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From The Desk Of: Mickey G. Quinn

There was a young preacher once who at the end of the Sunday service was standing at the back of the church greeting the people as they left, when a lady walked up to him and said, "Preacher I really enjoyed that message today, you are a model preacher." Well, this really made this young preacher feel good. As he and his wife were driving home, he said to his wife, "You know, that sure was nice what that lady said, what was it she called me?". His wife said, "She said you were a model preacher." After they got home and were eating dinner, the preacher said, "Now that really was nice what that lady said." And again he asked her, "What was that she called me?" Again, his wife said, "She said you were a model preacher." Later on that day, the young preacher again said to his wife, "That was real nice what that lady said." And yet again he asked her, "Now, what was that she called me?" This time the wife of the young preacher said, "She said you were a model preacher and I looked that up in the dictionary and you might be interested in knowing that a model means a miniature representation of the real thing."

Well, there are quite a few definitions of the word model in the dictionary, but the one the young preachers wife chose to use was the one that she knew would silence her husband in his repeated question. I feel sure she succeeded in her attempt to silence him, but the motive for his repeated question is not as clear. I cannot say that this young preacher was seeking praise for I don't know his heart. It could be that he was indeed seeking praise and if he was he was totally wrong. But it very well could be that he was really moved by the encouragement he had received from the lady in his church and it could also be that he was seeking that same word of encouragement from his own wife. I don't know the relationship they shared or didn't share, nor do I know either of their hearts.

What I do know however, is the very sad fact that, though there truly are men and women and even preachers who seek praise from those around them, there are far too many preachers who suffer from a lack of encouragement from not only their congregations, but also from the very one who the Lord has charged to be their help meet. It is so true that there are preachers who are what could be labeled as glory hounds, but I believe these are the exception rather than the rule and I also believe that the Lord will surely deal with these men. As sad as that is, even sadder than that is the fact that many men of God do their very best to serve Him and to minister to the needs of the people without ever or hardly ever a word of encouragement. Satan never fails when a man is endangering his territory, to discourage that man in his efforts and the saddest of all is the fact that so many times he uses God's children to help him discourage these men.

In every church service I have ever attended, the offering plate has been passed before the message was delivered and I do believe that is the way it should be, for the offering should be made unto the Lord regardless of what a person receives or doesn't receive from the message. The only problem with this is that the man God has called to shepherd the flock has absolutely no indication in this manner of whether his efforts are making a difference in the hearts and lives of those he has been called to minister to unless afterward someone may offer him a word of encouragement. If an author writes a book and he puts that book on the market and charges money for people to buy that book, he at least has some indication as to whether he has wasted his time. If that same author wrote the same book and offered it to all that would take it for free, he would have absolutely no idea whether or not he should attempt to write another one unless someone either wrote him a little note of encouragement or called him and told him that they enjoyed his book or came to him and told him. Yet, the very same thing goes on in pulpits all over the world today and very many true preachers of the gospel spend hours upon hours in study and in prayer, preparing to deliver the message the Lord lays upon their hearts to deliver and when it's all over, its just that, all over. These men go home and simply wonder, "Am I really making a difference in these people's hearts and lives?" or "Should I just give up and let the devil have his way?"

As I said earlier, the devil is not slack in his discouragement of a man of God and he so often uses God's own children to do this. When a man of God does his very best to deliver the message the Lord lays upon his heart and afterward the true children of God don't freely offer that man the encouragement he needs, what they are actually doing is discouraging him and the devil is really pleased with this. Guess who isn't pleased with it though. The Lord has charged that man with the awesome responsibility of ministering to His people and He charges His people with the responsibility of encouraging that man. Not only should we as God's children encourage our pastor after he has done his best, but we should pray for that man on a regular basis.

I heard a great man of God once tell of a church where he pastored and he said he could tell before a service started how many souls would be saved by how many true children of God were on their knees in the prayer room of that church in earnest prayer for their pastor and the message upon his heart. Most churches today don't even have a prayer room and that is a big reason as to why so few people are coming to the Lord today, but even without a prayer room, men and women of God are not where they should be and that is on their knees in prayer on a regular basis for their pastor. Many of these who are not on their knees in prayer for these servants of the Lord are their very wives who the Lord has charged with as important a calling of that of the pastor. Is it any wonder there are so few true men of God found today? Is it any wonder God's men are so discouraged today?

As I said in the beginning of this article concerning the young preacher, I don't know his heart, nor do I know whether he sought praise or just a little encouragement. That would and should be between him and the Lord, but all praise and all honor and all glory belong to the Lord. The responsibility of encouragement of His men belongs to me. His Word has a something for each of us as it says, "Above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins. Use hospitality one to another without grudging. As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen." 1 Peter 4:8-11. Quite a charge wouldn't you say?