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Preachers
Greatness
Two brothers were
discussing their life goals after Sunday school. The first brother’s goal was
to be rich and famous. The second brother’s goal was to follow Christ to the
fullest. The second brother went on to reach his goal. His name was David
Livingstone
the renowned medical missionary and explorer of
Preachers
A young preacher
looking
up from his reading
asked his wife
“How many really great preachers do you
think there are?” She replied
“Well
I don’t know
but there is probably one
less than you think.” ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations for Biblical
Preaching》
Preachers
Some students never study
but
like the spider
spin everything out from within
beautiful webs that
never last. Some are like ants that steal whatever they find
store it away
and use it later. But the bee sets the example for us all. He takes from the
many flowers
but he makes his own honey.— Francis Bacon
Preachers
A young minister who was
asked to speak at his old seminary stood up and said
“What I have to say must
be pretty good because my knees are already applauding.” ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations
for Biblical Preaching》
Preachers
Someone has said
“In
periods of unsettled faith
skepticism
and mere curious speculation in matters
of religion
teachers of all kinds swarm like the flies in Egypt. The demand
creates the supply. The hearers invite and shape their own preachers. If the
people desire a calf to worship
a ministerial calf-maker is readily found.”
Paul says
“I proclaimed to
you the testimony about God (1 Cor. 2:1
NIV.) He did not tickle people’s ears
with giving them what they wanted to hear. ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations
for Biblical Preaching》
Preachers
Someone has said that there
are only two kinds of speakers: those who have something to say
and those who
have to say something! ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations for Biblical
Preaching》
Preachers
A good preacher should have
these properties and virtues:
first
to teach systematically;
second
he should have a ready wit;
third
he should be eloquent;
fourth
he should have a good voice;
fifth
a good memory;
sixth
he should know when to make an end;
seventh
he should be sure of his doctrine;
eighth
he should venture and engage body and blood
wealth and honour
in the word;
ninth
he should suffer himself to be mocked and jeered by everyone.— Martin Luther
Function of Minister
Most of us have gone to a
circus sideshow at some time or at least seen one on TV. One of the common
feats of daring under the big top is performed by the man who attempts to get a
large number of plates simultaneously spinning on the end of some sticks. Of
course
the problem he faces is that just as he gets another plate spinning on
its stick
one of the earlier ones begins to waver and appears ready to fall.
So the performer has to rush to it and give it a booster spin to keep it going.
Back and forth he rushes
trying to add plates and at the same time not let
those already spinning fall.
This seems to be an apt
illustration of many churches and the role of the pastor in them. Like our sideshow
performer
the pastor has figured out the plates he wants to spin
and he looks
through the congregation to find who could be the sticks. With great effort
he
gets it all going and then discovers that the sticks don’t keep the plates
moving. So he has to run up and down from plate to plate
operating programs
that the sticks are not motivated enough to keep going on their own.
A comedian once did the
spinning plate trick
but with a different twist. He got his plates up and
spinning
while his sidekick attempted to do the same. But then he watched his
sidekick run around like crazy
trying to keep his plates spinning
while he
himself did nothing. Finally the sidekick realized that something was not quite
right
so he looked at the comedian’s sticks. In fact he picked one up
and the
plate kept spinning. He tipped it over
and the plate kept spinning. You see
the twist was that the comedian had figured out how to make the stick
responsible for the plate’s spinning.
How much better is it for
the church and its leaders to concentrate on “perfecting the sticks.” That way
as they grow
parishioners become motivated to get involved in certain
ministries and take responsibility for services that are on their hearts and
interest them. ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations for Biblical
Preaching》
Apostle—the
Sent One
Heb.3:1; John 3:17
34; 4:34; 5:30; 6:38; 7:16
18;
9:4; 17:18; 20:21
“My teaching is not mine.” The Son—the Sent
One—the Savior—the Speaker of words of God—the Spirit Giver.
To be sent into the world is different with to go
into the world.
Even our silence is a speaking of our own glory. ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations for Biblical
Preaching》
Function of Minister
Spurgeon graphically
illustrated the effect of Christian leaders upon a congregation；
“…as a result of your own
decline
everyone of your hearers will suffer more or less. It is with us and
our hearers as it is with watches and the public clock; if our watch be wrong
very few will be misled by it
but ourselves; but if the Horse Guards or
Greenwich observatory should go amiss
half London would lose its reckoning. So
it is with the minister; he is the parish clock. Many take their time from him
and if he be incorrect
then they all go wrongly
and he is in a great measure
accountable for all the sin which he occasions.” ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations
for Biblical Preaching》
Preparation for Ministry
Shortly after
a recent seminary graduate had assumed his first pastorate
he and his wife
went to visit his family one Saturday. His mother sensed that her
daughter-in-law was unhappy
but-not wishing to be meddlesome-pretended not to
notice. As they departed
she heard her daughter-in-law say
“All right
we can
go by the church and you can practice baptizing me just one more time. But
remember this-when you have your first funeral
you are not going to practice
burying me!”
Preparation for Ministry
If someone
had told me I would be Pope one day
I would have studied harder. –Pope John
Paul I
Qualities of Minister
If you hired a gardener to
take care of your lawn and then went past his house and saw that his own yard
was sloppy and unkempt
would you trust him with the care of your lawn? Or
if
you went to the dentist to get your teeth checked and sat down in the chair
only to look up to see that the dentist had a mouthful of rotten teeth
would
you trust him to work on your teeth?
How can a minister expect
any positive response to his ministry if his life is not holy? ── Michael P.
Green《Illustrations
for Biblical Preaching》
Qualities of Minister
Spurgeon said that this
prayer would be the very last one he would pray
if able: “Lord
send to thy
Church men filled with the Holy Ghost and with fire. Give to any denomination
such men and its progress must be mighty; keep back such men
send them college
gentlemen
of great refinement and profound learning
but of little fire and
grace
dumb dogs which cannot bark
and straightway that denomination must
decline.— cited by Iain Murray
Qualities of Minister
After years of research
the profile of the “perfect pastor” has been developed. The perfect pastor
preaches exactly fifteen minutes. He condemns sin
but never embarrasses
anyone. He works from 8:
If your pastor does not
measure up to this profile of the perfect pastor
simply send this description
to six other churches that are tired of their pastor. Then bundle up your
pastor and send him to the church at the top of the list. In one week you will
receive 1
643 pastors. One of them should be perfect. ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations
for Biblical Preaching》
Qualities of Minister
If you can’t stand the
smell of sheep
you shouldn’t be a shepherd. ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations
for Biblical Preaching》
Qualities of Minister
A pastor-teacher who does
not love people is like a shepherd who is allergic to sheep
or a woman who
wants to have a family but can’t stand children. ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations
for Biblical Preaching》
Qualities of Minister
A survey of many churches
was taken by the American Association of Theological Schools. Each church
sampled was to list the qualities desired in a minister they would consider
employing. The results:
First:
Humility
Second:
Honesty
Third:
Good example in daily living
Fourth:
Excellence in ministerial skills( i.e.
preaching
counseling
teaching
etc.)
── Michael P. Green《Illustrations for Biblical Preaching》
Qualities of Minister
The preacher needs to be
pastor
that he may preach to real men. The pastor must be preacher
that he
may keep the dignity of his work alive. The preacher
who is not a pastor
grows remote. The pastor
who is not a preacher
grows petty.— Bishop Phillips
Brooks
Qualities of Minister
Power for service is
second. Power for holiness and character is first. The first
second
and third
requisite for our work is personal godliness. Without that
though I have the
tongues of men and angels
I am harsh and discordant as sounding brass
monstrous and unmusical as a tinkling cymbal.— Alexander Maclaren
Rejection
G. Campbell Morgan was one
of a hundred and fifty young men who sought entrance into the Wesleyan ministry
in 1888. He had passed his written exam but faced the test of giving a trial
sermon in front of a panel. When the results were released
Morgan’s name was
among the hundred and five who were rejected.
He wired his father with
one word: “Rejected.” Then he sat down and wrote in his diary: “Very dark.
Everything seems still. He knoweth best.” The reply to his wire was quick to
arrive. It read
“Rejected on earth
accepted in heaven. Dad.”
As
G. Campbell Morgan went on to prove
rejection on earth is often of little
consequence. As his father wisely recognized
rejection on earth is of no
consequence in heaven. ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations
for Biblical Preaching》
Parishioners hard pressed
for something to say to the clergy after the service have
according to one
minister's friend said to him
"You always manage to find something to
fill up the time." "I don't care what they say
I like your
sermons." "If I'd known you were going to be good today I'd have
brought a neighbor." "Did you know there are 243 panes of glass in
the windows?" "We shouldn't make you preach so often."
Arthur Myers in Berkshire
Sampler.
A Lutheran newsletter has
some tongue-in-cheek suggestions for church members unhappy with their pastor:
"Simply send a copy of this letter to six other churches who are tired of
their ministers. Then bundle up your pastor and send him to the church at the
top of the list. Add your name to the bottom of the list. In one week you will
receive 16
436 ministers
and one of them should be a dandy. Have faith in this
letter. One man broke the chain and got his old minister back."
Source Unknown.
An elderly widow
restricted in her activities
was eager to serve Christ. After praying about
this
she realized that she could bring blessing to others by playing the
piano. The next day she placed this small ad in the Oakland Tribune:
"Pianist will play hymns by phone daily for those who are sick and
despondent--the service is free." The notice included the number to dial.
When people called
she would ask
"What hymn would you like to
hear?" Within a few months her playing had brought cheer to several
hundred people. Many of them freely poured out their hearts to her
and she was
able to help and encourage them.
Source Unknown.
A group of ministers and a
salesman's organization were holding conventions in the same hotel
and the
catering department had to work at top speed serving dinners to both. The
salesmen were having spiked watermelon for dessert. But the chef discovered
that it was being served to the ministers by mistake. "Quick!" he
commanded a waiter. "Bring it back!" The waiter returned
reporting
that it was too late. The ministers were already eating the liquor-spiced
treat. "Do they like it?" asked the chef.
"Don't know
"
replied the waiter
"but they're putting the seeds in their
pockets."
Quote Magazine.
In the 1950s
marketing
whiz Stanley Arnold was working at Young & Rubicam
where he was asked to
come up with a marketing campaign for Remington Rand. The company was among the
most conservative in America. Its chairman at the time was retired General
Douglas MacArthur. Intimidated at first by a company that was so much a part of
America
Arnold also found in that phrase the first inspiration for a campaign.
After thinking about it
he went to the New York offices of Merril Lynch
Pierce
Fenner and Beane
and placed the ultimate odd-lot order: "I want
to purchase
" he told the broker
"one share of every single stock
listed on the New York Stock Exchange." After a vice president tried to
talk him out of it
the order was finally placed. It came to more than $42
000
for one share in each of the 1098 companies listed on the Big Board at the
time.
Arnold now took his
diversified portfolio into a meeting of Remington Rand's board of directors
where he argued passionately for a sweepstakes campaign with the top prize
called A Share in America. The conservative old gentlemen shifted around in
their seats and discussed the idea for a while. "But Mr. Arnold
"
said one
"we are not in the securities business." Said another
"We are in the shaver business." "I agree that you are not in
the securities business
" said Arnold
"but I think you also ought to
realize that you are not in the shaver business either. You are in the people
business." The company bought the idea.
Peter Hay
The Book of
Business Anecdotes
in Bits and Pieces
October
1990.
A minister must be
learned
on pain of being utterly incompetent for his work. But before and
above being learned
a minister must be godly. Nothing could be more fatal
however
than to set these two things over against one another. Recruiting
officers do not dispute whether it is better for soldiers to have a right leg
or a left leg: soldiers should have both legs.
B.B. Warfield
quoted in Credenda
Agenda
Vol. 4
No. 5
p. 16.
So popular and effective
was Campbell Morgan's ministry that he was given all kinds of offers from many
different places and people. John Wannamaker
the great merchant of
Philadelphia
offered to build Morgan a million dollar church if he would
become its pastor. Morgan turned him down
something the wealthy Wanamaker was
not accustomed to in his dealings with people. "I am God's man
" said
Morgan. "If I did that I would become John Wanamaker's man."
W. Wiersbe
The
Wycliffe Handbook of Preaching & Preachers
p. 210.
GOD’S
WORKMEN.
“ There were
two men who had the oversight in making the tabernacle. The first was Bezaleel
the son of Uri
the son of Hur
of the tribe of fudah; and the second was
Aholiab
the son of Ahisamach
of the tribe of Dan (Ex.31:1-6). We want to take
these seven names and their meaning as illustrating the secret of success in
Christian work in the divine sense of the word
and also the sort of workers
God wants.
Ⅰ. Bezaleel
Which means in the shadow of God. If our work is to be
God honouring
we must be dwelling in the secret place of God’s presence.
Ⅱ. Uri
Which means light of fehovah. Living in the light of Jehovah
in the light of His word and presence. And the result will be that our whole
body will be full of light (Matt.6:22); thus the light that has shone into our hearts
will shine our in our life in work for
and with the Lord (11.Cor.4:6
7).
Ⅲ. Hur. This name has a triple meaning—free-born
noble
while
Free-born. Only those that are born of the Spirit
by the Word and through
faith in Christ
are made children of God; and as such
our Father says to us
“ Son
Ⅳ. Judah
which means praise. Working Christians are joyful
praising
ones. Believers who do not work for the Lord have plenty or time to listen to
the doubts and fears the devil brings before them; but the working Christian is
like the busy bee; as it passes from flower to flower getting the sweetness out
of each
it seems to hum its song of praise as it goes buzzing along. So we
shall find that as we speak to others of the love of Christ
that will burn in
our own hearts.
Ⅴ. Aholiab
which means tent of my father. The tent is the symbol of
separation from the world. As worker we are sent into the world
but we are no
longer of the world
and no longer is the world in us
although we are in the
world have power in service
there must be practical separation from all that
is worldly
and a confession that we are pilgrims and strangers on the earth
and that “ our citizenship is in heaven
from whence we look for the Saviour.”
Ⅵ. Ahisamach
which means brotherly support. The secret of manifest
blessing from God in work done for Him is unity amongst the workers. “ How can
two walk together except they agree?” and this applies with equal force to
work; there must be unity
brotherly support; no bickerings or jealousies
but
a real interest in each other
and each other’s work; remembering that it is
the Lord’s work
and that we should rejoice in whomsoever He uses.
Ⅶ. Dan
which means judgment. As to our persons
we shall never be
judged for our sin
becaust Jesus has borne the judgment for us. As servants
we shall be judged
that is
our work
of what sort it is. As sons
we are now
to judge our ways by the Word of God; but we are also to judge what sort of
work we are building on the foundation—which is Christ. If we are building on
it the wood of vain-glory
loving to be seen of men; the hay of profession and
the stubble of mixed motive
it will all be burnt up at the judgment seat of
Christ. But if we build on the foundation
the gold of pure motive-the glory of
God; the silver power of love
and the precious stones of prayerful faith
believing work and loving labour (1. Cor.3:11-15)
these will stand the fire
and
we shall receive the Master’s “ Well done
good and faithful servant
enter
thou into the joy of thy Lord.” Thus may we judge our work of what sort it is
now
and be “ stedfast
unmovable
always abounding in the work of the Lord
forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord” (1.
Cor.15:58).
── F.E. Marsh《Five Hundred Bible Readings》