Robin Asgher sermon

I preached from Acts 6 focusing on verse 4 where the Apostles say We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.
Summary of my three main points
1. Robin
A. Negatively, don't let anything distract you from giving yourself to prayer and the ministry of the Word. Ever gone to get something, got distracted and come back without it? In the ministry it's easy to forget the main thing, to get sidetracked. Don't do it. You must get your priorities right.
B. Positively, give your attention to prayer. The apostles general concern is that they don't neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables ... But when they speak they say they will give their attention to prayer and the ministry of the word. They put prayer first for several reasons. First, because prayer underlies everything else in the ministry. Without prayer everything else is pretty a much a waste of time. Prayer is also the easiest to forget about because it's done in private. No-one really knows how much you pray. It's a secret thing between you and God. That's why it's easy to neglect. The ministry's a bit like an iceberg. You know that 5/8 of it is under the water, unseen. Something similar can be said about the ministry - a lot of it is hidden – the studying and reading and especially the praying. Don't neglect the secret parts. A concert pianist once said that he needed to practice everyday. If he didn't practice even one day he could tell. If he left it a few days, he said, then other people would start to notice. If he left longer again then soon everyone would know. Something similar could be said about the minister and his prayer life.
Okay, practically, how? In theory a minister needs to pray first as a Christian then as a minister but I don't think you can divide it up like that. They run into each other. Spurgeon once said – I'm never more than 10 minutes in prayer. ... And never more than 10 minutes out of it. I think that's the key. Begin and end the day in prayer, pray when you eat, pray when you read the Bible, when you prepare sermons, etc. Whatever you do, pray. Never resist the urge. That's the best advice I can give.
C. Positively, give yourself to the ministry of the Word. This must be kept to the fore. Ministry of the Word, of course, is not just standing in this pulpit on a Sunday it includes a whole range of things – speaking to the children/young people here or in the schools, speaking in small group meetings, talking to people on their doorsteps, etc. The important thing is that the whole week is geared to this end – getting the Word out. Let the people hear! That's what matters. It involves hard work and a lot of preparation but it must be the thing that you focus on. Cf 2 Tim 4:2.
2. Members or prospective members of the Cranford church and othersNow what I have to say will affect you all to varying degrees but the principle is the same. This is for you Muno, and for church members and to some extent all of us. Again three things
A. Negatively, do everything you can to help Robin not to be distracted from giving himself to prayer and the ministry of the Word. Do you know the word 'facilitator'? A facilitator is someone who does not necessarily do a thing himself but he makes sure it gets done. You need to be facilitators for Robin. Because he's full time it's easy to think, well he can do this or he can do that quite easily and so he ends up dealing with workmen, giving lifts to people or whatever and very soon you will find the work of prayer and preaching neglected. Now I'm not saying he can't do these things or must never do them. However, they mustn't be allowed to so take up his time that prayer and preaching is neglected. If you borrow a DVD from a shop – you want to get your use out of it while you have it, get your money's worth. There's no point having it lying round. Well, God is giving you a pastor. Make good use of him. Do everything you can to help him be a prayerful preacher.
B. Positively, do everything you can to help him to give his attention to prayer. Two things –
1. Obviously, to pray he needs time alone. Whether he prays or not is up to him but you must make sure he gets opportunity. Perhaps there needs to be an arrangement about when you phone.
2. He needs not only time, but he needs to know about how things are with you. Imagine someone complaining their doctor never does anything to help them with their arthritis. You talk to them and it turns out they've never been to speaks to him about the problem! Now sometimes we don't want the pastor to know about how things are with us because they're not good. It is better to try and tell him, though – so he can pray. He doesn't want a blow by blow account of your daily routine but he needs to know something about you to pray for you. So keep him informed.
C. Positively, do everything you can to help him give himself to the ministry of the Word. Remember that is the main thing he is coming to do. So you do everything you can to encourage him in it.

1. When he's speaking to you, listen to what he says. Be enthusiastic about it.

2. Whether to you or to others, pray for the preaching - that it will be clear and powerful. Pray for its success. We can't all preach but we can all pray. Let's all pray for the success of the preaching of the Word.
3. Others here today, especially those of you who are from the local areaA. Negatively, understand what is happening here today, Robin is being set aside today for nothing other than the work of prayer and the ministry of the Word. Robin is not here as a community worker or a youth club organiser or something like that, although he may well be involved in such things. No, he has come here chiefly to pray and to preach – to pray for the people of Cranford and to tell them what God's Word says. That is his main work. Don't oppose him then – he's God's man. It would be dangerous to stand in his way. Respect him and understand his work.

B. Be thankful that there is someone here who is being set aside to pray for you. Now here is wonderful thing. One of the things that Robin is doing for you and for other people of this area is praying for you. There are others praying I'm sure but perhaps he's the only one set apart especially for that. There's no-one else. The police don't do that or the local councillors or the school teachers. No, only Robin is set apart for that. Be thankful it is so. Ask him to pray for you. Tell him what you want him to pray for – tell him to pray for a BMW for me, you say. Well, he may not pray exactly as you want but he will pray for you. He'll pray for something better than a BMW – that you might know Jesus Christ and forgiveness in him.
C. Be thankful that there is someone here who is being set aside to minister God's Word to you. Robin has come to preach Jesus Christ and him crucified. That's his message. If you turn from your sins and trust in Christ all will be well. That's what he wants you to know. Listen to him. Hear the message and be saved.