lord told the people to "search the scriptures" in Acts 17:11-12; when Paul preached at Berea, the Bible says of the people, These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. Therefore many of them believed.

In 2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth, knowing the God of the Word requires "searching and studying" the scriptures. "Study" indicates systematic reading and comparison: it requires comparing scripture with scripture. In Acts 2:42 the Bible says the new converts continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine that is the New Testament.

Study the New Testament over and over, observing the Lord Jesus Christ's deity, incarnation, humanity, sinless life, public ministry, teaching, miracles, sacrificial death, burial, resurrection, ascension and glorification. Learn of the grace of God and the difference between grace and law.

Study how to die to self and let Christ live through you, looking for His soon appearing. Only when you have studied these truths out in the New Testament are you ready to go to the Old Testament and see these truths taught in prophecy and in types and shadows, Hebrews 8:5, 10:1.

There are sixty six books in the Bible and all are written for a specific purpose, and yet, all sixty six books fit together in perfect unity and harmony. The Bible tells us in Luke 24:27 beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. As diverse and unique as the different books of the Bible are, yet they all point us to the Lord Jesus Christ. So, don't study the Bible as though it is a school subject, study it to personally know and understand the God of the Word.

The Jews in our Lord's day knew the law but they did not understand the purpose of the law. In Romans 3:19, Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.

If they understood by the law is the knowledge of sin Romans 3:20, they would have been humbled before the law giver and looked for a Savior of sinners; they would have understood that God does not desire sacrifice but rather mercy. But instead of being humbled before Christ seeking mercy, they crucified Him. As you can see, we cannot superficially read the Bible. Knowing right and wrong does not mean we know God.

The best way to understand the Bible is to read each book thoroughly and in context. For example, the first book a new Christian should read is the gospel of John. Read the whole book through without making any notes, just getting an overview of the book. This prevents you taking a verse out of context and building a whole doctrine out of one verse.
2 Peter 1:20 says, Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. Any individual scripture needs to be judged in the light of total scriptures.

Remember, God never contradicts himself. Having read the book through once, for an overview of what God is trying to communicate, now read it through again seeking for understanding and application.

The first book I read as a young Christian, was the book of John. I read eleven chapters one day and ten chapters the next day, finishing the book every two days. I read John for thirty days in a row, finishing the book fifteen times consecutively. The more I read this book over and over, the more the Bible interpreted itself.

By the time I read this book fifteen times, I knew God's love, Christ's deity, and God's plan of salvation. John 3:17, For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. The gospel of John gave me an unquenchable desire to read God's Word.

I encourage my young preacher boys to read fifteen chapters of the Bible every day. As a young Christian and for many years now, I read thirty chapters of the Bible per day. One of my young preachers, David, read forty chapters per day. When he went to Nigeria, in a period of two years he lead 2,500 Moslems to Jesus Christ and started ten churches! The more of the Word of God you put in you, the more God can use you.

What God is doing in the world, God is doing through His Word!

Read each book and see who God is writing to, Israel, the Church, the lost or saved. What is the theme and purpose of that book in particular.

For example: Romans teaches Justification in the eyes of God by faith without works. Romans 3:28 says, Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. Romans 4:5, But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. At the same time, the book of James' theme deals with the practical affects of justifying faith.

James teaches Justification in the eye of man. James 2:18 says, Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.

We are justified in the eyes of God the moment we believe. He that believeth on him is not condemned: John 3:18, because God can see our heart. But, since man cannot see our heart, the only way they can know we are righteous, is by our works. The moment Abraham believed God, God declared him righteous. But, people believed he was justified when he offered his son, Isaac.

The only way the spies knew that Rahab the harlot believed was because she protected the spies! If someone read James superficially, they could think the "justification" spoken of in James is talking about salvation by works and condemn them- selves.
D. Prayer

Proper study of the Word will lead to true prayer. When the lights of the city go out, the lights in the pastor's study go on. Before the people of the city go to work, the pastor dwells deeply in his prayer closet! John 15:7 says, If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. God communes with us through His Word; we commune with God through prayer.

Pray that God teaches you His Word. Ps 119:33-34, Teach me, O LORD, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end. Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart. Jesus said in Luke 22:46, Why sleep ye? rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.

Pray for provision, salvation, protection, and spiritual growth for your family and church. Pray that God meets with your congregation when you meet to worship. Learn to pray from Christ's pattern of prayer (Luke 11:1-13), His intercessory prayer in John 17, Daniel's intercessory prayer for his people and God's will (Daniel 9). Pray daily for the people of your congregation.

Pray for boldness, Acts 4:29, And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word, James 5:16 says, The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Don't go through the form of prayer, but fervently pray to our God believing!

Prayer moves the hand that moves the world.

Most importantly, don't seek to teach the Bible if it has no practical application to your life. Do not think that becoming a pastor, missionary, etc. will suddenly make you godly. Paul tells pastors, And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also 2 Timothy 2:2.

2 Timothy 2:21 says, If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.

2 Peter 1:5-8 says, And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue (moral excellence); and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance (restraint); and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness (God manifesting Himself through you); And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity (unconditional love). For if these things be in you, and abound (grow rapidly), they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Remember, practical godliness is not your doing something for God, but rather, you living the "exchange life". Galatians 2:20 says, I am crucified with Christ (I have reckoned myself dead): nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: True godliness comes from believing what God says and then dying to self and asking Christ to do the will of God through you.

This is the only way we can love the unlovely, love our enemies, forgive those who trespass against us, and boldly proclaim the gospel to a lost world. Whatever God asks you to do in His Word that you cannot do, Christ can do it through you!

Finally, evangelism is not something you start to do when you get into the ministry, it is the fruit of being "right" with God. Proverbs 11:30 says, The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life (spiritual children); and he that winneth souls is wise. Our Lord said, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men Matthew 4:19.

Romans 10:13,14 says, For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? (they need to know God is Holy, His love, His Son, and the amazing grace of our Lord Jesus Christ in order to believe) and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

People all around you are dying without the Lord, not knowing the plan of salvation. Don't wait for a title or position to "GO"! Be faithful to God today and you will know God's will tomorrow. Be faithful in the little things today, and God will be able to trust you with bigger things tomorrow.