Fellow redeemed in Christ,

What's good about the public ministry? Holy Scripture has already given us several reasons why the ministry of Christian pastors and teachers is a good work in the sight of God: It was ordained by Jesus Christ Himself; it serves to extend His kingdom here on earth; it is effective through the Gospel of reconciliation; and it carries out its work in fields which are ripe for harvest. Our text this morning gives us a fifth reason why the public ministry is so good: It is good because it relies on the power of the Holy Spirit. Listen to the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 3:4-6:

And such trust have we through Christ to

God-ward: Not that we are sufficient of

ourselves to think any thing as of our-

selves; but our sufficiency is of God. Who

also hath made us able ministers of the

new testament.

Some time ago a student here at ILC was preparing for the pastoral ministry. The Holy Spirit had created in him the firm conviction that the ministry of the Gospel was the most blessed and important calling in life that there could be, and his teachers and advisors had encouraged him in his pre-theological studies because they recognized in him certain important God-given talents. But he was troubled by this thought: "It takes a special kind of person to be a pas- tor, and I just don't think that I have it."

Such thoughts have often been expressed either by those who are preparing for the public ministry or by those who have already entered it through a divine call. Do you remember Moses there at the burning bush? He said: "Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?" (Ex. 3:11) When Gideon was called by the Lord to deliver Israel from the Midianites, he responded: "Oh my LORD, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house" (Judg. 6: 15). Then there is Isaiah, who, when he was commissioned by the holy God, said: "Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips" (6:5); and Jeremiah, who reacted to the Lord's call with these words: "Ah! Lord GOD! Behold, I cannot speak; for I am a child" (1:6). We think also of Martin Luther, who in his vestry prayer said: "O Lord God, Thou hast made me a pastor and teacher in the Church. Thou seest how unfit I am to administer rightly this great and responsible office; and had I been without Thy aid and counsel, I should surely have ruined everything long ago... Do not forsake me; for if I am left to myself, I shall certainly ruin everything."

Such expressions of personal inability for the public ministry are not wrong in themselves, for in our text the Apostle Paul says of himself and his co-workers in the Gospel: "We are not adequate of ourselves to form any opinion as from ourselves. " Even though Paul was a very gifted person and had attended the finest schools of his day, he says that of himself he was not able to form proper judg- ments in anything connected with his office. So one of the first qualifications for anyone entering the public ministry is that he give up all confidence in his own natural ability and his own accumulated wisdom. A few verses beyond our text Paul gives us this vivid picture: "We have this treasure - the treasure of the Gospel ministry-~in earthen vessels" (4:7). The Christian pastor or teacher carries the precious ministry of forgiveness in a human frame that is like a fragile pot of clay!

But the Christian pastor and teacher do not have to despair of accomplishing anything worthwhile because of their own personal inadequacy. For Paul affirms in our text that the minister of the Word receives the needed adequacy from God Himself. Through the Word of God and the Holy Spirit in that Word, the pastor or teacher is given the wisdom and ability that he needs in order to carry out his call- ing to the glory of God and the salvation of the souls en- trusted to him. "Such trust, such confidence," Paul says, "we have through Christ over toward God. God it is who has made us adequate as ministers of the New Testament. God it is who has given us the ability to serve our flocks well with the Good News of the forgiveness of sins in Christ Jesus. "

The Christian ministry is a good thing then, because it relies, not on weak human ability, but rather on the mighty power of the Holy Spirit. The pastor or teacher can therefore pray: "Lord, you have given me this ministry through the call of your church. Now give me the wisdom and strength that I need to carry it out, so that through the Gospel of Christ your flock here may be strengthened in their faith and assisted in their Christian lives." The called minister can be confident that such a prayer will be answered by God through His Holy Spirit for Christ's sake!

The hymn writer again sums it up well for us in the prayer which we have just sung:

The servants Thou hast called

And to Thy Church art giving

Preserve in doctrine pure

And holiness of living.

Thy Spirit fill their hearts,

Endue their tongues with power;

What they should boldly speak,

Oh, give them in that hour! Amen.