(given on the occasion of the Induction of Rev. D. A. Ross to Bulawayo).
Thank you Mr Moderator for this opportunity — We read in the Word of God that when Christ ascended up on high, He gave gifts to men. “And He gave some apostles; some prophets; some evangelists, some pastors and teachers.” Eph. 4:11. This is what the Word of God as the Lord Jesus Christ instructed His own disciples: “Feed my — “Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift.” There is one gift which the Lord God has given to mankind, above every other gift and that is the gift of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. (John 3:16).
But the Lord gave also this kind of gift — the ministers of the Gospel who are to work in God’s house as Joseph was working in the house of Pharoah. His work was giving food to all who were hungry in the land of Egypt. You remember when his brethren were hungry and his father also was hungry they went to the land of Egypt where there was corn and they were fed. So also the servants of the Lord. They are instructed in the word of God as the Lord Jesus Christ instructed His own disciples. “Feed my lambs, feed my sheep.”
What is it that He has given His servants to do? It is the work of feeding. Surely then the sheep should be thankful to the Lord for giving them such a servant who will feed them, and warn them when they go astray. As far as man is concerned his worst enemy is that man who tells him the truth in connection with himself. If someone tells us exactly what we are without deceiving us, the general reaction is anger. Man is angry. He is annoyed, simply for this one reason that the truth has been told him. This should not be our line of thought, this should not be the line of thought of the congregation which has been instructed by the Lord of their duty towards their pastor. Congregations have a duty towards God who gave them this gift — the gift of a minister of the Gospel. They are to thank the Lord for such a gift. But the congregation has also a duty towards their pastor to help to support him. What do we mean by that? How may a congregation support the minister of the Gospel?
Friends, first and foremost the support that is needed is sympathy towards the work of the ministry. What is that? What is the work of the true minister of the Gospel? It is not silver and gold. He can say — “Of these have we none.” Rather His greatest task is the salvation of sinners. Dear friends you are supporting your minister when you are diligent at the means of grace, praying for the prosperity of Sion and presenting your body and soul at the means of grace showing diligence in love to the Saviour. There is nothing that rejoices the heart of the true minister of the Gospel more than to see poor sinners dutifully applying themselves in the work of the Gospel, seeking the Lord Jesus Christ with all their heart, diligently attending church services, prayer meetings and diligent in all that concerns the kingdom of Christ. Be sure then that you support your minister by being diligent in coming to church and in listening to the preaching of the Word. To him this is far greater than silver or gold — that any man, woman or child would have an interest in the cause of Christ. That is far sweeter than all the treasures, the silver and gold of this world wrapped up together. We count all these as trash and dross if compared to the soul that is searching for Christ. Therefore the first support that you can give the minister of the Gospel is by your own attention and by your attitude and interest towards the Cause of Christ. Your attention is superior to all else that you might give your minister, those things would be counted as dung and dross, when it is compared to your attention to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Also the congregation has a duty towards the minister of the Gospel in that each person prays privately before they go to hear their minister. They pray for the blessing of the Gospel; praying that the Lord would open their hearts so that they might hear to the saving of their own souls. When they have done that, does it not follow that a congregation will go to church in order to seek the Lord, in order to hear what the Lord God has to say to them? They sit upright and listen to what the Lord has to say through the ministry of the Gospel.
We find Peter when he went to the house of Cornelius who “prayed to God alway” that Cornelius said: “We are therefore all here present before God, to hear all things that are commanded thee of God.” Acts 10:33. This man whose eyes God had opened saw and discovered that Peter was a servant of the Most High God — that he was speaking on behalf of the God of Eternity. Therefore due listening, due attention is required when we are present at the preaching of the Gospel.
Congregations are also to help the ministry of the Gospel with whatsoever the Lord has given them by giving to the Cause of Christ in money. With whatsoever they have. “He that soweth sparingly, shall also reap sparingly, he which soweth bountifully shall also reap bountifully.” These matters are in the Bible. They are the instructions that we get from the Word of God that we support the Cause of Christ with our means and by our moral support, presenting ourselves as if we were saying to the Lord, “Lord, what wilt thou have me do in thy house? Here I am do with me as Thou pleasest.”
But notice that the man who is used by Satan will rise up against all this — and especially against whom will they rise up? In the majority of cases he will rise up against office bearers, and ministers of the Gospel. He enjoys their downfall, he enjoys running down their good name, that gives him great joy. Mark that man carefully — he is a servant of Satan. Woe to that man who delights to take the name of a minister, or the name of an elder to run them down. He is in danger of losing his soul. It is a dangerous business to entertain yourself with the running down of the ministers of the Gospel. You can never be employed more maliciously by Satan than to be employed in this work. If it gives you the greatest joy when a minister of the Gospel is being run down what a sad thing indeed.
Here then we have a minister among us and we should be thankful to the Lord who has given him to us here in Bulawayo and throughout the whole Mission in Rhodesia. As Free Presbyterians should we not rejoice in our very hearts that the God of Eternity has not left us alone without a minister of the Gospel. Friend there is nothing so great as that the Lord would give a congregation a country, a nation, a people, a society, a true minister of the Gospel — a man who is not ashamed to preach the whole counsel of God in our day and generation.
As far as the religion of our generation is concerned, we should put our hands upon our heads and weep tears for what is going on — the work of Satan. “Men are just carried to heaven drunk” — “Every man still living in sin just walks into heaven” — that is NOT the Gospel. The Bible makes it clear — “nothing that defileth shall enter into the presence of the Lord.” Man must be made holy in this world. He must be born again, he must be made a new creature in Christ Jesus before he will see heaven at all.
Is not our day a sad one. Africa our motherland and all lands have a hard time indeed when all kinds of missionaries have come from all parts of the world. People such as Jehovah’s Witnesses, Seventh Day Adventists and preachers of all such trash. But the Truth has been given to us. Should we not be glad and thank the Lord that a minister of the Gospel has been given to us, a man who will preach the everlasting Gospel? Therefore let us pray for him, and look after him and encourage him in that difficult task.