In
the name + of Jesus.
The congregation at Corinth was a divided group of people. St. Paul had noted, “It has been reported to me … that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. What I mean is that each one of you says, ‘I follow Paul,’ or ‘I follow Apollos,’ or ‘I follow Cephas,’ or ‘I follow Christ’” (1 Corinthians 1:11-12). It seems that each group of people pledged allegiance to a particular pastor. Who knows why? Perhaps one was a better speaker. Perhaps one spent time with that family. Perhaps he was the one who brought them into the church. Maybe one was funny. I don’t know.
People who go
church shopping have ideas about what they want in a pastor or in a
congregation—although that is done online now.
(Note: If you are church shopping, it is better to attend in person and
meet the pastor and the people.) What
would make your list? What qualities or
gifts matter most to you? Better than
asking what you want, consider: What should you expect of your minister?
St. Paul defined
the role of a minister this way: “This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ
and stewards of the mysteries of God” (1 Corinthians 4:1). Every minister has
been entrusted with administering God’s gifts by preaching and teaching God’s
word and by administering the sacraments.
He is to hold faithfully to God’s word and conduct his ministry
according to it. As a steward, the minister
owns nothing. It is all God’s. It is God’s word. It is God’s kingdom. It is God’s church. And you are God’s people. The pastor is a mere caretaker of God’s
things. What should you expect of your
minister? As a steward of God’s things, he
should faithfully serve for Christ’s honor.
The mysteries of
God are what God has revealed in his word.
It was revealed through the prophets and the apostles, and it has been
written down so that every generation can know what God’s word is. First, God shows us what is good and what is
evil. These are recorded in the Ten Commandments. Both the Old and New Testaments are filled
with commentary on these Commandments. These
have to be proclaimed because sinners naturally despise them or try to find
ways around them. We like to lie because
it hides our faults. We slander because it
justifies our grudges. We defend stealing
because it supposedly makes us even with people who have more. We may even deny that God has any right to make
demands of us. When we utter mottos such
as, “My body, my choice,” or demand our own personal rights, we are telling God
that he has no business in our lives.
But God is the author of life. He
who gives life has every right to say how it is to be lived. And since Jesus will judge the living and the
dead, we had better care if our lives align with what he has to say. What should you expect of your minister? He should faithfully serve for Christ’s
honor, which means upholding what is good and condemning what is wicked—no matter
what people think of it.
St. Paul set
down an important principle regarding what you should expect of a minister. He wrote, “I have applied all these things
to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brothers, that you may learn by us not
to go beyond what is written” (1 Corinthians 4:6). If the minister is to faithfully serve for
Christ’s honor, then he must limit himself to Christ’s words. Jesus commissioned his apostles: “Go into all the world and proclaim
the gospel to the whole creation” (Mark 16:15).
That word “proclaim,” sometimes translated “preach,” is to do the work
of a herald. Think of the hymn, Hark!
The Herald Angels Sing. A herald
is one who delivers a message from the king.
The herald may not alter it in any way.
The herald angels proclaimed the birth of Christ, the Lord. That was the message they were given, and
they gave it to the shepherds. A herald receives
a message, and he delivers what he was given.
That is what the minister is supposed to do, and it is what you should
expect, and in fact, demand. The
minister is to administer God’s word as God has given it.
Some pastors
claim to have direct revelations from God.
Such claims are impressive. After
all, wouldn’t you like to have God speaking to you personally? Wouldn’t it be amazing to have a minister who
is so connected to God that God speaks to him directly? If these claims were true, the pastor would become
the source of truth, and you would have to take his word for it that his words
are God’s words. But here is a serious
concern: How do you know it happened? How can you authenticate such a message? Another serious concern: How do you know it was
God? Because you liked the message? Because the voice sounded like James Earl
Jones?
In the days of the
prophet Isaiah, there were many preachers who had conflicting messages. Who was right? The Lord himself answered that: “To the teaching and to the testimony! If they will not speak according to this word,
it is because they have no dawn” (Isaiah 8:20). If
you want to know God’s words, then turn to the Scriptures. If the minister’s message does not agree with
Scripture, then it is not a faithful message.
It is darkness, not light. Your
familiarity with the Bible should not be limited to what a minister tells
you. You should know it for
yourself. And do you know what? There, God does speak to you personally. It is God’s word to you. If you read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest
the Scriptures, you will not be misled by anyone.
A minister’s
presentation may be impressive. His
opinions may be bold and persuasive. But
the minister is not the source of truth; God is. The minister does not work salvation; Jesus
does. The minister does not create or
sustain faith; the Holy Spirit does. If
the minister is a steward of the mysteries of God, then he faithfully serves
for Christ’s honor, not his own. What should
you expect from your minister? He should
faithfully serve for Christ’s honor. He
preaches Christ’s word. He proclaims
Christ’s work. Therefore, the honor
should be Jesus’ honor.
What
should you expect of your minister? You might
think, “The minister should make me feel better about myself. He should make my life easier. He should make me happy.” But that is not a minister’s job. The minister has one job: To preach God’s word
faithfully for Christ’s honor.
This is why St.
Paul wrote, “With
me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human
court. In fact, I do not even judge
myself. For I am not aware of anything
against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me” (1 Corinthians
4:3-4).
As a steward of the mysteries of God, a minister preaches what God’s word
says, even if he is hated for saying so.
Do not be surprised if a faithful minister is slandered or despised for
holding firm to God’s word. And if you
confess God’s word, do not be surprised if the world judges you to be a hater,
a bigot, and whatever “phobe” they can come up with. Jesus said, “If the world hates you,
know that it has hated me before it hated you.
…Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater
than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute
you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours” (John 15:18,20).
What should you
expect from your minister? To faithfully
serve for Christ’s honor. In doing so,
he faithfully serves for your good. If
God’s word exposes your sins, the minister has no right to change the message to
make it more agreeable for you. He is not
trying to hurt your feelings; he is telling you what God says. The minister is not trying to build up your honor,
but to exalt Christ’s honor. If that
word pricks your conscience, the point is not to find a minister who will deliver
a message you prefer, and the point is certainly not to change the message to one
you like. The point is to repent. In calling you to repent, the minister is faithfully
serving for your good.
As a steward of
the mysteries of God, the minister faithfully serves for your good. The mysteries of God reveal how sinners who
deserve God’s wrath instead receive God’s favor. God himself entered our world as a man. He lived in perfect obedience to God’s
Law. He did not excuse himself from any Commandments
or find ways that they did not apply to him.
He humbly submitted himself to perfect obedience. And yet, he who was guiltless took the
punishment of the guilty. He who did not
break the Law was condemned as a lawbreaker.
He who brought healing to broken bodies had his body flogged and pierced
to a cross. And we, who have broken God’s
Law, are pardoned and set free. He who
earned eternal life by his holiness was put to death so that we, who deserve eternal
death, are given life. He died in shame
so that we would receive glory. This is
a mystery and a marvel.
What should you
expect from your minister? He should
faithfully serve for your good. For a
day of judgment is coming upon us all. The Lord “will bring to light the
things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart” (1
Corinthians 4:5). But the Lord has
cleansed your heart through holy baptism.
He refreshes your heart through holy communion. He works on your heart through his word so that
you conform your mind and your life to God’s word. We constantly need correction. The Lord not only corrects our actions and
attitudes, he also continually consoles us and calls us his own. God graciously has given you and continues to
give you all you need for your salvation.
Therefore, you need not fear the final judgment.
“This is how one should regard us, as
servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God” (1 Corinthians
4:1).
If the minister is a servant of Christ, then he serves you because that
is what Jesus does. If the minister is a
steward of the mysteries of God, then he delivers God’s goods to you. And different ministers will have different
gifts as they serve. The Corinthians got
wrapped up too much in the stewards: “I follow Paul. I follow Apollos. I follow Peter.” But that is like being more attracted to the
wrapping paper than to the gift inside of it.
The minister may be a steward of the mysteries of God, but the blessing comes
from the mysteries.
While ministers come and go, the word of the Lord endures forever. The Lord Jesus is faithful to his promises. He is true to his word. His mercies are new every day. These are the blessings that save you. Therefore, these are what you should expect.
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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