Richard Baxter’s eighth and final point of introspection for ministers will most assuredly be a controversial one, but one that likely holds some measure of truth and is worth serious consideration from all men, not simply ministers. The point goes like this:

“The souls of your hearers and the success of your labours, do very much depend upon your self-examination.”

Can a person ever expect God to bless their work? Well, that’s probably questionable, I think so. But we can pretty confidently say that a truly unsanctified man can almost definitely not expect that God will bless his work. So the point stands, that if a minister of the Gospel truly wishes for success in his ministry, that is, sinners coming to know the Lord and saints growing up to maturity therein, he will certainly see his own sanctification among the highest priorities.

Although I do not want to place too much emphasis there so as to ascribe irrefutable truth to it, I have seen this principal play out in my own ministries. At times when I was personally walking closely with the Lord and undergoing his sanctifying work, I saw my ministry endeavors flourish and the people involved grow, while the inverse was also almost universally true.

I feel that while the universality of Baxter’s final statement may come under scrutiny, it certainly shouldn’t be put out entirely. It deserves heavy consideration.

Jesus, I pray again for the sanctification of your ministers. Jesus, I pray that you would put it on their hearts to seek and to seek out their sin. I pray that in you, it would be mortified, and so us in their congregations may also benefit from their walk with you. Jesus, I pray that you would also sanctify me, the rest of your church, for you glory God!

Richard Baxter’s seventh point of introspection for ministers of the Gospel goes:

“The honour of your Lord and Master, and of His holy truth, doth lie more on you than other men.”

Christians are sons and daughters of God. As believers we are reborn. In much the same sense that people are born the first time bearing the image of God—in a general sense—we are now reborn bearing even more specifically the image of God in our hearts. The metaphor of the son in scripture carries with it this idea. The son bears the image of the father. Where the son is disgraced so is the father, where the son is shamed, the father also bears this shame. Have you ever heard the phrase “bringing shame to the family name”? It’s a similar idea.

As Christians, we have been transferred from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of God’s son, Jesus. We are considered sons and co-heirs with Christ. As such, we have all of the privileges and responsibilities that come with the territory. We have the obligation not to bring disgrace to God. Think back to our family, the Church’s, history. Our brothers and sisters have committed heinous crimes, and the world equates them to God. The Crusades; how many think of the crusades, the bloodshed and violence, and somehow come away from that believing that God is not who he claims to be? Granted, many at that time were not true brothers. What about the early American settlers who acted superstitiously towards some women calling them “witches”? Or what about today, every time an unbeliever finds himself in an unloving, uncaring, uncompassionate church congregation? They do not walk away thinking, “These people are not very friendly.” They walk away thinking, “God is not who he says he is.”

So all men bearing the title Sons of God, true Christians, do have the responsibility to live a life that reflects God; to bring honor to his name. This is a responsibility we take on the moment we find ourselves as part of his family. However, for ministers, this is all the more true. A minister of the Gospel carries God, not only in his classification, but very specifically in all of his workings. While, one person may serve tables to the glory of God, and so silently serve God, the minister of the Gospel is not under that obscurity. Every action is a vocal expression of his connectedness to Christ. So even the smallest misstep brings great disgrace to God.

Jesus, I pray that for the sake of your glory, you would sanctify your church. Sanctify especially your ministers. Help us, by your power, to take our bearing of your image very seriously. Let us never walk lightly with such precious cargo as your reputation. Jesus, I acknowledge that you have every power and ability to make your name great, regardless of me or anyone else, and I thank you that you would give me the privilege of bearing your image. Jesus, for your glory, help us to do that well.

Richard Baxter’s sixth point of introspection for ministers is something abstract. It goes like this:

“Your sins are more aggravated than those of other men. They have more hypocrisy in them.”

When a man knows full well that he should not covet, however does it anyways, his sin is much more criminal than had he not known in the first place. So it is with ministers. When you preach week in and week out against all kinds of sins and for so devoted and passionate a life for Christ, anything less than to fully heed your own words makes your own sin terribly aggravated; it makes its offense that much worse. Far worse than had you never spoken about it in the first place. Of course that in no way means ministers should not speak out—no, it means simply ministers should be all the more diligent to mortify their flesh.

In addition to that, to be a minister and to still to entertain and court with sin is exceedingly hypocritical. Once again, where to simply be a Christian and sin is hypocrisy, the sin is much greater when your job itself is to help lead others away from sin into a more vibrant walk with the Lord. So a minster should be ‘above reproach’ (2 Tim. 3:2), not only that his sins would not be seen, but truly expelled from his person.

Jesus, I pray that you would sanctify the minsters of your Gospel. Jesus, I pray that you would lead them to be above reproach, filled with love, compassionate, and passionate about following your commandments to love you (so as not to sin) and to love others (so as to give themselves up). Jesus, help us to be gracious and merciful to our ministers and to love them as brothers; when they fall in hypocrisy, help us to lift them. Jesus, when we fall in hypocrisy, help them to lift us.

The fourth point of introspection for ministers was well covered in yesterday’s post, so I will continue today with Richard Baxter’s fifth point of introspection for ministers of the Gospel:

“Many eyes are upon you, and therefore there will be many to observe you falls.”

This is an excellent mercy from God. Sin is a dreadful thing that threatens so much of our comfort and joy in the Lord. Having so many eyes upon you leaves you with many accountability partners. Anything that can help us to abstain from sin is an excellent mercy and it should be embraced.

When leading a small group a while back it was a time that I enjoyed an easier height of holiness. Teaching week in and week out about the Christian’s walk, causes the obvious sins to be exposed regularly to the light and as such there is greater motivation to withdraw from them. Of course, that doesn’t always lead a minister to stand against the more subtle sins of the heart, however, if he wishes to keep his hands clean, he’ll have to endeavor for a clean heart as well.

Jesus, I pray for the ministers of your Gospel in your church that you would remind them of the scrutinizing eyes they lay under. Use those eyes to compel them to expel sin from their lives and so descend more deeply into you and your word. Give us grace God to walk this life in a manner, with a heart, glorifying to you.

Richard Baxter’s third point of introspection for ministers follows:

“(You) have greater temptations than most men.”

The first two of Baxter’s points had a pretty good application for every Christian, being that on some level all are called to minister. However, the third point and most of the points from here on out apply mostly to those who’s calling is to make it their primary business to minister the Gospel. Nevertheless, they are more than worthy of our attention.

As a minister, as someone called to preach, teach and lead, the enemy’s sights are aimed squarely on you. When seeking victory over one of the children of God he hates, he will target you. Baxter uses the analogy of two warring nations. When a general wishes to destroy his adversary, he would wish most to destroy his opposing general, more so than he would like to destroy an infantry man. The same is true of us; our enemy will prefer to set his sights on God’s captains, rather than his troops. Of course we know that all Christians will come under the fire of the enemy, so all Christians have need to put on the full armor of God. However, in that dichotomy, the enemy’s most fervent efforts are against the minister.

The enemy knows full well that a success in deceiving you surely means a success in deceiving many who will follow you; it is certainly his hope that they will follow you into destruction.

Jesus, I pray that you would protect your ministers of your Gospel. Defend them from the deceptions and attacks of the enemy. Defend them from the traps into sin that are laid for them. Jesus, I pray that you would give grace and mercy in the places where the enemy has found some victory; restore those minsters to strong standing in you—allow them to confidently refute the enemy, and faithfully lead your people. Jesus, sanctify your church and defend us all as we come under the attack.

Richard Baxter’s second point of introspection for ministers of the Gospel:

“You have sinful inclinations as well as others.”

When in leadership positions, the people being led have a pretty natural tendency to view the leader as perfect. Week in week out leading discussions against sin and for God might lead that group to an unhealthy view of the person in leadership. It’s not easy to publicly embrace the truth that we have “sinful inclinations” just like everyone else. It feels good to be placed on some idealistic pedestal. From there, I don’t imagine it’s too far a leap to lie to ourselves and actually believe we are that idealistic persona. What a dangerous position that is.

John says in his first general epistle, “If we say we have no sin we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us!” (1 John 1:8). Not only as leaders, but simply as Christians, the temptation to make ourselves appear more holy than we are is ever-present. Some will even embrace the lie. Some will go about, ignoring that they have a fallen nature which constantly beckons them back, and for this reason fall into a great number of sins.

I believe that it also may be a contributing factor to the unbeliever feeling ‘judged’. While certainly when we share the Gospel, an unbeliever will feel judged (he’s coming under the conviction of sin, it makes sense). But, when the believer lives an abundantly hypocritical life, the judgment, I think, is shifted from being a righteous judgment from God, to a false one from men.

We must, not only as ministers, but as Christians embrace a deep humility that constantly reminds that we are sinners, no more worthy of the grace received than the worst of sinners. We should walk according to that humility, not allowing our favor in God’s sight to be forgotten because of vain pride.

Jesus, I pray that you would give me humility. Lord, would you entrench that humility deep in my heart and remind me constantly of your awesome grace and power to save, even a sinner such as myself. Jesus, in light of a sinful world, help me to remember that I am only blameless because you have made me that way. Sanctify your church, God, for the sake of your glory!

Richard Baxter’s first point of introspection for ministers of the Gospel:

“You have heaven to win or lose yourself… a holy calling will not save an unholy man.”

Do I believe the Gospel message I intend to communicate with my life and words? When I proclaim in word or in deed that there is great need to “repent and believe the gospel” do I really believe that? Being a great preacher, or evangelist isn’t grounds enough to make way into heaven. We have to personally enjoy the saving grace of God. So, while we’ll teach many things to believers and unbelievers alike, we had better make sure that we’re also teaching ourselves, and not that only, but that we’re believing our own teaching.

I have found in my past that when I’m on the spot to teach others, I do end up teaching myself. However, I’ve also found myself in times when I will teach one thing, perhaps against some particular sin, but before the day is though have committed willingly and unashamedly that very thing. As a slightly older child in Christ, that notion strikes me with fear. For the sake of my own soul, do I enact what I teach? Do I teach one thing with my Words, yet prove with my deeds that I don’t believe it?

Jesus, I pray that you would give me a humble sense of introspection. Jesus, I pray that for the sake of your glory, you would give me a mind that looks intently to my own relationship with you. Jesus, challenge me when I do not believe your word. Challenge me when I do not keep your word. Jesus, help your church, especially the ministers of your Word, to remember that we have heaven to win or lose ourselves and that a holy calling cannot save unholy men. Sanctify us, God, for the sake of your glory!