Young Minister
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opponents, it will not be in your own strength; and angel of God will
stand by your side, to help in answering every question that may be
asked. Day by day you are to be shut in, as it were, with Jesus; and
then your words and example will have a strong influence for good.
No Excuse for Ignorance
Some who enter the ministry do not feel the burden of the work.
They have false ideas of the qualifications of a minister. They think
that it requires little close study of the sciences or of the word of God in
order to gain a fitness for the ministry. Some who are teaching present
truth are so deficient in Bible knowledge that it is difficult for them
to quote a text of Scripture correctly from memory. By blundering
along in the awkward manner that they do, they sin against God. They
wrest the Scriptures, and make the Bible say things that are not written
therein.
Some think that an education or a thorough knowledge of the
Scriptures is of little consequence if only a man has the Spirit. But
God never sends His Spirit to sanction ignorance. He may and does
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pity and bless those who are so situated that it is impossible for them
to obtain an education; and sometimes He condescends to make His
strength perfect in their weakness. But it is the duty of such to study
His word. A lack of knowledge in the sciences is no excuse for a
neglect of Bible study; for the words of inspiration are so plain that
the unlearned may understand them.
Repaying Hospitality
Young ministers should make themselves useful wherever they are.
When visiting people in their homes, they should not be idle, making
no effort to help those whose hospitality they share. Obligations are
mutual; if the minister shares the hospitality of his friends, it is his
duty to respond to their kindness by thoughtfulness and consideration
in his conduct toward them. The entertainer may be a man of care
and hard labor. By manifesting a disposition, not only to wait upon
himself, but to render timely assistance to others, the minister may
often find access to the heart, and open the way for the reception of
truth.