wants you to heed regarding some key aspect of the issues or of your own demeanor or performance .
9 . Humility will adorn the gospel for outsiders to see . We never know who is watching us as we carry on our work of revitalization . And the world is watching the church all the time to see if we practice what we preach . Titus 2:10 says that Christians can “ adorn the doctrine of God our Savior ” by how we act . If you are genuinely humble in dealing with in-church opposition , the Lord will make it obvious to the community at some point and use you to bring some lost person to Christ .
10 . Suffering well grows you in Christlikeness . Never forget that the ministry God gives us is as much a part of our own salvation process as it is a part of the salvation of others . We are not done being sanctified , and God uses these kinds of bitter trials to conform us to the likeness of his Son , Jesus Christ . That is why Romans 5:3 says that “ suffering produces endurance .” We need to be thankful for our enemies because God is using them to shape our souls for his glory .
God does not will for us to give in for an instant on issues of biblical truth . It is not humility but self-serving cowardice that causes us to back down from doctrinal attacks . We must fight like lions for the truth of the gospel — the souls of our hearers are at stake . I have been advocating humility on issues of personal conduct . But when it comes to doctrine , we must follow Luther ’ s example : “ Unless I am convinced by scripture and plain reason ... my conscience is captive to the Word of God . I cannot and I will not recant anything for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe . God help me . Amen .”
NOW
Andrew M . Davis is pastor of First Baptist Church of Durham , North Carolina , and a visiting professor of church history at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary . Chairman of the governance committee of the Gospel Coalition , Davis has written articles for TGC ’ s popular website and has spoken in plenary and breakout sessions at TGC ’ s national conference . He is the author of An Infinite Journey , named by Tim Challies as one of the top ten books of 2014 .
49