Future Shepherds are found in the Living Room (part 1 of 3)

Realizing I still need to finish up my third installment on sermons, I wanted  to overlap it with another three-part series on leaders in the local church because the two are so intimately intertwined I think it'd be beneficial to have them driving down the road together. So, please enjoy and drop some feedback if you're so inclined.

                                                                                                  

Horatius Bonar writes in chapter one of his book Words to Winners of Souls, 'The Importance of a Living Ministry': 

"How much more would a few good and fervent men effect the ministry than a multitude of lukewarm ones!…The mere multiplying of men calling themselves ministers of Christ will avail little. They may be but "cumberers of the ground." They may be like Achan, troubling the camp; or perhaps Jonah, raising the tempest. Even when sound in the faith, through unbelief, lukewarmness and slothful formality, they may do irreparable injury to the cause of Christ, freezing and withering up all spiritual life around them. The lukewarm ministry of one who is theoretically orthodox is often more extensively and fatally ruinous to souls than that of one grossly inconsistent or flagrantly heretical…Can the multiplication of such ministers, to whatever amount, be counted a blessing to a people?

          When the Church of Christ returns to the primitive example, and walking in apostolical footsteps seeks to be conformed more closely to inspired models, allowing nothing that pertains to earth to come between her and her living Head, then will she give more careful heed to see that the men to whom she entrusts the care of souls, however learned and able, should be yet more distinguished by their spirituality, zeal, faith and love."

     Amen and amen!  What a blast of fresh air that is to read, and Bonar was referring to the Church in the 1800’s!  We today, just as Bonar apparently was in his, are in desperate need of re-form concerning the kind of men we have leading our Christian communities.  God’s qualification for being a shepherd among His People is first and foremost proven, fruitful,  faithfulness. As Paul tells Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:1-2 “The things which you have heard from me…entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”  First comes faithfulness then comes teaching.