Cowper on Paul on Preaching (12)
…and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry… Ephesians 4.11, 12
He ’stablishes the strong, restores the weak,
Reclaims the wanderer, binds the broken heart,
And arm’d himself in panoply complete
Of heavenly temper, furnishes with arms
Bright as his own, and trains, by every rule
Of holy discipline, to glorious war
The sacramental host of God’s elect:
Are all such teachers?—would to Heaven all were!
William Cowper, The Task (1785)
They who are being sanctified must also be outfitted for service—“furnished with arms”, as Cowper put it. Preaching can provide fuel for the Spirit’s work of sanctifying His people, and also to equip them for works of service in their own peculiar spheres of influence (2 Cor. 10.13-18). The saints must be trained, “by every rule/Of holy discipline”, for those works of ministry peculiar to their calling.
For God’s people to be ready and willing for the ministry opportunities that will be presented to us, we must have a clear understanding of how to employ our words and deeds in ministering God’s grace and truth. Left to ourselves, we may in time figure out ways to fulfill this aspect of our calling. But preaching can provide more specific instruction to move the “sacramental host” of God’s people to ministry as a way of life. Shepherds must be bold to challenge and call people to such works, and clear in spelling out what those works entail.
Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan is an example of encouraging hearers to specific good works. Every passage of Scripture can contribute to the equipping of God’s people for works of service, but it is a skilled preacher’s privilege to draw out meanings and applications that can inform and motivate the saints for obedience (Heb. 10.24). Every sermon should include examples and instruction of the “Go thou and do likewise” nature.
Thus, as the saints are being equipped with holy, blameless, and excellent character, we may also be led to express our sanctification in good works of love.
Resources for being and making disciples
Pastor to Pastor Podcast: Continuing our conversation with Pastor Jesse Slusher, we discuss some of the trials and struggles he has faced in forty years of ministry at the same church. Click the link at the top of this issue to listen in.
Other columns of interest: This week: In our ReVision column we consider how to improve our use of the mind of Christ. Our Read Moore podcast pursues readings from the book, The Joy and Rejoicing of My Heart. Our Crosfigell teaching letter is studying the spiritual poetry of the Celtic Revival. And in our daily Scriptorium column we are working through Matthew 21. Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you.
The Ailbe Bookstore: How can we equip the people of God to become more confident and consistent in their witness for the Lord? Two free books can help. You can download The Confident Witness and Let God Be True from The Ailbe Bookstore. Download both and share them freely with others.
Resources for Shepherds: Are we being faithful to the life and ministry patterns and practices God has revealed in His Word? Our book, Fan into Flame is designed to provide shepherds an opportunity to review, assess, and improve all the facets of their ministry. Download a free copy from The Ailbe Bookstore by clicking here. Have a look at our free church appraisal resource, ReThinking Church. To what extent, and in what specific ways have we drifted from the New Testament model for doing church? ReThinking Church Appraisal Tool can help you answer that question for your church.
From the Celtic Revival
Spiritual Poetry of the Celtic Revival
The radiance of Christ’s face,
beautiful before all things,
let us seek more earnestly
than the frail flower of flesh…
From the things of earth, lift up
the eye of your heart, of faith:
love the most loving of hosts—
the company of angels.
– Columbanus, “Poem on the World’s Impermanence” (ca. 700 AD)
This poem was probably meant for singing, although we do not know what melody or neumes it used. The thrust of this poem is to compare the transitory things of earth with the glories of heaven, to encourage believers to set their minds on the things that are above, where Christ is seated in heavenly places, and where we have been seated with Him (Col. 3.1-3; Eph. 2.6).
This is an important theme in Celtic Christianity, as we see throughout the literature and artwork from the period. Faith depends on a clear and compelling vision of unseen things (Heb. 11.1); but we are surrounded every day by the things of earth and all the distractions and temptations those things present. Columbanus appears to have intended his poem as a kind of antidote to the lusts of the eyes. He urges us to see with the eye of the heart—the eye of faith (Eph. 1.18)—into the glories of the unseen realm. With these as our focus and north star, we can resist the allure of the world, the flesh, and the devil, and live in the fullness of eternal life here and now.
You can read the whole article by clicking here.
Subscribe to Crosfigell and join us for this entire series on spiritual poetry of the Celtic Revival. Scroll to the bottom of the home page, www.ailbe.org.
Resources from the Celtic Revival (ca. 430-800 AD)
Learn more about Colum Cille and his powerful ministry by downloading a free copy of our 30-day devotional history, Colum Cille. Click here to get your copy.
T. M. Moore
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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
