1co 09v16 The
THE PASTOR'S RESPONSIBILITY
I Corinthians
One
of our son, Bro. Oscar Bailey told me something
recently I want to share with you. A while back he was trying to get some of
his cattle into the barn to do some work on then. As usual, the cattle wanted
to go everywhere but to the barn, and several got out in his yard. Oscar took
his son, O.J., around to the far side of the house, and told him to stay there
until he called for him and make sure none of the cattle got by him. Finally,
he got the cows in the barn and went on with his work. When his work was done,
Oscar went to O.J. But the boy wasn't in the house. Oscar got a little
concerned when he realized that he had not seen his son since they had chased
the cattle into the barn that afternoon, and feared that the boy might have
been hurt. So he went outside to look for him. You will never guess where he
found that boy. He was standing exactly where his daddy had left him on the far
side of the house. O.J. was in the place his father had put him, doing what his
father told him to do: watching for the cattle.
I
heard Oscar tell that story, I immediately thought, "That's exactly where
the boy should have been. It is a son's responsibility to obey his father,
asking no questions . When my heavenly Father calls me
home, I hope he finds no doing the same thing."
My Father has put me in this place to watch over his
sheep, and commanded me to preach Christ unto you. Therefore, I am
"determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him
crucified" (I Cor. 2:2). God helping me, I intend to be true to my
calling. I say with Paul, "Necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me
if I preach not the gospel." I am a Baptist; but I am not sent to make men
Baptists. I am a Calvinist; but I am not sent to indoctrinate men in the truths
of Calvinism. I am a man of moral principle; but I am not sent to make men
moralists. God has sent me to preach the gospel, to preach Christ crucified to
this generation. As often as I stand to preach, I am determined to do just
that, to preach the gospel. And the gospel I preach is Jesus Christ himself.