YOUR PEOPLE PROVE YOUR MINISTRY
Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some, letters of commendation to you or from you? You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men; being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.
~2 Corinthians 3:1-3
Graduating from The Master’s Seminary was, in many aspects, a very “normal” graduation. Take away from the fact that it was an event celebrating the completion of training in which men from all different ages, races, and socio-economic backgrounds were trained to handle the very Word of God with precision and accuracy, the logistical aspects of the ceremony were typical of any other graduation – whether it be one amongst high school youth or graduate-school scholars. There was the marching of the graduates upon that famous graduation song, the wearing of the caps and the gowns, the handing awarding of the diplomas (in our case, they were merely certificates as the diplomas were to be sent through the mail), words of exhortation and encouragement by the institution’s president, and a flurry of flowers, cheers, and kisses from the graduates’ family and friends. Oh, and did I forget to mention that those students who graduated with honors were granted the privilege to wear golden sashes over their shoulders? I must also mention that each of these students were recognized upon their receiving of their diplomas regarding their having graduated with honors – specifically whether they graduated “cum laude,” “magna cum laude,” or “suma cum laude.” The morning after, when Kathy and I were conversing about the ceremony in the elevator as we were getting ready to check out of our hotel, she asked me about the golden robes and the recognition of those who graduated with honors.
“So what exactly does it mean when a student from the seminary graduates with honors?” she inquired. Recalling Dr. Mayhue’s explanation, I responded:
“It means that a student graduated with a G.P.A. equal to over a 3.6. If they graduated with a 3.7, they graduate cum laude. If they graduate with a 3.8, they graduate magna cum laude. And if they graduate with a 3.9, they graduate suma cum laude.” She looked at me with a somewhat puzzled look. I suppose she was trying to make the connection between high G.P.A.’s and faithfulness in the kind of ministry she had seen her husband engaged in for the last how many years. After a few seconds, she made her conclusion.
“So…(referring to the honors graduates)…all it means is that they know how to study, right?” It was to this that I soberly answered:
“Yep…and not much more than that.”
I had forgotten to mention that there was something extraordinary about that graduation ceremony; I had forgotten to mention that while it is not extraordinary for the institution’s president to give a message, the message that he gave was anything but ordinary. The message he gave was a message from God’s holy Word – namely a message from 2 Corinthians 3:1-3. It was Paul’s very own letter to the Corinthians, telling them the source of confidence that he held regarding the success and sincerity of his ministry:
“Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some, letters of recommendation to you or from you? You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men; being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.”
How do you measure the success and sincerity of a minister? How do you differentiate from a true pastor called by a God and a phony one out to pursue self-glory? Was the fact that these men graduated the proof that they were now true ministers of the gospel? Was completing a degree God’s stamp of commendation that these men were now fit for ministry? Even more, was the fact that some men graduated with honors an indication that these men were more fit – more called by God – for the ministry than others? If we are to be honest with ourselves, we tend to measure success in ministry at times by things like golden robes and diplomas – commendations made by man which are, while by no means evil, merely temporary. In the end, what is the measure by which a man be commended for his ministry? Which ministry is to be commended, and which one to be rejected? How does the sovereign God measure the integrity of a man’s ministry? Is not the question that 2 Corinthians 3:1 asks? “Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some, letters of recommendation to you or from you?” What is the proof, that a man has a ministry that God would find commendable?
The answer – seen so clearly in 2 Corinthians 3:2-3 – is simple. The commendation of a man’s ministry is the growth of the people to whom he has ministered. “Success” in ministry is not measured by GPA’s, diplomas, or any other man-made awards that are here in this life and will burn in the next. The pastor who graduated with a 4.0 is, from this slice of the pie, no more successful than the pastor who graduates with a 2.0. While it can be proven that the former is a better test-taker and paper-writer, the measure of their ministries comes not from their grades, but rather from the growth in holiness of those to whom they have preached and ministered God’s Word. A pastor who has had his official pastoral title for 40 years is no more of a success than one who has had it for 4 years; all it means is that the latter is older. The question is not how long one has been in the ministry, or how good he is as a preacher. The question is, “to what degree as the people to whom he ministers conformed to Christ?”
When judging the sincerity someone’s ministry – whether it be your pastor’s or your own – the focus should not be on the external accomplishments that can be written on paper and then later thrown in the trash. The focus should be on the people. How do you know that, in your ministry, you are indeed excelling in what you are doing and are commended by God? First, stop looking at yourself and how good you may think you look. Second, look at the people to whom you minister. Have they grown? Are they learning to flee from worldliness and daily learning to pursue holiness? Have they given up earthly treasures for eternal ones? It doesn’t matter if they think your sermon was good. What matters is if your sermon helped them to change. It doesn’t matter if your ministry esteems the way they think about you. What matters is if your ministry humbles the way they think about themselves. It is of less concern if they think that, through your ministry, you are a true man of God (though this may still be important). What matters more is if they, through your ministry, are ever-so striving to be men and women of God themselves. A good preacher is measured not by his oratory skills, but rather the degree to which his people are convicted to submit to the Word of God. To measure a pastor’s faithfulness, it matters not whether or not his church has a men’s ministry. Instead, look at the lives of the men that he has discipled. It matters not if what a pastor’s people think of him because of his ministry. What matters more is what the pastor’s people think of Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
Over the course of the last four years, I have personally had a chance to formally invest in and individually disciple twenty-four men and counting. So often, people approach me and say, “JR, that’s crazy that you disciple so many guys.” To this, I never respond with comments such as, “Well, you know, I’m just an awesome guy, aint I? Who else has discipled twenty-plus guys individually?” Such a response would be foolish and self-deceiving. Instead, my normal responses are more along the lines of: “It’s amazing to see how _______ has grown. I met him when he was a really young believer. Now, he’s my ministry partner!” Quite frankly, I don’t care how many men I can say I’ve had a chance to meet up with (I only started counting because people keep asking). My greater concern is whether or not the men I have discipled are now able to live their lives apart from my ministry in a manner that truly brings honor to Jesus Christ. I find my commendation not in my GPA (though I did get to wear that golden sash) nor in the number of sermons that I’ve preached nor in the number of small groups I’ve led nor in the number of ministries I oversee nor in the number of men who I discipled and am discipling. I didn’t go to The Master’s Seminary to get a diploma, nor did I go to somehow attain the pastor title. I went so that I would be equipped to minister the Word of God to the people of God, that they may worship and be conformed to the Son of God. I find my commendation in this, and in this alone: “Are the men and women to whom I have ministered loving Jesus Christ and looking like Jesus Christ more today than they were when I first began to minister to them?”
