My Thoughts On What the Ministry Is

I am on holidays and like always I meditate on the pastoral ministry. Here are my thoughts on what the pastoral ministry is. Perhaps a young man will be encouraged to take up this work.

The pastoral ministry is filled with great joy and trials; and it is a very great work in our world. But why? Here is my answer in summary. The purpose of a Christian pastor is this: the pastor is a servant of Christ and a shepherd of God's people, responsible for proclaiming the gospel and protecting the church from spiritual predators. His work is to declare the glory and power of God in preaching, teaching, and pastoral care. In all this he works for the salvation of the elect. But also in his work he brings Jesus Christ's lordship into the world as he tells of God's grace in Christ. Week after week, year after year in the empowerment of the Holy Spirit he serves people Jesus. Lastly his pastoral ministry is always done together with the rigorous study of Scripture, prayer, and preaching.

God’s sovereignty over evil is beautiful and comforting.

Here is another tid bite of wisdom from Stephen Charnock on God and his control even over evil.

"If we deny God the government of sin in the course of his providence, we must necessarily deny him the government of the world, because there is not an action of any man’s in the world, which is under the government of God, but is either a sinful action or an action mixed with sin. God therefore in his government doth advance his power in the weakness, his wisdom in the follies, his holiness in the sins, his mercy in the unkindness, and his justice in the unrighteousness of men; yet God is not defiled with the impurities of men, but rather draws forth a glory to himself, as a rose doth a greater beauty and sweetness from the strong smell of the garlic set near it."

God's Providence and Sin: He even brings it to glorify him.

This is an encouraging word from Stephen Charnock on the providence of God and his sovereignty over evil.

God by his providence draws glory to himself and good out of sin. It is the highest excellency to draw good out of evil, and it is God’s right to manifest his excellency when he pleases, and to direct that to his honour which is acted against his law. The holiness of God could never intend sin as sin. But the wisdom of God foreseeing it, and decreeing to permit it, intended the making it subservient to his own honour.

Charnock, S. (1864–1866). Vol. 1: The Complete Works of Stephen Charnock, Volume 1–5 (29).