GOD REQUIRES FAITHFULNESS

In Flickering Lamps, the late Henry Blackaby shared these words:

A truth I have based my ministry upon is this: If you are faithful in a little, God will give you more (Matt. 25:21, 23). God will not hold you accountable for what you do not have. But, He will make you answerable for what you did with what He gave you. What is the best way to have more? Be faithful with the little you already have! The key, of course, is faithfulness. 

In the parable of the talents, the master gave one servant five talents, another three talents, and a third servant one talent. The servants with five and three talents immediately invested what they had been given. Investing is risky; it involves uncertainty. Yet those two servants knew their master well. They understood that he despised timidity and expected growth. They invested aggressively and doubled their funds. When they showed their master what they had accomplished with the resources given to them, he declared, “Well done, good and faithful slave! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Share your master’s joy!” (Matt. 25:21). 

The servant who received one talent, however, took the opposite approach. He feared he might lose the only talent he had. What if something unexpected happened? Better to play it safe by burying the talent and doing nothing. His focus was on his fear of loss, rather than on hope of gain. Ironically, in trying to save what he had, he lost it. The master declared: “You evil, lazy slave!” (Matt. 25:26). The little he had was removed from him. The master then declared, “Throw this good-for-nothing slave into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matt. 25:30). 

Every church has at least one talent. The Head of the Church has entrusted something to every congregation. The onus is on us to invest our resources in what matters to the master. At the day of accounting, there will be no rewards for having merely preserved what we have. Instead, the heroes will be those who took what their master gave them and invested it so they could earn the greatest possible return for their King. 

You will never make disciples of all nations if you only attempt what you think you can afford. This doesn’t mean you recklessly invest in every church growth fad that comes along. It does mean you let God set the agenda for your church and then you confidently obey His commands, understanding that God can well-afford to accomplish whatever He leads you to do. The crucial thing is not to attempt what you can afford, but what God can afford. What will Christ find when He returns to your church? (pp. 109-111, Kindle Edition)

FROM FALLOW GROUND TO FERTILE GARDEN

Hosea 10:12 commands, “Break up your fallow ground.”  The first task of the preacher is to plow up the field. The untilled soil will not receive seed and become a fertile garden until the hard ground is broken up. The truth is that some church fields are harder than others. This is what Titus encountered at Crete, and Paul does not minimize the difficulty the young preacher was facing.

But, first the Apostle provides AFFIRMATION, “To Titus, a true son in our common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior,” (Titus 1:4). Paul has no reservation that Titus would be up to the task. He was no false teacher, but a true preacher. They might work in a different field, but they shared a common faith. Best of all—heaven’s provision was available to this man of God. There was grace—so that all the resources required would be given. Titus would lack nothing he needed. He also had mercy—even though he might face fierce foes, God would spare him from being overwhelmed by them. Titus could rest in peace—calm even in the eye of a storm. 

The man of God is to practice ORDINATION, “For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you—” (Titus‬ ‭1‬:‭5‬‬). The church will be in disorder unless the preacher sets it in order. That demands leadership. Elders are given that assignment. Every church needs them. A plurality of elders is preferable to share the load and provide accountability to one another. The qualifications are listed, and without such faithful servants, there will be no fruitful soil. 

There will be the need at times for CONFRONTATION, “One of them, a prophet of their own, said, ‘Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.’ This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith,” (Titus‬ ‭1‬:‭12‬-‭13‬‬). Churches will ask for a resume’ from a pastoral candidate—and well they should. But, pastors had best know the bio of the church as well.  Paul is direct concerning the issues of the Cretan congregation. They are described as “liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons,” and other than that, Titus should find ministry there a piece of cake! Preaching cannot always be sweet and uplifting. There are times it demands to be stinging and humbling. The sharp spade of Scripture breaks up the fallow ground to receive the seed of the Gospel and yields a fertile garden. 

Now—stop whining and start plowing!

NEVER ALONE!

Man may abandon us, but the Master will abide with us!  We are never alone. The Lord has promised to never forsake us, (cf. Ps. 94:14; Heb. 13:5). Paul was forsaken by all his friends, (2 Tim. 4:16-18). “But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother,” Prov. 18:24). That Faithful Friend is Jesus!  Let us examine 2 Timothy 4:16-18 further. 

There is the promise of HIS PRESENCE, “But the Lord stood with me…”. It is important to note that the Lord did not merely stand near the Apostle, nor even by Paul, but “stood WITH me,” he testified. Even in the prison cell—in solitary confinement on death row—the Lord was in the midst of a dungeon’s dismal darkness to give Paul light. When taken before a human tribunal to be falsely accused and unjustly condemned by demonic hate, His Heavenly Defense Attorney stood with him to give Paul love. Remember, dear one that when you have wagging tongues testifying against you and wicked fingers pointing at you that the Lord stands with you—and that is enough!

There is then the promise of HIS POWER, “But the Lord…strengthened me…”. When we would wither and cannot weather the storm of attacks by fierce foes and sense of abandonment by false friends, a supernatural strength is imparted by our Faithful Friend. It is the power that spoke the universe into existence, with that cosmos upheld “by the word of His power,” (Heb. 1:3). The Lord hangs the stars in place—so much so that we measure the day accurately by the sun. The Lord sets the planets in their orbit—so that we determine a year by earth’s trip around the sun. Concerning His power, did we not learn this as a child in the song? It simply, yet profoundly, assures us. 

Jesus loves me! This I know,  

For the Bible tells me so; 

Little ones to Him belong; 

They are weak, but He is strong.  

No matter how overwhelming the odds against us we have Omnipotence available to us—and that is enough!

Thus we have the promise of HIS PRESERVATION, “And the Lord will preserve me…”. 

In his first imprisonment, we believe that Paul was freed, “so that the message might be preached fully through me, and that all the Gentiles might hear. Also I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.”  He was delivered to keep telling the story. God has a work for us to do and we will not perish one minute before that allotted time and assigned task is completed. As old George Whitefield stated it, “We are immortal until our work on earth is done.”  Never fear!

In his final imprisonment—and he had many, (cf. 2 Cor. 11:23)—Paul was fully freed, “And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen!” He was delivered to enter the glory!  His death was not the end, but an entrance. His life did not conclude, but would commence on a higher plane in that heavenly place! As the executioner’s sword would fall and his head would go one way and his body another—his soul would soar through space to an infinitely better place. 

However difficult the place we find ourselves in before we leave this world, the servant of God knows there is the most delightful place that has been prepared by the Master Carpenter for us, (cf. Jn. 14:1-3). 

To be forever with Jesus—that is enough!

I think of the old hymn:

1 I’ve seen the lightning flashing

And heard the thunder roll,

I’ve felt sin’s breakers dashing,

which tried to conquer my soul;

I’ve heard the voice of my Savior,

He bid me still fight on:

He promised never to leave me,

Never to leave me alone.

 

2 The world’s fierce winds are blowing–

Temptation’s sharp and keen;

I have a peace in knowing

My Savior stands between;

He stands to shield me from danger

When all my friends are gone:

He promised never to leave me,

Never to leave me alone.

 

3 When in affliction’s valley 

 I tread the road of care,

 My Savior helps me carry

 My cross so heavy to bear;

 Though all around me is darkness

 And earthly joys are flown,

 My Savior whispers His promise:

 Never to leave me alone.

 

4 He died on Calv'ry's mountain,

 For me they pierced His side,

 For me He opened that fountain,

 The crimson, cleansing tide;

 For me He’s waiting in glory

 Upon His heavenly throne:

 He promised never to leave me,

 Never to leave me alone.

 

Refrain:

 No, never alone,

 No, never alone;

 He promised never to leave me,

 Never to leave me alone:

 No, never alone,

 No, never alone:

 He promised never to leave me,

 Never to leave me alone.

That is enough—MORE THAN ENOUGH!

THE GREAT VALUE OF GODLY LEADERS

Paul instructed Titus to seek godly leaders and install them in the churches. “For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you—” (Titus‬ ‭1‬:‭5‬‬)

John Maxwell says it this way, “Everything rises and falls on leadership.” Godly leaders are good leaders and the question is not, “Can the church afford to call a pastor?” The issue is, “Can we afford not to?”  For this is a matter of obedience to God—He has commanded it. He will not bless our disobedience.

Henry Blackaby testified: 

Many churches say, “As soon as we have the money in the bank, we’ll … start that mission church … call that pastor … hire a children’s director.” Congregations have waited for years to obey what God told them. They might consider their behavior financially prudent. God calls it disobedience. 

I found that as we enlisted pastors for our various missions, God led us to successful leaders who were enjoying thriving ministries. Many took a cut in pay to become a mission pastor, but they were given an immense vision! They were also provided the freedom and support to pursue God’s purposes. As a result, we enlisted outstanding leaders who experienced God producing amazing results. 

When churches are small or declining, they often assume they cannot afford to recruit strong leaders. The problem with this thinking is that it prompts churches to either choose not to move forward with what God is telling them, or to settle for weak leadership. The truth is that when you are suffering decline, you can’t afford the consequences of enlisting ineffective leaders. (Flickering Lamps, p.99, Kindle edition)

If an elder is a good leader, then he will reach enough people who will more than fund his compensation. There are some men who are willing to labor in a secular job while also leading in the church. We had great lay leaders who had recently “retired,” but still had much to give to the Lord’s work. These can be set aside as elders. 

It is really a matter of faith. Will we trust God to provide as we step out in obedience? “God’s work done in God’s way will never lack God’s supply.” So said the great missionary Hudson Taylor.  That has been my experience throughout nearly fifty years of Gospel ministry. The Lord enabled me to care for a large family and lead His church and we never lacked what we needed to do so.