[0:00]
I'm going to read from one Timothy chapter four verses six to sixteen. If you point these things out to the brothers and sisters, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished on the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed. Have nothing to do with Godless myths and old wives' tales, rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things.

[0:30]
Holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance. That is why we labour and strive because we have put our hope in the living God who is the saviour of all people and especially of those who believe. Command and teach these things. Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of scripture, to preaching and to teaching.

[1:09]
Do not neglect your gift which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you. Be diligent in these matters. Give yourself wholly to them so that everyone may see your progress. Watch your life and doctrine closely, persevere in them because if you do, you will save both yourself and your heroes. I would like to introduce Steve Timis. Steve is our speaker this afternoon. He is married to Janet. They have four married children, eight grandchildren at last count. He is the director of Acts 29 in Western Europe.

[1:52]
He is a share of responsibility. He is the co-founder of the Crowded House, an international group of church planning networks. He is the co-director of the Port of Brook Network and initiative that trains church planners. He is the co-author of the total church. He is authored a couple of books on his own. I wish he had said that. I can't imagine what it is about. Steve, it is a pleasure to have you with us at the multiply. I would like you to join us up the front so I can pray for you, brother. Why don't you open your bibles and get ready to hear Steve's teach?

[2:31]
Let me pray for you. Father God, we just praise you and thank you for this opportunity to hear from your word yet again. We ask that you bless your servant, Steve, as he teaches your word faithfully to us. Father, by your spirit may we grow into the image of your son and we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Good afternoon, everyone. Thanks for that introduction, though most of the details were wrong. It is a pleasure to be with you.

[3:05]
I have been asked to rather than just simply expound a passage of scripture but to share some personal reflections. I suspect that has happened because, as it is quite obvious to you, I am no longer a spring chicken. Since the equivalent of these lifetime achievement awards, they give to actors and artists. Basically, when they pass their best, they get them. They say you have done a really good job now.

[3:36]
Toss her off and pursue some kind of hobby. I am acutely aware of the fact that I am not as young as I used to be. I have been around the block a few times and so much so that it takes me a little longer to get around on each cycle. Now, I am 57 years old and I began in as it was supported formal gospel ministry when I was at the tender age of 22.

[4:06]
I have been married for 35 years and I have been involved in this kind of ministry for that length of time. Now, I tell you that not simply to give you some tedious information about me but to say that on its own, that kind of statistic doesn't give any special weight to what I am about to say. The fact that I am old, the fact that I am experienced, these things are in and of themselves no guarantee of any significance at all.

[4:38]
Age in and of itself is no secure of wisdom. Experience is in and of itself no secure of wisdom. That only comes from reflecting on and learning from that experience. That is precisely what I have sought to do in this session. Let me tell you why. First of all, because, well, I am just wired that way. That is how I learn. I am a reflective and an interactive learner.

[5:11]
So, it is good as you go through life just to reflect upon what has just happened. Be that good, be that bad, be that atrium, be that a tragedy. It is good to just take start and reflect upon what happened and why it happened. The second reason is that I have made mistakes too many to mention. I am not saying that simply in some kind of generalisation that, hey, we have all made mistakes, don't we?

[5:43]
But I have genuinely made many mistakes. So many that only a fool would fail to learn from them. A fool in the biblical sense of that term has no place in gospel ministry. Has no place in planting churches. So, in wide that way, that is why I reflect upon them. I have made too many mistakes for me not to reflect upon them and learn from them. Sadly, the gospel requires it and the gospel facilitates it.

[6:17]
See, we know, don't we, that the gospel isn't merely the truth that we hear that gets us into the kingdom, but it is the truth by which we live as inhabitants or citizens of the kingdom. It soens through which we view life, through which we understand relationships, through which we weigh competing claims, through which we make decisions, through which we conduct our ministries, through which we plant churches, through which we lead people, through which we disciple people.

[6:52]
So, what is the fruit of that reflection? What is this gleaned wisdom revealed to me? Well, mainly it is the critical importance of humility, the critical importance of humility. And I realize that that is an issue that Gary addressed for as he very healthfully took us through the early chapters of Deuteronomy. And when I realized that there was the danger of overlap, I seriously thought as to whether I should reconsider, but actually the more that I thought about, the more compelled I was to pursue this issue, to carry on down this road.

[7:35]
And because you can't hear, we can't hear, I can't hear the need for humility too often. I can't be told of the dangers of pride too often. You see, families in ministry can easily be sacrificed. And you hear sometimes people say families are sacrificed on the altar of ministry, they're not. Families are fed to the demon of pride. That's the problem that we have. We can't blame our ministries, we can't blame our churches, we can't blame the demands placed upon us, we can only blame the pride that is inherent in our hearts.

[8:18]
The critical importance of humility. Well, gusting, put it this way. Humility is the foundation of all the other virtues, hence in the soul in which this virtue does not exist, there cannot be any other virtue except in mere appearance. That's how important humility is. John Stott clearly agreed, listen to this, this is a more extensive quote, but it bears just reading as it is.

[8:53]
Pride is without doubt the chief occupational hazard of the preacher. It has ruined many and deprived their ministry of power. In some it is blatantly obvious, say our exhibitionist by temperament, and they use the pulpit as a stage on which they show off. Other preachers are not like Nebuchadnezzar, however, for that pride does not take the form of blatant boastfulness. It is more subtle, more insidious, and even more perverse. For it is possible to adopt an outward demeanor of great meekness which, while inside, are appetite for applause is insatiable.

[9:30]
At that very moment when in the pulpit we are extolling the glories of Christ, we can in reality be seeking our own glory. And when we are exhorting the congregation to praise God and are even ostensibly leading them in praise, we can be secretly hoping that they will spare a bit of praise for us. We need to cry out with Richard Baxter, oh what a constant companion, what a tyrannical commander, what a slight subtle and insinuating enemy is this sin of pride.

[10:05]
You see, I speak to you as a proud man. As I was preparing this talk, I found myself wondering whether this was going to end up as a go to sermon on pride. Maybe out of this I would have enough material to be able to write the definitive book on humility. Maybe that was just a possibility. But I do speak to you as a proud man. I loathe that pridefulness in a way that 25 years ago I didn't in which I was just more indifferent to it than I am now, but pride still stalks me and pride still mugs me.

[10:48]
And I don't realize it until I wake up and I come to my senses, it is a constant battle. And even this admission that I'm a proud man may yet prove to be another weapon in pride's arsenal, such as its insidious nature. You see, what should pastors or planters or preachers be known for? Or many things, of course, but they should be known for humility. Because that was true of Jesus, wasn't it? He was a truly humble man. And we should be known as men who are humble.

[11:30]
But what? Almost always. No, what always afflicts us, pride. Listen to this quote by the theologian Helmut Tillich, or as I believe it should be pronounced te liki, but I can't bring myself to say that with a straight face. So I'm going to re-pronounce it my way. Tillich. Helmut Tillich, it is possible that theology makes a young theologian vain.

[12:04]
And so kindles in him something like Nostek pride. The chief reason for this is that us men, truth and love are seldom combined. It is also possible to say precisely why truth seduces us very easily into a kind of joy of possession. This is very insightful. I have comprehended this and that learned it, understood it, knowledge is power. I am therefore more than the other man who does not know this and that. I have greater possibilities and also greater temptations.

[12:40]
Anyone who deals with truth as we theologians certainly do succumbs all too easily to the psychology of the possessor. But love is the opposite of the will to possess. It is self giving. It both not in itself, but it humbles itself. So I don't think that's a whole answer, but it's certainly an important element. We were made to be lovers of God, weren't we? But in our sin we have turned away from God and we have turned in on ourselves and we have become lovers of ourselves.

[13:17]
Self lovers. And pride, according to Genesis 3, pride is the nuclear core of our fallenness. Other sin, feed off it. All other sins are expressions of it. Which means that anything and everything has the capacity to both feed my pride and express my pride. Which makes the task of pastoring and planting and preaching particularly fraud.

[13:50]
Because here's my 35 year experience take on it. For what it's worth? See apparently nobody goes into marriage thinking of divorce. I'm not entirely sure about that, but I'm willing to run with it because it's just a very useful parallel to what I want to say. So one goes into supported ministry with an unbridled ambition to make a name for themselves.

[14:24]
But just as the rigors of marriage prove too much for some people and sadly far too many marriages fail, so the pitfalls of ministry just prove too much for some of us. The duty is that there are some people here today just beginning your ministry with great hope and yes godly ambition who in if the Lord tarries just a decade or two will be nowhere.

[14:54]
If the statistics are true that is almost certainly to be the case. Why? Because of this thing called pride. See I'm of the opinion that gospel ministry and I'm using the term in its limited sense because everybody's a gospel minister to be a believer is to be a gospel minister. So I'm using this in its limited sense because this is a context that we're in. But gospel ministry is not the last option of the incompetent.

[15:24]
It really isn't. It shouldn't be. Sadly sometimes it is. It is the last option of the incompetent. I can't do anything else. So I'm going to go to theological college or I'm going to do an internship or apprenticeship or whatever. I'm just not good at anything else and this is the only thing I can end up doing. And there are churches that have been led by men who have chosen this last option because they are basically incompetent at anything else. And they ought not to be doing that kind of gospel ministry. In other words, if you can't get paid to pursue preaching, pastoring and planting whatever whatever category you fit yourself into when you should have enough ability and confidence to get a job to pay yourself to do it.

[16:14]
But competent people, people who can do that, well then there's a danger in it, isn't it? Because competent people tend to be successful at what they do. That's just kind of goes with the territory, which means that there are some of us here who are in situations where we will build apparently successful ministries. We will plant apparently successful churches. We will do apparently successful things. And in our world when you build successfully all other things being equal, people are going to want to know the secret of your success.

[16:54]
And largely people want to do that, not because they can glorify God because you've been successful but so that they can have a shortcut to success in their ministry. So that means that if you are successful as a pastor, as a planta, as a preacher, if you are successful you're going to be asked to speak at conferences. You're going to find publishers who want to publish your books. You're going to be invited onto platforms and invited into private conversations.

[17:26]
Other people will want your endorsement and seek your patronage. That will happen. And in our world, our connected world, there are dangers inherent in ministry now facing some of you just starting off that were not present to previous generations. But here's the bottom line that we would all do well to remember. Such things of these are damaging to the soul. They really are.

[17:56]
And please remember this thing. Families are not sacrificed on the altar of ministry. They are fed to the demon of pride. Such things are damaging to the soul and they're not damaging to the soul. Potentially they are actually damaging to the soul. You see, I've spoken from platforms. I've planted churches. I've written books. I've been sought for endorsements. I've been invited into private conversation.

[18:30]
So I know these things and I know these things are damaging to my soul. I know that it's impossible to be involved in these things without some impact upon my godliness, without some temptation that is insidious. Now that doesn't mean to say that it's inevitably terminal, but it does mean that it needs constant vigilance and remedial action. If you've been married two years, please do not write a book on marriage. All I've learned about marriage.

[19:08]
And don't speak. If you've got children who are like six months old and 18 months old, don't accept invitations to speak on parenting. Because you just don't know enough about it. And whatever you say about parenting then, you are likely to regret it ten years later. Whatever you say about marriage after the first two years of your marriage, you are likely to regret it ten years later. And you should always then write a retraction and say, look, I got it wrong. I know I said this, but actually, sorry, it doesn't always work that way.

[19:46]
You see, and this ties directly to some of the things that Gary was saying, we should be far more concerned about younger men being successful in gospel ministry than about them failing. The simple reason that pride is so insidious and pernicious. I'm not sure. Are you familiar with that song? Is it reached Australia? Uptown Funk? Yeah? I'm too hot. Call the police and a fireman. I'm too hot. Make a dragon retire, man. I'm too hot. Say my name. You know who I am. I'm too hot. I'm a bad, bad, the money. Break it down.

[20:30]
I have no idea what I'm about, about the money means. Absolutely no idea at all. But I know what the other bit means. I know what it means there. And sadly, this is the irony. That's how many of us get into the pulpit. I want to kiss myself. I'm so pretty. We stand there. We post you there because we're too hot. We want to perform. We want to post you. We want to parade.

[21:01]
And when we're good at what we do, when people appreciate what we do, when people pursue us because of what we do, we believe the press. And our soul gets eaten away. And our ministry becomes simply a context by which I continue to have this monster of pride fed. And my family suffers. My children suffer. My home life suffers. My friendship suffer.

[21:35]
So let's spend just a little bit of time reflecting on Paul's words to his young protege, one Timothy chapter four. As I said, I was not kind of, in fact, it was said to me, we're not, we don't want you to spend a lot of time kind of exeguting a passage. That's Gary's privilege to open up the Bible. I'm not going to do anything in terms of close exegesis. But to try and capture the overall gist and sense of what he's saying and why. So let's just dip into it. Look at what he says there in verse six.

[22:10]
If you put these things before the brothers and sisters, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, a good minister of Christ. I think that's a beautiful description of a preacher, of a pastor, of the church, panter. That's what we should aspire to be, a good minister, a good servant of Christ. Someone who is able and willing to teach truth and refute error because he himself is being nourished on or trained in, nourished on and trained in the truths of the faith and of good teaching as Paul says to Timothy there in verse six.

[22:48]
You see, there is isn't a vital pressing reality of the word of God continuing to do its work in him. It, it, it, this is in stark contrast to those godless myths and the old wives tale that were being peddled in and around emphasis. And there is a helpful and a clarifying objectivity to the gospel that Paul, Paul, are loose to air. Here, there is a refreshing and a reassuring power in the gospel, isn't it?

[23:19]
It's not merely a word that we read and merely a word that we ponder at all. It's like we might do a textbook. It's a word that works. It's a word that acts upon us and through which the spirit does his work in us. And that's why what Paul says what he says to Timothy, you will be a good servant to Jesus Christ being trained, not having been trained, but being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed. You are being trained in it as you, as you read it, as it works its power upon you as a spirit takes it and massages it into your soul. Is that me that's making that noise? Is there anything I can not do?

[24:03]
No? Okay. As preachers, as pastors, as church planters, as husbands and as fathers and as wives and as children, we need to immerse ourselves in the word of God, the Bible, and we need to feed on it daily, and we need to actively train ourselves in it and buy it. And look at Paul's next exhortation that he says to Timothy, have nothing to do with the reverent myths rather than train yourself for godliness.

[24:41]
Train yourself to be godly. I find that fascinating. I find that remarkable, isn't it? Train yourself to be godly. Exercise yourself into godliness. Listen to this explanation from one commentator. A vigorous development, an application of all his strength and ability that he might serve the glory of God with every thought and action. So, check societies not restricted to a negative physical asceticism, but rather implies a positive developing of his strength nourished above all by the words of faith.

[25:20]
Train yourself to be godly. You see, it isn't simply that the word of God works itself upon us. No, it is powerful, yes, but it's not magical. So, we invest in it. That's what we do as ministers of the gospel. We spill some blood, sweat, and tears in the pursuit of the truth of God's word. And it's in this way, according to Paul to Timothy, that we continually set an example in speech, and in conduct, and in love, and in faith, and in purity.

[25:55]
See, there has to be. There really does have to be. This is a stark imperative that we're confronted with. And I want to say it with all the false and impassioned and whim and whimsomeness that I possibly can. There has to be a whimsomen congruity about all aspects of a life of a pastor, a planter, and a preacher. This congruity, this integrity, this interconnection between who I am in public and who I am in private, that we should be as preachers and pastors and planters, we should be men who are exactly what we are outside as we are in the family.

[26:38]
Because we're not sacrificing our family to the great God of pride. But these are men and women, young men, young women, that we are investing in, that we're loving, that we're serving, that we're pursuing, that we're laying our life on the line for them, because that's exactly what we're doing for the people outside. We're not doing it in order to make a name for ourselves, because we're not building a platform for ourselves now. We are being men of God. We are training ourselves in Godliness. We are pursuing Godliness and investing everything to be Godly, intentionally, self-consciously, Godly. Godliness isn't just something that happens to you.

[27:21]
It is our lives ought to be intentionally exemplary, intentionally exemplary. That's hard for us, isn't it? Because the false humility kicks in there, but the Apostle Paul would say it often. He would present other gospel ministers in the same way as examples of the faith. Follow my example as I follow that of Christ. You've seen my manner of life, well, imitated, doing it.

[27:53]
And again, this isn't haphazard, is it? This isn't whimsical or coincidental. There is an altruistic dimension to our pursuit of Godliness. That's what Paul goes on to say. We do it self-consciously so that others might be provoked to Godliness too. So it's show and tell, always, in terms of our pursuit of humility, our pursuit of Godliness, it's a talent show. It is a do as I do.

[28:25]
And how does this relate to humility? Well, for the simple reason, ministry is not about us any more than it was for Timothy. And that's why families get sacrificed to this demon of pride because we make ministry about us. Why do I invest all of my time outside of the home because I'm pursuing not the glory of Christ, but I'm pursuing the glory of me? I'm not wanting to build a platform so that Christ might be paraded before the world. I'm building a platform so the world might see just how hard I am.

[29:09]
That's why Paul, as he goes on to say, shows that Timothy's authority, the scriptures, and his task is… His task is because of his gift is simply that he might read them and teach from them to the gather church. That's what he's got to be doing. The same scriptures that he's been immersed in that have notified him about Godliness that have impacted him for Godliness, those are the scriptures that he's teaching.

[29:45]
And why Paul then rounds it off with a whole series of imperatives, doesn't it? He says, practice these things. He says, be this. He says, watch, he says, persist. So don't neglect the gift you have, verse 14, which was given you by prophecy. No, practice these things. Immers yourself in them or be them so that all may see your progress. Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this. This is what we should pursue. We don't pursue success, we don't pursue a platform, we don't pursue a church even we pursue Godliness.

[30:27]
That's got to be our primary concern. Now as a godly man, a godly preacher, pastor, planter, then you're going to do wise things, you're going to build wisely, that's what we're called to do. But we're not building for us, we're building for Christ in His glory. And when we build for Christ in His glory, our family is not going to be fed to any demon. Our family are going to be nurtured, they're going to be integrated, they're going to be loved and served.

[30:58]
So in the areas of His life, His teaching and His ministry, we are to be constantly and consistently engage, diligent and invested. This is a good servant of Jesus Christ. This is a good minister of the gospel, what a wonderful description to be a good servant. What a noble ambition to be a servant.

[31:30]
A servant of who? Christ Jesus. There is no better description, there is no better designation, but a servant of Christ Jesus. And this is a means to humility. Humility isn't an object, but we pursue, is it? It's the fruit that grows out as God's word is cultivated in our hearts. As the gospel takes root and begins to flourish. So don't focus on humility, focus on Christ, focus on the gospel.

[32:06]
And when you're focusing upon Christ and the gospel and your affections are captured by Him, your heart is in large for Him. When He becomes to you, the altogether, lovely one, and the fairest of 10,000, then your family won't be sacrificed. Your church won't be a means to the end and that end being your reputation. And focus upon Him with passion, with determination, with dedication and resolve.

[32:40]
You can see how it works, can't you see us Lewis nailed it, didn't he? When he said humility isn't thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of yourself less. As Kelle said, it's that grace of self-forgetfulness. Pride is like a black hole. It takes anything in its own and it devours it, it feeds off it, it is enlarged through it. So even focusing on being humble cultivates pride. So focus on Christ.

[33:17]
See that's one reason why I'm not a big fan of journals, I don't know if any of you do, I don't want to offend you and I'm sure there's all good reasons for doing them. But I'm just not a fan, I don't want to spend a lot of time searching my soul and inquiring after its hell. Look at what Paul does in Philippians chapter 4. To encourage joy and contentment and thankfulness among God's people, he encourages the people of God to focus on what is true and what is honorable and what is pure.

[33:52]
And what he's doing there is he's saying, don't focus on those things that cause you anxiety. Over other focus upon those things that are exemplified in the gospel. I don't know if you've ever experienced this but you may be suffering struggling with a particular temptation. And in that temptation, I think the most effective devices of the evil one is to get us to become preoccupied with the temptation. So that we pray about the temptation.

[34:24]
Lord, take this temptation whatever it is away from me and we think about the temptation and we find the temptation is still there so we pray about it more and surprise, surprise the temptation is still there because we pray and we're thinking about it. No, no, don't do that. Rather look at those things that are true and lovely and pure. Those things that are exemplified in the gospel, those things that are magnified in Christ, set your affections upon Him and though that temptation will will flee.

[34:54]
That temptation will diminish its power will no longer allow you. So let's lamb the plane with the last eight minutes. Remember Christ as our Savior and example. See the title of this conference is whatever it takes. Well, what does it take? Well, it takes the death of self. It's laying it all on the line.

[35:27]
It's having this mind in you which was also in Christ Jesus who being in very nature God did not consider equality with God a thing to be grasped but he and the devil. He has been treated himself. Taking upon himself the form of a servant. I've been asked to speak about some of the things that we've been through in Acts 29 over the last year or so in particular reference to Mark Driscoll and the sad things that happened in Mark's ministry in particular.

[36:08]
I don't claim to have all the answers and I'm certainly not going to give you any inside information or dish any dirt at all. What I can say is that as you look and see one of the questions that I would often ask myself over many years is wonder why the Lord gave a man as young as Mark Driscoll the platform that he gave him. Because it never it just and I still don't know the answer to that because it just strikes me that it was how can that do anything other than feed that pride that is latent or active in his soul as it is in all of our soul.

[36:50]
To know that you have to know that you have so many million hits on your sermons. How are you not going to end up preaching to the internet rather than to your congregation. To know that people people who are old enough to be your father want to get an audience with you how is that not going to feed this monster this pride. And then you build a ministry that where it's not about the ministry but it's about you it's not about Christ but it's about you it's not about the people of God it's about you.

[37:25]
And how did that happen? Well, I think it's this thing called pride. That's why I can't point the finger at Mark Driscoll. And I can't call him out as a as a worse center than I am because I know that exactly what is in this hard is in mind. And I know that they're but for the grace of God. Go. I. I, and I know that the major difference between He and me and why I haven't ended up where Mark currently is is because I didn't have the opportunity that Mark had.

[38:03]
So what can we do? What can we do for Mark now? Well what should his friends be doing who have contact with him? They should be encouraging to think of Christ as both Saviour and example. That's what Peter does, isn't it? He sets Christ as the example of the believer as well as the Saviour of the people. And both are so very important. And also what it means is refuse elevation and pursue participation. Refuse elevation and pursue participation as a preacher, as a pastor, as a planter.

[38:39]
As a family, don't separate your life and your heart and your family from the church of which you are part. Because that was a thing that was quite common in the situation that we're alluding to. That is the thing that you would hear quite a lot within Acts 29 over many years. No, we need to see ourselves as a sheep before we view ourselves as a shepherd. So integrate your life and your family into the church.

[39:11]
Be a member before you're a pastor. Be a part of a small group and not simply gather a group of people around you that you want that you claim to be accountable to. Being accessible to people means far more than making room in your diary for them. It means making room in your life for them. So that they see what kind of husband you are, what kind of father you are, what kind of neighbor you are, that they see that up close and personal.

[39:45]
It's very hard to post your own grand statements and bold gestures when people are embedded in your life, ordinary people are embedded in your life and see you when you get out the wrong side of the bed. I don't know Gary well but I can guarantee you that he knows gets nowhere near as cranky as I do. But I can hide that crankiness most of the time. I'm very good at concealing that sense of arrogance that I have that I know better than

[40:19]
anybody else. I say that I'm an introvert and I'm an introvert because actually I think I make more sense in anybody else. The person I want to spend time with is me, not you. But when I'm living my life among God's people, when my family is exposed to God's people and an integral part of it, then I'm going to have people, ordinary people, young people speaking truth to me, gossiping me, calling me out, calling me back to Christ, bringing

[40:50]
the good news to bear. Being is more effective in dealing with that beast of pride and nurturing humility than the awareness that the people you're preaching to know what kind of man you really are and they love you and they want to listen to you. This glorious congruity between who we are in the home and who we are outside. The refuse elevation, pursue participation, reject separation and cultivate engagement.

[41:25]
Reject separation and cultivate engagement. Don't worry in your ministry about who gets most hits on iTunes in terms of sermon, love your people so that they know that you love them. You may not be a spurge in your preaching but they don't need a spurge in. In the province of God they need you. So be the man of God that they need you to be. A man of love and grace and mercy and humility.

[41:55]
And pursue those things. And you will get conference invitations. You will be asked to sit on committees. You will be asked to write books but most of the time say no. It doesn't mean say that those things are inherently wrong. But they are inherently dangerous. Yes. So give your ministry time to develop. Give your family time to grow. Don't sacrifice it.

[42:26]
Not on your ministry but again to this demon of pride. Don't do it by running off all over the country or all over the world so that you can give people your wisdom when there are people at home who are just hungry for your affection. And one final thing. Forget with, just dig deep. Forget with, dig deep. Leave God to take care of how wide your ministry grows. For some it will grow very wide.

[42:57]
And that's fine. But if you dig deep now, dig deep into God's Word, dig deep into your own heart. Know yourself. Dig deep into the gospel. Dig deep into the lives of your people. Dig deep into your family. If you're a husband, dig deep into your wife. If you're a father, dig deep into your children. Dig deep and invest heavily there. So that you might be the man that God wants you to be.

[43:31]
Whatever it takes, well, it takes everything. It takes the sacrifice of our lives to Christ. That's what it takes. So let's give it. But not so that we might be famous, but so that Christ might be glorious. And not so that we might be successful. But for those that are in our care, they might flourish and thrive and become all that God wants them to be. And that's your church, yes.

[44:02]
But that's your family, most definitely. They're not too separate entities in bad, integrate, build for the glory of God and the fame of Christ. Amen.