Good morning and welcome in everybody. Today, we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture, but before we do that I wanted to tell you a little story.
A lot of us up here in Northern Minnesota cut wood for the winter, but when you use an indoor wood stove, it’s normally not that labor intensive. The reason why I say that is because under normal situations you might only have to fill it up a few times during the day to keep the house nice and toasty. But did you do know that The Titanic required around 750 tons of coal per day that had to be manually shoveled into 159 furnaces! In fact it’s been claimed by some that it required around 35 tons of coal per hour in order for the ship to maintain it’s operational speed! Men who shoveled coal for a living were normally referred to as a stoker or fireman, and their duties were both physically demanding and labor intensive. It’s been claimed by some that on a steam locomotive, a fireman might have to load as much as fifty pounds of coal into the boiler every twenty seconds!
This reminds me of the Christian life.
In order for the disciples to be filled with the Holy Spirit, someone needed to be continually feeding the fire with the fuel of Holy Scripture. Newborn babies are in constant need of milk, and the church is in constant need of God’s Holy Word, and like rising up to give the baby another bottle, men of God must rise up, and start shoveling coal.
Matthew 28:19-20 (KJB) Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Preaching God’s Word is very similar to the job of a stoker, because you are constantly filling the church with what they need to burn brightly! The hotter you can keep the boiler of their hearts the more power that it is going to create! The more that we are filled up with scripture, the stronger we will become in order to resist sin and temptations. Every verse in the King James Bible is kind of like a piece of coal that adds more fuel to the fire. We must always make sure that our lamps are filled up with fuel so that we continue to burn brightly and are ready when the Lord Jesus finally returns to redeem His obedient servants.
Matthew 25:1-13 (KJB) Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
It can be very difficult to find hard workers in this world who are ready and willing to lend a hand, but it is far more difficult to find ones who are ready to labor for the Lord Jesus. The greatest need in this world is for men to preach God’s Word, but at the same time, it is also an occupation that this world has the greatest lack of.
Matthew 9:36-38 (KJB) But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.
Luke 9:59-62 (KJB) And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God. And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
Over the years, we have had numerous animals on our property, including rabbits, goats and chickens. But in order for them to mature and become fruitful, they must be regularly fed! The Church must be constantly fed with the Spiritual teachings of our faith so that they can grow into maturity and eventually bring forth fruit themselves.
1 Peter 5:1-4 (KJB) The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.
Preaching is a huge responsibility, one that requires dedication and great efforts to keep the church burning brightly!
2 Timothy 4:1-2 (KJB) I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
Acts 20:28 (KJB) Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
Ephesians 4:11-13 (KJB) And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
Someone needs to put sticks on a campfire in order to keep it burning brightly. Someone needs to load the wood stove if you want to keep the house nice and warm. Men of God must stoke the fire in people’s hearts by stirring up the embers, preaching God’s Word, and always remembering to keep,……
…….Shoveling Coal
Let’s think about these things for right now. We can be found on your web browser by searching, tlkjbc where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious groups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you all, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody.
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