The old Hebrew who came to Jesus by night whispered of a "Teacher come from God." This God's minister must ever be. But the world will not believe the mere assertion that you are a teacher sent of God, even though you proclaim it from pulpit, press, and housetop. There must be something that will substantiate your claim and place it beyond question, something that will give verity to all that you say and demonstrate the sincerity of what you profess. The wonders of hypnotism and Spiritualism will not do this. Neither will they satisfy the world today. God's teachers must differ from all other teachers. They must carry with them divine credentials that establish their claims to ambassadorship for the kingdom above.
Your Words Will Tell.—Kind, true, thoughtful words carry with them a wonderful and convincing power. Words are living things, and by the character of the words we use. we are to be justified or condemned. Peter tried to undo the influence of the language he had learned when in company with the Master. He began to curse and swear in order to disprove the statement that he was one of them. Drummond says, "Let me hear the six words that a man uses most frequently, and I will unlock his whole life." Paul sets forth the importance of language when he puts "word" first in the character plan of the Christian. I Tim. 4:12. Christ could say, "The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life."
Men of God, see to it that you shun all the low and common phrases of the world. Your language may be simple, but let it be divine. Your words must all be living words, for you are a teacher come from God. "The voice of Jesus should be heard in the message coming from the lips of His ambassador."—"Testimonies," Vol. IV, p. 528. Again, we are told that ministers "should be examples to the flock, in their eating, in their drinking, and in their chaste conversation." If you live below the Christian level in the language you employ, you will not make the world believe that you are a teacher from God!
Your Life Will Tell.—"A kind, courteous Christian is the most powerful argument that can be produced in favor of Christianity."—"Gospel Workers," p. 122. The picture that Paul would give of the teacher from God is found in the words, "I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me." This would be a man through whom the will and power of Christ find daily expression. "The minister stands as God's mouthpiece to the people, and in thought, in word, in act, he is to represent his Lord."—Id., p. 20. The living gospel is the testimony for which the world is looking today. It must be seen in your life, if that life is to be a convincing power.
A man from the inner part of China walked two hundred miles to a mission station, and requested baptism. The missionary asked him where he had heard the gospel. He replied, "I have never heard the gospel, but I have seen it walking about." A man from his district—an opium smoker, a swearer, and a wife beater—had been converted at the mission, and the influence of his life had carried the gospel to his people.
Your Appearance Will Tell.—The long, sour face of the Pharisee did not meet the mind of the Master. "A sad countenance is no recommendation for religion." Man alone of all creatures can claim the privilege of a bright countenance. A bright smile and a clean face are pleasing to God in His service
The minister's dress should become his calling. His clothing should be simple and appropriate, and over it all there should be the ornament of "a meek and quiet spirit." In the sight of God, this is of great price. I Peter 3:4. In the long ago, knowledge was taken of the disciples that they had been with Jesus. It must be even so now.
Loyalty to Your Message Will Tell.—If thou believest with all thine heart," was the test put by Philip to the eunuch who was seeking God's way. The man of God must believe with a wholehearted faith. The slipshod professions of our day carry no reality with them. The messenger who does not fully believe his message is a hypocrite, and his disloyalty will sometime reveal itself. God does not want a weakling whose work never tells for Him, or a "goody-goody," who lacks so much in force and principle that the world only smiles at his profession. The true teacher must be loyal to his God, to his message, and to his own character. He must leave no room for anyone to question either his work or the divine credentials which he carries.
An orchestra in London was having its final rehearsal of "The Messiah." The young woman who sang the solo—"I know that my Redeemer liveth"—sang very sweetly, and the orchestra members thought she had rendered it well. But the old conductor stepped over to her and said, "My daughter, you do not know that your Redeemer liveth."
"Yes, I think I do," she replied.
"Then you must tell me so in your song." Then the conductor raised his baton to have the chorus repeated. This time the young woman sang as though inspiration had touched her lips and captured the emotions of her soul. When the song was finished, the orchestra players were in tears, and the old conductor said softly, "I know now that you know that your Redeemer liveth. You have told me so in your song."
Workman of God, you must tell the world from your own deep experiences, both in language and in life, that you are a teacher sent from God.
