Remaining Faithful in Ministry E-Book

John MacArthur

• Herausgeber: Crossway
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 87

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2019

Beschreibung

Perhaps no one else has ever faced as much hardship, opposition, or relentless suffering as the apostle Paul. And yet, through it all, Paul stood firm in Christ and remained faithful—to the very end. The power of Paul's example has captivated veteran pastor John MacArthur for years, and here he outlines nine unwavering convictions that contributed to this remarkable perseverance. In an age when pastoral failure and burnout are increasingly common, this book is a call to endurance in ministry, encouraging pastors to stand strong in their role and not lose heart, regardless of what God sends their way.

Leseprobe

Thank you for downloading this Crossway book.

Sign up for the Crossway Newsletter for updates on special offers, new resources, and exciting global ministry initiatives:

Crossway Newsletter

Or, if you prefer, we would love to connect with you online:

“It seems only right that a book bearing this title should come from the pen of one whose life and ministry exemplify such faithfulness. Here is a helpful, challenging, resounding cry to the rest of us to keep on!”

Alistair Begg, Senior Pastor, Parkside Church, Chagrin Falls, Ohio

“Accurate and honest, direct and encouraging, clear and plain, MacArthur has produced a portrait in words. As Paul reflects Christ, so should the faithful minister. Unintentionally, MacArthur here has written his own autobiography.”

Mark Dever, Pastor, Capitol Hill Baptist Church, Washington, DC; President, 9Marks

“Remaining Faithful in Ministry is simultaneously as bracing as a cold shower in the early morning and as thrilling as the prospect of a glorious day of adventure. If it doesn’t make you want to be a more faithful servant of Christ, beware.”

Sinclair B. Ferguson, Chancellor’s Professor of Systematic Theology, Reformed Theological Seminary; Teaching Fellow, Ligonier Ministries

“John MacArthur helps us to see from the ministry of the apostle Paul that in the tempests of ministerial life, there is nothing more crucial than an anchor embedded in solid rock.”

Conrad Mbewe, Pastor, Kabwata Baptist Church; Chancellor, African Christian University, Lusaka, Zambia; author, Pastoral Preaching

“This is a treasure of wisdom for pastors and a book that will encourage all true ministers of the gospel. Every pastor—and future pastor—should read this book, and every faithful minister will treasure it.”

R. Albert Mohler Jr., President, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

“John MacArthur’s insight brought from Scripture in these pages provides a message we continue to need this side of heaven.”

Iain H. Murray, author, Jonathan Edwards: A New Biography and Evangelical Holiness; Founding Trustee, Banner of Truth Trust

“This book is biblically solid, well written, easy to read, deep, engaging, inspiring, brief, and built on the faithful legacy of the apostle Paul. If you begin to read it, you won’t stop until you are finished.”

Miguel Núñez, Senior Pastor, International Baptist Church, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; Founding President, Wisdom & Integrity Ministries

“For elders, seminary students, and pastors of all ages, this is a book for those men who are biblically qualified to shepherd the flock of God and proclaim the Word of God in season and out of season for the glory of God alone.”

Burk Parsons, Senior Pastor, St. Andrew’s Chapel, Sanford, Florida; Editor, Tabletalk magazine

“Here is surprising, countercultural, Pauline wisdom every pastor should heed if he is to endure and flourish.”

Michael Reeves, President and Professor of Theology, Union School of Theology

“John MacArthur’s half-century of ministry at Grace Community Church in itself provides sufficient warrant to title his latest book Remaining Faithful in Ministry. It is a clarion call for pastors to remain faithful to the very end, from one whose life has exemplified faithful ministry.”

Derek W. H. Thomas, Senior Minister, First Presbyterian Church, Columbia, South Carolina; Chancellor’s Professor of Systematic and Pastoral Theology, Reformed Theological Seminary; author, Strength for the Weary

“In these pages, Christ’s minister will find genuine courage and strength from the Scriptures that he might fulfill God’s calling without wavering. There is more biblical truth in this little book than in most volumes ten times its size.”

Paul David Washer, Director, HeartCry Missionary Society; author, Recovering the Gospel series; Knowing the Living God; Discovering the Glorious Gospel; and Discerning the Plight of Man

Remaining Faithful in Ministry

Other Crossway books by John MacArthur

Ashamed of the Gospel: When the Church Becomes Like the World, third edition (2009)

Biblical Doctrine: A Systematic Summary of Bible Truth (coeditor, 2017)

Fool’s Gold?: Discerning Truth in an Age of Error (editor, 2005)

The Freedom and Power of Forgiveness (2009)

The Glory of Heaven: The Truth about Heaven, Angels, and Eternal Life, second edition (2013)

The Gospel according to God: Rediscovering the Most Remarkable Chapter in the Old Testament (2018)

The Inerrant Word: Biblical, Historical, Theological, and Pastoral Perspectives (editor, 2016 )

The Scripture Cannot Be Broken: Twentieth Century Writings on the Doctrine of Inerrancy (editor, 2015)

Think Biblically!: Recovering a Christian Worldview (editor, 2009)

Truth Endures: Landmark Sermons from Forty Years of Unleashing God’s Truth One Verse at a Time (2011)

Remaining Faithful in Ministry

9 Essential Convictions for Every Pastor

John MacArthur

Remaining Faithful in Ministry: 9 Essential Convictions for Every Pastor

Copyright © 2019 by John MacArthur

Published by Crossway1300 Crescent StreetWheaton, Illinois 60187

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, except as provided for by USA copyright law. Crossway® is a registered trademark in the United States of America.

Cover design: Jordan Singer

First printing 2019

Printed in the United States of America

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NASB are from The New American Standard Bible®. Copyright © The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission.

Trade paperback ISBN: 978-1-4335-6303-4 ePub ISBN: 978-1-4335-6306-5 PDF ISBN: 978-1-4335-6304-1 Mobipocket ISBN: 978-1-4335-6305-8

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: MacArthur, John, 1939- author.

Title: Remaining faithful in ministry : 9 essential convictions for every pastor / John MacArthur.

Description: Wheaton, Illinois : Crossway, 2019. | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2018033422 (print) | LCCN 2018051954 (ebook) | ISBN 9781433563041 (pdf) | ISBN 9781433563058 (mobi) | ISBN 9781433563065 (epub) | ISBN 9781433563034 (tp) | ISBN 9781433563065 (ePub) | ISBN 9781433563058 (Mobipocket)

Subjects: LCSH: Pastoral theology. | Perseverance (Ethics)—Biblical teaching. | Paul, the Apostle, Saint.

Classification: LCC BV4011.3 (ebook) | LCC BV4011.3 .M28 2019 (print) | DDC 253—dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018033422

Crossway is a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

2022-02-10 01:51:26 PM

Contents

Introduction

 1  Convinced of the Superiority of the New Covenant

 2  Convinced That Ministry Is a Mercy

 3  Convinced of the Need for a Pure Heart

 4  Convinced of the Need to Preach the Word Faithfully

 5  Convinced That the Results Belong to God

 6  Convinced of His Own Insignificance

 7  Convinced of the Benefit of Suffering

 8  Convinced of the Need for Courage

 9  Convinced That Future Glory Is Better Than Anything This World Could Offer

General Index

Scripture Index

Introduction

Four successive generations of my immediate ancestors included men who faithfully served the Lord as pastors. Two of them (my father and grandfather) were still alive and engaged in full-time ministry when I came along, and their steadfast devotion to serving Christ made a lasting impact on me.

My grandfather died of cancer while I was still a young boy. I remember vividly that before he became too sick to preach, he had prepared a sermon titled “Heavenly Records.” His one regret as he lay on his deathbed was that he wasn’t going to have an opportunity to preach that last sermon. My dad had copies of the manuscript printed and distributed them at the funeral. So my grandfather preached a sermon on heaven from heaven.

My father served the Lord faithfully until he died at the age of ninety-one. I watched and learned from him over the years—literally a lifetime of faithful ministry—and he passed on to me a rich legacy of dedicated ministry. His influence on me is immeasurable.

When I enrolled in seminary as a young man, my dad introduced me to Dr. Charles Lee Feinberg, who at the time was the world’s leading evangelical authority on Hebrew, Jewish history, and Old Testament studies. Dr. Feinberg grew up as an Orthodox Jew and was trained to be a rabbi before he was converted to Christ. He had a PhD in archaeology and Semitic languages. He loved the Scriptures, and he took a particular interest in me. His instruction and encouragement were invaluable to me throughout those years in seminary.

So I was richly blessed with a number of close, highly qualified mentors who helped prepare me for ministry. I’m indebted to all of them and deeply grateful for everything they taught me.

But when people ask who has been my greatest influence and model for pastoral ministry, I have to say hands down it is the apostle Paul. During my earliest years in ministry I was captivated by the power of his example. I’ve always seen myself as a kind of latter-day version of Timothy, trying my best (though often frustrated by my own failures) to learn from and emulate Paul—especially his courage, his faithfulness, his deep love for Christ, and his willingness to stand alone.

Of all the words Paul ever left under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit for us to consider, the text that has left the most indelible impression on my heart is 2 Timothy 4:6–8, the apostle’s last recorded declaration of faith before giving his life for the gospel’s sake. Just after encouraging Timothy with the words “fulfill your ministry” (v. 5), he writes:

For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.

To come to the very end of life and be able to say all those things with such confident assurance is all too rare. In Paul’s case, it is especially striking. It’s an exultation rather than an elegy. But it comes from the pen of an apostle whose utter disdain for boasting was well known. Paul’s steadfast refusal to exalt himself is evident throughout his epistles. So this final declaration of triumph must be read as an expression of deep gratitude, settled peace, and sweet relief.