Edwards on the Ministry (19)

His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 2 Peter 1.3, 4

Concerning this text, John Calvin wrote, “Let us then mark, that the end of the gospel is, to render us eventually conformable to God, and, if we may so speak, to deify us...when divested of all the vices of the flesh, we shall be partakers of divine and blessed immortality and glory, so as to be as it were one with God as far as our capacities will allow.” Edwards, speaking to ministers in his sermon, “Christ the Example of Ministers,” applied the text this way: “Christ has not only told us, but shown us, the way to success in our business, and the way to victory over all that oppose us in it. And our imitating Christ in our ministry, will be the way for us to be partakers with him in his glory; the way for us in like manner to be approved, and openly honoured and rewarded by God: the way to be brought to sit with Christ on his throne, as he is set down with the Father on his throne.”

That’s some pretty high-flying language. But it reminds us of the aim of our walk with and work for the Lord.

The end of Christian life is oneness with God, to be like Him “as far as our capacities allow” – for we must always remain creatures. Paul says the same thing, as does the apostle John. We have been redeemed and recreated in Christ Jesus to share in Him, in His life and His divine spiritual existence – His glory – that we might refract through our own lives His grace and truth in the world.

The glory of Christ is the Presence of Christ in the fullness of His deity – what the apostles experienced on the Mount of Transfiguration. It is a fearsome Presence indeed, as John reported in Revelation 1. But it’s where we belong! Ministers especially should know the Presence of Christ in His glory, in their times of reading and study, in prayer and worship, as they minister in His Name and power among the flocks of God. Jesus intends for us to share in His glory and to partake of Him by clinging to His promises and reaching out in faith, beyond our strength and abilities, to serve the people entrusted to our care.

This is true of each believer individually as well as each congregation of His Body and His Body as a whole. The key to this is laying hold on the promises of God, which are in Jesus “Yes” and “Amen.” Understand the promises, desire them as the framework for your hope, pursue them in all your thoughts and deeds, preach and teach them in Jesus - this is the way to become like Jesus and thus to know fullness of joy and pleasure forevermore.

Resources for Shepherds
As long as I have been a believer, Christians have been interested in the book of Revelation. And rightly so, I think. But a good bit of nonsense has passed for interpretation of that great book. Dr. Stan Gale, a Member of the Ailbe Board of Overseers, has written what I find to be a most accessible and helpful exposition of Revelation. His book, Re: Velation, would be an excellent resource for your preaching and teaching. And it’s on sale now at Stan’s publisher by clicking here.

If you haven’t visited our Resources for Shepherds page lately, I encourage you to do so. Some helpful reviews of books and articles, keen insights into the Word, and a raft of reliable websites to check out will greet you there. Here’s a page I encourage you to visit often.

We’re pleased to offer our free course, “Parameters of Prayer”, a six-lesson study that can help you stretch out and go deeper in your prayers. It’s a free resource you can use for leadership training or making disciples. Each of the six lessons has seven parts. Read and reflect, then answer the questions for discussion at the end. You can take the course on your own, or one of our Fellowship Brothers will happily meet with you via Zoom to review each lesson. If you’re interested, send an email to David Timbie at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Readers are available to work with you through the course, or you can take it on your own.

From the Celtic Revival
Great Christian leaders have always been able to discern the Presence of the Lord in the phenomena of the created world. This topic comes up not infrequently in the literature from the period of the Celtic Revival (ca. 430-800), albeit almost always en passant, as in this comment by Colum Cille, the founder of the Iona community:

Let the summits of heaven, too, praise you with roaming lightning,
O most loving Jesus, O righteous King of Kings.

  - Colum Cille, Noli Pater, Irish, 6th century[1]

How well tuned to the creation are you? Two books can help. Consider the Lilies is a plea for creational theology and presents the whys and hows for introducing this discipline into your daily life. Ray of Sun gives examples from Christian history and experience concerning how the sun has factored into the work of theologians, missionaries – including Colum – and even scientists. Both books are available free of charge by clicking here and here.

Sign-up at our website, www.ailbe.org, to receive Crosfigell every Tuesday and Thursday and learn more from and about the great leaders of the Celtic Revival.

For a brief introduction to the Celtic Revival, click here for a free copy of our PDF, The Celtic Revival: A Brief Introduction.

T. M. Moore

Cowper on Preaching
William Cowper, hymn writer and poet, offered some compelling and convicting insights into the work of preaching in his lengthy poem, The Task. Our book, An Essay on Preaching, arranges those excerpts into a concise overview of Cowper’s views on late 19^th century preaching in England. A free copy awaits you by clicking here.

Please pray
It is our privilege to provide resources and opportunities to equip and encourage church leaders in building the Lord’s Church and advancing His Kingdom. Please pray that God will move many of those we serve through this ministry to share with us financially in its support. If the Lord moves you to give, you can use the Contribute button at the website to give with a credit card or through PayPal or Anedot, or you can send your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 360 Zephyr Road, Williston, VT 05495.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

[1] Clancy and Márkus, p. 85.