Be Brave, Dear Pastor

In the 4th century, John Chrysostom, one of the finest Bible preachers and commentators of the patristic era, served as bishop at the church of Constantinople (Constantinople was the capital city of the Eastern Roman Empire). Golden Mouth, as Chrysostom became known, proved extremely popular with the common people because of his faithful and unswerving commitment to the Word of God. The imperial elites, on the other hand, only liked Chrysostom when it served their political interests. The Emperor of the East at the time, Arcadius, was not a particularly strong leader, and his wife, Empress Eudoxia, basically ruled the roost, both in the palace and in the empire. For her part, Eudoxia didn’t much care for Chrysostom, as his preaching often rubbed against her worldly sentiments. Therefore, on multiple occasions, the empress and her wishy-washy hubby sent the preacher into exile. Ultimately, Chrysostom would die a horrible death while in exile—but not before Golden Mouth left a long-lasting legacy for Christendom.

Listen, I am not the most golden-mouthed preacher on the planet. Nor have I truly suffered all that much in my short span of existence. Truly I am nothing compared to John Chrysostom. But brothers, I want to encourage you not to be dismayed when trouble comes upon you or your pulpit. And trouble will come, brothers. I cannot guarantee from where it will come. Trouble could come from the envious elites. Or it could come from loud ladies who stay busy everywhere else but home. Or, the trouble may arise from indecent men whose spiritual stature matches that of a slug but whose voice somehow carries inordinate weight in your church. The trouble could show up in gossip guised as a circulated prayer request. Oh, the cloak of piety hardly hides man and woman’s lust for power and position!

Yes, brothers, trouble may indeed come.

But mark my words well. God and His Word always, always, always prevail! Always. Never give up, brothers! Your legacy will surely outlive you and your present ministry difficulty. Your tireless (and sometimes tiresome) labor in the Lord will not spin its wheels in vain. So keep preaching. Keep teaching. Keep chugging along. Stand on truth. Be brave. Pray early. Pray late. The Lord is stronger than you think!