This summer I had the great opportunity to serve as a pastoral intern at First Baptist Church of Clinton, Louisiana under Pastors Tom Hicks and Mitch Axsom. As a young man who feels called to pastoral ministry, and is currently in seminary, the lessons I learned over the course of these two short months have been a major blessing, and my time here has been invaluable. I would like to share just a few of the lessons God has taught me during my internship, in hopes that any who read this will be blessed as I was this summer.
First, knowing what I believe and why I believe it.
All Christians are called to be “prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you” (1 Pet 3:15), and pastors especially are called to “be ready in season and out of season” to use Scripture either to exhort or rebuke (2 Tim 4:2). It is not enough to know what we believe, but we must also know why we believe it. I knew I was a Baptist, but I was not sure of every reason why. I knew I believed in covenant theology, but I could not thoroughly articulate the basis for it. I had heard of using the law and the gospel in preaching, but did not know all of the reasons for it.
As I met one-on-one with brother Tom over the summer, I began to see how my beliefs were rooted in Scripture. We talked about hermeneutics, or biblical interpretation, and how a proper hermeneutical lens naturally leads to the positions we hold. These principles include: “later revelation explains earlier revelation,” “human reason is subordinate to Scripture,” and that we should find all doctrines necessary for life and godliness in the Bible alone.
These basic principles helped me to see what made the original Particular Baptists who they were. Scripture rightly interpreted and applied defines who we are. Our belief in the true God, the true gospel, and regenerate church membership flows out of Scripture. And from this flows our belief in evangelism and missions, church discipline, a congregational form of church government, true worship, and baptism being limited to those who make a credible profession of faith.
Second, rightly understanding and using the law and the gospel.
Part of the work for my internship was reading John Colquhoun’s A Treatise on the Law and the Gospel, and Charles Bridges’ The Christian Ministry. Another part was walking through the books of Romans, Galatians, and Hebrews. In all of these books, the law and the gospel were brought to light. The man of God must properly understand the law and the gospel, since they are useful to both sinners and saints. In section I of chapter IV of part IV in Bridges’ work, he says, “Fear not to set before them the whole counsel of God.” We should not be preachers who share a message only of grace from the gospel, nor should we be preachers who share a message only of works from the law. But we should preach “the whole counsel of God” which includes the use of the law for believers as a rule of life (Eph 2:10; Jas 2 14-26; 1 Jn 3:14-22).
Colquhoun was helpful in differentiating between the law and gospel broadly and strictly. It was broken down simply to me in this way; the law strictly says “Do” while the law broadly (the covenant of works) says, “Do and live.” The gospel strictly says “Live” while the gospel broadly (the new covenant) says, “Live and do.” In this basic picture, we see the two blessings that every believer receives in Christ Jesus: justification and sanctification (Rom 6:5-7). Modern society says, “Do your best and God will reward you,” but this really destroys both law and gospel.
“Do your best” destroys the law because in the keeping of the law, we are nowhere called to do our best, but to be perfect and blameless. The phrase, “and God will reward you,” destroys the Gospel because if it is a reward for work, then it is not of grace. But with these correct distinctions of the law and the gospel, we can see that when we are justified in Christ, we are moved from “Do and live” to simply “Live.” And in sanctification we go from “Do” to “Live and do.” These distinctions are important for every believer, and even more so for the pastor who is called to shepherd the flock before him.
Third, ministering to people where they are.
“Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep” (Rom 12:15). This could very well be the verse of the summer. Not only by witnessing events that happened in the church, but through conversations with Pastors Tom, Mitch, and Pastor Emeritus Fred Malone, I learned that a major part of the ministry is living out this verse in Romans. Every single person in every single congregation has gone through something or is currently going through something.
In his book, Bridges gives different personalities of people you may encounter in any given church. And in chapter 1 of part V, he says, “each individual member of our charge must be taken heed of, and watched over by us in our Ministry.” Similarly, Martyn Lloyd-Jones in chapter 3 of his book Preaching and Preachers, which was also a book I read this summer, says, “These people…they come as total persons in the midst of life…He [the pastor] is dealing with living persons, people who are in need and in trouble.” There have certainly been times this summer where we have rejoiced with those who are rejoicing, and there have certainly been times this summer where we have wept with those who are weeping, even doing both in the same day. But it is important to meet people where they are. Not to have some standard in our minds that people must meet before we can minister to them.
Fourth, the work of the pastor.
In my meetings with brother Tom, we also went through the work of the pastor as seen in the Pastoral Epistles. He is to teach and guard the truth (1 Tim 1:3; 2 Tim 1:12-14), with God being the pure goal (1 Tim 1:5), as he stands firm, even among attacks from the enemy (2 Tim 3:1-9, 3:16-4:8). The pastor’s work could be summed up when the Apostle Paul says, “Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound!” (2 Tim 2:8-9).
From these truths as revealed in Scripture, a few principles can be drawn. The pastor should 1) have an insatiable thirst for the Word of God and a mind for study, 2) a love for Jesus and a strong private prayer life, 3) a self-sacrificing love for God’s people, 4) a humble spirit, and 5) a commitment to the truth over feelings.
Fifth, reliance on the Holy Spirit.
The work of the pastor has been described to me as one that is 24/7. You are always “on call” as it were, ready to help any member of the congregation. It requires the entire person to properly minister to people, and thus it is a tiring work. It requires the man of God to be vulnerable, knowing that anything shared can, and will, be used against him. It is a work where the sweetest friendships can turn into the biggest betrayals. It is a work where relationships are on the line for the sake of the truths of the Bible. Yet, it is a work, as I have heard time and time again, that no man regrets doing.
To quote Bridges once more, this time from chapter V of part I, “I can think of no work worth doing compared with this. Had I a thousand lives, I would willingly spend them in it.” But given the hardships of the office, a reliance of the Spirit is absolutely necessary. He ought to “Pray without ceasing” (1 Ths 5:17). May he never abandon the prayer closet. May he pray every time he feels he should pray. May every work or duty he performs be preceded and followed by prayer.
Conclusion
These are five lessons that God has taught me this summer as I interned at First Baptist Church of Clinton, Louisiana. I thank Him that this opportunity was given to me and that it was fruitful. I glorify Him for the biblical church that He has sustained here, the pastors that He has raised up, and the members who He has worked through. I pray that any reading this would be encouraged that the Spirit of God is working in His Church. There are faithful men seeking to build up the next generation of pastors. To any man aspiring to the office of pastor, let him examine himself. Let him ask if he loves Christ, His Word, and His people, and that if he “aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task” (1 Tim 3:1).
