(Excerpted from a sermon preached by John Rawlings at the Fundamental Baptist Congress of North America in Grand Rapids, MI, in October 1966.)
“There was a man sent from God, whose name was John” (John 1:6). God has never been in a position of helplessness. The Almighty God is in charge of the affairs of this universe. On occasions He uses angels to execute His will. Since God created the winds, He has the sovereign right to use them in the display of divine mysteries. It is not surprising to read in the infallible Word that hornets, flies, frogs, and serpents have been tools to work out in minute detail the plan of God. Earthquakes have been and will be the rod of wrath in the hand of a sin-hating Almighty.
God may use the elements to do some things. He may employ animals, insects, angels, even machines, to further the cause of righteousness. However, “His man” is the primary instrument used to carry out His will in this age of grace. God may use the serpent and the hornet, the wind and the earthquake; however, God’s man is His unique and grandest choice to tell the story of eternal redemption. Listen to Paul. “For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe” (1 Corinthians 1:21).
God started with Adam, not Gabriel, not some distant unknown angelic horde. Listen to these profound and significant assignments: “ … God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth” (Genesis 1:27, 28). This scripture is just the beginning of the assignment of responsibilities. God and His man are more than master and servant. “We are labourers together with God,” said the Apostle Paul.
The one great need in this tragic hour is for the man of God to assume the leadership divinely assigned to him by the Holy Ghost. America’s future is in the hands of God-called, Holy Spirit-energized young men who are not afraid to face an ecclesiastical dictator, a prating Diotrephes, and the unholy demon powers of the unseen world. God needs men with faith in the living God of Heaven to charge the enemy with the unsheathed sword of truth. May God give us in our generation some Gideons, some Elijahs, and some John the Baptists.
There are six indispensable essentials involved in the ministry of the man of God in the present crisis.
I. GOD’S MAN IS A WATCHMAN
It is dark; night is upon us. It is almost impossible to find our way. Truth lies in the street. Moral standards are disdained.
The prophet Isaiah, speaking to a complacent generation that bears a close resemblance to our own, said, “Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night? The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night: if ye will enquire, enquire ye: return, come” (Isaiah 21:11,12). God’s man Ezekiel was commissioned a watchman: “Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me” (Ezekiel 3:17). God’s man in this hour of spiritual darkness is a watchman. He is the torchbearer and preserver of all that is decent and honorable. “Ye are the light of the world.” “Ye are the salt of the earth.” Fundamental Baptists stand at the crossroads of history. We cannot ignore our place in the eternal plan of the Almighty.
Let me suggest that, though we are in the darkness, we not forget that the morning is coming. The Son of God was hanging upon the cross, the universe was in darkness; but we need not think only of the darkness. Thank God He did not die in the darkness. God removed the curtain and Jesus spoke the words, “It is finished,” in the light of day. Yes, our day is coming. Truth will ultimately triumph!
II. GOD’S MAN IS AN OVERSEER
He is not an overlord; he is an overseer keeping the flock. It is defined in scripture this way: “Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being ensamples to the flock” (1 Peter 5:2-3). What is the overseer’s responsibility?
A. He Must Feed the Flock
The reason for so many weak, struggling churches in our day is the lack of sound teaching. The hungry sheep look up and are not fed. Young seminarians have not been trained to do the job. We used to train preachers to preach in the seminaries; now we train technicians to run the machinery. They entertain the flock, but do not feed it. Some preachers want to shear the sheep and at the same time refuse to feed them. Ezekiel addressed himself to the same problem in his day: “And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks? (Ezekiel 34: 1-2).
Feed the flock of God, brethren. A strong Bible-centered ministry will build a strong Bible-believing, Bible-practicing congregation.
B. He Must Be an Example
An example of what? I think he is speaking of just plain old-fashioned, separated living. The man of God must set the example of tithing, family altar, and godly living. It has become fashionable in our day for God’s man, so-called, to drink, smoke, dance, attend the theatre, and God only knows what else. It is about time for the overseer to realize he is an example to the flock. A worldly overseer means a worldly church. A worldly church means a powerless church, and a powerless church is a disgrace to the name of Christ. If you are to challenge others to change, you must back your challenge by a life that is above reproach. Paul said, “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.”
C. He Must Rule Well His Own House
This is a very delicate subject. Since we are discussing the man of God, however, we cannot very easily bypass the solemn responsibilities that are ours at home. Some preachers who make a pretense of being a great success in the pulpit are miserable failures at home. The Bible says in no uncertain terms exactly what is expected of us. A bishop is “One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)” (1 Timothy 3:4,5).
D. He Must Not Be a Novice Lest His Pride Destroy Him
Pride has been the downfall of far too many men, men with great ability. God says pride goeth before destruction. When God gives His man success, immediately the demon of pride is there to tempt him. Did you hear about the preacher who was proud of his humility? The text said, “ … Lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.”
This generation can be turned from her terrible sins with God’s men standing in their place of responsibility. It is unthinkable for the man of God in this present crisis to take casually or carelessly his calling and assignments. This generation is our responsibility.
III. GOD’S MAN SHOULD BE A SOUL WINNER
The New Testament opens with the men of God going daily to the Temple and from house to house, giving testimony of the power of the gospel to save. It closes with the statement, “The Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come.”
A. He Is Held Accountable for the Spirit of Revival in the Local Church or the Lack of Revival That May Be Sapping the Strength of His People
When God’s man begins to say the days of revival are over, that you can’t have a mighty moving of the Holy Spirit in these days of apostasy, that he can’t get his people to work, that sinners don’t go to church anymore, his ministry will be robbed of its vitality. His power, like Samson’s, will depart from him. He will look at the giants in the land and ignore the promise of God that says, “ …We shall reap, if we faint not” (Gal. 6:9). “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58).
B. He Cannot Let Opposition Turn Him from the Mainstream of His Calling.
When the church begins getting folks saved — depopulating Hell and populating Heaven — then is when opposition comes. And when it comes, we must remember the words of the preacher, “He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap” (Ecclesiastes 11:4). The early disciples were persecuted and imprisoned, yet the Holy Ghost said, “Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word” (Acts 8:4). Persecution is the furnace which forges prophets.
C. He Is Called a Wise Man When He Is Discharging His Responsibility in the Harvest Field.
Solomon said, “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise” (Proverbs 11:30). Daniel said, “They that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever” (Daniel 12:3). Again, Solomon said, “He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed” (Proverbs 13:20).
D. God’s Man Sees the Harvest Fields as His Lord Sees Them.
Listen to the familiar words of Jesus: “Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest” (John 4:35). It is my deep and personal conviction that the United States and Canada have enough orthodox, Bible-believing, fundamental Baptist preachers to kindle fires of revival and bring a return to New Testament Christianity if we believe that it is our calling and responsibility to do it.
IV. GOD’S MAN IS A MESSENGER
The prophets in the days of Israel lived in times similar to ours. Spiritual declension was rampant. The flag of God’s people lay in the dust of forgotten promises. Some went so far as to say, “God is dead!” His laws had been forsaken. Temple worship was polluted. Israel had committed spiritual adultery. Where there should have been singing, there was weeping. Where there should have been riches, there was poverty. Where there should have been victory, there was defeat.
In that day God had His messenger. God had His message. God had His mission. We may suffer as did Jeremiah or Daniel. Imprisonment may come, but we must deliver our souls. The day may not be far away when we cannot protest publicly, but we must deliver our souls. We will be marked men by attending this meeting, but we must deliver our souls.
These messages of militancy and challenge may be a witness against us, but we must deliver our souls. We are scorned as fundamental Baptists by the so-called mainstream of Christianity, but we must deliver our souls.
V. GOD’S MAN IS A PROPHET
He is not so much a fore-teller as a forth-teller. The prophet’s message was judgment unto mercy. Always without exception, at times of great apostasy, judgment comes — wars, droughts, famines, pestilences, diseases. Starting with Noah and Enoch and coming down through scripture and the centuries past, without exception God’s men have stood like mighty oaks in the storms of religious controversy.
Our day is no exception. Emerging out of all the smoke and soot of religious confusion caused by the stampeding ecumenical movement, this great gathering is a living testimony of the predetermined will and plan of God. Our God is not without witness in these days. Our God is not their god. Our God is the God of the mountain. He is the God of the valley.
Brethren, let us arise and cross Jordan with Elisha. You remember as he stood by the brink of Jordan, “He took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters and said, Where is the LORD God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over” (2 Kings 2: 14).
Today God’s grace is just as sufficient as then. We have available at this very moment all the power and wisdom of the Almighty God at our disposal. Where is the Lord God of Elijah? He is still in the business of opening Jordans, destroying our pursuing Pharaohs in the Red Sea, slaying Sennacherib’s Assyrian hordes, and, by His omnipotent power, delivering His children from bondage and defeat.
VI. GOD’S MAN IS A PREACHER
God has no substitute. It pleases Him by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. Phonies in the pulpit today have tried to detour, bypass, camouflage, water down, cover up — anything to keep the preaching of the Word from having its God-honored place in the ministry and in the church. Youth meetings, children’s clubs, Sunday school programs of different sorts, ladies’ organizations, men’s meetings, and Christian films all may have their place. However, brethren, we are called to preach the Word. We must give preaching the preeminence God expects it to have in His church.
A. Preach the Word.
Thank God, we have the message. Think of the impossible task if we did not have the message. God has made it easy for us. No need to worry about what to preach. We have all God ever intended for us to preach. We don’t need a new translation or a new revelation as much as we need new inspiration to believe and preach what we already have.
The man of God in the present crisis must have absolute, unswerving love, loyalty, and faith in the Word of God. How can we expect to see men saved if we do not have faith in the Word and in the power of the Holy Spirit to use that Word to convict and awaken the sinner to his need of a Savior? Paul said, “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” His Word will not return void or fruitless. There is one thing God is duty-bound to bless, and that is His Word.
Brethren, don’t take lightly your calling. Remember, orthodoxy without Holy Spirit anointing and fire is dangerous. Great movements die because God’s men let them die. The message in Josiah’s day was lost in the neglected ruins of the Temple. I fear that in many fundamental Baptist churches the Word has been lost amid the rubble of unnecessary activities. God’s men are busy here and there and are not preaching the Word with power. In some cases, outside pressures and inside opposition have caused God’s man to water down, soften, compromise, and refrain from fearless preaching that convicts the sinner and rebukes the sinning saint. My brother, stand!
B. Preach with Power.
From the lips of our risen Lord comes this message, “But ye shall receive power …” That giant in the pulpit said, “My speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power.” Again, he reveals the secret of the success of his ministry: “For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake” (1 Thessalonians 1: 5).
C. Preach with Wisdom.
The dying deacon, Stephen, was God’s man in the time of crisis. The Spirit described this fearless soldier of the cross: “And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people. … And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake” (Acts 6:8-10). It is enough to make us hide our faces in shame as we consider the price this man paid to stay true to the Scriptures. What price have we paid to defend the truth? We are reminded by the Scriptures, “Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.” God’s man must have wisdom and power to meet the enemy and overcome him. Our conflict today is real. Our enemies are committed to our destruction. It is a death struggle; both cannot win. One will go down to utter defeat. As I understand the Scriptures, God’s man must have courage in the face of danger, disappointments, and even death.
D. Preach To Get Results.
It is not enough to be orthodox, faithful, bold, determined, or even great in faith. It is love for a lost world that pleases God. It is one thing to talk about the spiritual darkness of the 20th century, but it is another thing to be a light of life to lost men.
There are many men of God who are clean and honest with their fellowmen, kind and gracious with their families, respected highly in their communities, above reproach in the pastorates. But when it comes to the weightier matter of winning souls, you conveniently find other things to do. Occasionally you may win one in a service, but you do not consistently carry the gospel into homes, hospitals, service stations, on the street, or in the jails. No, you are not found there. The great commission has become “the great omission” in many preachers’ lives. God have mercy on that highly trained, educated, refined, gifted preacher whose heart is not broken for a lost world.
How many have you won and baptized this year? Do you remember what the results were last year? Is your heart broken if people are not saved in every service where an invitation is given? How many men do you know personally who are lost? Have you tried to win them? You will never convince me that Jesus is not as interested in the harvest today as He was during His earthly ministry.
In this Book, God’s inspired, infallible Word, there is an answer for this meeting. There is an answer for God’s man in the present crisis. “And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest” (Matthew 9: 35-38).