It is written when our Lord ascended up on high He gave gifts unto men, " He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ" (Eph. 4:11-13), expressing thus in those love gifts to His people, His love and care as the Good and Great Shepherd of His sheep. We will dwell for a space upon one of those gifts especially, that of the pastor, and his work. These love gifts were intended by Him to be with us till the end (Eph. 4:13).
When this dispensation runs its course, and the Church, the body of Christ, is completed, and the saints caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, service such as those gifts render now will be required no more. Yet as we look around us the great need rises up before the mind, and not one of those should we undervalue. As we move among the careless masses of the day, the cry goes up from many hearts for the Lord to raise up more evangelists, or if they are among us for the Lord to lay upon their hearts as a heavy burden their work, and send them forth among men to awaken the careless, set free the anxious, and win precious souls for the Lord Jesus. This truly is blessed work to be engaged in, work that is well pleasing to the Lord of life and glory.
But again, as we move among the various classes of the redeemed of the Lord, the desire also goes up to the throne of grace to see developed among His people the pastoral gift. Many of the people of God are destroyed for lack of knowledge and care. The gift of pastor is mainly for the people of God, though he may possibly also possess that of preacher and teacher. His work therefore as a necessity is more a hidden work and one that the public are less cognizant of, and therefore recognized mainly by the people of God among whom he labors. This in itself requires faith of another order from that of an evangelist; the fruit also is of another kind, and, as in all work, the heart needs patience in it and to wait upon the great Head of the Church till that day to see the fruit. We know the righteous Lord, who loveth righteousness, will pass nothing by done in His name. The work of each is before Him and as under His eye each is to serve, in that part of the field where the work of each lies. To one He entrusts the work of saving, to another cultivating and tilling and watering at times, and to others that of reaping, etc. Yet this matters not with the laborers, it is all the Master's planning. A careful reading of Rom. 12:; i Cor. 12:and Eph. 4:clears up these things for all who follow the word of truth.
The pastor now we will seek to follow. We believe the Lord, ever true in His care for His own, does not fail here. He gives the gifts, yet there seems everywhere the need and the lack of pastors. What is the reason, we might well ask, beloved. May it lead us to more serious inquiry. Is it not true that the gifts are still here? Yet lack of exercise of heart, and care for His interests keeps many from exercising this gift, and doing the work, and thus meet the crying need of the day. Let none think that it is only those who are wholly given up to the service of the Lord that can be termed pastors.
And may there not be a reason among the people of God themselves, in their lack of appreciation of such a blessed work? We believe such a work ought to be followed with the prayers and sympathies and also fellowship of God's people as much as that of the evangelist who occupies perhaps a more prominent place, especially before the public. We repeat, beloved, the crying need among the people of God, is the pastoral work, and that of teaching. The spirit of the day, if we are not kept in grace, lays hold upon the people of God and it is then very easy to depart from the spirit of Philadelphia to that of Laodicea "rich and increased in goods with need of nothing."
The Lord give His people exercise everywhere as to the great need of pastors and pastoral work, and cause the cry to rise from many hearts, Are we exercising the true pastoral care we ought ? Such passages as Jer. 3:15; 23:1-4; Ezek. 34:1-23, are profitable to study in this connection.
Now we will turn and trace out that pastoral care as seen in the model pastor of the apostolic age- Paul. He had the care of all the churches lying as a heavy burden upon his heart. In this connection it could be truly said, he was "a man after God's own heart."
An apostle he was, a preacher, and teacher also, yet he was nothing behind in his pastoral care and labor, as his labor in the Acts and Epistles fully demonstrates. We believe his first great missionary journey from Antioch (Acts 13:14, 26) was as an evangelist, yet after the dispute was settled at Jerusalem (chap. 15:) which tended to hinder this blessed work of grace, see the pastoral care of the apostle, " Let us go again and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they do." This desire was prompted by a heart that loved the people of God and because they were such-loved to see them, and know of their welfare ; and this love of Christ, the Head of the Church, which filled the apostle's heart, found its delight in moving among them and serving them for Christ's sake.
Next, we will turn to his written ministry under the guiding of the Holy Spirit, and see how at every stage of the journey in his service as teacher, the pastoral heart is manifest, and his care for the true spiritual welfare of what was to the Lord as dear as the apple of His eye, His redeemed and beloved people.
The first in order is, "To all that be at Rome, beloved of God, called saints" (Gk.). "Without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers." The apostle had never as yet visited the capital of the great Roman Empire, had never been privileged to sit with the saints in that city around the Lord's table, never privileged to bow in prayer nor minister the precious things of Christ, nor to sound out the gospel of glory within their hearing. Individuals among them he had seen in other places, and knew them. Yet he thought of them all, he loved them, they were dear to him, because dear to Christ, whom Paul knew so well, loved, and served with true devotion. From this first chapter also we learn he bore them upon his heart continually in prayer (ver. 9). Is not this where all true pastoral care begins,-to pray for the saints? Let us all lay this part of the pastoral exercise and service more to heart, to pray for the people of God.
Again he adds, "I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye maybe established" (ver. ii). This is a true pastoral desire; he longed to see their faces, to minister to them of the rich bounty bestowed upon him by the great Head of the Church, and to feed them with knowledge and understanding, a true pastoral desire (Jer. 3:15).
In this epistle (chap. 15:14) we learn the true condition of the saints at Rome. There was the need of the various lines of teaching as developed in the epistle in chaps. i-11:and the exhortations and care enjoined in chaps. xii-16:Yet he could add, " I myself also am persuaded of you my brethren, that ye are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another." Yet the apostle longed to see them, and also preach the gospel, and so have fruit to show there as among other Gentiles also.
The next in order are his epistles to the Corinthians. In this place (in sad contrast to those at Rome), serious evils had developed among them unchecked and unjudged, and the whole epistle expresses the pastoral care for that assembly, formed through the apostle's labors. To visit them under those circumstances would be no joy nor pleasure, yet we see his care for them. He wrote this letter calculated to set them right before God, and he adds here, "But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will." "What will ye? shall I come to you with a rod, or in love, and in the spirit of meekness" (chap. 4:19-21). How changed his language! how different! Yet from the same pen and prompted by the same pastoral heart, with a love many waters could not quench.
Why this change? were they not the people of God as well as those to whom he wrote in the former epistle ? Surely they were, as the second verse informs us, yet their condition, their walk, and practice were far different; hence they needed to be dealt with in a different way, he needed to pen an epistle with different words, a different line of ministry. Yet it was love and the care the apostle had for the people of God which led him to write both. Note the epistle well; the various evils which were manifest there and yet unjudged, all those things were too serious for the apostle to pass over lightly; he points them all out most carefully, and while he said he would come to them he desired one thing before he came, repentance and self-judgment.
Titus was sent to relieve the apostle's mind (2 Cor. 8:16, 17; 12:18), for day and night he labored in prayer for their deliverance. Titus, no doubt, was kept longer than the apostle had anticipated. He had great suspense at Troas insomuch that he could not pursue his gospel work, because there he met not Titus, and so he leaves this open gospel door behind him, and sails across the water to meet Titus in Macedonia (2 Cor. 2:12, 13; the map is a help here, to follow the journey of the apostle as well as that of Titus). In Macedonia he finds Titus, and good tidings are communicated concerning the saints at Corinth, and Paul is relieved and comforted. The model pastor's spirit is refreshed and strengthened.
If Paul had been compelled to go to Corinth with those evils still unjudged, he would have had to use the rod. This would have been a great grief for him. But now they having cleared themselves, he would go in love and minister the precious things of Christ so as to lead them on in the ways of the Lord. Two prominent lessons we glean from these two epistles to the Corinthians. In the first epistle, faithfulness and righteousness in dealing with the evils mentioned, love prompting him to act. These evils were not simply hearsay, they were well known. The apostle had full proof and they were not yet judged by them. For all this, God, in righteousness, desired brokenness, and self-judgment, and so did Paul.
Next, in the second epistle, when the apostle found there was the brokenness the Lord desired, how lovely to see the grace that reigns so supremely in his heart. Now it can flow out. This truly was grace reigning through righteousness, a principle ever true in the ways of God. The Lord keep us and hold us ever as a testimony as this model pastor was.
We would further note, in the apostle's care, he wrote the first epistle condemning the evils permitted. Next he desired Apollos to go there with other brethren, perhaps Titus, and another brother (i Cor. 16:10, 12; 2 Cor. 12:18). But, in this desire for them to go, it would be simply as servants to help to deliver the Corinthians from the evils, and in no wise to have fellowship with them while these evils were there, and unjudged. To go among evils, no matter how serious, to deliver the Lord's dear people, while refusing fellowship, might in many cases be right. This is left for the individual servant to decide. Apollos felt it a difficult work, and would not go; Titus felt free, and was helpful, and found the first epistle had been used of God. Hence, none, neither Paul, Apollos, Titus, nor any other brethren, were required to have fellowship with the Corinthians while these evils were there. Nor yet did the apostle desire Apollos to do so, but as a servant to minister at this critical time. This must always be distinguished. Service is one thing:fellowship is quite another. This is the lesson we would learn from the apostle's desire for others to go there; a lesson which ought to be plain to all. A. E. B.
(To be continued.)