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MAKE FULL PROOF OF YOUR MINISTRY
“Preach the Word; Be Instant In Season, Out Of Season; Reprove, Rebuke, Exhort With All Longsuffering And Doctrine.”
“But Watch Thou In All Things, Endure Afflictions, Do The Work Of
An Evangelist, MAKE FULL PROOF OF THOU MINISTRY.”
(2 Timothy 4:2, 5)
Thanksgiving is behind us and it’s almost Christmas. I have just returned from 5 weeks of meetings in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. God Blessed in such a wonderful way as we had the opportunity to make new friends and fellowship with some old ones as well. But we’re now back in New England and soon it will be time to be at our home church with our Church family to enjoy Christmas with them once again. I am only at Mountain View Baptist Church at Christmas with the exception of preaching a Revival Meeting or a few Wednesday nights.
But, back to my thought…Making Full Proof Of Your Ministry…At the end of the year in December I personally examine our ministry and our usefulness in our service to our dear, precious Lord. Paul tells us that “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” (V.7) and them he tells us in (V.8) “Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and NOT TO ME ONLY but unto ALL THEM also that love His appearing.”
It is not my purpose to judge another man’s ministry; however, in examining my own ministry over the years, I have observed some things. The fact that Paul received his reward was based on the truth that he finished the course and kept the faith. This means that God approved of his ministry.
No matter how burdened I am to see God accomplish some great things each year, I must first ask myself is this [My Burden] or is it God’s burden. If we are not careful we will spend a lot of time, effort, money and energy on our own burdens. We end up misleading our people and them we battle with failure and discouragement. Some things that we try to accomplish are great ideas, but because we have great ideas does not mean that God is behind it.
The first lesson we have to learn is, if God is in it, then He first prepares the people’s heart, then He gives them a vision and them He prepares the way to accomplish it…”Come unto Me, All Ye that Labor and are Heavy Laden, and I will give you rest. Take My Yoke Upon You, and Learn Of Me; For I am Meek and Lowly in Heart; And Ye Shall Find Rest Unto Your Souls.” (Matthew 11:28, 29)
If we are not careful we will overburden ourselves and God’s people with our own plans instead of prayerfully seeking God and waiting on Him. If we are not careful, we will become prideful of our position, our education and our ability. God has blessed me with several gifts and so I must constantly guard myself against depending on my abilities instead of God’s Ability. We are just empty vessels of clay that God wants to use for His honor and glory. I constantly ask myself, am I using God or is God using me? If we are not careful we will spend time building a name for ourselves instead of a Name for Christ. Paul also struggled with this spirit of pride and we are no different. He tells us…“For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.” (Romans 7:14). John the Baptist also tells us “I must DECREASE, He must INCREASE” (John 3:30).
We too can allow our burdens to Weigh us down when we try to accomplish our own ideas instead of God’s Will and Plan for our ministry. Jesus tells us “For My Yoke Is Easy, And My Burden Is Light.”
(Matthew 11:30). When we allow God to carry the burden of our ministry then we can rest in Him because we can do it IN HIS STRENGH…
I am in no way implying that all the problems in our ministry are of our own making. What I am saying is that we are only instruments in God’s hands. We must be like the clay and yield to the potter if He is going to be able to make us useful.
Before I finish, let me say another thing that I find myself asking, am I measuring my ministry by other men’s ministry? Too many times pastors and preachers are always talking about new methods, this idea and that idea. Not that this is bad in itself, but we must never forget that the Holy Spirit of God has called you and ordained you that you may accomplish His Purpose, as He sends you out to the field to accomplish His Work. If we are to do that then we must always be sensitive to His leading. He knows the area, the people’s heart and He also knows your heart. We must allow HIM to use us for His Honor and Glory.
If we are not careful, out of our frustration, we will try to gain a crowd instead of allowing God to change folk’s lives. God is still a Holy God and His Will is for us to be holy as well.
The measure of a ministry is not out of bricks, stones and beautiful buildings, but out of the spiritual lives of God’s People. God uses us to accomplish His purpose in the lives of the precious folks that He has entrusted to us, under our care and His watchful eye, it will Give Full Proof Of Our Ministry…because when it’s all said and done…GOD WILL GET THE GLORY.
It is my prayer as we end out this year of 2007 and head into 2008, that we examine our own ministry and make the necessary changes that God would approve of. May God continue to have His divine hand upon your life and ministry is our prayer.
A Servant Of The Lord,
Bro. Randy Davis
(Isa. 40:31)
As I travel across the United States and also Canada, I have visited and preached in many Fundamental Baptist Churches. I have listened to Pastors talk about building programs and also building their people. Sadly enough, too many pastors fail in this area. I do not claim to be any expert in building the Church of God. But having been in the ministry for 43 years, I have learned a few things, many times, from my own mistakes as well as from the mistakes of others. I ask you to be patient with me as you read this Newsletter…
CONCERNING THIS HOUSE
“Except the Lord build the house they labor in vain that build it: except the Lord
keep the city the watchmen waketh but in vain.” (Psalm 127:1)
The first thing I want to tell you is that we all know that everybody will not help in the building of the house. And the reason for that is not that they are all stubborn, not because they’re evil, or because they’re vindictive, the reason is that a whole lot of folks have “bandwagon religion.” They want to wait and see what happens before they commit themselves. They want to keep their options open. They always want to stay away from the possibility of failure just so they can say, “I told you so.” But when Victory comes around, they’ll be the first to say, “I was with you all the time.”
The second thing I need to tell you concerning this house is that it is a house.
1. The Church is a house, designed as the dwelling place of God.
2. The Church is a house, the residence of the people of God.
3. The Church is a house, a frequent landing pad for the satellite of the Holy Spirit.
4. The Church is a house, not a country club for the rich. It is a house for those who hunger and thirst after righteousness.
5. The Church is a house. It is not a sanctuary for intellectuals and the ne’er do well. It is a house where all men and women are equal at the feet of God.
6. The Church is a house. It is not an exclusive club, but an inclusive fellowship.
7. The Church is a house. It is not a place for sanctimonious sewing circles and socially acceptable tea sipping.
8. The Church is a hospital for the sick, a saving center for sinners and a lighthouse for the lost. The Church is a house.
And when a new meeting place is built, it must be as an aid to Worship and not the object of Worship. The building, choir, leaders and pastor are an aid of worship but not the object of worship. God alone is to be worshipped here. Not the place, not the structure, not the stones, not the name, not the history, not the heritage, and not the land. God alone is worthy to be praised. The Church is a house. It is God’s house.
First thing you must do is walk in His Statues. You cannot build God’s House where there is no discipline. Apostle Paul told the Corinthian Church that all things must be done decently and in order. God has some standards of conduct.
“He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doeth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with they God.” (Micah 6:8)
Not only must you walk in His Statutes, but God told Solomon, you have to “execute my Judgments.” We don’t like that word Judgment, but I’m persuaded by the Holy Spirit that God has a Word of Judgment for the Church. Jesus went down to the Same Temple that Solomon was building and found money changers robbing from the poor and stealing from the blind. Jesus said to them, you forget this is a house. And it’s My Father’s House. It is My House and My House shall be called a House of Prayer. But you have made it a den of thieves. If we’re going to stay away from the Judgment of God, there had better be some prayer in this House.
Unless the Church is a praying Church, we stand under the Judgment of God. So I hear God telling Solomon, “If you want to build this House, walk in My Statutes, execute My Judgments and then follow my Commandments.” God still has a Commandment for the Church. You still want to know what the Commandment is. Jesus told His Disciples one day. “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.” (John 13:34, 35). “By this shall all men know that ye are My Disciples, if ye have love one to another.”
You cannot build a Church where there is no love. “Though I speak with tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.” (I Corinthians 13:1).
Before you can build a soul winning program you must first build the foundation for one. If we have no love and concern for one another in the body of Christ then we will not have any for lost souls either. When we in the body of Christ have real genuine love for one another and more concern for each other than ourselves, then the lost world will want what we have. “The Love of Christ.”
As I look back over the years, I’m amazed how seriously I took myself and the storms I faced. God uses the storms to humble us and to build character in us and make us more Christ-like. How seriously we take ourselves…! Have we forgotten “Give no thought for tomorrow?” Have we forgotten “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
It really is His Church. He builds it and protects it wither with us or without us, and no matter what the storm or battles, His Will is always achieved. So Solomon built the house and finished it. He didn’t just start it, he finished it. He didn’t just break ground, he finished it. He didn’t just talk about it, he finished it. I tell you Church lets finish it. Like Nehemiah on the wall. Don’t come Down, let’s finish it.
My God give us all wisdom and guidance as we let Him use us to build His House…Then we bring Honor and Glory To God Concerning This House. May God bless you one and all is my prayer.
Love & Prayers In Christ,
Bro. Randy Davis
(Isa. 40:31)
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“Weeping may endure for a night, but Joy cometh in the Morning.” (Psalm 30:5)
Well, it’s October and the weather is cooler, the heat is gone for a season and the kids are back in School and Mom and Dad can catch their breath. This month we have a Revival Meeting with our Home Church and our Pastor. This is always such a special time for me. I have such a love and heart for our Church Family. As I look out my study window in New England, the leaves are beginning to change their color from green to colors or red, gold and bright yellow. Sort of like the calm before the storm.
The average pastorate is only about 18 months today. As we minister to Small and Struggling Churches, as dear precious men of God pour out their hearts to me along with tears of frustration, my heart goes out to them. They’ve been in the Storm So Long…When caught in the midst of a storm a minute seems like an hour and an hour will seem like an eternity.
Every day seems so endless in a storm; every night knows no termination to the death of its darkness. Patience is a word that loses its meaning. We cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel. Therefore, we doubt if the tunnel has any end.
Many times in the midst of personal pain and suffering they have to preach in a storm. Some have told me that they were away from their pulpits for a short time. Only to return to the real world and minister to those who were similarly suffering. What could they say? The hours had become tedious and tasteless. They have no enthusiasm; no fire no apparent power for preaching.
Months later, feeling the pressure of subtle reverse in the Church program in general and sensing their own inability to deal with their own destiny and date with death…They needed to share their feelings. They needed to communicate their hurt. Some pastors have sought to share this with their people in an attempt “to preach it out.” Only to find themselves in rising grief, struggling to preach In A Storm…
“For His anger endureth but a moment; but His favor is life: weeping may endure for a night, but Joy cometh In The Morning.” (Psalms 30:5) This is a word of whispering hope that shouts its confidence. It is a testimony of a man who knows what it is to be in Sorrow’s Valley and who has himself lingered in the very “Shadow of Death.” This is the record of one who has been stained by the indelible ink of sin and now is able to rejoice that his sin has been forgiven and his iniquity has been pardoned.
David says that Morning is coming, but many pastors say to me, “what I want to know is, when do I get there?” Maybe if I know how long I had to wait, it would help me to make it through the night. We’re living in a time when it is night…Socially, Morally, Personally, and Spiritually.
It is Spiritually Night…The deepest night in my soul is when I realize that the Church is not Church like it used to be. There’s something strange and unsettling in a church when folks would rather applaud than say Amen…There’s something Spiritually wrong when Church Organizations spend more time planning social events and activities than they do in praying in prayer meetings. There is something Spiritually wrong when we want to sit 3 hours in front of a television, but can’t sit 30 minutes through a Message From God. How Long Is The Night…?
Discouraged pastors say to me, “I’ve been waiting for Joy for a long time…How long is the Night?” That might be a strange question for a preacher to ask.
I know there’s a better day a coming…But how long is the night?
I know that one day that every day will be Sunday. But how long is the night?
I know God moves in mysterious ways His wonders to perform…But how long is the night?
I know all things work together for good for those who love the Lord, But how long is the night?
I know that Jesus Christ is near by to comfort and cheer me just when I need Him most, But how long is the night?
I know there’s a bright day somewhere, but how long is the Night?
He that endureth to the end shall be saved. If you want to know, how long is the night…It’s not long. The same God Who closes the curtain of the night also opens the curtain of the morning. How Long? Not Long! He promised to wipe away every tear from your eye…How Long? Not Long! In fact it will be soon one morning when life is o’er, we’ll fly away. Then we too can say…
Good Night, Sorrow!
Good Night, Sadness!
Good Night, Sickness!
Good Night, Pain!
Good Night, Heartache!
Good Night, Death!
Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning!
The pastor who seeks to preach through a storm should not expect those to whom he preaches to understand, be empathetic, or in any way be affected by his personal crises. Such an expectation is not reasonable because those who sit in the pews are caught in their own personal storms, which seems to be of far greater importance [at least to them] than the pastor’s.
Read the 23rd Psalm afresh for yourself. It talks about death. We never get over death, but we can get through it. We can go through it to the green pastures of a satisfied spirit and a wholesome understanding of the eternal purposes of God for our lives. We can preach through a storm and in the end, our cup runneth over. A quote from Charles Wesley…
Hid me, O my Savior, hide,
Till the storms of life be past;
Safe in the haven guide,
O receive my soul at last!
The storms in life cause us to depend totally upon God and lean upon His bosom of sweet rest and completely trust Him with assurance that “Joy Cometh In The Morning.”
Pastor, if you’re not going through a storm at this time they are coming. There is no such thing as life without storms. It is only by the Grace of God that we are able to Preach Through The Storm because we have no idea How Long The Night will be, but we can be assured like David…That Joy Cometh In The Morning.
You are on my mind, in my heart and in my prayers. May God continue to have His divine hand upon your life and ministry is my prayer.
A Servant of the Lord,
Bro. Randy Davis
If you would like to receive our newsletter via email instead of mail, please send your email address to tompaula@netzero.com.
Fall is upon us and the beautiful summer we’ve had is coming to an end. I have taken the time during July out of my busy schedule to have some greatly needed physical therapy on my left shoulder. My body as well as our van is starting to show some wear and tear for driving to preach meetings in Small and Struggling Churches the past 3 years. We’ve put on 117,000 miles. Praise the Lord!
Anyway during my time of therapy to repair my shoulder, I thought about our responsibility to folks that we pastor in our Local Churches.
How long has your Church been here? Pastor, how long have you been in your Church? Does the Church still stand where it did 20 years ago? And, does the Church still take a stand under all the pressures? Because that means that a Responsible People are driven by a Power much greater than themselves…from within…
PREACHER AS A REPAIR MAN
(Isaiah 58:12-14) “And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places:
Thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called,
THE REPAIRER OF THE BREACH. THE RESTORER OF PATHS TO DWELL IN.” (Verse 12)
Notice the two words a) repairer b) restorer. The Preacher As A Repair Man.
Today manufacturers make products; if the products are broken they replace them with new things. Or, they sell their products with extended warranties. Nobody repairs anything anymore. It is so hard to find that Old Maytag Repair Man, because they just don’t make them like they used to. The same goes for Pastors…
They just don’t make them like them like they used to…So many men of God have fallen by the wayside over the years and no longer stand on the Word of God. We don’t need anything new or different. We need to stand on the Same Old Truth, the Same Old Book, and the Same Old Power of the Holy Spirit of God. Pastor, you need to continue to stand firm and give your folks what they have always heard and what they need to hear.
In this day and age so many pastors want to do something new something different something exciting. They want to do something that’s never been done before. They want to say something new that’s never been said before. They want some new method that hasn’t been tried before. By the way, that’s how we end up with New Bibles which aren’t even Bibles at all and that’s why we wind up with methods that don’t work like the old ones did.
But the Word of God says…We don’t need something new, but that we need to Restore and Rebuild and also point folks to the Old Paths…Read (Acts 17:19-23).
First…we need to Redig the Wells of our Fathers. Read (Gen 26:14-19), Isaac did not dig any New Wells. He redug the wells of his Father Abraham. The picture here is what the Spirit of God does whenever we get back to God. Isaac didn’t dig any new wells and he didn’t try to find any new Spirit. But, he went to the same Spirit of God that his Father had. He didn’t try looking for anything new or different.
We don’t need to find a new Spirit like the Mormons, the Charismatic’s or the many other cults have found. We need to get back to the One’s Our Father’s had.
But I want you to notice with me that we are to redig the Old Wells of our Father’s Faith. We are to go back to the prayer closet, go back and spend time with God. We are to go back to the Word of God.
The Philistines have stopped up the wells with New Bibles instead of God’s Word which was given to English-Speaking People in the Authorized King James 1611 that our Father’s used. Just plainly use the Word of God.
Second…we don’t need any New Altars. Elijah did not need any new altars when he had a standoff with the prophets of Baal. Instead he repaired the old broken down altars of God. Read (IKings 18:30). An altar is the place of Worship and the place of sacrifice. The Bel-hive’s broken down altars were worship of television, worship of sports and worship of pornography while the prayer closet and the Word of God have been neglected.
Third, No New Walls…In Nehemiah chapter 3 we find the word [Repair] 33 times. Repair the Wall Nehemiah. God’s looking for a REPAIR MAN.
I am not to build New Walls but I am to Rebuild the Old Ones with the same specs and standards that our Father’s built. I’m talking about Ladies dressing like ladies, Men looking and dressing like godly men. I’m also talking about godly music and not opposing the opposite sex unless we’re married to them. I’m talking about no single dates for our young people. But Preacher you’re Old Fashioned…NO, I’m Not…I’m A Repair Man…There’s nothing New here. I’m talking about High Standards and redigging the wells of our Fathers and Rebuilding The Altars of Worship that our Father’s had built. I’m talking about re-establishing and repairing the Walls that have been broken down and destroyed by the Babylonians.
You know I’m not supposed to be out looking for whole-hearted people to be a blessing to my church but, I am SUPPOSED TO REPAIR THE BROKEN HEARTED. Read (Isa. 61:1). As a preacher I am NOT TO FIND some New Truth that nobody’s ever heard of. I am to Remind you of the Old Truths that our Father’s preached. Read (ITim. 4:6). God’s People are so hungry today for The Old Truths so they can be fed and encouraged out of the gems of God’s Holy Word over and over again.
We have too many preachers today young and old alike, who want to do something New. Who want to blaze a New Trail instead of restoring the Old Paths. We just need to get back to the Old Time Religion with a New Look, a New Hope, and a Fresh Vision WITHOUT TRYING, something New. We need to Refresh that in our hearts and minds today.
You know being a REPAIR MAN can be a tedious job but it must be done. We need to get back to the Old Paths to redigging the Old Wells, restoring the Old Altars, Rebuilding and Restoring the Old Walls of Separation.
Today many Men have either gone liberal or left the ministry all together. They are Not Willing to be a Repair Man for Almighty God. God help us preachers to be constantly aware and to realize that we are to be REPAIR MEN and to be Faithful to do the work that God has called us to do.
Read (Isa. 58:12). Let your challenge today in the History of Your Church as Pastor TO BE A REPAIR MAN FOR THE LORD JESUS CHRIST AND FOR THE GLORY OF GOD.
May the Dear, Sweet, Precious Lord Jesus Christ continue to have His divine hand upon your life and ministry, is my Prayer.
A Servant Of The Lord,
Bro. Randy Davis
(Isa. 40:31)
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