THE MINISTER’S SELF-WATCH

I Timothy 4:16 "Take heed to thyself and unto the doctrine"

The minister should (1) be sure of his personal relationship with Christ (2) look after his own spiritual growth, and (3) cultivate his own personal character

It should be one of our first cares that we ourselves be saved men. Whatever a ‘call’ a man may pretend to have, if he has not been called to holiness, he certainly has not been called to the ministry.

Unconverted preachers are:

-Unhappy - Their pulpits are to them what an oar is to a galley slave

-Unserviceable - Like one who comes across folks dying of thirst and has no water to give

-Mischievous - Delaying the unregenerate in to thinking they are right with God.

The work of the minister is: To face the enemies of truth, to defend the bulwark of faith, to rule well the house of God, to comfort all that mourn, to edify the saint, to guide the perplexed, to bear with the forward, to win and nurse souls.

*From Spurgeon’s Lectures To My Students; Shepherd’s Notes; 1998, Broadman & Holman Publishers