Pastoral Ministry

We need generation that is stronger than ever. Not born bull headed or temperamentally steady, but with true strength which is s a gift and freely available, untapped to every believer.

We often think of courage simply as a characteristic some sturdy folk are born with. While some are more temperamentally thick-skinned than others, true courage is a gift of the gospel given to ordinary, timid, naturally nervy Christians. True courage is something extraordinary and inexplicable to the world. It is a supernatural marker of grace that makes believers stand out in an anxious world

We are not just called to a glorious task but to a glorious Person. … What is beholding the glory of the Lord but believing the gospel? What is gazing on the face of Christ but receiving his benevolent smile and his gracious kindness?

Only after seeing the glory of God in Christ, his own unworthiness, and the stunning beauty of salvation will he find a message to preach that is as “a fire shut in his bones” and cause him to delight in preaching. Only from this place can he genuinely be in a position to minister to anyone.

Crowds lined the streets, hoping to catch a glimpse of the olivewood casket as it made its way through the streets of south London. On top was a large pulpit Bible opened at Isaiah 45:22: “Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth.” It was Thursday, February 11, 1892, and the body of Charles Haddon Spurgeon was being taken for burial.

Armed with his irresistible kindnesses, the Gentle and Humble One has been leading me toward establishing and growing pastoral relationships with like-hearted men in my area. Why? Because I need it.

The past twelve months, in a lot of ways, have been most discouraging. Perhaps you feel it too. Name-calling. Factions. Slander. The binding of consciences. Grumbling. Disunity. All of this may have you tempted to think that the church is just plain ugly. Providentially, Dustin Benge has penned his new work, The Loveliest Place: The Beauty and Glory of the Church, at this precise moment.

Authentic ministry is not simply a matter of mastering professional skills or of endlessly pouring oneself out in works of service. Rather, it springs from joyful union with the heart of Christ.