On October 29, 2000, I had the privilege of preaching the ordination service for Bill & Liz Nowak in Hunt, New York. The Lord has since moved Bill & Liz on to a new work, but the truths in the message are relevant to any follower of Christ, especially to those who are called of God to lead in His Church. I'll present half of the message today, and Lord willing, the other half on Monday.
Whatever has been written in God’s Word, according to Romans 15:4, was written for out instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. I am quite earnest in saying that your success in ministry will hinge on two interrelated truths—First, how well you and Liz can endure the tough times--both personal and church related. And secondly, your endurance will depend in part on how well you and your family can draw upon the encouragement that comes from the Scriptures (your very best counselor). I am drawing upon King Asa (2 Chronicles 16) as a comparison for your ministry, Brother Bill because in Asa we have an example, both good and bad, of how shepherds may follow and learn from God. Kings, in a theocracy, carried with them the responsibility not only to be royal, but especially to be a sort of savior. All kings were looked upon as messiahs (though not The Messiah). As saviors they were akin to shepherds in their care-taking responsibilities. Asa, like so many kings in the Old Testament, had his good and bad points. For that reason alone, I find him particularly helpful as a model for ministry.
Even those who may not be especially attracted to reading Chronicles, will find there a verse which is quite well known and which will shed much light upon Asa’s life as an example to us today. The verse to which I am referring could be termed the watershed verse of Asa’s life, because preceding this verse Asa is predominantly living in obedience to God, and afterward, he lives negligently and faithlessly until he dies of a serious foot disease. That verse is found in 2 Chronicles 16:9. Hanani, the prophet, voiced God’s disapproval of the fact that when, after years of heaven-sent peace, they finally were faced with war, Asa instead of turning to the God who had provided them with years of peace, turned instead to another king for help. He even took valuable gold and silver treasuries from the Lord’s Temple in order to buy that king’s alliance. Hanani points out the faithless inconsistency of this move by reminding Asa that God had been for years their trustworthy provider for everything. And would he not continue to do so? For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him.
Now, Bill, I am not bringing all of this out because I suspect that you will follow Asa’s final destiny. No, instead, out of the cauldron of God’s dealings with a good man gone bad, we find two virtues which, if pursued, will provide you and Liz with a strong inner beacon to light your way through the good and bad times that are bound to occur in your ministry.
First, Humbly Rely on God alone. 2 Chronicles 14:11, And Asa cried to the LORD his God, “O LORD, there is none like you to help, between the mighty and the weak. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this multitude. O LORD, you are our God; let not man prevail against you.” There it is! "Lord, you alone are God and we need you to help us against the powerful." That’s humble reliance. That's what we need. “Should you ask me what is first thing in religion? I should reply: The first, second, and third thing therein is humility” (Augustine).
DEPENDENCE ON GOD IS THE MOST PERSISTENT GROUND OF FAITH. It is the one grace without which God cannot be pleased (Heb. 11:6)! It is, in fact, a sign of nothing less than unbelief when we fail to call upon God at all times—as our first resort! I don’t think any believer would doubt that this is true in principle. We often fail, not in our verbal affirmation of the truth, but in our practice of it. The Chronicler makes this very clear when we look at the end of Asa’s life (chapter 16). Two issues reveal his weak faith: 1) Threat of attack from Israel, and 2) a severe foot disease. First, when under attack, Asa did not call upon God but appealed to another nation for help. Second, he relied exclusively on his doctors to cure his feet. The point? Asa’s fault lay in not turning to God for help, and in not depending on God for deliverance.
When pride enters a man’s heart, he is not prone to call upon God---yes, even Pastors. Prayerlessness probably hinges more on our lack of humility than on any other single cause. Brother Bill, set a guard on this area of your life. “Nothing,” Jonathan Edwards wisely said, “sets a person so much out of the devil’s reach as humility.” It behooves us to guard that area most which unites us most with God's power.
In our schooling, many of us have learned to be ruthlessly biblical in sermon preparation and to do our best to watch over the flock under our care. But let me urge you to always watch yourself and from the first of your ministry to the last, faithfully and humbly pray. John Flavel said, “They that know God will be humble; they that know themselves cannot be proud.” That speaks to all of us.
Part Two Monday--
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