The Burden Of The Word Of The Lord
There is
a great deficit in the church today. I fear that, for the most part, her
ministers have lost the burden of the gospel. The prophets and apostles came
before the people as men sent from God with a message, a message that must be
declared. Today the minister comes to the pulpit to present a lecture on
morality, or to give a sermon on religion, or to insist on the performance of
some moral duty. What a blessed day it was when "There was a man sent from
God, whose name was John!" Where is the man today who comes to deliver a
message from God to my soul? I want to hear that man!
In fulfilling the work of the ministry, it is
not enough to simply set before men the evidences of Christianity, or to insist
upon the performance of some moral duty, These whom God sends to his people as
pastors according to his heart feed his people with knowledge and understanding
(Jer. 3:15). They are messengers from God to men.
God's servants must declare unto men the message which they have received from
him, by prayer, study, and meditation. We dare not alter or conceal any part of
that which we have been commanded to deliver. We must make known the whole
counsel of God. And, having declared the message with all plainness and
fidelity, we must urge men to receive it with all the energy we possess.
Don Fortner