Calvary Road Baptist Church

“A GOSPEL MINISTER’S INADEQUACY”

Second Corinthians 2.16; 3.5; 12.9 

The change in the Gospel ministry took place gradually over more than a century. And the change was subtle so that no one’s life span was long enough to take note of it. Only those few men firmly rooted in the past were aware of the change. It is only in retrospect that some now see it, looking back more than a century and a half.

I speak of the standing in the congregation of the Gospel minister, what that standing is, and what that standing is supposed to be according to God’s Word. Illustrating the status of Gospel ministers in the 18th and 19th centuries are two of the most prominent in the English-speaking world, Jonathan Edwards and Charles H. Spurgeon.

Edwards was an 18th-century Congregationalist pastor and theologian who spent most of his ministry life in Northampton, Massachusetts. Famous for several books he wrote and his role in the First Great Awakening, he was nevertheless turned out of his pastorate by the congregation voting 200 to 23. And that was after the First Great Awakening that made him so famous! The minutes of the congregational meeting read, “June 22, 1750 Revd Jonathan Edwards was dismissed.”[1]

Spurgeon came along a bit more than a century later and on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, serving a Baptist congregation that ended up in a London facility known as the Metropolitan Tabernacle. Becoming the largest congregation in the world at that time, Spurgeon was known to everyone as the “Gov’nor,” a nod to his personal humility and widespread acceptance by those of every strata of English society.[2]

That Edwards could be fired after his role in the great revival and that Spurgeon was universally known as the “Gov’nor” illustrates what was generally true everywhere, that Gospel ministers of bygone days did not present themselves to anyone as occupying a loftier plane in God’s hierarchy of spirituality or importance than anyone else.

However, that view of the Gospel ministry would change over the next century, with Gospel ministers occupying a virtual ivory tower position in their congregations and communities midway through the twentieth century.[3] An admittedly extreme example of this was related to me by an evangelistic friend four decades ago. He was in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and was asked if he wanted to visit the television studio used by the late Oral Roberts.

Providentially arriving shortly before the broadcast airing, he told me he approached Oral Roberts backstage and touched him on the shoulder to get his attention and exchange a few words. When touched, Roberts quickly turned and looked at the shoulder my friend placed his hand on and said, “You touched me! You touched me! No one is to touch me after I have received the anointing!”

That is often an unspoken reason why Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland, Creflo Dollar, Joyce Meyers, Frederick K. Price, and others justify flying expensive private jets. They imagine themselves spiritually superior and holier than those defiled individuals they pretend to minister to and encounter on commercial flights. My experience with the late Brant Baker exposed me to that pretense of superior holiness.

It is not only Pentecostal and Charismatic frauds who are guilty of that. Roman Catholics have done that for over a thousand years, with their ornate costumes, headgear, and jewelry designed to impress the ignorant and poor. Too many Baptists have our version of that, truth be told, especially such men as the late Jack Hyles and those of his ilk.

I remember the first Sunday morning of my pastorate here at Calvary Road Baptist Church. A staff member approached me before the Sunday morning service, asking if I was ready. “Ready for what” I asked. “Ready for us to line up to march into the auditorium and onto the platform to begin the service,” he said. The pattern before my arrival as the senior pastor was for the piano to play some pageantry marshal music for the spiritual leaders to ceremoniously march into the auditorium, signaling to the audience that it was time to stand and worship was to begin.

Rather than isolate from those coming to Church before the service, I like to move around the auditorium and greet people, shaking hands and engaging in a bit of conversation with visitors, and hoping like crazy no one uses that as an opportunity to drop an untimely discouraging announcement on me or keep me from interacting with visitors. It is the price to pay if you are a regular human, which Gospel ministers should be.

I responded to that staff member on that first Sunday morning: “You go ahead.” And I continued doing what I did. We did not take long to dispense with that ecclesiastical show of importance nonsense. That is why, when it is time for the service to begin and the live stream is ready to go, someone stands on the platform until folks quiet down and take their seats. Then we commence.

What happened? What changed? The Anabaptists had never seen Gospel ministers as spiritually lofty as the Roman Catholic priests pretended to be. Sadly, to a degree, the Protestants carried some of that Catholic baggage into the Reformation. But during the great leveling of early Christian settlers in New England and among the Baptists on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, leadership was not perceived to be superior in elevation so much as being a bit farther along the path of Christian maturity and life experience.

A departure from the Bible is what happened. Not only were the evangelistic practices of most ministries distorted by Charles G. Finney and his followers, but the increasing reliance on manipulative techniques that replaced dependence on God’s Word, God’s power appropriated by prayer, and the ministry of the Holy Spirit, saw the rise among Gospel ministers of those who postured as moral and spiritual superiors.

And with the increasing likelihood of Church members being lost professors instead of genuine converts to Christ, the emphasis began to shift. No longer was it good enough to be a God-called and God-enabled preacher and teacher of God’s Word. The increasingly unsaved portion of Churchs’ memberships were unsatisfied with godliness, the fruit of the Spirit, and a commitment to God’s Word. More and more, the demand was for physical, psychological, intellectual, and personality traits that were impressive to unsaved people. Natural leadership assets became more and more prominent.

Let me stop here and take you to God’s Word, namely the Apostle Paul. He is the best example of a Gospel minister following the exaltation of our Lord to God’s right hand on high. And we have his resume. From Philippians 4.4-7, Paul wrote it out: 

4 Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more:

5 Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;

6 Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

7 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. 

Look at the guy’s qualifications, which he points out in verse 4 were superior to anyone’s. 

In other words, Saul of Tarsus was among the most qualified men in human history by human standards. He checked all the boxes. But in verse 7, he declared that those qualifications were useless to him in the Gospel ministry. If so, what benefit are a good speaking voice, good platform bearing, a camera-friendly smile, organizational skills, and business savvy in the Gospel ministry? What natural public ministry skills George Whitefield had, Jonathan Edwards did not have. And what natural organizational skills Spurgeon had, David Martyn Lloyd-Jones did not have.[4]

Understand, I am not comparing those men to each other for the purpose of evaluating their value or worth. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, 

“For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.”[5] 

He wrote those words because the Corinthian believers had previously engaged in the comparison game, comparing different Gospel ministers by physical appearance, quality of voice, party affiliation, etc. I faced much the same issue when I was a candidate for this Church’s pastorate, a man asking me, “Are you a Hyles man or a Rice man?” And whether we realize it or not, each of us is profoundly susceptible to slipping into that comparison mode, judging Gospel ministers based on things the Apostle Paul declared to be of no consequence.

This brings us to Paul’s three inspired appraisals of competency for the Gospel ministry: 

First, WE HAVE SECOND CORINTHIANS 2.16 

“To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?” 

Let me rehearse Paul’s run-up to this verse, beginning in Second Corinthians 2.12 and continuing through verse 15: 

12 Furthermore, when I came to Troas to preach Christ’s gospel, and a door was opened unto me of the Lord,

13 I had no rest in my spirit, because I found not Titus my brother: but taking my leave of them, I went from thence into Macedonia.

14 Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.

15 For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish. 

Beginning with verse 12, Paul will spend about three chapters in this letter explaining to his readers the ministry of the Gospel, the good news that Jesus saves. In verses 12-15, he got very personal with his readers, telling them what his feelings were, that he had no rest in his spirit, and that he missed his beloved brother in Christ, Titus. He was lonely. Despite how he felt, however, no matter how discouraged he might have been, the Lord opened a great door of opportunity for him to preach the Gospel. But notice what Paul wrote about the Gospel, in verse 12. He identified it as “Christ’s gospel.” The Gospel was not his, and he had no right to keep it to himself. He had a duty, an obligation, a holy responsibility to tell the good news to those who had not heard it because it wasn’t his to do with as he pleased. It is Christ’s Gospel, after all.

Reflecting on what happened after he arrived in Troas, a troubled man, a lonely man, the implication being he was a somewhat discouraged man, he continued on from the city of Troas to Macedonia. What conclusion did he arrive at in retrospect? If you look on a Bible map, you will see that Troas is on the western coast of what is now the Turkish peninsula. Thus, by continuing from Troas, Paul passed from Asia to Europe. What happened then? The Churches in Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea were established. That is why, in verses 14-15, he thanked God, Who always gives victory in Christ, and we always smell sweet to God because of Christ, whether those the Gospel is preached to are ultimately saved or lost. The conclusion Paul drew from the example of his loneliness, his possible discouragement, his continuance in the ministry into Macedonia despite how he felt, and God’s delight with him regardless of the responses to his preaching he might see, some being saved and others lost? 

“To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?” 

Some who are dead remain dead when they are exposed to the Gospel. Others who are exposed to the Gospel come to Christ and eternal life. Either way, Paul asked rhetorically, 

“And who is sufficient for these things?” 

Next, WE HAVE SECOND CORINTHIANS 3.5 

“Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God.” 

Let me rehearse a second run-up by Paul, this time in 3.1-6: 

1 Do we begin again to commend ourselves? or need we, as some others, epistles of commendation to you, or letters of commendation from you?

2 Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men:

3 Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.

4 And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward:

5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;

6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. 

Paul found himself unenviable in dealing with Church members scrutinizing him and judging his credibility. So he asked them if he needed to establish his credentials with them. A bit of irony. What is impressive is that their Christian lives were the credibility they needed about Paul’s ministry. That they had passed from death to life under the apostle’s ministry ought to have been some validation of his calling. They were his letters of credit written in their hearts, known and read by one and all. Thus was Paul fully credentialed through Christ toward God, verse 4. And it was God who made Paul and his ministry team able ministers of the new testament, the new covenant, of the life-giving Spirit of God, verse 6.

And the conclusion the Apostle Paul arrived at, verse 5, the inspired opinion of the greatest example of the Christian life to ever walk the earth? 

“Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God.” 

Here comes this word sufficient again, ἱkanόV. Meaning sufficient, qualified, capable, the Apostle Paul, just like he did in Second Corinthians 2.16, wondered, “Who is sufficient for these responsibilities?” “What kind of minister ought he to be who preaches a gospel which may prove fatal to those who come in contact w. it?”[6] The obvious implication, of course, is that not only was the Apostle Paul not up to the assignment he was called to, but no Gospel minister is up to the task he is called to. God has never called to serve anyone up to the task, and He never will. That is why Paul ends verse 15, “our sufficiency is of God,” the word sufficiency here is the adjective of hἱkanόs that was sometimes used in the LXX to translate Shaddai as the name of God.[7] Thus, twice in a short span of this second inspired letter to the Corinthian congregation, the Apostle Paul strongly asserts, though he is humanly speaking the most qualified of men to ever serve in the Gospel ministry, that he was not up to it, that no one is up to it. Whatever sufficiency he and his ministry team had came from God. Remember Moses pleading with God, saying in effect, “I cannot do this,” and God saying in so many words, “That’s the point.”[8] 

Finally, WE HAVE SECOND CORINTHIANS 12.9 

“And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” 

A quick overview is in order. From Second Corinthians 11.1 through 12.18, Paul wrote about how his apostleship was demonstrated in a variety of ways to those with the eyes to see. The first four verses of Second Corinthians chapter eleven are concerned with Paul’s concern for them. Verses 5-15 address the issue of counterfeit Gospel ministers, with Paul holding nothing back about them and who empowers them, verses 13-15: 

13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.

14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.

15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works. 

They are described as “false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.” No great surprise, verse 14, since “Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.” Do you think it is difficult or unusual that counterfeit Gospel ministers are “transformed as the ministers of righteousness,” verse 15? But they will be rewarded, “whose end shall be according to their works.” Paul then reminds the Corinthians about his personal history to substantiate his credibility, verses 16-33, from his lineage to his many beatings, to his tremendous suffering, to the time he barely escaped with his life from Damascus shortly after his conversion. The point of his reminders? To show he was no sunshine patriot, no easy believer, but was in the cause of Christ with both hands and feet, no matter the cost.

In chapter twelve, Paul focused on a single portion of his life of persecution and great suffering he overcame to serve God no matter the personal cost, begging God for deliverance from his thorn in the flesh. We are not explicitly told what the issue was. Some think it was a persistent spiritual attack from a foul spirit. Others think it was a severe physical issue that caused debilitating pain and inconvenience. Pentecostals are so committed to physical healing that some go so far as to suggest Paul had a moral problem with women, which explanation credible commentators reject out of hand. Whatever it was, Paul pleaded with God on three occasions to remove the thorn in the flesh, and God said, “My grace is sufficient for thee.” The word sufficient here, arkei, refers not to Paul’s own adequacy for the task but to God’s provision of adequacy leading to satisfaction.[9] What did Paul, the most remarkable example of the Christian faith, have? Spiritually, concerning what counted in ministry, he had nothing. God’s strength was perfected in Paul’s weakness. The power of Christ rested on him in his infirmities. 

Reflect with me on what we have and the implications that follow. Paul was the most qualified individual to ever serve in the Gospel ministry. I can think of no one who would dispute that assertion. From bloodline to training, to linguistic and theological skills, to character qualifications, to his willingness to suffer, to the persecutions he endured, to whatever else you might want to consider as a qualification, he had it all.

Yet, in two places in his letter to the Corinthian congregation, he set forth logical and rational reasons, supporting the conclusion that he was not up to serving as a Gospel minister. He was inadequate. His capacities were insufficient for the task at hand. His findings, being inspired, are undeniable.

What sufficiency he exercised came from God, not from him or any skills, abilities, qualifications, or character he possessed. Period. Nothing in anything Paul ever wrote diminishes the impact of this reality. He was not up to it! He did not pretend to be up to it! He did not claim to be up to it! His successes, fruit, results, productivity, or whatever else you might want to call it, were God’s grace in his life.

That understood, there is a thing God does with leaders occasionally. In Joshua 3.7, the LORD told Joshua that He would magnify him as He had done with Moses. Joshua 4.14 informs us He did just that. In First Chronicles 29.25 and Second Chronicles 1.1, we are told God did the same with Solomon when he became the king.

I think I have observed God do that with His Gospel ministers, magnifying pastors in the eyes of new converts. It helps new Christians to follow spiritual leaders as babes in Christ. But as you grow in grace and begin to notice the personal shortcomings every believer possesses, your willingness to follow a pastor transitions from following someone you imagine to being bigger than life in certain respects to following someone’s leadership because you know it is God’s plan, God’s will, and God’s arrangement for His Church.

It had come to that point for the Corinthians. They needed to yield to spiritual leadership, despite the deficiencies they noticed in every Gospel minister’s life. And now they were mature enough to follow someone who was not bigger than life but had been called and placed in leadership by God.

If a pastor cultivates the notion that he is bigger than life, he does not reflect the ministry philosophy of the Apostle Paul. Run from that guy. He does not understand Biblical leadership and may suffer a catastrophic fall. Get away from him.

But those who become mature enough to follow a leader who is less than perfect, a leader with personal flaws, and a leader who is not infallible are also those who gradually come to see the sufficiency of Christ. Our Savior uses broken vessels to save the lost, grow young believers, build His Church, and glorify God.

Therefore, just as God told Paul, 

“My grace is sufficient for thee,” 

and Paul realized why God refused to remove his affliction, 

“for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me,” 

so we become better Christians when we glory in our infirmities, thanking God for His grace in our lives.

I stand before you inadequate. But you already know that. God is good, and Jesus saves.

__________

[1] Iain H. Murray, Jonathan Edwards: A New Biography, (Carlisle, PA: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1987), page 352.

[2] Lewis Drummond, Spurgeon: Prince Of Preachers, (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1992), page 208.

[3] Likely a consequence of The Scofield Study Bible note for First Corinthians 2.14: “Paul divides men into three classes: psuchikos, ‘of the senses’ (Jas. 3.15; Jude 19), or ‘natural,’ i.e. the Adamic man, unrenewed through the new birth (John 3.3, 5); pneumatikos, ‘spiritual,’ i.e. the renewed man as Spirit-filled and walking in the Spirit in full communion with God (Eph. 5.18–20); and sarkikos, ‘carnal,’ ‘fleshly,’ i.e. the renewed man who, walking ‘after the flesh,’ remains a babe in Christ (1 Cor. 3.1–4). The natural man may be learned, gentle, eloquent, fascinating, but the spiritual content of Scripture is absolutely hidden from him; and the fleshly, or carnal, Christian is able to comprehend only its simplest truths, ‘milk’ (1 Cor. 3.2).”

[4] Iain H. Murray, Lloyd-Jones: Messenger Of Grace, (Carlisle, PA: The Banner of Truth Trust, 2008), pages 109-125.

[5] 2 Corinthians 10.12

[6] See on verse 16, Rogers, Jr., Cleon L. and Rogers III, Cleon L., The New Linguistic and Exegetical Key To The Greek New Testament, (Grand Rapids, MI: ZondervanPublishingHouse, 1998), page 396.

[7] Rogers, page 397.

[8] Exodus 3.10-4.31

[9] Rogers, page 417.

 

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