THE ONE REQUIREMENT

Those who preach the gospel of Christ, if they are truly God's servants, are "the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of the gospel." And of a steward our Master requires but one thing. He does not require great learning and eloquence. He does not even require that which the religious world measures as success. These things the Lord may or may not give to any of his servants, as he sees fit. There is one thing which our Lord and Master requires of his servants - FAITHFULNESS. The servant of God must be faithful in study and prayer, as he prepares his own heart and mind to minister to the hearts of God's people. He must be faithful to the people God has placed under his care, whether they are many or few. He must be faithful in seeking the glory of Christ above all things and in all things. And he must be faithful in preaching the gospel of Christ. In boldness and simplicity, whether men like it or not, God's servant must constantly preach the gospel of the grace of God. God's elect will rejoice in it. And our labors are "for the elect's sake".

We who preach the gospel must not be overly concerned about our success or lack of it, our reputation or lack of it, our recognition or lack of it. As the stewards of Christ we must be concerned about OUR FAITHFULNESS IN THE WORK OF THE GOSPEL. It is my responsibility to faithfully serve the interest of Christ in the place where he has put me, to faithfully serve those people whom he has committed to my care, and to faithfully preach the gospel of his grace as it is plainly revealed in Holy Scripture. I am afraid that one reason why preachers have so little influence for good in their congregations, in their communities, and in their homes is that we fail to display that stability, dependability, steadfastness, and faithfulness which should characterize those who speak to immortal souls on the behalf of the eternal God. "It is required of stewards that a man be found faithful."