HEROES FOR CHRISTIAN WORKERS The Call to Service
From an address given by Rev Maurice Roberts at the Metropolitan
Tabernacle School of Theology 2001. FROM SWORD & TROWEL 2001
No 3
‘Yet I supposed it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my
brother, and companion in labour, and fellowsoldier, but your messenger, and he
that ministered to my wants. For he longed after you all, and was full of
heaviness, because that ye had heard that he had been sick. For indeed he was
sick nigh unto death: but God had mercy on him . . . Receive him therefore in the
Lord with all gladness; and hold such in reputation: because for the work of
Christ he was nigh unto death, not regarding his life, to supply your lack of
service toward me’ (Philippians 2.25-30).
At this hour in this country we have an immense need of men and women
who will dedicate their lives to the work of God. It would make an interesting study to
ask the question, ‘Why should it be that we seem to be so short of Christian workers
today in this land?’
It surely cannot be because of the lack of need. The need is staring us in
the face - congregations without ministers, missionary societies needing staff, and
Christian organisations sometimes barely able to function for want of those who will
help. It cannot surely be for lack of books; never since the world began have there been so
many excellent books on the shelves of evangelical and reformed Christians.
I think the main reason is a lack of faith, and I would trace this to some
extent to the fact that in our generation people do not have the right heroes.
I believe we saw a change come to this country about the year 1960.
Before that, in schools, colleges, homes and libraries, people were interested in our
national heroes, and young men and women were taught to emulate the excellence of
those who had gone before. An obvious case would be Florence Nightingale. A later
example (I am not speaking about Christian matters only) would be Sir Winston
Churchill. Such were people who accomplished something in this world, and all nations,
in their educational systems, have normally set fine examples before young minds.
However, in 1960, and thereafter, with the rise of the pop culture, we
began to live in the age of the anti-hero, and former worthies were not wanted any more.
Part of the problem arises from the fact that young people have all the wrong heroes, such
as those who can play pop music.
Now this is true of the country at large, but I venture to say that the same
phenomenon is to be seen in our churches. The modern heroes, in many churches, are not
the great spiritual men and women of the past, for these lie forgotten, in spite of the
books. Others who have something to do with Christian ‘showbiz’ are very often the
heroes.
The apostle Paul points the way in giving us a word picture of this lovely
character named Epaphroditus. Paul knew the importance of setting before his hearers the
right examples, people of spiritual excellence who did something for Christ, and whose
lives were on fire for Him.
Before writing about Epaphroditus, he reveals some important things
about Timothy, saying, ‘For I have no man likeminded, who will naturally care for your
state. For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ’s.’ Paul is obviously
not writing these things as an incidental description of Timothy; he is setting before the
Philippian Christians a definite example to follow. This is the sort of Christian he longs
for them to be.
I am old enough to remember some of the heroes we had as young
Christians, such as John Gresham Machen, that great American leader of the 1920s and
30s, a man who stood firm on biblical and theological principle when nearly all in his
denomination were sliding rapidly into liberalism. He stood, rock-like. Now, he was not
only a brilliant theologian and an excellent writer and broadcaster, but he was a truly
great and exemplary man.
The same would be true of Professor John Murray. He could divide a
theological hair to the right and to the left with perfect precision, and we admired his
‘Rolls Royce’ intellect. But more than that, as he walked amongst others he brought with
him something of the very being and presence and fear of God. There are many others, of
course, whose names we might mention in that regard.
A minister’s authority is not an automatic part of his office. Of course, he
should be respected because of his office. He is set apart to preach the Word of God - the
most serious and important service in this world. We give him the title of ‘pastor’, or he
is called ‘the reverend’, and recognised as a man set apart for this great service. But the
real authority of any servant of God comes from his moral and spiritual character.
When we study the description of Epaphroditus we discover very little is
said about his gifts. We do not know whether he was a distinguished preacher, and not a
word is said about his being a learned scholar, both of which would have been great
advantages if he had possessed them.
Almost certainly he was a first generation Christian, brought out of Greek
heathenism. Probably he had no background whatsoever with the Christian faith or with
the Jewish religion. There is not a word about university training, nor about being able to
speak in tongues, although in all probability he could.
Nothing is said really about his gifts, only about his character, and grace,
and his spirituality of heart and life, all of which are more important than gifts. Oh yes,
abilities are essential in their way, but Paul designates as being much more important, the
character of Epaphroditus - the sort of man he was.
This, by the way, is surely the clue to the interpretation of those rather
mysterious words of Christ, ‘For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not,
from him shall be taken even that which he hath.’ There, it seems, is a conundrum; but
no, the solution is easy. To him who has gifts and nothing more, his gifts will be
withdrawn. But to him who has saving grace, shall more be given. He will have
more saving grace.
If we have only common grace, eventually it will be taken away as it was
in the case of Judas Iscariot and many like him. But if we have this superior thing, which
is spiritual gifts of grace in the soul and character, even likeness to God, then we possess
something which will never be taken away.
That is why Paul sets before us this man Epaphroditus. There are more
ways than one of teaching us how to be servants of Christ. One, is to do it by exhortation,
but here Paul presents an example. Here is a picture of a spiritual hero whom we can
emulate, so giving the kind of service God requires.
I would like to draw attention at this point to three aspects of the character
of Epaphroditus which are specifically put before us by Paul, with a view to stirring us up
to seeking the same grace. The first is in the apostle’s words ‘Yet I supposed it necessary
to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, and companion in labour, and fellowsoldier, but
your messenger, and he that ministered to my wants.’
You will notice how many characteristics are given to this man. He is a
brother; he is a worker; he is a soldier, and he is a companion. Paul is telling us that he is
a man who is ready to perform a good work in all these departments of life. There is
nothing he is not prepared to do. Now surely that is something we must learn if we intend
to be true servants of the Lord.
It is distressing in the course of life to meet some people who are highly
intelligent and fluent, but they are so awkward. They are like a square peg in a round
hole. They do not fit in anywhere. They are so angular, and difficult, and if you say,
‘black’, they will say, ‘white’, and should you say, ‘white’, they will say, ‘black’. You can
never say the right thing to start a conversation. There are professing servants of Christ
like that. They are good at seeing the speck in everyone else’s eye, but not the plank in
their own.
I am not suggesting, of course, that we need men and women who are
pliable, or unprincipled, or whose theology is so elastic that they can fit into any kind of
church situation. This is not an advocacy for compromise. But the model of Epaphroditus
does teach us that in character and bearing and manners, we must be courteous, affable
and ready for any kind of service which God in His providence may open up
to us.
‘I send this man,’ says Paul, ‘as my brother, my companion in labour and
my fellowsoldier. He is also your messenger, the person who ministered to my needs.’ I
would suggest to you that here the apostle is praising the sort of servant of Christ who has
spiritual versatility. He is prepared to do whatever the occasion demands. He is not an
awkward man, or a difficult man.
There are some people who can only do things their own way and on their
terms. That is no virtue in a Christian worker. If we are talking principles, let us be as
solid as the Rock of Gibraltar, but if we are talking about things which are not principles
at all, but merely the circumstantial aspects of our work, let us be as flexible as we can.
Here is the second aspect of the character of Epaphroditus. Paul says -
‘For he longed after you all, and was full of heaviness, because that ye had heard that he
had been sick.’ Here is a man who is obviously full of love, for he longed after people.
Being separated from them he still thought of them with yearning and desire and
affection. This is the lovely characteristic of a man who is serving Christ acceptably in the
sight of God, and whose love is for the flock.
The apostle tells us that there are some preachers who make very good
teachers, but they are not fathers, with a heart for the people of God. They lack
compassion coupled with yearning and desire for the spiritual good of those to whom they
minister.
Such things we learn better in the company of godly men and women than
we shall ever learn in any theological college, or library, or official source of academic
learning. We must learn to be with the Lord’s people, even the humblest of them, and
learn how to engage in spiritual conversation.
We must learn to bring forth things old and new out of the treasury of our
hearts so that we may help even the weakest of the flock of Christ. It is a great virtue to
have the gift of spiritual edification in conversation, and here was a man whose heart
overflowed with affection for those who named the name of Christ.
The third aspect of character seen in Epaphroditus - perhaps the most
striking - is at the end of Paul’s description, where he writes - ‘Because for the work of
Christ he was nigh unto death, not regarding his life, to supply your lack of service
toward me.’ Here was a man of God who was working himself to the bone, as we say,
ready even to work himself to death, if need be, for the sake of Christ. He had become
sick almost to the point of death in his service to the Lord Jesus Christ. This man
dedicated the whole of his life to Christ.
Of course, we must be balanced in everything, and it would be foolish to
deduce from the example of Epaphroditus that our duty is to run ourselves into the grave
at the earliest opportunity. But we do find here a man who is prepared when necessity
demands to give himself to the point of death, because that is the demand that Christ
makes upon us. He laid down His life for us, and we must lay down our lives for the
brethren.
Here, then, is the kind of servant that God sets before us. Little, if
anything, is said about this minister’s gifts; much is said about his character, and I believe
that there has been a subtle shift over recent years from focusing on Christian
character, to preoccupation with outward and external capacities.
Let me remind you, then, what the great Robert Murray M’Cheyne said
about himself and his people in Dundee in the 1830s and early 1840s. His congregation
numbered 1100 people, and there were 39 prayer meetings all round his parish in Dundee,
many of which had started spontaneously. Revival visited this congregation before Robert
Murray M’Cheyne died at the age of 29, as you may know. This is how he looked at his
own personal requirement, as a servant of Christ. He said, ‘My people’s greatest need is
my own personal holiness.’
His character as a minister was to him most important. I remember being
told how he prepared himself for entering the pulpit. There was a little room where, prior
to coming in, he would sit down at his desk, place his elbows on the desk, put his hands
together and his face in his hands, and he would weep until the tears were running down
his face. He would weep out of sheer compassion for the people as he thought of their
spiritual condition.
Often as he came into the pulpit, the congregation would be weeping even
at the sight of him, for there was something so spiritual, so heavenly about this man.
Someone who had never met him before, a man working on the roads somewhere in
Scotland, said to him with astonishment, ‘Sir, you’re no ordinary man.’ Nor was he.
Rather, he was a visible Christian, and that was what made him such a power
for good.
What is needed today is not better methods, but better men; not better
means, but better character in those who serve the Lord. For too long the theory has been
propounded that the best way to preach and promote the Gospel is to devise the right
methods. We must make it friendly to the outsider. We must have seeker-friendly
services. We must have dance and drama, and bring in the orchestra, with clapping and
waving of hands. But those who think along these lines miss out the need for the holiness
which is essential in the presence of a holy God. Our view of God has changed.
In times past, people came to services with a sense of awe predominating
in their minds. We thank God that it is still the case in many places, but it is not
universally so. When a church turns to entertainment, it signals a lack of faith and
confidence in the Truth of God, and it is a pathway of failure, because the church can
never entertain so well as the world. If we bring people in under the pretence of
entertainment we will only keep them so long as our entertainment is good enough. They
will eventually find better in the world. The best service to the Lord Jesus Christ is when
the men and women who are serving Him are utterly, utterly unlike the world.
The apostle Paul was the same. He did not try to be artificial. There was
nothing affected about his ministry. He did not work by histrionics, sleight of hand or
trickery.
One of the most beautiful things that could be said about a preacher was
once said of George Whitefield by one who saw and heard him - that the tear which
dropped from his eye on to his Bible was ‘an honest tear’. He loved the people with an
evangelical love which sprang out of the character of a man of God. There is a servant to
be emulated.
I was talking to some American Christians who had just returned from
Pakistan. They had been staying in a hotel, and a Moslem taxi driver had been taking
them to various places throughout the week. At the end of this assignment the driver
turned to them and asked, ‘Why are you so different? I have been watching you for this
whole week, and you have done nothing wrong.’ Character is so influential!
The qualities that are most needed in the servants of God today are those
which characterised the old ways, of which I have mentioned three. Holiness of character
and life are required. Let me quote the great John Owen on this point, and he is typical of
the whole Puritan attitude to the work of the ministry. ‘If thou wouldst be a deep divine,’
said Owen (and the word ‘divine’ refers to a minister or preacher), ‘study sanctification.
Let mortification of sin be your great study.’
That generation did not talk so much about delivery of sermons, although
that was important to them, for they were more concerned that professors should make
sure that they were truly Christians; and they lived as godly people.
Luke’s record of the life of Stephen provides another great example for us
today. What a portrait we have of a true servant of God! Stephen’s career was absolutely
meteoric. He comes suddenly out of the blue, dashes across the sky, and disappears into
eternity - all in a few brief pages. But we see clearly what it means to have been in the
presence of a man who was spiritual. He stood up to the religious establishment of his
day, the Sanhedrin, concluding his great speech (necessarily) with the words: ‘Ye
stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost.’ For
this he was promptly stoned to death, but we see the splendid character of this spiritual,
godly man, ready to lose his life to do his duty by the Truth.
Why did the apostles have deacons? They were appointed to enable the
apostles to devote themselves to prayer and the ministry of the Word. These were the
chief characteristics of their service - prayerfulness and study and teaching of the Bible.
If ever you go to Dundee you can see the Hebrew Bible of M’Cheyne, and
in the margin you will see the entries in his neat handwriting as day by day he studied the
text and became familiar with the nuances and the fine points of Scripture. His studies
were all conducted in the interests of being a true servant of God.
Today, the things which are most easily overlooked in the work of the
servant of God are those secret activities, such as devotion to God, fasting, praying, and
study - the unseen labours of the man of God. Other duties may be carried out
mechanically, by force of continual habit, but the secret activities are what form the real
character of our ministry.
My dream (and this has been my dream for forty years) is that one day,
who knows how soon, the deadness and indifference of our land will come to an end. My
dream is that in an hour when men think not, God will begin to turn again the wheel of
His providence to visit the nation, and will cause people to hunger and thirst again for
righteousness, and not just in twos and threes and tens and twenties, but in hundreds and
thousands.
I would like to urge servants of Christ to always bear before their souls
such a vision, that at any time God may suddenly bring such a season of blessing. We
may serve for ten, twenty, or thirty years, and see things getting worse and worse but we
may always cherish in our souls this expectation that the heavens may open and a mighty
transformation take place, even through our ministry. It has happened many times in the
past.
In the year 1630, in Scotland, in the open air at the Kirk o’Shotts, on a
Monday night, at the close of a communion weekend, a young, nervous preacher called
John Livingston began his sermon from Ezekiel 36. In this he spoke
about God sending waters of cleansing upon the soul, and washing filthiness and idolatry
away.
Now this young man preached very acceptably for three quarters of an
hour, and was just about to sit down when suddenly drops of rain began to fall. The
people adjusted their clothing and put their capes right, and the preacher was filled with
the spirit of authority, and preached for another hour at least, warning the people of the
wrath of God and judgement to come. The effect of his preaching was that no fewer than
500 people were believed to have been converted under that single sermon, and the
blessing went on through many places in Scotland.
We must believe this to be possible, if we are servants of God. We require
the faith to believe that God could do such things again.
A hundred years later, in the 1740s, in a place called Cambuslang,
Scotland, there was a rather average preacher named William M’Culloch, a most
conscientious labourer in ministry for about 30 years. Sadly, he saw very little advance,
but witnessed the moral and spiritual state of the people getting worse and worse. But his
soul wrestled with God, and the day came when God visited his parish, and in a matter of
months they needed to hold services continually, just about every day.
George Whitefield was called upon to go up to Cambuslang and preach in
the open air to crowds reckoned to be of twenty to thirty thousand people. Hundreds upon
hundreds were brought to faith in Christ. I feel we should always have this dream before
us. We never know when or how soon God may do such a thing again.
And perhaps something more remarkable than any of these things began in
New York. In 1857, a tall, quiet business man named Jeremiah Lamphier was appointed
as a city missionary in the downtown Dutch Reformed Church of Fulton Street. He
realised it was impossible to reach all the people of the community. Where should he
begin?
He put a notice on the railings outside the premises, and distributed a
handbill inviting people to come to a prayer meeting at noon. Half a dozen came on the
first day, and they prayed and went back to their work. The next day, twice the number
came; then soon, twenty, fifty, a hundred.
The historians tell us that within a matter of some weeks they were having
to close down the industries and offices at four o’clock to allow the masses of people with
an urge to pray to enter the churches of New York, pleading for God to come down.
That blessing swept on to Ireland, to Scotland, and to England, and one in
ten people of the whole population of Scotland was brought to worship God in the years
ahead.
Let every servant of the Lord seek first to please Him, adopting those
principles of righteousness which His Word demands of us. Character comes first, for
ministers. Then let us expect great things from Him, and who knows, it may be in our
lifetime that some of us see the tide turn, and England, Wales and Scotland returning
once more to the God against Whom they have so deeply revolted.
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