The Ministry of the Word of God

Listen closely as Adrian Rogers reveals why he believes the Gospel is preached unto you.

We don't have to be ordained ministers to be in the ministry. In fact, every man and woman that names the name of Jesus protects in the ministry of the Word of God. If you have your Bible, turn now to 1 Peter chapter 1. We'll begin in verse 22 as Adrian Rogers reveals three steps to becoming ministers of the Word of God. I want you to take God's Word, the Bible, and I want you to find 1 Peter chapter 1, and I'm going to begin reading in verse 22. 1 Peter chapter 1, we begin in just a moment in verse 22. Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that you love one another with a pure heart, fervently, being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever. For all flesh is as grass, and the glory of man is the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away, but the word of the Lord endureth forever, and this is the word by which the gospel is preached unto you.

And then going right on into chapter 2, wherefore, laying aside all malice and all guile and hypocrisies and envies and all evil speakings, as newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that you may grow thereby. There has not been a man who has been called into the ministry, but what feels inadequate, and when others hear that he has been called, they think him unworthy. I can remember being in my bedroom with the window open when my dad and another man sat on our patio, and my dad told that man, a man that I respected and admired very much, that Adrian wants to be a preacher, a minister. I can remember that man saying, as though it were yesterday, he'll never do it. He'll never do it.

He won't make it. Well, I want to tell you, had not the Lord God put it in the word of God, put it into my heart, that would have greatly discouraged me. But I thank God that there was a voice that told me that God had called me, and I would, by His grace, be adequate. And I want to take our scripture tonight, and I want to just leave three thoughts in your heart about the ministry of the word of God. What would you do, and what should you do if you want to be a minister of the word of God, and you don't have to be an ordained minister to be a minister of the word of God?

It's a message to every man and woman that names the name of Jesus. Number one, you must receive the word of God personally into your life. Let me tell you what the word of God will do for you. First of all, folks, you are literally conceived by the word of God. Just as a baby is conceived in its mother's womb, you are conceived by the word of God. The word of God is a seed that comes into you and produces life. Look in verse 23, being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible by the word of God. Friend, in order to see heaven, in order to have spiritual life, you must have a new birth. And in order to have that new birth, you must receive the word of God.

There's no way possible that anybody can be saved apart from the word of God. The entrance of thy word gives light. This word is life. James 1 verse 18 says, Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth. Friend, we're conceived by this word. It was the truth of this word that entered into me, and new life began in me, and I was born again. But not only are we conceived by the word of God, folks, we're cleansed by the word of God. Look in verse 22, seeing you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit and unfeigned love. This word of God will wash you and cleanse you.

That's the reason it is so important that day by day I want to say to these four and every one of us that we let the word of God dwell in us richly. Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way by taking heed thereto according to thy word. You have purified your souls by obeying the truth. There's no way possible, friend, that you will live a victorious life without staying in the Bible the word of God. But I want to say thirdly, not only are you conceived by the word and cleansed by the word, but you're also completed by the word of God. You're made strong by the word of God. Notice in verse 2 of chapter 2, As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that you may grow thereby. God wants you to be mature.

This word will be to your spiritual life what milk is to a newborn baby. You know, suppose you were to come to me and you were to say to me, you know, pastor, I just don't feel good. I can hardly get out of bed. I can hardly move across the room. My knees feel like rubber.

I have palpitations around the heart. I've got a headache. My muscles are weak. I can hardly get my breath. I say, boy, you're in bad shape.

Yes, I really am. I'm just so weak. I say, well, maybe it's something you ate. No, I don't eat anything. You don't eat anything?

No, I just don't eat. I don't know what's wrong with me. I'm so weak.

I say, well, look, it's simple what's wrong with you. You're starved. You need to take some nourishment. People say, you know, I just don't understand why I'm so weak in my Christian life. I just don't understand why I don't have any strength. I don't understand why other Christians seem to be so strong, and I'm so weak. It's because you're not feeding on the Word of God.

Listen, you're made strong by the Word of God as newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the Word. I've been around enough newborn babes to know one thing, folks. They're interested in one thing, and it's M-I-L-K. Not one of them has sent out an order to have the wallpaper changed. They don't give a hoot about that.

They are born with a craving for milk, a suckling instinct, and that's the way it is to be with you. You're to be like a newborn babe to crave the Word of God. And so, if you would be a minister of the Word, first of all, you must receive the Word, but secondly, not only must you receive the Word, you ought to respect the Word. Look again, beginning in verse 22, seeing you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren.

See that you love one another with a pure heart fervently, being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth forever. For all flesh is as grass, and the glory of man is the flower of grass. The grass withereth and the flower thereof falleth away, but the Word of the Lord endureth forever. I want to say several things about this Bible as you respect it. I want you to respect the inerrancy of the Word of God. Verse 22 calls it the truth, seeing you have purified your souls in obeying the truth. Verse 23 calls it the Word of God.

There's no need to argue about it, no quibble about it. If it's the Word of God, and God is a God of truth, then it can't have error in it. A God of truth cannot inspire error. It is the product of the Spirit of God. It is thereby totally infallible, because God is infallible. J. Cidlow Baxter was correct in my estimation when he said, and I'm quoting him directly now, that the biggest division between Christians is no longer between one denomination and another, but between those who accept the Bible as the inspired Word of God and those who do not.

People are lining up, folks, either for the Word or against the Word. Lewis Chafer wrote this, The Bible is not such a book as man would write if he could, because it condemns him, or could write if he would, because it surpasses him. Thank God for the inerrancy of the Bible.

But not only should you respect its inerrancy, but if you respect its inerrancy, then you have to respect its authority, because it is the Word of God. Now, when we were little kids, my brother, my sister, would say, Adrian, go do this or go do that. And I would lip off at them and I'd say, says who? And every now and then they'd say, Daddy says so. And I'd say, okay, Daddy says so.

Says who? You see, when the Bible speaks, God speaks. A while back I had the joy of spending several hours with Dr. Billy Graham in his home in Monterey, North Carolina. And we set before fire and talked, and it was one of the most enjoyable times that I've spent. We had a cup of coffee, and I asked him to tell me again about that time in his life when he got this matter settled about the Word of God.

Billy Graham told me how he, as a youngster, had heard all of the machinations and all of the protestations of the liberal theologians, and he was being bombarded on every side. He said, I went alone in the mountains to get it settled. I took my Bible.

I read it over and over and over again. I went out there and I prayed to God. Finally, I knew I had to make a decision. I went out there and I prayed to God.

Finally, I knew I had to make a decision. And I said, Lord God, I have preached this Bible already enough to see its mighty effect, its power in the lives of men. I may not understand everything.

I may not be able to answer all of the arguments, but God, I believe that book is your word, and I'm going to preach it that way. And I believe if there's been any secret to the ministry of Billy Graham, I know he's made mistakes. I've made them. You've made them.

We've all made them. But God has honored one thing. Billy has a way of preaching and saying, the Bible says. The Bible says, oh friend, the inerrancy of the Word of God leads to the authority of the Word of God. But I want you to think not only of its inerrancy, and not only of its authority, but I want you to think of its vitality. Look again, if you will, in verse 23. Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible by the Word of God, which liveth. This book is alive. You read other books, but this book reads you. This Bible pulsates with life. Jesus said, the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. Hebrews 4-12 says the Word of God is quick and powerful. That literally means it's alive.

It is zoan, in our case. It is quick. It is powerful.

Because it's alive, it has power. Friend, I know this Bible has power. I've preached it long enough to see the power of God. I've had folks come to listen to me, and they wonder, who is this guy?

Where did he come from? He's another one of those religious flim-flam artists. I've watched them.

They sit there and look out under their eyebrows, as if to say, watch his angle. You know, we've been lied to, and gypped, and conned, and maneuvered, and been flim-flammed, and pushed around so much that all of us have a built-in sales resistance, don't we? But I've watched, dear friend, as I have taken the Word of God Sunday after Sunday after Sunday after Sunday and preached that Word. Do you know what the Bible says about the Word of God? It is not my word like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces. You can take the hardest rock and a sledgehammer and just begin to tap. It'll break. By the way, which tap breaks it?

The last one, or all of them? Think about it tonight in your sleep. All right, you just keep tapping and the hardest rock will break. It's not my word like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces.

Why? Because, folks, there is power in the Word of God. You'll never tell me there's not power in the Word of God. I've preached it so long, I know there's power in the Word of God.

Friend, I have seen it change lives. I'm not talking about preachers' little silly outlines and illustrations and all of that. I am talking about this Word of God because of its inerrancy and because of its authority and because of its vitality. But I want to speak not only about those things, dear friend, I want you to think about its eternity. Look in verses 23 and following. Verse 23 says, the Word of God lives, and watch it, it abides forever.

Look in verse 25. The Word of the Lord endures forever. The Bible cannot fade.

It cannot decay. It is timeless truth. It was here before you got here.

It will be here when you're gone. There was a Roman emperor whose name was Diocletian. He hated the Word of God. He called in all of copies of the Word of God that there were, burned them, and erected a monument, and he said this, the name Christian is now extinguished.

Diocletian is gone, friend. I'm preaching the Word of God tonight. The Bible is always being attacked. Almost every week you'll read something in some secular magazine or newspaper about why the Bible is wrong. You have the cults who twist the Bible. You have the liberals who water the Bible down. You have the humanists who ignore the Bible.

You have so-called Christians, many of them, who claim to love it, but they don't study it. There's enough dust on some Bibles to write damnation with your fingertips. These hath God married, and no man shall part dust on the Bible, and drought in the heart. But in spite of all of that, in spite of all of that, dear friend, the Bible goes on endless, timeless, dateless, measureless. For ever, oh Lord, thy word is settled in heaven. Don't be afraid of the enemies of the Bible.

They'll not destroy the Bible. Years ago I read a story of a man who was commissioned to build a wall four feet high that could not be destroyed. So he said, all right, very well. He said, I'll build it four feet high and five feet wide.

He said, if they knock it over, it'll be taller than it was before they knocked it over. And that's the way the Bible is, dear friend. People come against the Bible, but the Word of God lives and abides forever.

It's timeless, ultimate, indestructible, infallible, and eternal. Now one last thing I want to say. Not only must we receive the Bible, we are conceived by it, we're cleansed by it, we're completed by it. Not only must we respect the Bible, but oh, ladies and gentlemen, we need to go that third step, and we need to release the Bible. We need to preach the Bible. Look in verse 25. But the word of the Lord endureth forever, and this is the word by which the gospel is preached unto you. How should we preach it? And how should we release the Word of God?

Well, we need to release it faithfully, faithfully. I've tried to be faithful to the Bible. I've had faults, and God knows I have many of them, and I hate them. But I believe if you would have followed my ministry, you'd say he's been a man of the Bible. Folks, I believed it when I began, and I believe it more now. I'm not finding hidden flaws.

I'm finding hidden beauties. It's an amazing book, and the more I study it, the greater respect I have for the Word of God. And I'm going to be faithful to the Word of God, and I'll tell you, if there ever comes a time in my life when I don't believe the Bible is the Word of God, I'm going to be honest enough to resign and get out of the ministry, rather than stand behind the sacred desk and prostitute the ministry. Preach it faithfully. Do you know why I preach the Word of God? Two reasons. Reason number one, I'm not smart enough to preach anything else.

Oh, I'm not the dumbest guy in the world either. God's given me a fair mind. I could study hard, and I could make some good speeches. I could give a few orations.

I could talk on current events. I could give some moralistic book reviews, but after a while I'd run out of gas. I preach about six times a week, every week, and sometimes more than that. Do you know why I preach the Bible?

I'm not smart enough to preach anything else. Folks, I've got to have something to draw from. I've got to have some truth. I've got to have something behind me. I've got to have a well to dig out of. If I didn't have the Bible after a while, you'd get sick and tired of listening to me, or anybody else for that matter.

I don't care who. You'd be climbing the walls wanting to get out, but you don't get sick and tired of the Word of God. One of the reasons that I preach the Bible is, folks, I'm not smart enough to preach anything else.

I'll tell you the second reason. I'm too smart to preach anything else. Hey, folks, why preach anything else when you've got this?

Sweeter than the honeycomb. Oh, this is the Word, by which the Gospel is preached unto you. We are to preach it faithfully.

We are to preach it fully. I try to preach the whole counsel of God. I try to preach from the Old Testament and the New Testament. I try to preach on doctrine and practical living. I try to preach on prophecy and praise. I try to give a balanced diet from the Word of God, and I want to say with the Apostle Paul, I've not shunned to declare unto you the whole counsel of God. Friend, release it faithfully.

Release it fully, and release it freely. It's like sowing seed, as newborn babes desire it, but as men of God, share it, preach it, and proclaim it. Release the Gospel faithfully, fully, and freely.

Share it, preach it, proclaim it. If you have questions regarding your faith or how to share it with others, we would love to offer you an insightful resource on our website. It's our Discover Jesus page. There you'll find answers you may need about your faith. We have resources free to use as you begin sharing it with others. It's simply lwf.org slash radio, and when you get there, click on the tab that says Discover Jesus.

Let us hear from you today. Now, if you'd like a copy of this message in its entirety, you can request one by the title, The Ministry of the Word of God. Here's our number, 1-877-LOVEGOD. This message is also part of the insightful series, The Bible, The Book of the Ages.

For the complete collection, a dozen powerful messages, call 1-877-LOVEGOD, or order online, at lwf.org slash radio, or write us at Love Worth Finding, Box 38600, Memphis, Tennessee 38183. Are you a minister of the Word of God? Have you received God's Word?

Do you respect it and release it? Consider its life-changing power today and share it with someone you love, and we hope you'll join us next time for more from Adrienne Rogers right here on Love Worth Finding. One of our friends wrote recently to let us know how these messages have ministered to her. She said, I love the way Adrienne Rogers teaches the gospel.

He gets right to the point and sugarcoats nothing. That's what people need to hear. We agree, and we are so honored to be able to share the truth of the gospel for such a time as this. That's why Love Worth Finding is proud to present a new documentary, Nothing But the Truth, in partnership with the film's producers. When you donate to Love Worth Finding right now, we want to send you a DVD copy of Nothing But the Truth. This documentary exposes the cultural erosion of biblical truth in America and provides viewers with access to faith-strengthening truth from God's Word. Request the DVD, Nothing But the Truth, when you call with a gift at 1-877-LOVEGOD or give online at lwf.org slash radio. And thank you for your generous support of Love Worth Finding.