[0:00] This message was recorded at Vision Baptist Church in Alfred, Georgia. It is our prayer that you will be blessed by the preaching of God's Word.
[0:13] You may be seated. Thank you. Well, today, Vision Baptist Church, it is our honor that we get to recognize the work of God in the life of Bo Carpenter. We get to say, hey, Bo, we've been watching you for a long time.
[0:27] We've been seeing how you would live your life, how you go about certain circumstances, what you believe in doctrine and stuff like that. And we approve that you say that you're called of God. That's a big night for you.
[0:39] And we just want to congratulate you, Bo. In other words, you've passed the test. That's what we're saying. So tonight, I want to, if I could, just take my eyes off Bo for a second. I want to put on to you young preachers.
[0:50] Young men who have accepted the call to become gospel ministers that haven't been ordained. You guys who are currently trying your gifts and trying to prove your ministry.
[1:01] Young men who are studying and laying down the foundation of what you believe about the Bible. Tonight, I would like to show you a portion of Scripture to show you what it takes to prove that you are worthy of an ordination.
[1:15] What it's worthy, that you're worthy to say, hey, I am a gospel minister. If you have your Bibles, turn with me to 1 Thessalonians chapter 2. 1 Thessalonians chapter 2.
[1:27] And let's just read verse 4. We'll start off in verse 4. And I'm going to use these verses 1 through 5. The Bible says this, But as we were allowed of God, get this, to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak.
[1:48] Tonight, young men, young preachers, young elders of the gospel, young missionaries in training, missionaries that haven't been ordained yet, tonight I want you to understand what you've been entrusted with.
[2:01] Do you realize what you've been entrusted with? Do you realize the author of this gospel message? Do you realize who gave you the gospel and who says, I want you to take the gospel and I want you to go speak wherever you can find a place to speak?
[2:16] That was God in heaven. And God in heaven has called you out. And a lot of you here, you realize there's 12 preachers in this room right here. There's 12 young men. No, there's more than that.
[2:26] There's 14 young men that say, hey, I am training to be in the ministry. And tonight I want you to understand. Because with understanding of what you've been entrusted with, it's going to motivate you to do some things.
[2:38] And that's what happened in the life of Paul. The first thing you see in verse number 2 is, it should motivate you to be a bold preacher. A bold preacher. Verse 2, in 1 Thessalonians 2, verses 2, he says this, even after we had suffered before and we were shamefully entreated, as you know it, Philippi, we were bold in our God to speak unto you the gospel of God.
[3:01] The first thing, when you understand what it means to be entrusted with, entrusted with the gospel, what it should motivate you to do, the first thing is, you should be a bold preacher.
[3:12] You should be a bold preacher. What Paul was saying here is that after I left Philippi, after I was stripped naked in front of everybody, after I was beaten, after I was in jail, I kept on going.
[3:26] And when I went to Thessalonica, I didn't keep my mouth shut. But I went into the synagogue and I boldly proclaimed Jesus Christ. If you're going to be a gospel minister, you must be a bold preacher.
[3:40] You must be a bold preacher. It's like this all throughout the New Testament. It's like this throughout all the Bible. You realize when Peter, after he saw Christ, after his resurrection, he would go out boldly preaching to crowds that would congregate.
[3:54] He would go out to the temple steps. He would go in front of political leaders. And all this because he was a minister of the gospel, he would speak boldly. And if you are entrusted, if you understand that you've been entrusted by God to preach this message, you too will be boldly.
[4:10] Go out and preach bold. In the Old Testament, I'm reminded by this story. I heard this one time. You guys ever remember the story when David messes up? And how he has his secret sin and how he tries to hide up the secret sin.
[4:24] And how he goes to Uriah and give him his own death warrant and he dies. You realize that when that happens? All this was just a big secret sin. Do you realize what God sent to reveal David his sin?
[4:36] He sent a man of God by Nathan. And I want you to think about this. What type of boldness this took to stand in front of the king of the nations and say, hey, that sin that you're trying to privately hide, that sin that you tried to cover over, God saw it and you are the man.
[4:54] You are in trouble. That takes a bold preacher. Don't think that this job is for the timid. This job is not for the timid. We have the Bible, the Word of God, and we have to preach it boldly.
[5:06] Whether it is the Gospel, or whether it's calling out sin, we have to preach boldly. Because we've been entrusted. We've been empowered by God. Do you understand that?
[5:16] Do you understand that? It's throughout all the Scriptures. God's messenger has always had to say, if I could use modern term vernacular, had to have some swag.
[5:27] You understand what I'm saying? They had to have some swag, some boldness, when they came to proclaiming the message. If a preacher is going to model the biblical example of a minister, he must be bold.
[5:40] If you're going to be a Gospel minister, it would be a good idea if you became a bold preacher. We have a confidence in the Gospel message that saves others.
[5:51] We have the confidence, a boldness when we preach God's Word. This job isn't for the timid, but it's for the bold. It isn't about personality, but rather it's about a confidence in God's message that is able to change lives and save the world.
[6:05] Do you have a boldness when you come up here and speak? Is it real in your life? Do you, when you proclaim God's message, is there a boldness? You have to understand, when God empowers His man to speak His Word, that man must preach boldly.
[6:19] And as you guys have claimed that you guys are preachers, messengers of the Gospel, ministers of the Gospel, you must understand that God gave you that message. And when you understand that God gave you that message, it gives you a boldness.
[6:31] It gives you a boldness. You must be bold when it becomes the proclaiming the Gospel. That means taking every opportunity to preach the Gospel anywhere and everywhere. You must be bold.
[6:42] But not only should it motivate you to be bold, but verse 2, it should motivate you to preach no matter the circumstances. Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 2, verses 2, he says this, even after that, we had suffered before, and we were shamefully entreated.
[7:05] You guys know what happened at Philippi. We were bold in our God to speak unto you the Gospel of God with much contention. Paul often had to endure a whole lot of problems, a whole lot of troubles, just to get to preach.
[7:25] And if you claim to be entrusted by God on high, saying He has entrusted me to be an ordained minister of this Word, then you must realize that you are to preach that Word no matter the circumstances, whether they're nice to you or whether they're not nice to you, whether they're kind or whether they're spitting on your face and throwing you outside the city and leaving you for dead, you are to preach the Word.
[7:51] Like Brother Tony said, you have been entrusted. Do you understand that? You are bold. You're a bold preacher. You're a bold preacher. And not only are you a bold preacher, but you preach no matter what circumstances come in your life.
[8:04] Think about the story of Elisha. Think about how he felt. He was the only man out there preaching God's Word. And he told God that. Think about him by the side of the river. But he still had to proclaim God's Word.
[8:16] Think about Jeremiah. In Jeremiah 1, verse 17, listen to what God says. He says this, Therefore, gird up thy loins. In Jeremiah 1, verse 17, and we'll say it one more time.
[8:27] Okay, Jeremiah 1, verse 17 says, Therefore, gird up thy loins and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee. Be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound thee before them.
[8:38] For behold, I have made thee this day a defense city, an iron pillar, a brazen wall, listen to this word, against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, against the priests, against the people of the land.
[8:54] And verse 19, listen to this first part of this verse, And they shall fight against you. Jeremiah, preach the words that I've given you. No matter what happens, no matter they're against you, no matter the kings are against you, no matter the priests are against you, no matter the whole land's against you, even though they fight against you, preach, preach, preach.
[9:13] I've given you my words. Preach. You are to preach. No matter, no matter the circumstances. This wasn't even different from any other message before Paul, and it's not even different now.
[9:26] Paul was shipwrecked. He was mocked. He was beaten. He was hated. He was left for dead. And on top of that all, you put the needs and the necessities of the church, but yet he continued. How could he continue?
[9:39] Because he understood that he had been entrusted with a message sent on high. And if you're going to be a minister of the gospel, you have to realize that no matter the circumstances, you are to preach and to preach boldly.
[9:52] But that's not the only thing. We should preach and we should preach boldly no matter the circumstances, but this motivation of understanding that God has given us what he's given us should motivate us to preach without any alternative motives.
[10:09] It should motivate us to preach without any alternative motives. Look at verse number 4 of 1 Thessalonians 2.
[10:21] But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak. Not as pleasing men, but God with trieth the hearts.
[10:35] Neither, neither at any time we use flattering words as you know. We didn't use flattering words as you know, nor a cloak of covetousness.
[10:47] God is witness. Nor of men sought we glory, neither of you, nor yet of others, that when we might be burdensome as apostles of Christ.
[10:59] When Paul preached, he had an audience of one. He didn't do it to please men. Verse 4, he says, not as pleasing men, but God.
[11:13] There are many people that might like the idea of preaching and thinking that that preaching might give them some type of prestige, that preaching might give them some type of popular choice.
[11:23] But Paul's understanding of him preaching was this, it was all for God. It wasn't for man. It was all for God. And whenever you realize that you've been entrusted with this special message, you don't really and I'm not trying to not be gentle, but you don't really care about what other people think because you're preaching to God.
[11:43] It's unto Him. And if you preach unto Him, you're going to do it lovingly. Does that make sense? His ministry, His time, His money, His gift, and His preaching, it was all for God. It wasn't for others to go around and pat Him on the back.
[11:56] It wasn't for God. It was all for God. There was no motive. He didn't seek the glory of men. Verse 6, nor of men sought we glory, neither of you. His ministry wasn't after money.
[12:08] He wasn't doing this job because he thought it was a lucrative job. He says, for neither at any time we use flattering words as you know, nor as a cloak, as a cloak of covetousness. I didn't come preaching to you thinking, oh, I could get some money out of these people.
[12:22] No, you see, He understood something that He had been entrusted by the God of heaven. And that means He has to preach no matter where. And He has to preach boldly. And no matter the circumstances.
[12:33] And no matter whether they give Him money or no matter whether they give Him praise because He's preaching for God. And if you're going to be a preacher, if you're going to be a preacher, an ordained preacher, a man that says, my job is this, I'm going to minister and I'm going to give this gospel as full-time ministry, you have to understand what you've been entrusted with.
[12:55] Tonight we honor a man, Bo Thomas Carpenter, by ordaining Him. And basically what we're saying is this, Bo, you have proven that you understand that you have been allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel.
[13:15] That is one of the highest compliments a person can be given. So to those of you in the training center, to those of you that are training right now to become ministers of the gospel, do you realize what you're doing?
[13:30] Do you realize what you're saying when you say, I want to be a pastor, I want to be a preacher, I want to be a missionary? This isn't a job for those who have nothing else better to do. So I might as well be a preacher.
[13:42] Or a person says, I can't cut it any place else so I might as well be a preacher. Or I really like golf, I think I might be a preacher. This isn't for that person. Tonight, do you understand what you're saying God has entrusted you with?
[13:56] Because if you really do understand what God has entrusted you with, you know what it's going to cause you to do? Preach boldly. Preach no matter what happens in your life.
[14:09] And preach for Him. If you really understand young men, young preachers, then you will be bold. You will preach no matter the circumstances.
[14:20] Your motivation will be that of one. Beau, congratulations, it's evident in your life. This message was recorded at Vision Baptist Church in Alfred, Georgia.
[14:34] For more information, log on to www.visionbaptist.com where you can find our service times, location, contact information, and more audio and video recordings.
[14:46] Thanks.