The work that the minister does cannot be separated from the life that he lives. That may be possible for other men, but not for a minister. A minister is responsible to live what he teaches.

I Timothy 4:14-16:
Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery
¹⁵ Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.
¹⁶ Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.

 The minister is to give himself wholly to the things of God so that his profiting may appear to all. The word “profiting” means “to change one’s state for the better by advancing and making progress” or “to pioneer advance into new territory.” When we meditate on God’s Word and give ourselves wholly to it we continue to advance and move to higher ground. Taking heed unto and continuing in the doctrine makes both the minister and those to whom he ministers whole. 

There is a great difference between age and maturity.  Age deals with quantity of time, and maturity deals with quality of experience. Not everyone that grows old has necessarily matured. One way to measure maturity is by the ability to make proper decisions and distinctions.

Philippians 1:9-11:
And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;
¹⁰ That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ;
¹¹ Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.

 Following are six areas where mature ministers will need to make proper distinctions.  Decisions in these categories will show maturity in ministry.

Activity or Ministry

Not all activity is ministry.  Ministry is service to others. Many times activity is detrimental and acts like a detour around real ministry.  Some parts of the ministry require little activity but much intensity. Activity is doing a job and being done with it, but ministry is sharing your life in service.  There is involvement and investment of oneself in ministry.

I Thessalonians 2:7,8:
But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children:
⁸ So being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us.

 A faithful minister is likened to a nursing mother. True ministry meets needs and glorifies God. Activity can fill a calendar, but does the activity genuinely meet the needs of those involved? When we walk by the spirit and stay “tapped into” God, there will be profit brought to people’s lives by the operation of the manifestations. A key to being successful is maintaining a quiet time with God. Of course, if our personal needs are not being met, it will be difficult to meet the needs of others.

Principles or Methods

 Methods may change, but principles never do. What methods work in one place may not in other places. Saul’s armor did not fit David. David went into battle with Goliath with what he had proven and was comfortable with. Methods must fit the man. The principles of courage and determination to stand for God, set David apart from the rest that were there. Like the husbandman in II Timothy chapter two, the minister must first be partaker of the fruits. Our principles of ministry arise from our own personal experience with God and His Word. Methods should be tested by our principles. Principles are the roots that cannot be shaken by every wind of doctrine.

Popularity or Success

We have little control over our popularity, but we have great control over our success. Our success is determined by our meditation upon and obedience to God and His Word (Joshua 1:7,8). Our concern should first be what does God want, not what do people want? What we do when no one is looking is as important as what we do in public. Character is built one decision at a time.  D. L. Moody once said, “If I take care of my character, then my reputation will take care of itself.” The most important part of my life is the part that only God sees.  If I fail in the secret place, I will eventually fail in the public place. Mature ministers are not quick to jump into the spotlight. Neither do they covet praise and success in the eyes of men or compare their work with others (II Corinthians 10:12, 18). When the Lord wants to build a ministry, He first builds the man (Matthew 25:21).

Opinions or Convictions

We must know the difference between prejudice, opinions, and convictions. Prejudice is an unthinking thing. It is buried in upbringing, and it is blind and dangerous. The words “I feel” may be an indicator of prejudice. Opinion is better educated. It is based on experience. It reveals itself when a man says, “I think.”  Conviction demands the true words, “I Know.” Maturity is tested by the way we react to those who disagree with us. Mature men are meek and open to truth. They want to learn more of God and His Word. Immature men think they are always right. A mature man is not afraid of change because he is anchored to the Lord. Learning usually always involves unlearning. Remember the counsel of Philipp Melanchthon:  In essentials, unity; in differences [arising from questions], liberty; in all things, charity.

Acting or Reacting

Men act and children react. Some reactions are good such as like not touching something that is hot.  We must act because we know what must be done. If we constantly react then we become a victim of circumstances. We must know ourselves, which includes our weaknesses as well as our strengths. A good lesson for us to learn is to listen without interrupting (Proverbs 18:13). We must think with our minds and not our emotions. We are to be Word conditioned, so we don’t complain about circumstances.  Immaturity thrives on excuses and maturity on challenges.  A mature minister knows where he is going, and those that follow him know he does. We set our priorities according to God’s Word, and do first things, first. We know what must be done first. This means allowing nothing to turn us from the task.

Dictatorship or Leadership

  A servant-leader depends on humility, prayer, and love; a dictator depends on pressure, force, and fear.  A leader goes before and encourages; a dictator stands behind and drives.  A leader leads by serving; a dictator expects others to serve him.  A leader rejoices when the Lord gets the glory and others the credit; a dictator takes both the credit and glory.  A leader builds people; a dictator uses people and drops them when he is through exploiting them.  What kind of people does our ministry attract?  A dictator needs “small people” who need security and the popularity of a great man.  A dictator needs people who are willing to lose their own identities as they inflate the ego of their hero.  A dictator wants to “cookie cut” his followers who try to imitate him.

  A true servant-leader needs people who believe in his causes and are willing to work with him to extend those causes.  A true servant-leader needs people who do not lose their identities in the leader, but they grow under his leadership.  A true servant-leader is one who grows other servant-leaders who mature under his guidance.  A servant-leader is harder on himself than others.  A dictator may take risk but he will not be willing to pay the price he asks his followers to pay.

Conclusion:

  We need maturity in ministry, and that comes from experience not age.  My daughter Christine has a quote at the end of her email from Abraham Lincoln that I love.  He said, “And in the end it’s not the years in your life that count.  It’s the life in your years.”  Those who choose to do God’s Word and will, will find themselves maturing far beyond their years.  Let’s follow Paul’s example of ministry.

Colossians 1:25-29:
Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God;
²⁶ Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:
²⁷ To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
²⁸ Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:
²⁹ Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.