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Fire in the bones  ¶ induction of Associate Pastor (Jeremiah 20:8b-9; 1 Corinthians 9:16)Rev. Rod Benson, Blakehurst Baptist Church, Sydney Australia, 9.30 am, Sunday February 6, 2000Copyright  © 2000 Rod Benson. All rights reserved. We have gathered here today in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to express our heart-felt worship to him, to bring our confessions before the throne of God ¢s grace, to present our tithes and offerings for the work of the kingdom, to hear and receive the Word of the living God expressed through human lips, and to set apart our brother in Christ, Andy Arthurs, to the work of Christian ministry among us.

The occasion on which we have gathered is, therefore, a solemn occasion.It is a solemn occasion because we have consciously, voluntarily and reverently gathered in the name of Christ and therefore in his presence.By his Spirit, and through his grace, we are in the presence of deity.

This occasion is also a momentous occasion.It is momentous because, as we stand in the presence of Christ, we set apart a young man for the most significant, important, challenging and demanding occupation or vocation on the face of the earth.

But this occasion is also a joyful occasion.It is a joyful occasion because what we do today fulfils the desire of Andy ¢s heart; it meets the need of the hour; it conforms to the holy will of God; it reflects the authoritative Word of God.

We have every confidence in Andy, and in his partner Rebecca, that they will be true to their calling, diligently doing the work of ministry to which God had called them, and equipping us for the work of ministry to which he calls us.

I preach the Gospel.That is my primary calling under God.I concur with my friend and mentor Gordon Moyes that there is no higher calling.Andy desires with all his heart to do the same.He has sensed and responded to God ¢s call.He has made sacrifices, prepared himself, sought ministry experience, and devoted himself to personal and spiritual growth.He has planted the seeds, and watered the seeds.He has burned the midnight oil, expended the sweat, and shed the tears.Today a new day has dawned, and with it Andy comes to begin reaping the harvest of preparation he has sown.

In its purest form the Gospel of Jesus Christ is not a social program, nor a philosophical proposition, nor a cultural edifice, but an invitation.It is nothing more, and nothing less, than an invitation: an invitation from the King of kings.

Those who bear and convey, preserve and deliver this invitation are nothing more, and nothing less, than couriers of the King.As H. Beecher Hicks, Pastor of the Metropolitan Baptist Church in Washington D.C., observed at the Baptist World Congress in Melbourne last month,

In our hands are words that compel and constrain; words that convict and convert . . . we preach the Word  ¶ that which permits those who stand in time to hear the very voice of the Eternal.[1]

That is why those who preach the word of God well carry such responsibility, and require such resources, and demand such respect, and receive such reward.There is fire in their bones!Their words are like flames, warning of danger, warming the heart, enlightening the spirit, and consuming all that is not of God.

Moses caught a glimpse of a burning bush (Ex 3:2); Gideon witnessed fire flare from a rock and devour his meal (Jg 6:21); Elijah observed fire fall from heaven and consume his sacrifice, and the wood, stones, soil and water on Mt Carmel (1 Kg 18:38); Nebuchadnezzar saw four men walk unharmed in a blazing, superheated furnace (Dan 3:25).

But Jeremiah, the  £weeping prophet, ¤ is at once both more personal and more troubled.He says,  £His word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones.I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot ¤ (Jer 20:9, italics added).

Jesus echoes this spiritually charged sentiment in his first public sermon at the humble synagogue in Nazareth:

 £The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord ¢s favour ¤ (Lk 4:18f).

Paul similarly echoes the sentiment when he exclaims,  £Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel ¤ (1 Cor 9:16).

Andy identifies with what Jeremiah and Jesus and Paul felt.Their call is his call; their responsibility his  ¶ and that of all who are compelled by God to take his invitation and carry it to those who most need to hear it.

I say to you, Andy, let it out!Set it free!Be true to your Christian character, convictions and calling.Liberate this fire in your bones!Surrender to this Spirit of the Lord!Fearlessly preach the Gospel!And look to God for blessing, approval and results.And we your people will stand with you.

To be a Christian minister at the dawn of the 21st century, and on the threshold of a new millennium, is no small challenge.To faithfully serve God in a world that rejects the very notion of his existence is no insignificant achievement.To meaningfully declare the truth of God to a society drowning in the treacherous quicksand of moral relativism, and hypnotised by the subtle charms of secular humanism, is no mean feat.To effectively preach the Christian Gospel to a community bewitched by sophisticated technology, and bewildered by the incessant babble of increasingly meaningless words and images, and driven by rampant consumerism, is no irrelevant accomplishment.

To fulfil these sacred duties you will need to be true to your responsibilities, and aware of your resources.What are the spiritual responsibilities given to you by the risen Christ, the Head of the church?

First, you are called to preach: to proclaim and defend the truth, to teach and expound the Gospel, to point people to Christ, to issue the invitation.

Second, you are called to pastor: to help, support and counsel people, to listen to them, to pray with them, to bear their burdens, heal their wounds, deepen their devotion, enlarge their vision, guide their paths, inspire their hope.You are called to feed their spirits, enrich their minds and encourage their hearts, to  £correct, rebuke and encourage  ¶ with great patience and careful instruction ¤ (2 Tim 4:2b).

Third, you are called to prepare:  £to prepare God ¢s people for works of service so that the body of Christ may be built up ¤ (Eph 4:12).You allow God to shape and mould you into an empowering leader  ¶ not building up your own power base, or seeking every opportunity for career advancement, but empowering others to reach for the sky and to become the best they can be.

This church, and every church of Jesus Christ, needs to grow stronger through worship, larger through evangelism, warmer through fellowship, deeper through discipleship, and broader through service.A church that possesses leaders who are humble, diligent, and effective in their ministries of preaching, pastoring and preparing will become a vital, healthy, growing church.Without a doubt.You can bet your life on it.Corporate spiritual vitality stands or falls on the vitality and ministry of the leaders.

You need not only to be true to your responsibilities but aware of your resources.God does not ask the impossible of us; he gives us all we need to get the job done.Each of us has just enough time to do all that God wants us to do!But time is only one resource; three others come to mind.

First, you have the resource of God ¢s unfailing love.The basis of spiritual strength and effective ministry is a stable relationship with God, enriched by spiritual and personal disciplines  ¶ a relationship involving a growing understanding, and a childlike experience, of the absolute, unconditional security of God ¢s love.In Grace Under Pressure, Penelope Stokes writes,

None of us  Ždeserve ¢ God ¢s grace.At our worst, we are reprobate sinners, rebelling against the Lord ¢s purposes in our lives.At our best, we stumble and fall, and our lives seem to be a continual cycle of sin and repentance, confession and absolution . . . when we are most aware of our shortcomings, we are also painfully aware of our undeserving.

Yet it is our very undeserving that places us in a position to receive grace.For grace is dependent not on our character, but on the character of God.[2]

Second, you have the resource of God ¢s uncommon people.Sometimes they will not appear to be a useful resource; sometimes, tragically, they will not appear even to be God ¢s people.I am sure Moses thought that on many occasions during his 40-year trek through the desert.

But there is no doubt that, though they are fallen and possess faults, and though they are vulnerable and are informed by unhelpful past experiences, and though they carry unwarranted psychological baggage, and though they commit sins against God and against you, the people of God are a redeemed people, a rare treasure, a rich resource.

Through their moral support, their spiritual gifts, their financial contributions, and their sheer stickability, the people of God among whom God has placed you are an uncommon resource not to be taken lightly.

Third, you have the resource of God ¢s unexpected unction.By this I mean the sovereign and surprising, if occasional, work of the Holy Spirit in lifting you beyond human limitations; enabling you to accomplish the humanly impossible; giving you spiritual insight into God ¢s will for your life; your people and your church; bearing you along when, like Paul, you find yourself  £hard pressed, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed ¤ (2 Cor 4:8-9); and speaking his words through you to meet the need of the hour.

So be true to your sacred responsibilities in preaching, pastoring and preparing; and be aware of your spiritual resources in God ¢s unfailing love, his uncommon people, and his unexpected unction.Let the fire in your bones purify you, and empower you to serve God to the best of your ability in the sphere in which he places you, and among the people to whom he calls you.

Take the Gospel invitation; let it become your food and drink, your life and message, your passion and vision.Let nothing else take its place.Let no one rob you of the awesome privilege of serving as a humble courier of the King.Let God clarify your responsibilities and shape your life and ministry, and provide all the resources you need.

And, with Paul, you will not only say,  £Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel, ¤ but some day you will also say with conviction and confidence,  £I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith ¤ (2 Tim 4:7).

And as your voice subsides into the holy silence of eternity, your ears will hear the unmistakable applause of heaven, and another voice  ¶ the quiet voice of your Master  ¶ welcoming you home with the words,  £Well done, good and faithful servant ¤ (Mt 25:21).

Copyright  © 2000 Rod Benson. All rights reserved.Sermon 305 presented at Blakehurst Baptist Church, Sydney, Australia, on Sunday February 6, 2000. Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible: New International Version (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1980). ———————— [1] H. Beecher Hicks, Jr,  £Jesus Christ: King of the Ages, ¤ sermon at Baptist World Congress, Melbourne, Australia, January 5, 2000. [2] Quoted in Charles Stanley, Living Close to God (New York: Inspirational Press, 1996) 11.