I have been greatly helped lately by slowly working through a sermon of Jonathan Edwards. It is a sermon he preached at the ordination of a friend in 1749.
If you want to pray for the pastoral staff here at Racine Bible, these would be some great requests to make for us.
Edwards start with a straightforward word about the main business of ministry –
The work and business of ministers of the gospel is as it were that of servants, to wash and cleanse the souls of men. For this is done by the preaching of the word, which is their main business. Eph. 5:26, “That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word.”
Then he pushes for the spiritual virtues and character qualities that Christ exemplified –
The ministers of Christ should be persons of the same spirit that their Lord was of: the same spirit of humility and lowliness of heart; for the servant is not greater than his Lord. They should be of the same spirit of heavenly-mindedness, and contempt of the glory, wealth, and pleasures of this world. They should be of the same spirit of devotion and fervent love to God. They should follow the example of his prayerfulness; of whom we read from time to time of his retiring from the world, away from the noise and applause of the multitudes, into mountains and solitary places, for secret prayer, and holy converse with his Father.
They should also be of the same spirit of zeal, diligence, and self-denial for the glory of God, and advancement for his kingdom, and for the good of mankind; for which things’ sake Christ went though the greatest labors, and endured the most extreme sufferings.
Just when I started to feel like the exhortations were too much, like this was just a bit impossible for a pastor to aspire toward, Edwards came through with this amazing line –
The example of Christ is most worthy of ministers’ imitation. This example was set us in our own nature, and so is especially fitted for our imitation. There was in the man Christ Jesus, who was one of us, and dwelt among us, such exercises of virtue as became our state and circumstances in the world, as those who dwell in frail flesh and blood, and as members of human society, and dwellers in such a world of sorrow and death.
And with this assurance of Christ’s empowering love –
“I have given you an example (says Christ in the text) that you should do as I have done to you.” Ministers should be animated in this work by a great love to the souls of men, and should be ready to spend and be spent for them; for Christ loved them, and gave himself for them. He loved them with a love stronger than death. They should have compassion to men under their spiritual miseries, as Christ had pity on them.
You can find the entire sermon here – http://www.biblebb.com/files/edwards/example.htm