Christ First Forum

Pastors Challenged to Be Under-Rowers, Never Retire
By Lillian Kwon|Christian Post Reporter

Pastors are not called to be the captain of the ship, said Pastor Charles Swindoll. Rather, their job is to hold an oar and row.

"You and I are under-rowers," the long-time preacher told thousands of pastors Tuesday. "We don't steer the ship. We're not responsible for its ultimate destination. Our job is to row."

It's what the Apostle Paul called himself and the other apostles as recorded in the New Testament, Swindoll cited.

Exhorting fellow ministers to be servant leaders, Swindoll stressed, "You are an under-rower and a steward and you're nothing more than that. There's not a celebrity among us, not a skipper of the ship among us."

Swindoll, who has been in ministry for 50 years, was the anticipated speaker at the two-day "Refuel" conference at Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Va. He was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the church's pastor, Jonathan Falwell, who was greatly impacted by Swindoll's teachings.

Among Protestant pastors, Swindoll is considered the second most influential living preacher, after evangelist Billy Graham, according to a recent LifeWay Research survey.

The 75-year-old pastor has no plans of retiring.

"One of my great goals in life is to live long enough to where I am in the pulpit, preaching my heart out, and I die on the spot, my chin hits the pulpit – boom! – and I'm down and out. What a way to die!" he shared to laughter.

Challenging pastors against pursuing the American dream of retirement, Swindoll said, "I don't want to hear one of you say 'I'm living for the day I'm going to retire.' A pastor doesn't retire."

"We got to keep that oar in the water," he noted. "When they think of you let them remember you kept your oar in the water."

Offering a simple philosophy of ministry to pastors at this week's conference, the prominent preacher said, "Know who you are, accept who you are, be who you are."

"One of the worst things you can give to your people is someone you're not," he said, as he commended Falwell for stepping into the role of lead pastor of Thomas Road Baptist and not trying to be anyone else (such as his father, Jerry Falwell) but himself.

Swindoll also stood at the pulpit Tuesday to warn fellow ministers.

While rowing on the bottom level of a big galley ship, pastors will go through a battle with temptations.

"It (temptation) comes back again and again ... and strikes you ... little by little. It finds that one area that's not defended and it moves in closer," Swindoll explained.

One of the major temptations pastors will face is a "spirit of entitlement" when they begin to think "It's about time I get a little respect" or "I wonder what life would be like if I rowed on the next deck above me."

He continued, "You even think 'I'd love to be the one being served those meals because I've been so hard at work doing it for others."

Swindoll expressed his disdain for such thinking.

"This is, for lack of a better word, self-pity. It is the most reprehensible of the sins among the under-rowers and the stewards," he said. "You start feeling sorry for the sacrifices."

"I'm here today to warn you: I want you to watch out for the adversary," he said. "Guard yourself from any spirit of entitlement. Restrain any and all subtle temptation to gain attention or to find ways to promote yourself."

Swindoll left the crowd with a poem, summing up his address:

"Row, row, row your boat
Never, ever quit
Loyally, faithfully serving Christ
The captain of your ship."

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I agree mostly, but for some that may not be possible due to health reasons and such.
It should be decided one a one on one basis. But even when retired, I know many who
continue to preach, when they are able. And I'm quite sure that they continue to exalt
God in their daily walk, no matter their situation.

Exhorting fellow ministers to be servant leaders, Swindoll stressed, "You are an under-rower and a steward and you're nothing more than that. There's not a celebrity among us, not a skipper of the ship among us."......."I'm here today to warn you: I want you to watch out for the adversary," he said. "Guard yourself from any spirit of entitlement. Restrain any and all subtle temptation to gain attention or to find ways to promote yourself."

I'd be interested in hearing any thoughts concerning this portion of 1 Cor. I've recently encountered someone who says this only refers to those in ministry positions. I'm thinking the priesthood of the believers, myself. We all water and plant whenever we share the Gospel....what do you all think?

1 Cor. 3: 9-15 wrote:For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building. According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

We're all ministers and servants. I love the book of Acts, and the examples of the early church.

Servant wrote:We're all ministers and servants. I love the book of Acts, and the examples of the early church.

Amen...I was hoping you'd say that.

So the refining fire? The wood and stubble?
Elaborate, please....

"You will be baptized by fire, with the Holy Spirit." Abide on the vine. The chaff and the wheat, and the threshing floor. The chaff goes to the fire.
Tongues of fire on their heads, and they were filled with the Holy Spirit.
The Gold is melted by fire, the dross (impurities) come to the surface of the melted Gold, and are thrown out.
Wood and stubble are flammable.. the things not seen are eternal. God is a consuming fire....
Self is flammable, and the Holy Spirit is of the Kingdom of God which Jesus teaches. 'You MUST be born again', is not a suggestion.... it is the only way we can SEE His Kingdom, and begin to walk in it, here, where on earth, His will is done as in Heaven. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednigo...... I love it! Faith and operating in His Kingdom are not flammable. Self always is....
Amen?

Jannie wrote:

Exhorting fellow ministers to be servant leaders, Swindoll stressed, "You are an under-rower and a steward and you're nothing more than that. There's not a celebrity among us, not a skipper of the ship among us."......."I'm here today to warn you: I want you to watch out for the adversary," he said. "Guard yourself from any spirit of entitlement. Restrain any and all subtle temptation to gain attention or to find ways to promote yourself."

I'd be interested in hearing any thoughts concerning this portion of 1 Cor. I've recently encountered someone who says this only refers to those in ministry positions. I'm thinking the priesthood of the believers, myself. We all water and plant whenever we share the Gospel....what do you all think?

1 Cor. 3: 9-15 wrote:For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building. According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

Hi Jannie, Good to see you again!

What these scriptures tells us is that if we do not build upon the solid foundation of Jesus Christ, The church! Our works no matter how good, will be burned up. That is the ultimate test of the refiners fire. All who build there church or life on anything else will suffer loss.

And yes we are all fellow ministers who are in Christ Jesus and builds there foundation upon Him.

Servant wrote:"You will be baptized by fire, with the Holy Spirit." Abide on the vine. The chaff and the wheat, and the threshing floor. The chaff goes to the fire.
Tongues of fire on their heads, and they were filled with the Holy Spirit.
The Gold is melted by fire, the dross (impurities) come to the surface of the melted Gold, and are thrown out.
Wood and stubble are flammable.. the things not seen are eternal. God is a consuming fire....
Self is flammable, and the Holy Spirit is of the Kingdom of God which Jesus teaches. 'You MUST be born again', is not a suggestion.... it is the only way we can SEE His Kingdom, and begin to walk in it, here, where on earth, His will is done as in Heaven. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednigo...... I love it! Faith and operating in His Kingdom are not flammable. Self always is....
Amen?

A hearty amen, Servant.

Part of the sanctifying process, would you say?

Remnant wrote: Hi Jannie, Good to see you again!

What these scriptures tells us is that if we do not build upon the solid foundation of Jesus Christ, The church! Our works no matter how good, will be burned up. That is the ultimate test of the refiners fire. All who build there church or life on anything else will suffer loss.

And yes we are all fellow ministers who are in Christ Jesus and builds there foundation upon Him.

Hey Frank...nice to be here.

It seems to me, Paul is warning about false prophets preaching a different gospel. We see a lot of that today, have you noticed? I'm amazed at the way people can slip man's efforts and works into the mix. What are your thoughts with this verse and the Bema Seat?

Remnant wrote:When we stand at the Judgement seat of Christ we will cast what ever crowns we have earned at His feet. Five of them and I will be glad to post them if you would like. We will not be judged for our sins, for when we gave our life to the Lord, that was taken care of. We will be judged on how faithfully we served Christ.

Romans 14:10-12 says, “For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat…so then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.” Second Corinthians 5:10 tells us, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” In the context, it is clear that both scriptures are referring to Christians, not unbelievers. The judgment seat of Christ, therefore, involves believers giving an account of their lives to Christ. The judgment seat of Christ does not determine salvation; that was determined by Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf (1 John 2:2) and our faith in Him (John 3:16). All of our sins are forgiven, and we will never be condemned for them (Romans 8:1). We should not look at the judgment seat of Christ as God judging our sins, but rather as God rewarding us for our lives. Yes, as the Bible says, we will have to give an account of ourselves.

At the judgment seat of Christ, believers are rewarded based on how faithfully they served Christ (1 Corinthians 9:4-27; 2 Timothy 2:5). Some of the things we might be judged on are how well we obeyed the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20), how victorious we were over sin (Romans 6:1-4), and how well we controlled our tongues (James 3:1-9). The Bible speaks of believers receiving crowns for different things based on how faithfully they served Christ (1 Corinthians 9:4-27; 2 Timothy 2:5). The various crowns are described in 2 Timothy 2:5, 2 Timothy 4:8, James 1:12, 1 Peter 5:4, and Revelation 2:10. James 1:12 is a good summary of how we should think about the judgment seat of Christ: “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.”

We are all in danger of loosing those crowns if we fail to be obedient to the calling and obedience unto the Lord.[/b]

I'm certainly glad you'll never retire, Frank.

I have another question for you. Is Paul talking about believers here? Those who claim that good deeds will earn them eternal life, use this passage, but I don't think sin is taken into account...one sin erases all those good deeds. How do you see this judgment...the goats and sheep or the Bema Seat?

Romans 2:6-7 wrote:Who will render to every man according to his deeds: To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:

I'm not sure how you retire from the Word of God? Even non-pastors.

I have another question for you. Is Paul talking about believers here? Those who claim that good deeds will earn them eternal life, use this passage, but I don't think sin is taken into account...one sin erases all those good deeds. How do you see this judgment...the goats and sheep or the Bema Seat?

Simple, No Goats, just sheep at the judgment seat of Christ. No Tares, Just Wheat! No Non believers, Just believers!

Frank my thoughts about these scriptures are: 3:9-15

Apollos and Paul were given their ministries by Christ.

They were the MEANS, not the CAUSE whereby the Corinthians BELIEVED.

God ALONE produced results.

GOD MADE the seed grow.

Therefore God alone should get the credit.

Paul and Apollos were not competing against each other but were complementing each other's ministries.

Their purpose was to bring the Church to maturity.

Paul and Apollos were workers who belonged to God and worked for Him in the Church.

Paul then shifted metaphors for the church from a field to a building.

Jesus had referred to His physical body as a temple.

In another letter Paul applied the same imagery to Christ's spiritual body, the Church.

Paul, also called the body of each individual , Christian, a temple.

However in these passages it was the local church which he described as a building of God, a temple in which God's Spirit lives.

It was true that every Christian in the Corinthian church was given at least one gift, or ability to minister in some way to other church members, it was primarily the leading ministers Paul was concerned about.

Not every minister, however, labored to the same effect hin this building process.

Jesus, alone was the foundation, the basis of salvation, but others had come to Corinth and preached a different gospel.

The gold, silver, costly stones refer to the enduring quality of the builder's work; and the wood, hay, or straw suggest work that is temporary and valueless.

The three expensive materials suggest sound doctrine which the builder builds into people's lives, and the three valueless materials are false doctrines.

The gold, silver, costly stones refer to believers in the church;whereas, the wood, hay, or straw represent unregenerate people present in the church.

The day of judgment is when Christ will judge the quality of His servants' work...it is not a question of salvation which is a gift.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now the 'goat and sheep judgment' is in Matt 25..

The words 'THE NATIONS' should be transalted THE GENTILES.

When you study Joel 3:2,12, you understand these are all people, other than Jews, who have lived through the Tribulation.

They will be judged individually, not as national groups.

They are described at a mingling of sheep and goats which the Lord will separate.

The King will extend an invitation to those on His right hand, the sheep, to enter the kingdom God has prepared.

The basis of their entrance is seen in their actions, for they provided food, drink, clothing, and care for the King.

The King's statement will prompt the sheep to respond that they do not recall ever having ministered directly to the King.

The King will answer that they performed these services for the LEAST OF THESE BROTHERS OF MINE, and by so doing were ministering to the King.

The expression' THESE BROTHERS' must refer to a third group that is neither sheep or goats...

The only possible group would be JEWS, phsyical brothers of the Lord.

In view of the distress in the Tribulation, it is clear that any believing Jew will have a difficult time surviving.

The world dictator will be doing everything possible to exterminate all Jews.

A Gentile (not the Church because we will already went in the Rapture) going out of his way to assist a Jew in the Tribulation will mean that Gentile has become a BELIEVER IN CHRIST DURING THE TRIBULATION.

By such a stand and action, a believing Gentile will put his life in jeopardy.

His works will NOT SAVE HIM; but his works will REVEAL THAT HE IS REDEEMED.

To the goats on His left hand the King will pronounce judgment.

The basis of their judgment will be their failure to extend mercy to the remnant of Jewish believers during the Tribulation.

Such individuals will sympathize with the world dictator and support his cause.

They will be removed from the earth and will be cast into eternal fire to undergo eternal punishment.

With ALL WICKEDNESS removed at the Christ's Second Return, the kingdom will begin on earth will only SAVED INDIVIDUALS in physical bodies.

Glorified saints from OT and the Church will also be present to share in the reign of Christ.