James 3:1 My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.
This verse speaks to the weighty responsibility of the teacher and is a principle that carries over to other areas of ministry. I have felt this weight in a greater way in recent days as we began the ministry of Immanuel International Bible Institute. The accountability before God of being “masters” (which refers to those that instruct) is a very sobering and humbling thing. It is important to remember who it is that we represent and what it is that we are representing. “We are ambassadors for Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:20) and we claim to be Bible believers.
The importance of the ministry of Christ is bigger than any one individual and is a calling above any other. This does not mean we should shy away from our calling or responsibilities because of its weight, but it does mean that we are accountable to God for our words and deeds. When we get it wrong, it could have eternal consequences for someone. We are representing something of far greater value than just common day to day things. We must walk humbly with our God (Micah 6:8) and do what’s right. We must take our calling seriously and represent our God through the power that he supplies. To trust in ourselves is to trust in an insufficient source. We can only be what God wants us to be though our relationship with him.
Let me make one more point that has been the one that has weighed on me in recent days. In whatever capacity we serve the Lord, we must realize our own insufficiencies and not act as though we have a handle on everything. No matter how long we have been saved or how much we have done in the past, we are needy people in need of constant reliance upon the Lord. We don’t have all the answers, but we know the one who does. He has not only given us the truth in his holy word, but he is the truth. He is the source of enabling. He is the source of strength. He is our all in all. Consider this as you serve him. Consider this as you represent him in this present world. “In all thy ways acknowledge him.” (Proverbs 3:6)
In Christ’s Service,
Bro. Adrian Moore
2 Cor. 4:5
Comments