“Want of Faith” by Charles Bridges

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

Ben Kreps:

Hey everyone and welcome to the Mark Prater podcast where our aim is to connect our global family of Sovereign Grace Churches with our executive director. Mark, as you well know, we were very much encouraged over the past week by the response to last week's podcast, received a number of messages from guys expressing their gratefulness for the way that you were able to minister to them, encouraged them when it comes to the area of criticism, last week we said that you had a different plan and the Spirit led you to that and certainly the fruit that we saw from that podcast, it seems evident to me that that's true. It happened again, as you said, you wish it happened more often, but you had a different plan and you felt that God is leading you to continue to talk about this area of criticism in order to encourage guys.

Mark Prater:

I do. I did have a different plan for today and felt like the Spirit of God again directed me in a different direction. And for that to happen two weeks in a row, that for me is once in a millennium event. Quite honestly.

Ben Kreps:

You wish it happened all the time.

Mark Prater:

I do. I wish it happened all the time. I wish it was more a part of my life and my ministry, but I'm grateful for the Spirit's leading because it does seem from the feedback you and I received from last week's podcast, that that's what the Lord wanted to care for his people. And I pray that's the case with this podcast as well.

So picking up on last week, we talked about criticism and really a godly response to criticism, was the main topic of the podcast. And when we get criticism, there can be different responses, in my case, sinful responses in my heart that are various in nature. One of them is actually unbelief and I see it in a couple of different ways. If the criticism is accurate, you can wrestle with, as a pastor for example, am I really called to do this? If that criticism is accurate, am I called to do it? Should I stop being a pastor? Those are some dark roads you can go down. But if the criticism isn't accurate or isn't helpful, I find in my own heart that you can go down some dark roads that are filled with just godless thoughts. God's not in those roads at all. And it can take you to some dark places regarding how you view yourself, how you might view others regarding just your future for example. And all of those are expressions of unbelief in response to criticism we might receive. I think I'm an ordinary guy, I'm an ordinary pastor, and so probably there are others, whether you are a pastor or you work in a non pastoral vocation or you're a homemaker at home raising kids, we can all in response to criticism, I think wrestle with unbelief at times. And in those moments we really do need perspective. And it's one that's informed by scripture and it's a reminder of the promises of God in our life. That's what we desperately need in that moment.

Ben Kreps:

Yes, I can completely resonate with what you're talking about. I know my life can be filled with all kinds of encouragement from many different people and then that criticism comes and I've had that experience. I guess maybe this ministry thing is all over now. Certainly I think about back during the pandemic and how difficult that was to navigate through, but you're so right. We need to be able to cultivate, build a perspective of faith and battle unbelief in those dark moments. And you have some excerpts you want to read from really one of the great books "The Christian Ministry" to encourage our faith in this.

Mark Prater:

Yeah, it's a classic work written by Charles Bridges and it's one that I encourage pastors to read over and over again as they're able.

Ben Kreps:

That's a favorite.

Mark Prater:

Yeah, it is a favorite. He's got a section in there entitled Want of Faith. And I'm going to read some excerpts that I hope are helpful. They really are aimed at pastors or people in ministry, but I think it applies to any Christian. So even though he's writing to pastors, keep in mind any Christian can benefit when it comes to wrestling with unbelief. So he just begins by saying that the life of faith is the life of the minister's work and the spring of his success. He's saying that if we don't have faith as pastors in our role, we don't have faith as Christians in following Christ. We're not going to be able to follow him. And in pastoral ministry, we're not going to be able to serve his people if we don't have faith. And so I think he's not overstating it. I think it's vital. It's why Paul writes in the pastoral epistles to Timothy to fight the good fight of the faith because it's that important.

And he goes on to talk about just why it's so foundational. And what he does is he reads from Isaiah 9:7. The very last sentence which says, the zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. The zeal, the passion of the Lord of hosts will do this. So you've got to have that chapter in that verse in context. So 6 and 7: "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called wonderful counselor, mighty God, everlasting father, prince of peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord will do this." And obviously it's prophetic regarding the coming of Christ, the incarnation and the life and death and resurrection of Christ, the coming of the kingdom where he brings justice and righteousness for all those who will trust in him. And that's a work that man cannot do. And Isaiah emphasizes that by saying, "the Lord of hosts will do this". And so Bridges is saying that should be something that bolsters our faith. He says that in response to that verse, how overwhelming is the thought of this affection, this zeal, possessing the heart of God, of the deep interest in his infinite mind, in the progress of the kingdom of his dear son, his thoughts engaged in it, his unsearchable plans embracing it and controlling all the mighty movements of the world to subserve this main design. Oh, solid therefore, is the rock on which the Christian ministry rests and the grand engine for the accomplishment of the purposes and promises of God.

That preaches, doesn't it? That preaches. From one verse you're like, okay, I've got faith.

Ben Kreps:

Don't you wish you could write like that?

Mark Prater:

Yeah, I wish I could. But when we're criticized, I think we can lose that verse. We can forget that promise that the zeal of the Lord will do this and it can come in different ways. He talks about hindrances to faith. He talks about indolence and he talks about just self-reliance. He uses the term self dependence. Those two things can really affect our ability to continue to trust God. And he says this, but he says this in response: difficulties heaped upon difficulties can never rise to the level of the promise of God.

And typically criticism is coming when there are difficulties heaped upon difficulties. And in those moments we're losing. I know I am losing perspective, because of a lack of faith. And we can forget that those difficulties heaped upon difficulties, can never rise to the level of the promises of God that are found in scripture. And so I just think he's right. When we are criticized in pastoral ministry or in our homes or in our vocations, we've got to have a godly perspective.

And then let me just give one more quote because I think this is so well written and so true, and it's a reminder of our need to continue to strengthen our faith in God, to foster our faith in God. And this is what Bridges says. And of course again, he's writing to pastors, but I think this applies to anyone. "It is faith that enlivens our work with perpetual cheerfulness. And we want to be joyful pastors. We want to be joyful people that follow Christ. It is faith that enlivens our work with perpetual cheerfulness. It commits every part of it to God in the hope that even mistakes shall be overruled for his glory and thus relieves us from this oppressive anxiety often attended upon a deep sense of our responsibility. The shortest way to peace will be found in casting ourselves upon God for daily pardon of deficiencies of sins and supplies of grace without looking too eagerly for present fruit." And that's just so well said. We live in a world, I think especially in the western culture, where we want to see immediate fruit. And he says, don't look for that immediate fruit. Don't look for present fruit. Just keep casting yourselves upon the Lord being faithful to do what God's called you to do with faith. That the zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. So just some thoughts that I might encourage those that might be wrestling with unbelief as I do so often in God, partly in response to criticism.

Ben Kreps:

That is wonderful encouragement. I think many of us as pastors, we can be far better at applying the gospel and building faith into those that we serve and find ourselves deficient and doing the same for our own lives. So I appreciate the encouragement. I think a great way to help to grow in faith is to read that chapter. If you don't have the book, the whole book is gold. But that chapter, I think will serve guys that are looking to be strengthened in the Lord. It was famously said of Jonathan Edwards that his happiness was out of the reach of his enemies. And so as we lean into Christ, dependent on Christ, clinging to Christ in dark moments, we will find a joy there that knowing and nothing can touch. So I'm so grateful for your encouragement.

Mark Prater:

Amen. I mentioned last week that I was carrying people in my heart that have been the recipients of recent criticism and the responses to that have been so encouraging. I came into this podcast in a similar way, carrying people in my heart that just would wrestle with unbelief at times. And I want you to know, I'm praying for you, praying that God through his word, strengthens you, enlivens your work so that you'll have perpetual cheerfulness and that you'll do what Bridges said, just cast yourself upon the Lord. And sometimes we just need reminders to do that. And hopefully this podcast serves that way. And after you listen to this podcast, know that I'm praying for you in that regard.

Ben Kreps:

That's excellent. Yeah, we certainly want our people to experience us as happy pastors, as we seek to serve them faithfully. And so Mark, thank you for your encouragement. Thank you for your example of being sensitive to the Spirit's leading and for encouraging us, caring for us. And thank you all for reading or watching the podcast. We'll see you here next week, Lord willing. Bye for now.