The
DeGRAFF FREE
State Route 235/
Phone: (937) 585-4463
James R. Roby, Pastor
www.degrafffreewillbaptist.com
"FELLOWSHIP OF THE OUTSIDERS"
by Pastor Buddy Smith,
I have finally found the perfect pastor's fellowship.
I do not say this lightly.
For over forty years I have been looking for a group of godly men who would
serve as mentors to young preachers, who would consistently display a deep
humility, who would teach and preach the Word without fear or favour. I have longed for a fellowship of preachers who
would resist the fleshly allurements of
Well, I finally found them. It has been a long search. Admittedly, among the
numerous pastors' fellowships that I have sampled, I found some of the
qualities I longed for. But not all. some came close to my criteria, but the wheels always fell
off just when they were needed the most.
Let me tell you about this fellowship. No, it doesn't have a name. They have
never bothered to choose one. I suspect they have been too busy with more
important things. The pastors in this fellowship don't have any of the modern
conveniences we have. Not one has a computer. None of them owns a car. They
don't even have electricity, so there's no television or radio where they live.
They have never been to a pastor's conference, or an evangelistic crusade. None
of them has a degree in theology. In fact, none of these pastors have even been
to
I guess we would call these their limitations.
But let me tell you about their pastoral work.
1. They stick to the job. For years and years, they have kept right on feeding
their flocks. Not one of them has ever looked for a larger pastorate. They know
the meaning of the word "abide."
2. They pastor in an environment of almost universal darkness. Oh, there is a
little gleam of light here and there and they
fellowship in that light. They just keep on pastoring,
though the night deepens.
3. They avoid deceptive methods of multiplying their flock. They breed for
strength, not show. They grow their own flock through prayer, good pasture, and
a lot of hard work.
4. They are thorough in their shepherding, and they know their sheep. They find
and fold and feed their own flock.
5. They are diligent and vigilant in their oversight of the flock God has given
them. They are ever so protective of their sheep. No wolf is going to snatch
even one little lamb from their flocks, ever!
6. These are no hirelings! No roaring lion will ever frighten them away. I have
seen a score of lion skins hanging on their walls. These are faithful shepherds.
7. I am especially impressed with their knowledge of the Scriptures. One only
has to tell them some truth from God and they immediately relate it to the
truths they already know. Such agility of heart is very rare, even among
pastors!
8. And you ought to see how they receive God's Word when He sees fit to reveal
more of Himself to them! It is this response that finally convinced me that
this is the perfect pastors' fellowship.
I have been on mission fields where the pastors did not have all
the Bible, and I have seen their delight in having more of it translated
into their language. But these pastors amaze me at their responsiveness to the
new things they receive from God. They immediately imitate the Bereans of Acts 17:11 and begin searching the Scriptures
they know by heart to see if these things are so. They go to great lengths to
verify the accuracy of the things they learn from God.
(I must admit I watched very carefully to see how they would treat any new Word
from the Lord. We have all observed the responses of preachers to the Word of
the Lord, and we all know how they tend to treat any unfamiliar doctrine. Well,
these pastors surprise me beyond measure. They show no trace of a critical, sceptical approach to the Word of God. They do not even
form a committee to establish the veracity of the text. They do not consult the
resident German rationalist in the seminary. They do not analyze the text for
grammatical errors. They do not search the
9. And then they rejoice over the wonderful truths God reveals to them! So much so that they can not keep quiet about it. The things
they get from God change their preaching. They have to tell everybody they
meet. And their excitement is contagious. Many are provoked to worship through
the preaching of these godly pastors. You can see why I think I have found the
perfect pastor's fellowship.
I expect you want to know where it meets, and who they are, and when the next
fellowship meeting is so you can come and see for yourself.
Well, I must confess, my first contact with them was through my favorite
historian, Dr. Luke. He told me about them in his first book, his gospel. They
are the first pastors in the New Testament. They are the faithful shepherds of
Luke chapter 2 (verses 8-20.) These are the pastors who stayed by their flocks
when the world was darkening. These are the pastors who abode with them, not
forsaking them for the comforts of home and hearth. These are the pastors who
watched sleeplessly for the good of their sheep. These are the pastors who
feared the Lord and reverenced His Word, and like Abraham, staggered not at the
promise of God. These are the pastors who showed true Christian scholarship in
believing the Word uncritically and demonstrated this faith in immediate
pursuit of the Truth it revealed. These are the pastors who preached the Word
to any and all and did it worshipfully. And hearts were touched.
I have finally found the pastor's fellowship I need. This is my crowd!
Of course, there was another fellowship of preachers in those early gospel
accounts. They were the Sceptical Scribes Society and
their parish was in
And so today, pastors are faced with a vital choice to make. We may do the
rounds in
I wonder, how many pastors down through the centuries
have quietly withdrawn from the
