Torch, Summer 1983

14 The Molding ofa Man of God by Or. Howard Bixby W hile teaching a seminar to pastors, a friend of mine quickly skimmed over a list of Scripture verses that deacons could use to encourage folks in the hospital. He was stopped by a fluny of hands and statements instructing him to go more slowly so the list could be written down by the pastors. To this he said, 'Tm sorry. I assumed that you men would know all of this and be bored." To this one pastor emphatically stated, "You assumed too much!" I have become increasingly aware of the fact that we have indeed assumed too much about the readiness of the average Bible college or seminary graduate for the pastorate or missionary service. While developing a blizzard of good discipleship materials, concepts, and techniques for pastors to use in discipling laymen, we have not discipled the pastors themselves. A person teaches as he has been taught. A man who disciples others must first be discipled . I perceive that more needs to be done to and for the one who disciples those who will disciple others in the local church - the pastor or missionary' It is true that the Holy Spirt of God ultimately saves, calls, and sends a pastor or missionary. It is also true that He has used human agents to do most of the training and shaping. The Bible is very clear in its description of the process of training employed in the developing of the New Testament church leaders . While a comprehensive study of this discipleship process in the New Testament is hardly possible in a magazine article , there are , however, some basic ingredients that are most effective in " the molding of a man of God ." IT TAKES TIME Molding a man of God takes time . There is no shortcut to influencing and shaping people for a ministry for God. Quick-fix courses and brightly illustrated guidebooks fall short. Paul instructed Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:2, "The things which thou hast heard of me ... commit thou to faithful men , who shall be able to teach others also ." This charge was not a long distance communique handed down by an uninvolved consultant. Paul was Timothy ' s spiritual father who had spent years of tears, joy , hard work , and spiritual battling with him. Jesus Christ spent over three years preparing eleven apostles for their task . He ate , slept , taught , and relaxed with them . The family unit itself is an object lesson of relationships within the family of God. Children cannot be raised to imitate and reproduce family values aside from lots of concentrated exposure time. Discipling a pastor for ministry requires much time spent in close proximity with a model pastor or pastors.