Fanning the Flame of Ministry

One of the more notable English delegates to the Synod of Dort, John Davenant, makes the observation that the Apostle Paul, when affixing his name to his office as Apostle, does so not only to remind his readers of his office – bestowed upon him by the risen Christ – but also to remind himself! “Paul affixes the name of his office, that he might excite and stir up himself, to fulfil the work of an Apostle. For, in calling himself an Apostle, he owns that the duty of preaching the Gospel was entrusted to him; and woe unto him, if he did not perform it.”[1]  This is a striking comment because, if true, it reminds us of Paul’s humanity, his weakness, and certainly his daily struggle to fulfill the work of a shepherd. In other words, if this was true of the Apostle Paul how much more ought pastors today “excite and stir up” themselves unto their own ministry?
            This is certainly what Paul must’ve meant when he wrote to Timothy, reminding him to “fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control” (2 Tim. 1:6-7). In other words, a significant aspect of a pastor’s ministry is his ability to not only remember his station and calling but to keep the fire of zeal hot. Fan into flame the gift of God.
            Calvin’s comment on this injunction is helpful: “The more abundantly that Timothy had received the grace of God, the more attentively... he ought to be in making progress day to day... This exhortation is highly necessary; for it usually happens, and may be said to be natural, that the excellence of gifts produces carelessness, which is also accompanied by sloth; and Satan continually labours to extinguish all that is of God in us. We ought, therefore, on the other hand, to strive to bring to perfection everything that is good in us, and to kindle what is languid; for the metaphor, which Paul employs, is taken from a fire which was feeble, or that was in course of being gradually extinguished, if strength and flame were not added, by blowing upon it and supplying new fuel.”[2]
            I want to offer six ways wherein a pastor can fight sloth, supply new fuel, and fan into flame the gift of God given so as to fulfill his ministry. These are not quick tips and tricks, little gimmicks to excite sleepy pastors. No, these are broad principles, well-trodden paths that pastors should walk down often to maintain true zeal. As Thomas Murphy reminds pastors, “The interests committed, in a most important sense, to this office are such as may well lead him who holds it to seek every possible help in the discharge of its duties. These interests are unspeakably momentous.”[3] Here are six paths of help.

Know the Word
            The first help offered should come as no surprise, since it so well-known as to be a truth always assumed, yet I dare not neglect it. And it is this: to daily commit yourself to reading, studying, and meditating on God’s life-giving word. “The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes” (Ps. 19:7-8). What could be better, more reviving, more rejoicing, more enlightening than God’s revitalizing and rejuvenating word? It is the greatest source of spiritual life, for through it the Holy Spirit – the Author and perfect Wielder of this great sword – loves to pierce through soul and spirit and bring about the fruit of faith.
            Read, read, read, dear Pastor. Put down your phone and read! Is your tired heart beginning to find more joy in the things of this world then in the business of heaven, given to you as a pastor? “In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches. I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways” (Ps. 119:14-15). “Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls” (Jer. 6:16).
            Connected with this is the habit of reading good commentaries on the Word. I don’t mean for sermon prep; I mean for heart-enriching fodder. Particular commentaries – like the Banner of Truth’s Geneva Series commentaries, or John Calvin’s commentaries and sermons – are like older, seasoned pastors preaching to you one on one. Let them expound God’s word to your tired heart.

Kneel in Prayer
            It is a well-known truth that those called to be pastors must “devote [themselves] to prayer and to the ministry of the word” (Acts 6:4) with the idea of “devote” being a continual exercise. And certainly, a large part of this prayer is prayer for and on behalf of the sheep within your congregation. This is the hard work of prayer which, if done well, tires out the man of God. But ought not the pastor also pray for his own soul and life, finding in his closet fresh resources and remedies for his weariness?
            Of course, our Lord was known to retire alone and pray to His Father in the midst of his busy ministry (Mk. 1:35). Indeed, it seems that when the cares and duties of ministry were at its busiest, Jesus found strength in prayer. “But now even more the report about him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities. But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray” (Lk. 5:15-16). If Christ, the Chief Shepherd, was in need of the benefits that come from prayer, how much more do under-shepherds today?
            Specifically, pray for the help that comes from the Holy Spirit. When asked by his disciples how they should pray, Jesus culminates his answer with these words: “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Lk. 11:15). The Spirit, God Himself, is He who empowers and gives life to all ministry. The Spirit revives ministers and brings revival to churches. It is the Spirit who makes the preached word effectual. It is the Spirit who sustained Jesus in the wilderness and continues to sustain ministers now. And, indeed, it is the Spirit who motivates and enables true prayer. Do you find it hard to pray? Ask for the Spirit. Are you distracted and tired in your prayer? Ask for the Spirit. “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought...” (Rom. 8:26).
           
Kill Sin
            Nothing kills a man and his ministry more than sin. Sin is a retardant to the fire and flame of pastoral ministry. It sucks the air and life out it. Obviously, then, killing sin must be a top priority for any gospel minister. But here let me prescribe a few words on this from the Bible’s emphasis on vigilance and sober-mindedness, using the metaphor of drunkenness as a picture for the dulling and deadening effects of sin. Peter, perhaps still exhorting the elders, writes “Be sober-minded; be watchful” (1 Pet. 5:8). So too, Paul: “let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation” (1 Thess. 5:6-8). A pastor – as the watchman over the walls of his church – must, more than anyone else, stay vigilant and watchful, not giving into sin and intoxicating himself under its deceptive sway. This is Jesus’ injunction to us: “Watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life... stay awake at all times.” (Lk. 21:34-36).
            The image is a good one: sin dulls and makes a man sleepy to his calling. It weighs him down and keeps him from watching over his own life and his sheep. Therefore, be vigilant and kill sin![4]

Keep Company
            Here I have the idea of that “Company of Pastors” that gathered with Calvin in Geneva.[5] But even more fundamental than that is the very biblical and divinely designed band of brothers that make up a church’s session of elders. Here, the fellow elders of a church serve as a most encouraging help for a pastor. Speaking to the elders in Ephesus, Paul writes to them to “pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God” (Acts 20:28). Paul is clear: they are to diligently watch over each other, caring for one another just as they, collectively, care for the flock. This is God’s designed way wherein a pastor finds sustenance, strength, and support from fellow ministers within the same church and facing the same struggles. These are men that should know you the best and have a clear path to your heart: either to speak hard truths or encouraging words.
            More broadly though, yes, it is good to find sweet fellowship with other like-minded pastors in your area. Men with whom you can meet, both laying out your burdens but also be an encouragement to.  Whether it be a more formal association or an informal monthly gathering for lunch, fellowship with other brothers-in-arms fuels a man to keep going, fanning the flame of the gift of God within him. Are not ministers called to “to support people like these [other fellow ministers], so that we may be fellow workers for the truth” (3 John 8)?
           
Keep Working
            In a day and age where cliches like “rhythms of rest” (whatever that means) are bandied about, encouraging already lazy ministers to be even more “mindful” of rest, it seems that taking the opposite approach is better.[6] This fifth help is to remind ministers that the sin of laziness really is a yeast that spreads into a man’s entire life and can quickly undermine and even annihilate a fruitful ministry. Conversely, active, diligent commitment to the work grows the muscles of faithfulness and tends to encourage a man to work even more! “My beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain” (1 Cor. 15:58). Always abounding. This is Paul’s encouragement to Gospel ministers, advice he himself lived by (2 Thess. 3:7-9)!
            There is something beautiful when hard work zeros-in the mind of a man and all distractions float away. There’s almost this mysterious “unction” at work within him as he himself works to serve Christ’s sheep. “It is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Phil. 2:13). This is why Paul asserts that a pastor must be “self-controlled” and “disciplined” (Titus 1:8) - he is to be a man who can keep on working, self-motivated to pursue the duties of ministry. Pray for this. Fan this particular fire within your heart. The great irony is that the harder a minister works throughout the week, the more he will long for and enjoy the sanctifying rest that comes to him Sabbath day after Sabbath day.

Kiss the Son
            Lastly, a godly minister must keep his heart warm as he continually pursues and grows closer Christ his Savior. I take the title “kiss the Son” from Psalm 2:12, “Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.” Closeness to Jesus is the telos of every Christian and ought to be the highest prize of every minister. How can he lead other sheep to enjoy that which is absent in his own heart? It is refuge in the Son which fuels everything else listed before. Jesus is the source and center of a minister’s life and practice. And, coming off the heels of the previous help given, what better Day to find refuge in Jesus than on the Sabbath? Rest in Christ is offered to ministers on that day too!
            Consider Demas who ministered well for a while (Col. 4:14; Phil 24), yet in the end made a shipwreck of his faith precisely because he loved this world more than Christ! Oh, for an ever-present communion with Jesus Christ, who alone will sustain a man, not just through ministry, but through this life and into the next! Even the minister who has served Christ for 40 plus years is still in need of ever closer communion with his Savior (Heb. 2:2).

Conclusion
            There are certainly many other helps that can be examined: reading good biographies, the importance of physical health, thinking through sabbaticals, the goodness of a help-meet found in a godly wife! At the end of the day though, when a minister lays down his head on the pillow and recounts his activities (and no doubt repents of much as well), it is to the saving and sustaining grace of Jesus Christ, the One in whom he finds rest for his wearied soul, that gives the man of God just enough fuel for another day’s work. “Give us this day our daily bread” is the daily prayer of a needy minister.