What a heart-warming experience came to the disciples as day by day they pressed close to their chosen Lord and Teacher. What a privilege and honor to listen to His instruction, to work with Him, and to profit by the tactful, kindly correctives given by the Master Evangelist.
I can think of no sweeter, more sacred association than the relationship between our Lord Jesus Christ and His disciples during the three and a half years of His earthly ministry. As Shepherd and under-shepherds they studied together, worked together, prayed together. That was nearly two thousand years ago. But we who are called to be colaborers with Him can today enjoy the same sweet fellowship as we associate together and build for eternity, giving the decided last-day warning, "Prepare to meet thy God."
The emphasis I would like to bring is this: Can we improve upon the relationship between the cobuilders?
Carefulness Needed
There is a tendency on the part of some of us already ordained to feel that the college graduate has a preparation far more valuable than that which might be gained in the field. We place such an extremely high evaluation on his ability to work for God that we may be disappointed as we process the young intern through the mill of experience. We expect too much at the start.
While we must not minimize the young worker's collegiate preparation, let us recognize the fact that God places him in our care to be given a "cup of cold water" from our well of experience. It is very true that our college teachers are men of experience. But the tightly filled college program often so crowds the life of both teachers and students that the sharing of invaluable counsel that comes from experience is hindered. It is here that we in the field must cooperate with our associates by supplying what we see is vitally needed.
With this in mind, we should not be too critical of the shortcomings of our younger associates. Instead, ours should be the desire to mold and build young workers for God's glory, so they will be able to find their places in the organization of the Lord. I believe in overlooking their mistakes, because I make them too. I try to look for the good and the gold in them, because I believe God is doing just that with me.
A selfish attitude sometimes suggests itself to us who are older workers. It is easy to feel that by properly building these younger men, we might sooner or later be deprived of the position we are aiming for, or even the one we now have. There is a grave danger in this line of thinking. It can easily neutralize all the power of senior workers. We are in the Lord's work because we are called. Since it is His work and He has full control of it, He has the prerogative to set up and to take away whom He may choose for the good of His church.
The challenge to us as ordained ministers is our opportunity to increase the value of those we associate with by giving freely of that which we have received from God. A great rejoicing, and a still greater challenge, comes to us when those we have helped are placed in positions of greater responsibility than those we occupy. It is a great spiritual challenge to be able to decrease while they increase.
Greater Love and Understanding
Those of us who have passed hrough narrow straits ourselves should become more earnest in asking God for a deeper consecration and a greater love, that we might be able to help the younger workers carry the torch of truth to heights we have not reached.
We cannot help train sturdy and strong workers if we are too critical. Some have even gone to the extreme of recommending that an intern be dropped from the Lord's work without giving sufficient time and help for development.
We sometimes expect others to develop too fast, when the Lord has been so very patient with us. We think the good and the gold in others must be the same variety that we think others see in us. Yet the Master Builder may be developing a different kind of gold in them because of His different purpose for them. Our greatest contribution toward the building of the work of God is our ability to see in our associates what God sees in them.
May God help us to realize that association with younger workers is the most delicate and sacred of all ministerial privileges. I like to feel as I associate with these younger workers that I have a responsibility that tells for eternity in molding and fashioning these instruments that God has chosen. I like to always look for the great amount of good in my associates, letting all forms of narrowness and selfishness in my ministry be crowded out.
As I associate with young co-ministers I realize my ever-growing sacred responsibility. I know that I shall stand before God someday and render an account of how I have dealt with God's chosen instruments. The question before me in the judgment day might be, "Have you helped your colaborer to conquer his temper, his desire for credit and popularity at the expense of others?"
How am I living before my co-workers? Am I respected only because of my conference credentials and position? As I labor with them to bring God's last message of mercy, do they recognize in me a deep consecration and abiding love for the things of God?
Let us kindly point out the dangers that await our fellow workers in the pathway of service. If they make mistakes in presenting the message, they need our sympathetic understanding. It is almost always harder to build than to destroy. As we process our young co-workers through the mill of experience, let us stand behind them with assurance and encouragement and say, "Brother, go ahead, and may God be with you. Your mistakes will be mine too."
New Ideas
Sometimes we feel that it is an insult to our many years of experience when new ideas come forth from young interns. There are some who discourage these new ideas because they themselves are not the authors of them. And there are some who are quick to grasp a new idea and promote it as their own. Such an attitude does more harm to the senior worker than to the younger man. It might even develop in the ordained minister an inferiority complex, which will manifest itself in various forms, such as jealousy, criticism, faultfinding. These are hard to overcome, hard to contend with, once they come into the heart. They blur our heavenly vision, and as we nurse them our power for God soon diminishes. We never lose by giving credit where credit is due—never!
It is a joy to see younger men take up the ministry. They need our prayers and our guidance. Let us welcome their ideas, try out those that are worthwhile, and give full credit to those who originate them. The proper handling of good ideas from our colaborers is only encouraging them to develop the individual originality that God has given them. Should we not welcome these thoughts and plans and ideas that come from our younger workers, and try to improve our own ministry from them?
It is God's desire for us to live consecrated lives and to help produce and develop consecrated associates. As the seed is sown, so is the harvest. If we have a "holier than thou" attitude, it is likely that the worker we have helped to build will be after our kind. If we are sensitive for self and not for God, so will the associate be developed. If our presentation of our messages is argumentative and in the spirit of debate, subconsciously will the mind of our associates be so tempered. When we have learned to deal well with our coworkers, our witnessing for God, as we keep our eyes upon Christ Jesus and the earth made new, will be a live-wire, magnetic, Spirit-filled ministry.
Behold just ahead the heavy downpour of God's Holy Spirit upon a harmonious, cooperative, consecrated ministry! We must have the latter-day Pentecost, brethren, if we are to finish the tremendous work yet to be done. May we fasten our eyes upon the New Jerusalem and be ready for that grandest and loftiest privilege, the ascension of the saints to the beloved city now awaiting the redeemed.
Paul's invitation to the Romans in chapter twelve, verse one, reads: "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service."
May God move us to reach out for a sweeter, a nobler, and a more fully consecrated ministry, so that God can accomplish His divine purpose for all of us.
