Starting Something You Cannot Finish: Christian Ministry From Generation to Generation

Please take a few minutes to follow the link below and read the Commencement address and charge to graduates of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, delivered December 11, 2009 by R. Albert Mohler, Jr., President.

While this address was given at a seminary - and most of us minister in elementary and/or high schools - there is much to be gained from the wisdom that Dr. Mohler passed along to his graduates regarding the "Unfinished Work of Christian Ministry."

In the context of "unfinished work", he reminds the graduates:

" . . . the biblical conception of the Christian ministry is, as we should not be surprised to find, radically at odds with worldly wisdom. According to the New Testament, one of the most important insights about the Christian ministry is this: We will not finish what we begin. This is not to say that we will never set goals and reach them or that we will never complete plans and programs. It does mean that the Christian ministry must be seen in the context of faithfulness extended from generation to generation until Christ returns to claim his Bride."

" . . . if you aim to finish what you start in ministry, you will aim too low or finish what is not Christ's. Go out to plant, but also to water. Sow the good seed of the Gospel, even as you cultivate and irrigate. Build faithfully upon the foundation laid by Christ and the apostles. Receive the stewardship of ministry that is passed on to you and give your all to this calling so long as you live. Then, pass this ministry to a generation yet unseen and unborn to continue this ministry and extend the reach of the Gospel until Jesus comes."

Finish this calendar year in faithfulness - and begin 2010 committed to the "Unfinished Work" of Christian Ministry in your school - for this time - to this generation - in anticipation of a time we can not see!

Click here to read the full address.