The Ohio Independent Baptist, March 1967

- ~~- - - - of T uth fr Oil · th G k N T starnent 8 Dr·. G o Lawlor ' 'MINISTERING'' ls I , : 1-- "lt"s'- ril cs tl1c. ,c1),\ra– t1 1\ l'l l'.l1l ,\nli \!,t r11.ll ,as ll) 111" ,,,c,11'. ,t it,~ I 111,,, "'tlar, tl \tr. l 'ct ta111 , lt,l if , ,1 tl1c 1!1cat >\ nt1",cl1 '-l1\1rcl1 ... .ire t\1 i11 ,, I .• 111d 111 ,,. _ 1l .\l 'll t 1,at ,, J1 ii~ t l1c\ 1 ,, ere c 11g,1gcti 111 111i 1 1 lt' 111c: t"' tht: 1 \)td. tl1c call .... f 1~ H" I f"tr1t c,1111c ·· 'i the) 111i 11,tc"cli tt'' the l ")rli. a11li f~1,tetl. 1 h ' H\ I \ r h l', t ,l l ll . .'. fill ,, "'r"l ··1111111 tt:re(-1·· (leit<>11r- !.! ,,,,;,~,, ,, .. l 111o~l interc ting tern1 , '- ,) '"t 1 the "" tirce fro111 ,, hich come \)tlr l·ngJ1,l1 \\t"lrli ··1itt1rg,." In the d:,, "I c, rl, ,reek.. the \\ Ord re- ~ terrcd t 1 the p,1tr1 ttc undertaking ")t n1e er, ice for the tale \Olun– tar1l\:. f ne· \\O free \\ill. pro– l e "· nal 111t1 ician in a letter to tho e 1 n charge f a fe tival refer to hi - contract. and SU) • ··on condition that I gi, e , ·ot1 n1v services.., Later - ., ., n. the \\ ord can1e to r fer to ervice that \\ere n1uch the ame in kind, hut 1n tead of being voluntary, be– can1e con1pul or,·. A veteran oldier filed a complaint \.\,' tth the authoritie , cla1n11ng that in tead of getting the re t to \\ hich he w a entitled after hi relea\e from duty. he had been continuou 1 1· en1ployed for two years 1n p,1bl1c ser\·ice. In another papyru account there i the record of a pec1al n1eeting of the enate in Ox.} rh~,rnchu , hto vote upon tho e \\ ho are 10 serve in the tran port of corn for the troop .·· till later. the word ( leitoi1rgei11) \\ c.1\ u ed to de cribe alma t any kind 1 er\ ice It ""a u ed of a company ot dancing girl for a certain fe tival, of art1 t V·/ho \.\- ere hired for pro– gram ot entertainment, of workmen \\ ho contracted to erect buildings of n1en appointed to erve in public of– fice . of pr.e t v.; ho rendered erv– ice at certain hrines. of labourer \\ or ing for their ma ter . and even. remarkabl)' enough. of pro titute gi'- ing their erv1ce Finally. in .T. time the \\'Ord became the regular term to describe the service that a prie t or other er\ 1 ant rendered in an) ten1ple of the gods. Thi i the v.ord \\ 1 hich occurs in ct 13: 2. de cribing the fact that the leader in the church at Antioch \\'ere ' 111i11isteri11°" v.hen the Holy pirit MARCH, 1967 PAGE 12 "l)llkl l t IS llS ti (( cllS"l'il'l tll s rv- ' c It'll le1c t 1, 111.,11 l<l n1 n 1, . Stl I ., u I. ,\ I 1 t" n s I'~ a k i n g t, I I I 1 l) f I · r i n g I, t tll' I' ' ' r s.,i,,ts in I 'l'\ tsa l ·111 lt s·s lcit<,11rs.:ci11 anti l,·i1,,11rl,!i,1 ( l{t'l11, . 15: '-7 ; 11 l l I' . l : l .:;,. ) . f ] ~ l l SC t 11 l ' Sn Ill ,,,,rtls i,, llc.s·ri\.,ing tl1' S"rv1cc ()f till' Jll1iti1)1'lia11, a11tl ()f hi s fell<)\\.' ser, 1 a11t ~1,a11h1 ( l1tl1,. l<.l hi111,clf. in 11, il. ") 17. ,(). 111 t)ll1c1 t1 1,1 , then. a " litt1rgv" ,, laitl ttJ)<)n ti, hv C1<.)(l .\, t1t1c l1cl11.?\CI"- ~inti c1t11cn of a l11gh .\nll l1ca\cr1l y Ct)t11ll1t)nwcalth, to , e 1 \ e ") t h cr • n n cl t t' ti o i t w c ll. 1 he \\ t) rd l'> al tl\cd to de cribe thl: ,er, ice or n1in1~lry of the prie~ l rcl :.1l1\c to their prayer and the acri– ficcs offered to G d . It i o u ed l)t Lach, ria in Lt1ke 1:9, 23: of the priest ' in "' odL1 · 29: JO ( eptuagint): and of the Lord Jc u hri t Him elf, i 11 H eb. l • 2, 6. The leader in the cht1rch at Anti ch were engaged in thi k.ind of ervice and n1ini try \\- hether in prayer, proclaiming the Go pel n1e age, teaching the crip– ture to believer , doing good t the hou ehold of faith in whatever way wa nece ary, directing the wor hip, r in on1e other way - at the time of the Holy Spirit' peaking to call out Barnaba and Paul. erving in the church, or the church serving, n1ay thu be een a a " liturgy ' again laid upon true hri tian by the etern– al God. It i al o of intere t to note the fact that the word i u ed to de- cribe the ervice of the good and holy angel in carrying out God' behest and executing Hi decree , Heb. 1 :7 14. Heb. 1:14 ay: ' Are they not all 111inistering pirit , ent forth to mini ter for then1 who hall be heir of alvation?" Done For His Glory In Rom. 13: 6, the magi trate, a per on occupying a position of author– ity and power i called by Paul a leitoi,rgos. A n1an public ervice mu t be carried out and done for the honor and glory of God. In Rom. 15 : 16, the Apo tle Paul refer to hin1 elf as the leitourgos of God to the Gentile . the prie tly servant of the true God into who e charge and care was delivered and enru ted the admi ni tration of the Word of God to Gentile people. True believer are prie tly workmen, leitourgoi, upon whom a " liturgy' ' ha been laid, o th at even the commonest task i im– portant becau e it i done for God. Whatever the nature of the admini - tratio n given by Him to our charge whatever the " liturgy·· may be that i laid upon u ~ it mu t be done in a pr1e tly n1anner, a ervice rendered tor the Lord of glory. \\' ' n1t1sl nc1l f org I th t \\ c1 f 1 ., I ackgrtlllllll <'I 111 , t)f'tl . (I) It It: sc ril1 's V<l lt1ntury s rvic .. , , illingl t)I I 't'l.:<I \Vitll(Hlt tl1L, t1 ghl <JI r c n 1 r>c nsc: ( 2) It s ·ts l l ll'tl1 a · 1 vie ll,u CL) 11111til sl>l'il y t111t n an incli vidtial b 1hc s tat· . ·1 r,,, }1ri ti :,ns are th \\.ht> Wl)l'k (liligcr1tly Hncl (lcvc) ll;dl r()I the I (.)JC.I JOCI with the interc I o l <>lhcrs 1n n1incl , 11ccat1se they clc sire lt) do S() with their ,vholc hea r irrc\J1cct1 vc c) f rcw, re.I. Anc.1 tru C hrt\l1a11s arc al o pcor>lc who scrv C1 oc.l ancl , 01 k for the L.ord with clih gence ,1nc.l elev t1on l1ccctll c they a, c n1pellec.l to do o. i.e. they canno help then1Cielve\, they are con traine< hy the love and faithfulnes~ of C,o, t do o. They can do no other. Thi i the nature of the servic in which the ervants of the Lord wcr wholeheartedly engaged when th, voice of the Holy pirit wa hear, c,tlling Paul and Barnaba apart fo a pccial mi ion a recorded in Act l 3: 2. Thi i ervice in which th Lord Him elf i the center, for whicl He i the rea on, the cau e, and whicl i rendered from hearts that are sin cere and ready for the Holy pirit' word of direction when they ar given. It i well for all of us to re member that a " liturgy ' has bee laid upon each of u , and the Hol pirit will make it nature clear t, u . Then we mu t carry out tha liturgical charge with diligence anl devotion a true prie t of the onl God , our aviour. New Openness an.d Intierest - J..n The Gospel on the part of many Jews, has made imperative our expans ion, in fa i th, by add ing to our m i ssionary staff. For over 29 years we have been tell– ing Israel the message of her Mes– s i ah over 50 rad i o stations with coast-to-coast and foreign coverage. Many are reached for Chr ist by mail, correspondence courses and per– sonal work. This ministry is depend– ent under God upon the prayers and fi na nc ia I support of His people. 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