CHAPTER XVI — The Preacher and His Work

CHAPTER XVI --- The Preacher and His Work XVI. THE PREACHER AND HIS WORK
By F. B. SHEPHERD

Good afternoon, brethren. My assignment for today is a part of the general theme, “The Church at Work.” The speakers on this theme who have preceded me presented their thoughts on the phases, “The Congregation at Work” and “The Elders and Their Work” It is nry responsibility to address myself to the question, “The Preacher and His Work.” I believe I am justified in supposing that our good president, Don Morris, had in mind for me a discussion of the preacher and his work from the standpoint of what we have learned to call the “Local Preacher,” “The Minister” or the “Local Evangelist.” This is no time or place to discuss the way or wherefores, or the scripturalness of the phraseology used in these titles. We have these gentlemen in our brotherhood. I am known as one of them. I have been one for thirty years. If I did not believe I have been carrying on and can continue to carry on in a way that does no violence to the spirit or letter of the New Testament, I would have changed my course and conduct long ago. Regardless of the theory of anyone about whether we should or should not, we are called upon today to discuss the. fact. Like the poor, we have them always with us. Or, if not already with us almost every church in the brotherhood today would have one if she could.

I propose to elaborate upon this question along two lines. One, what the scriptures teach. Two, “One man’s opinion.” This opinion of this one man, however, has become practically a conviction A conviction, I persuade myself, that has been arrived at from a study of the word of God. Knowing brother Morris as I think I do, I am persuaded his greatest concern vTith respect to the effect of my speech is that I say something of practical benefit to you younger men in the audience. I cannot expect to say anything that will benefit the men as old or older than myself. If they do not already know and believe the things I shall say, it is too late now for me to teach them or impart any information or inspiration to them that will be of lasting value.

Facts and Theories
Personally, I fear, I shun, and I pray, I may never become a “Pastor” in the present day denominational sense of the word. I avoid the title “Minister” written with the capital letter. Still I am a pastor and I am a minister. One of the things I have to guard against constantly is keeping the brethren from forcing me to become THE pastor. I am an evangelist. I am primarily an evangelist. I believe every preacher should be primarily an evangelist. One does not have to preach in a different locality every two weeks to be an evangelist. He is a teller of good news. The word is used but three times in the New Testament. Acts 21:8; Ephesians 4:11 and 2 Timothy 4:5. Certainly, as used in the New Testament, it refers to the proclamation of the good tidings concerning the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, unto the remission of man’s sins (Acts 21:8; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4). In this sense Christ and the Apostles were evangelists and everyone who would now be faithful to the Great Commission is an evangelist. When we become Christians we simultaneously have the responsibility placed upon us, so far as individual opportunity and possibility are concerned, to make the Gospel of Christ and his sacrifice for men known to the whole world. But! every child of God evidently is not an evangelist in the sense of Acts 21:8; Ephesians 4:11; 2 Timothy 4:5. These passages evidently indicate an “Official” meaning of the word, and involve a specific use thereof. Second Timothy four and five implies one whose chief business is to tell Good Tidings unto men’s conversion. Most likely the first incumbents of the evangelistic office were divinely inspired and miraculously qualified to reveal the truth of God ro the world. Hut the office does not now depend upon a continuation of such circumstances and miraculous gifts. Inspiration was necessary only until the New Testament was written and hence ALL truth delivered to men (John 16:13).

Today the evangelist must “Study—Give Diligence” to present himself approved unto God. The First Official Use of the Title, so far as the record is concerned, was regarding Philip, one of the Se^en, Acts 21:8. Afterwards it was applied to Timothy. 2 Timothy 4:5. Examination of the many records of the activity of Philip and Timothy clearly reveal the work of those who would fulfil the office today. Acts 8; Acts 19:22; 1 Corinthians 4:17; 1 Corinthians 16:10; Acts 20:4. Study of the labors of such companions of Paul, as Mark, Luke, Titus, Silas, and others further informs regarding what the Spirit requires. The qualifications of an evangelist are set forth at length in the two letters to Timothy and the one to Titus. In brief they are:
1. The ability to make known to others in a clear, forcible, becoming, and convincing manner the whole, counsel of God.
2. Fidelity in the discharge of all duties and obligations of the office. The evangelist must necessarily seek the fullest
knowledge, understanding, and discernment of the Gospel plan of salvation possible. 1 Timothy 4:7-16. He must
maintain a high type of moral and spiritual charactei that there be no reproach brought upon the church through
his conduct. He must also be willing and ready to sacrifice and suffer for the Cause. 1 Timothy 6:20; 2 Timothy 1:13-14;
2 Timothy 2:3-4; 2 Timothy 2:10. The work of the evangelist today and throughout all time is an absolute prerequisite to the establishment of churches, and the perpetuation, power, and efficiency of the churches thus established. Romans 10:13-15; 2 Timothy 2:2. It involves convicting and baptizing men; collecting converts into congregations; watching over and instructing them until they are capable of edifying themselves effectively; and appointing bishops according to the qualifications required by the Spirit. I said appointing bishops, I did not say deposing bishops. With these thoughts expressed by way of introduction shall we address ourselves directly to the subject of our assignment? THE PREACHER AND HIS WORK
Suppose we take a look at the MAN first. Both theoretically and practically, the preacher becomes the representative or the misrepresentative of the congregation of which he becomes a member and which he is supposed to serve. There is no time during which he resides in the community when his life and conduct is thought of by the public, or the brethren, as separate and apart from the congregation itself. His every act reflects to help or hurt the congregation itself and its standing with men. He may seek to have “mental reservations” and do some things “merely as a man,” but he fools no one but himself. If he fools himself. What he is every day and everywhere, the public accepts as the standard of the congregation. That the congregation supports and retains him is presumptive evidence he is what they are and what they want. He is their representative. What is more, if he stays a few years, he will mold the congregation largely to his manner of thinking and mode of life. The person who wrote “like priest, like people” didn’t make it so by recording it. He recorded it because it IS so. The what and the way of the preacher’s preaching speedily becomes the what and the way of the faith and practice of the congregation. As time goes on, his standards of life, his everyday conduct, soon permeates the entire local body and become its standard and its general life. A tobacco using, forty-two playing, theatre going, “hail fellow well met,” “man about town” preacher soon develops that style church if they let him stay long enough. And, vice versa, the thoughtful, studious, prayerful, dignified, lover of God and the souls of men, lifts the group up to standards that exemplify the Christ, whose name, they wear and wdiose Body they are. Young man, what shall it be with you? THE WORK
Primarily the work of the preacher is to “Preach the Word” in season, out of season. “Teach all nations,” “Preach the gospel to every creature.” Make clear to every man the conditions upon w'hich God in righteousness can pardon his sins. Under modern conditions we are confronted with the almost insurmountable difficulty ot unteaching men; of ridding men’s minds of sectarian error. No field can be made to bring forth a w'orth while crop until it is cleansed of noxious weeds. It is not enough to teach the truih positively. You must also teach the truth negatively. Error must be uprooted. It must be exposed. It must be combated. The Great Evangelist was just as decidedly negative as he was positive. Paul was an educated, refined, Christian gentleman, but inspired by the Spirit he talked about false teachers, he talked to false teachers, probably privately; but we do know he taught publicly, for his words have been spread on the pages of God’s book for the eyes and ears of saint and sinner, believer and infidel, for lo, these nineteen hundred years. If you would be ethical according to ihe etiquette of Jesus and Paul, I suggest you study the IIolv Spirit wiitten textbook rather than those of sister Emily and brother Dale. Be pleased to rernemner that die prcaehmg, in subject for discussion and method of delivery, of both Christ and Paul was Holy Spirit dictated.

These preachers did not have to be inspired to know the falsehoods of life and practices. Their inspiration was to direct them into the infallible method of dealing with falsehoods and falsifiers. A teaching or practice is right or wrong, truth or lie, not because he who speaks or practices ’s good or bad morally, but because it originated either with God 01 the Devil. The gospel preacher today, who does not as vigorously combat error as he seeks to proclaim truth, has studied the wrong text on “Method of Approach.” Among men there are “ways,” “good ways” and “better ways,” but God alone offers the infallible zvay. The only right way. Bo long as error exists, so long as men can be deceived, so long as men are prone to make mistakes, warning signs must be hung at pitfalls, warning signals must be sounded at danger points. False teaching must be plainly pointed out, or so-called gospel preachers will be found at the judgment with the blood of fellow mortals on their hands. Ezekiel 33:7-9. “Reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and teaching” (2 Timothy 4:2). So much for the preaching end of the work of the preacher. As MUCH AS IN ME; IS
Any man who is supported by his fellow Christians so he does not have to engage in secular employment to secure a living for himself and family, should be honest enough, honorable enough, and conscieniious enough to put his full tune to the WORK of a preacher. He must ever love the truth to the extent he .will give his life for the preservation of its purity and integrity. 2 Timothy 2:23; 2 Timothy 3:16. The work, then, of the preacher, is to evangelize. May I place the emphasis where I believe it rightfully belongs? The WORK. Young men, who perhaps are expecting to be preachers in the sense of my theme, jou can choose your own course. Every harvest demands its own planting. A preacher can work himself to death, almost, in obscurity. Or he can loaf his life away in the limelight. The life of a preacher can be as indolent a life, almost, as can be imagined by anyone who pretends to work at all. On the other hand, it can be the most strenuous. Choose you this day. But! if you really want to have a hope of heaven, I urge that you choose the path of vigorous, aggressive, almost day and night application to the WORK of the preacher. Jesus the Christ satd: \\ e must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day; the night cometh, when no man can work. I would analyze that for you. We must WORK. We MUST work. We MUST WORK the work of HIM that sent Jesus. We MUST WORK the work OF HIM that sent me WHILE it is DAY. The clock watcher, the idler, the sitdowner in the factory is no more dishonest than the preacher who spends less than forty-eight hours a week in diligent application to doing the “WORK of the preacher.” He who does not give a good days work for a good days pay -s a thief of time. What about a preacher? We should be honest, even in religion. The average preacher today receives from $7.00 to $35.00 a day. More or less. Few less than $7.00. Some more than $35.00. The average preacher has only about as much stock in trade equipment as will qualify him to teach m an elementary school or hold down a factory job. Few of us could demand as large, a salary elsewhere. Few could make any more actual “take, home” cash at anything else. Just look around, please. Preachers—very, very few, make any sacrifice NOW. “Mission work,” so called, and often misnamed, is about as lucrative as “Evangelistic work” of the regular order of a few years ago. In every congregation there are lambs that must be carried; lost sheep to find; sick to be visited; weary toilers to be encouraged; mourners to be comforted; dead to be buried; and lovers to be married. It is the will of God this work be done. In the theory of some, most of this should be done by the elders. In practice it is idle to expect constant and efficient work of men who are burdened daily with the responsibility of business, office, store, or factory. However, since these men sow unto you their carnal things, should they not reap your spiritual things? (See 1 Corinthians 9:11, Romans 15:27).

There are not a few ideas affirmed of the work, obligations, and responsibilities of the bishops that are more fanciful than they are fact. The brother who told the congregation in his first sermon he did not propose to become a “Wet nurse” to that church showed no more smartness in intellect than he did elegance in speech. But, that is not our subject at this time. If the “Preacher” doesn’t make calls who should and can? If he doesn’t spend much time visiting, how is he to know how to rightly divide the word among the brethren to their good? How is he to know where and when milk or meat is needed? Paul was an evangelist but he “fed the flock” according to its needs. How did he learn its needs? At Ephesus he declared “anything that was profitable” to the elders. He taught the Christians at Ephesus “publicly” and “from house to house.” For three years he “ceased not to admonish everyone night and day.” Pie must have been almost the “local evangelist,” the “minister” there. During that time all they that dwrelt in Asia heard the word (Acts 19:10), and the whole counsel of God was declared (Acts 20:27). He.pointed out that the baptism of some of the members was invalid. He imparted to them the Holy Spirit when they corrected their error. He spoke boldly in the Jewish synagogue. He taught a school for the disciples two years. He worked with his hands and supported himself and his helpers financially. He furnished the Christians an example in ALL things. He must have done the “Work of the Preacher.” What more can be expected of the preacher today? What less dare we attempt, than that which was done by the greatest preacher of the Christian dispensation? The apostle Paul himself.