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———————————————— by Alan Nunn

[Recently] the church presented me with a plaque that marked the completion of 40 years in the service of the churches. As I look back on those years I have a number of regrets and one of them is that no one gave me the kind of help which, I now know, I needed as I began.

These are but some of the things I wished I had been instructed in as I began in service of the Lord and the churches.

1. Never lose sight of the purpose of our salvation.

Gen 12:1-2 is to me a key aspect to bear in mind. God planned His people to be a blessing to the world. We are not in this for ourselves only and our egos. There is a far bigger plan. It is said of the Brownlow medalist Gavan Wanganeen that he is the most focused of all players. We can do nothing less than be the same.

2. Build in a positive attitude to yourself and others.

I want to say “be an encourager”. Carefully study the life of Barnabas in Acts, and see how he is mentioned some 29 times.

What is he up to? Being positive in negative situations. You will need to work on this for in every situation there is someone who will keep you humble. They are part of the Lord’s awkward squad. Work on this in your family lest the pressures you experience in service you subconsciously take out on those who should be nearest and dearest to you.

3. Get the right attitude to disappointment and failure.

Remember that your best ideas that you got direct from the Lord will be rejected. Such are the expectations today, you can be flying high one month and next trying to reason why things are going so bad.

Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a Sunday and was hailed as the Messiah in an outstanding demonstration of affection, but by Friday morning He saw the crowd run for the cover of silence. He was left almost on his own to face Gethsemane. You are going to make mistakes. You are not perfect. You and I have feet of clay and failure can be one of the greatest positive things in you life or it can be the opposite.

Remember 2 Cor 4:4 “You will be cast down, but not destroyed” or as the JB Phillips’ translation says, “You will be knocked down, but never knocked out” Remember to build up that doctrine that will keep you from despair.

4. Learn the kind of person that you are.

You and I are the product of at least three major inputs in life. Our parents, our peers and our past.

All of these make us the kind of people we are, to a large degree. You will not be everyone’s cup of tea. You will find people take an instant dislike to you for no reason, but that you remind them of someone they dislike.

If you know your own dynamics it will save you much in personal pain for today, it is not how brilliant your beliefs are, nor how well you can preach, it is so often how do you get on with people and they with you? That is where people bomb out today.

Because of this, watch out for PLOM disease which is simply Poor Little Old Me. Being sorry for yourself finds no grace from God to be available.

5. God honours His word not the worker.

I was brought up in an atmosphere that was not always helpful to me. I thought that if you were very close to God you would be used. What a shock to find out this was a half truth. Any fool who quotes the word will be blessed but that does not mean they are spiritual. We do need to be careful of spiritual pride. Remember the Congo revival of 1955. It began in an unlikely place.

6. Take a long term view of ministry.

Make sure you have read the call right. It is also essential that your call be confirmed by others. It is terrible to feel called yet have no one confirm it. We all need a burning bush experience lest we work everything out by logic rather that having had a word from God. If you are called, there will be those who will confirm it. Don’t forget, however, it does start with you. Having established the call remember that the first 40 years are the hardest. Remember the last chapter has not yet been written and we are not yet home.

7. Remember that God keeps the record books.

Beware of the success syndrome. There will be some fellow workers for whom it seems everything goes right. They never seem to have the problems that you do. They have it made. Some years ago, I met up with missionaries who had served in the Arab world for many years. On asked, by a student, how successful they were, one man said, “We may get two prospects every year and then find that at least one returns to the former faith each year”. There was not much to write home about.

God may have you in a hard spot, you cannot control the results, but you can control yourself. Don’t judge your work by a head count only.

8. Be cautious of the flavour of the month syndrome.

These are very often hard to pick and relate, often, to our culture rather than Christianity. There are all sorts of things going on in the world which we can only see as we look back. It is possible to be sincere, but to be sincerely wrong.

Check everything out and don’t go on another’s say so. Look for the fruit, or put it another way, look at the stable that the movement comes from and that will tell you much. I have seen at least 5 or 6 of the flavours of the month, in my lifetime, and expect to see a lot more. Check it out, ask questions, don’t be afraid to dig deep. To rush ahead without this may produce a life time of regrets.

9. Remember it is the Lord whom you serve and not the organisation.

Don’t let people get in the way of what you and I were destined for. We have just had an eclipse of the moon. The moon reflects only, and that is what you and I must do.

On the top 40 of choruses in 1950 was ‘When the road is rough and steep fix your eyes upon Jesus’. Not all chorus theology is sound, but that one is. I am sure that one of Satan’s strategies is to allow people to get our gaze when in reality we should only give them glance.

10 Seek to “sit at Jesus feet” and find His will.

Most Christian workers can be described as workaholics. We can be very busy and find the words of Jesus, “I have finished the work you gave me to do” most complex. In a calling that never seems to meet the needs there are.

Vance Havner used to say, “If you don’t take time out to come apart, you are in danger of falling apart.”

Here is a tip, have a journal and have written prayer lists. You will all now be on mine. Learn to pray retail not wholesale. Scriptural intercession is a discipline and is difficult. Learn to pray according to the promises. Dr David Rodda touched my life as a new believer with his prayer lists.

Have variety in your devotional life. Service is no substitute for spirituality. Make yourself accountable to a trusted friend.

11. Learn much about conflict resolution.

There will be times when you cannot see the wood for the trees. Read much on this subject which is the pattern for the days ahead I have no doubt. The devil is in the conflict producing mode. Learn much about attacking him and not others. Develop a thankful spirit in the presence of the Lord’s awkward squad.

12. Major on the fruit of the Spirit rather than the gifts.

One is a minefield the other is the pathway to blessing. You won’t find yourself out on a limb if you concentrate on the fruit. Beware of pseudo spirituality that is not firmly based on God’s word. If the devil can’t keep you out of effective service he may try to push you over the top. Not everything is spiritual that claims to be. Being married to a psychologist is very helpful in this regard for me.

13. Remember we are in spiritual warfare.

Our responsibility is to remember how our Lord faced the trials in the Garden of Gethsemane. “Not my will but thine be done.” We have to face the truth. We have an enemy who would rob us of our sharpness in ministry. We have to “resist him” James 4:7 tells us. Read the literature on this subject that is helpful. Not all is.

14. The development of “the praise factor” is essential.

Read the Psalms, constantly, to see how the Psalmist faced life. There is a relationship between our giving of thanks, which is a command, and the blessing we are to others. This also means that a sense of humour and the ability to laugh at yourself is essential. Remember, God has a sense of humour, He made us. Remember the last verse of Psalm 150.

15. Read your way out of the ruts you get into.

Become avid in your reading. Join the local library. You get illustrations from history and the newspapers. Don’t only read the things you like, but also those that stretch you and may have an alternative view to that you take. How many books are you currently reading?

16. Try and have a hobby or a sport of some sort.

We all need to switch off as we become preoccupied with our calling. It is amazing what can happen when you go into neutral for a time. Margaret and I play “Upwords”. I try to play golf and enjoy my visits to hardware shops. I am [Bunnings] best visitor but don’t buy much.

17. In controversial matters walk down the centre of the road.

Until you have a clear picture of all the issues gain information. You then avoid unnecessary potholes that are always there at the sides of the road. In doing so, watch out for trucks going in either direction. They are always on the road.

18. Never, never, never give up.

The God given ability to persevere is desperately needed today in a world that looks for instant success. Therefore, have a strategy, like the Methodist Minister Howard Abbey that really blessed me with his action plan. Two years getting to know people, followed by an evangelistic thrust followed by three years follow up with the converts.

19. Concentrate on knowing who you are, in Christ, and preach it.

Pessimists, who dwell on the negative, are a pain to listen to. They often breed inward looking congregations. The hour of power ministry has much to teach us about thinking right.

20. Never forget Calvary and what it meant and what it means.

Preach the cross and the effects that flow. Lift the Lord up and He will draw people to Himself. Don’t forget the promise Jesus made. John 12:32.

21. Guard your heart.

Be alert for transference. This is a transaction where another person begins to feed off something that you have. It appeals first to your ego and is quite deceptive. There are many issues that look spiritual on the surface but underneath are but a cover up for emotional needs not being met. Don’t think you could never be distracted.

22. Remember that the Lord has some strange ways.

He does not always fit into our way of thinking. If we aim to turn each difficulty into a learning experience we are the better for it. If not, we become bitter. His pruning, in our lives, is is often painful and His ways are not always ours.

23. Learn much about forgiveness.

Learn to forgive yourself and to forgive others. Practice forgiving yourself for the Lord has. Meditate on Psalm 103:12.

Remember, it is very hard to run backwards.

Conclusion:

Not all of these things will apply to you because we are all going through different things right now in our growth. These are but the findings of one pilgrim. I cannot have my time over again, but I can help others who want to learn and, therefore, I am rewarded.

If I were to sum all this up today I would say this:

Live one day at a time. Live in the present, not in the past or the future. No matter how complex the situation is, remember the Lord’s Prayer and pray it, it will help keep you on the straight and narrow. Recognise that we live in a sinful world with the results of human sin, which includes ours, is a reality.

Remember that “Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ.”

Remember we are not home yet and, at that time and that time only, all we have been through because “He first called us” will be clear.

Until then, we walk by faith. That is, we trust the promises of God. One day we will see Him face to face and kneel before Him and praise Him as we should. It will be then we will be like Him for “we will see Him as He really is”.

Beloved brothers and sisters, “be encouraged”, for I am.

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