第94章

Realizing the overwhelming magnitude of the work, Paul exclaimed, "Who is sufficient for these things?" Who is able to preach Christ in such a way that His enemies shall have no just cause to despise the messenger or the message that he bears? Paul desired to impress upon believers the solemn responsibility of the gospel ministry.Faithfulness in preaching the word, united with a pure, consistent life, can alone make the efforts of ministers acceptable to God and profitable to souls.Ministers of our day, burdened with a sense of the greatness of the work, may well exclaim with the apostle, "Who is sufficient for these things?"There were those who had charged Paul with self-commendation in writing his former letter.The apostle now referred to this by asking the members of the church if they thus judged his motives."Do we begin again to commend ourselves?" he inquired; "or need we, as some others, epistles of commendation to you, or letters of commendation from you?" Believers moving to a new place often carried with them letters of commendation from the church with which they had formerly been united; but the leading workers, the founders of these churches, had no need of such commendation.The Corinthian believers, who had been led from the worship of idols to the faith of the gospel, were themselves all the recommendation that Paul needed.Their reception of the truth, and the reformation wrought in their lives, bore eloquent testimony to the faithfulness of his labors and to his authority to counsel, reprove, and exhort as a minister of Christ.

Paul regarded the Corinthian brethren as his testimonial."Ye are our epistle," he said, "written in our hearts, known and read of all men:

forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart."The conversion of sinners and their sanctification through the truth is the strongest proof a minister can have that God has called him to the ministry.

The evidence of his apostleship is written upon the hearts of those converted, and is witnessed to by their renewed lives.Christ is formed within, the hope of glory.A minister is greatly strengthened by these seals of his ministry.

Today the ministers of Christ should have the same witness as that which the Corinthian church bore to Paul's labors.But though in this age there are many preachers, there is a great scarcity of able, holy ministers--men filled with the love that dwelt in the heart of Christ.Pride, self-confidence, love of the world, faultfinding, bitterness, envy, are the fruit borne by many who profess the religion of Christ.Their lives, in sharp contrast to the life of the Saviour, often bear sad testimony to the character of the ministerial labor under which they were converted.

A man can have no greater honor than to be accepted by God as an able minister of the gospel.But those whom the Lord blesses with power and success in His work do not boast.They acknowledge their entire dependence on Him, realizing that of themselves they have no power.With Paul they say, "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves;but our sufficiency is of God; who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament."A true minister does the work of the Master.He feels the importance of his work, realizing that he sustains to the church and to the world a relation similar to that which Christ sustained.He works untiringly to lead sinners to a nobler, higher life, that they may obtain the reward of the overcomer.His lips are touched with a live coal from the altar, and he uplifts Jesus as the sinner's only hope.Those who hear him know that he has drawn near to God in fervent, effectual prayer.The Holy Spirit has rested upon him, his soul has felt the vital, heavenly fire, and he is able to compare spiritual things with spiritual.Power is given him to tear down the strongholds of Satan.Hearts are broken by his presentation of the love of God, and many are led to inquire, "What must I do to be saved?""Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; but have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake.For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."Thus the apostle magnified the grace and mercy of God, shown in the sacred trust committed to him as a minister of Christ.By God's abundant mercy he and his brethren had been sustained in difficulty, affliction, and danger.

They had not modeled their faith and teaching to suit the desires of their hearers, nor kept back truths essential to salvation in order to make their teaching more attractive.They had presented the truth with simplicity and clearness, praying for the conviction and conversion of souls.And they had endeavored to bring their conduct into harmony with their teaching, that the truth presented might commend itself to every man's conscience.