Bruised (but beautiful) Feet

"If some Christians that have been complaining of their ministers had said and acted less before men and had applied themselves with all their might to cry to God for their ministers—had, as it were, risen and stormed heaven with their humble, fervent and incessant prayers for them—they would have been much more in the way of success".—Jonathan Edwards

E. M. Bounds puts it this way: “Prayer, to the preacher, is not simply the duty of his profession, a privilege, but it is a necessity. Air is not more necessary to the lungs than prayer is to the preacher. It is absolutely necessary for the preacher to pray. It is an absolute necessity that the preacher be prayed for. These two propositions are wedded into a union which ought never to know any divorce: the preacher must pray; the preacher must be prayed for. It will take all the praying he can do, and all the praying he can get done, to meet the fearful responsibilities and gain the largest, truest success in his great work. The true preacher, next to the cultivation of the spirit and fact of prayer in himself, in their intensest form, covets with a great covetousness the prayers of God’s people.” (Source: Title: Power Through Prayer Author: E.M. Bounds, chapter 18)

Now, let’s consider this topic scripturally.

The Holy Bible, New King James Version
2 Corinthians 6:3 - 2 Corinthians 6:13 (NKJV)

3We give no offense in anything, that our ministry may not be blamed.
4But in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God: in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses,
5in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in fastings;
6by purity, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by sincere love,
7by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left,
8by honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report; as deceivers, and yet true;
9as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold we live; as chastened, and yet not killed;
10as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.

11O Corinthians! We have spoken openly to you, our heart is wide open.
12You are not restricted by us, but you are restricted by your own affections.
13Now in return for the same (I speak as to children), you also be open.

Paul knew that many of the members of the Corinthian church had been reconciled to God. These weren’t the ones who were causing him trouble. They had accepted him as God’s minister. His problem within the church was the ones who were rejecting him as God’s spokesman. In doing so, they were rejecting the message of reconciliation that he was delivering to them. Why couldn’t they accept Paul? Maybe it was because they viewed all of the incessant problems and miseries of his ministry as evidence of God’s displeasure with him. Maybe they thought that such a ministry should be evinced by peace, mercy and love. And I’m sure that many times Paul – reflecting on the words of Psalms 55 – may himself have felt the urge to “cut and run”.

Psalms 55:4 - Psalms 55:7 (NKJV)

4 My heart is severely pained within me,
And the terrors of death have fallen upon me.
5 Fearfulness and trembling have come upon me,
And horror has overwhelmed me.
6 So I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest.
7 Indeed, I would wander far off,
And remain in the wilderness.
Selah

See, the true minister of God doesn’t really have that option though. The word of God burns like a fire in his bones. “Then I said, ‘I will not make mention of Him, Nor speak anymore in His name.’ But His word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, And I could not (Jer. 20:9).” And yet, controversy is ever before him as he deals with the people God has given him to shepard. No, a minister of God is perpetually in the dust of the arena. He is beaten, mocked, exhausted, hungry, and bloodied – sometimes by the very people to whom he is preaching the message of reconciliation. As a matter of fact this very endurance should be the crowning evidence to stop the mouths of anyone who would deny the reality of his faith in Christ. Endure he must. It is his calling, regardless of the way he is treated. Allow me to take a small liberty with the scripture. My pastor’s name is Ronnie. Watch what happens in the following verses:

O Zion,
You who bring good tidings,
Get up into the high mountain;
O Jerusalem,
You who bring good tidings,
Lift up your voice with strength,
Lift it up, be not afraid;
Say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!”(Isa. 40:9)

Ronnie,
You who bring good tidings,
Get up upon your pulpit;
Ronnie,
You who bring good tidings,
Lift up your voice with strength,
Lift it up, be not afraid;
Say to the city of Cross Plains, “Behold your God!”

So, with that in mind, let us look again to the words of God – through Paul (as well as our own pastor) – in 2 Cornithians 6:3-13. Are you contributing to the afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonment, riots, labors, sleepless nights, and hunger of your pastor in any way as he speaks in purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, genuine love, truthful speech in the power of God by the Holy Spirit?

Have we failed to understand the great commission of our pastor? I think far too many times that as we reflect on his teachings we sit and complain inwardly to ourselves about a particular teaching or doctrine that he is going over again. We tell ourselves that we know that particular doctrine well enough and that he should move on and teach us something new. To be sure, the gospel is doctrinal. And doctrine is teaching and explaining and clarifying. But if we are simply there for the teaching we have missed the point. Doctrine is not the gospel – God is the Gospel. Let me use the words of John Piper to make my point:

“Gospel doctrine matters because the good news is so full and rich and wonderful that it must be opened like a treasure chest, and all its treasures brought out for the enjoyment of the world. Doctrine is the descriptions of these treasures. Doctrine describes their true value and why they are so valuable. Doctrine guards the diamonds of the gospel from being discarded as mere crystals. Doctrine protects the treasures of the gospel from pirates who don't like the diamonds but who make their living trading them for other stones. Doctrine polishes the old gems buried at the bottom of the chest. It puts the jewels of gospel truth in order on the scarlet tapestry of history so each is seen in its most beautiful place.

And all the while, doctrine does this with its head bowed in wonder that it should be allowed to touch the things of God. It whispers praise and thanks as it deals with the diamonds of the King. Its fingers tremble at the cost of what it handles. Prayers ascend for help, lest any stone be minimized or misplaced. And on its knees gospel doctrine knows it serves the herald. The gospel is not mainly about being explained. Explanation is necessary, but it is not primary. A love letter must be intelligible, but grammar and logic are not the point. Love is the point. The gospel is good news. Doctrine serves that. It serves the one whose feet are bruised (and beautiful!) from walking to the unreached places with news: “Come, listen to the news of God! Listen! Understand! Bow! Believe!”

Maybe the next time we feel compelled to utter a word of disapproval about our pastor we should take a step back and take a long hard look at his bleeding and bruised feet. Maybe we instead could offer up a prayer of praise and thanksgiving to our great and holy God for being so interested in us that he would send a man whose chief goal in life is to introduce us – personally – to God himself.