When A Novice Becomes A Man Of God

WHEN A NOVICE BECOMES A MAN OF GOD

By Pastor G. Reckart
Copyright All Rights Reserved

A novice is generally understood to be a person unskilled in a particular trade, practice, or profession. In the scriptures a novice is a person who does not qualify to be recognized as a fully credited Minister or Man of God. Paul mentions the novice in 1Timothy 3:6. This follows up on the instructions concerning a Bishop and some of his qualifications. Specifically Paul says in 3:6 NOT A NOVICE. There can be no mistake here, a novice cannot be a Bishop.
The Greek for novice is neophutos (Strongs # 3504): newly planted, young convert, neophyte.
By newly planted is not meant a new born again believer. It means a man who is called into the ministry and who is planted in a position of helps to be trained, educated, perfect his ability, increase his knowledge, and prove his faithfulness. There is no real function or place in the ministry for a novice except for that which a Pastor assigns him, trusting that he will humble himself to his overseer and function to the best of his ability as he is designated. A novice is transplanted from that of a general church member to that of association with the Ministry. This is a great step and shows recognition to his calling. It does not however serve to give the novice any idea he is equal to the Pastor or other men of God. He is a novice and if he elevates himself above his station and designated work he will fall into the condemnation of the devil just as Paul warned. This is the evil of satan. He chose to elevate himself above his appointment and to promote himself equal to God.
One of the first signs a novice desires to really become a Man of God is he will submit to the Man of God and stay submitted until the day he is appointed to a different level of authority or work. A young convert is a man who has not been saved and under a Man of God long enough to demonstrate the worthy character necessary in a Bishop.

A novice who is ordained before his time is as dangerous as a car without brakes. He may hold to doctrine for a short time but eventually go astray after false doctrine and oppose the very Man of God who served as his mentor. A neophyte is a man classified as a beginner. But applying this not to salvation but as a minister, a Bishop cannot be a man who is a beginner. How long is a man a beginner? This may be determined by the man himself as his conduct, wisdom, and ministerial ethics are examined. I have known men who had been preaching 5, 10 and even 15 or more years who still had the conduct, wisdom, and ethics of a beginner. A man should not expect to be recognized for any higher level of ministry then his conduct, wisdom, and ethics demonstrate. For this reason the title novice can apply to unskilled men for many years, even aged men. Many of these show the proof of this when they never achieve the level of spiritual maturity to lead a church or pastor a congregation. They are helpers, even good helpers, faithful, even very faithful, but nevertheless still a novice. The most of these men hate this title to their ministry. They resent this classification. Others, ignorant of spiritual requirements and how and when to promote a man higher, will ordain novices and anoint them to be everything from a deacon to an apostle. It is these who become spoilers of the work of God and who become heady and highminded to the point insubordination is seen by them as standing up for themselves.
But when a novice becomes a man of God some definite things can be witnessed and openly observed.
A promoted novice will not be ashamed to be associated with his Pastor who should always be recognized as his Pastor. A foolish man will have many Pastors, none of which can Pastor him long.
A promoted novice will always show open and public respect and support for his Pastor (even in cases of disagreement).
A promoted novice will desire to be associated with the reputation of his Pastor in the faith.
A promoted novice will not try to be equal to his father in the faith but proud to always stand by his side.
A promoted novice will take authority and begin to show he is a man of courage and strength like his father in the faith.
A promoted novice will always seek the advice of his father in the faith and never go behind his back to other novices for advice and counsel.
A promoted novice will never go against his father in the faith even in times of disagreement. Peace and unity rise above temporary disagreements.
A promoted novice will never lust for or plot to obtain his Pastor's members so will not participate in rebellion or church splits.
A promoted novice will not hold home meetings to begin sowing discord to members by making statements of disagreement about the Pastor.
A promoted novice will not visit churches without the Pastor's knowledge.
A novice who has eyes for money for his speaking will likely think the Pastor should share the tithe with him.
When a novice becomes a Man of God he will have all the qualities of respect and honor. His ethics will testify of his character.
When a dishonorable novice is recognized he has no place among Men of God. A renegade novice may be given ordination and honor but these will come from a man no greater or intelligent then the novice himself. Because of this, novices who are not Men of God, will seek recognition and ordination from men who are themselves failed novices but who have nevertheless made themselves to be a Pastor or Bishop.
The first effort to make a novice into a Man of God is to remove the fool within him. If this cannot be done, the novice will remain a man of shame as he tries to get honor going from church to church.

It is here I must make some bold statements about many novices. Such men will never be real Men of God no matter how many ordain them, anoint them, award them titles, or give them fancy certificates. Some time ago I thought to write down some of my observations about fools. I reread them recently and came to see how these apply to many novices. Please understand you can replace the word fool with novice in the following observations I have had over the years.
The Fool
A prating fool comes to be nothing because God sees him as nothing.
A fool cannot rebuild what he destroys and many souls go to hell because of his destruction.
When a fool speaks he desires recognition and praises, to him this is the reward of his kind.
A fool deceives his wife that he is great and she becomes a foolish woman like unto her husband.
Many Pastors mistake fools for zealous men who just need training. But you cannot train a fool.
A man whom the Pastor cannot train is a fool. He will await his time to damage the Church before he leaves to begin a foolish ministry.
A fool will send all of his converts to hell because he cannot make them into anything greater then himself.
Fools sow discord between brethren and church members because they are capable of being a friend only to those who honor them.
Rebuke a fool and he will become a vicious jackal whose mouth will proclaim lies.
A fool will not take chastisement because a rod necessary to drive this shame away from him cannot be found.
A rebuked fool will go among the churches as a talebearer seeking comfort that will soothe the hurt pride of being corrected.
Brethren who cannot discern the presence of a fool are like a foolish shepherd who does not care to distinguish between a sheep and a wolf.
Fools believe that in dishonoring their Pastor that God is using them to oppose the prejudice shown to fools like them.
Pride and rebellion births fools.
The womb of fools is a church where there is little evidence of a mighty man of God.
Humility comes before honor (Proverbs 15:33): and a fool deserves no honor because he has never achieved biblical humility.
Jealousy in a fool makes makes him destroy what he can never produce or have. It makes him desire the work of some other Man of God whom he admires but can never duplicate.
He who humbles himself before authority, like as unto a king, will more likely receive honor then he who refuses to respect the authority that can honor him.
Fools honor fools but do not honor wise men because wise men will cut off fellowship with fools.
To seek honor one must seek humility, and since a fool will not be humble he can never find honor.
Do not honor a fool for he will turn and rend you: he can not give honor because there is none in him to give.
Share honor with a fool and you will reap dishonor.
A wise man who getteth honor should not give place to fools; because the fool will make himself equal to his wise benefactor.
A wise man when offered a seat on the platform will most likely show preference to sit among the people, while offering a fool the same choice he will sit in the Pastor's chair or where he will appear to be an honored person.
There are those who think they are wise who are fools; and there are fools who believe they are honorable because of their loud mouths.
A fool's mouth cannot be stopped because he does not recognize when he should shut up.
A fool who companies with a wise man will think he is wise from what he learns, but remove him from the wise man and the fool that he is will lose that which he once learned. He will replace it with stupidity and call it revelation; will make himself big number one and not know he is really a zero.
When Saul tried to kill David because of his jealousy he said these words: "I have played the fool and erred exceedingly" (1Samuel 26:21). So all who because of jealousy go after a Man of God to destroy his name and character will play the fool and err exceedingly.
A wise man receiveth commandments, but a prating fool shall fall (Proverbs 10:8). The fool falls because he is not subject to the higher laws of God. So, he shall fall as he follows the stupidity of his lower carnality.
The way of a fool is right in his own eyes (Proverbs 12:15a).
Excellent speech becometh not a fool (Proverbs 17:7a).

A wise man receives reproof but a hundred strips will not correct a fool (paraphrase Proverbs 17:10a).

The fool will not give in his hand the price for wisdom because he has no heart for it (paraphrase Proverbs 17:16).

Speak not in the ears of a fool: for he will despise the wisdom of thy words (Proverbs 23:9).

He that sendeth a message by the hand of a fool cutteth off the feet and drinketh damage (Proverbs 26:6). It is therefore the responsibility for all Pastors to judge the message bearer if he be a fool. If God will not give his message to a fool, let Pastors be critical to whom they give a right to the pulpit to preach a message. The message of a fool may cause people to jump and shout because he seeks emotional response, but he will eventually cut the Pastor's feet (take away his rejoicing and joy).
As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly (Proverbs 26:11). One sign of a fool is his flip-flopping from Truth to false doctrine. He cannot cease being a fool and so he cannot cease flip-flopping to the folly of false doctrine. So, the only end of a fool is when he dies. Let him who has played the fool die. He is no better then the drunkard, the dope addict, the prostitute, the murderer, the rapist, the sodomite, the pedofile, or the thief. For all must die to be saved. They need to be BORN AGAIN. A man who was a fool who is born again is a fool no more. A present fool gives evidence he needs to die and be born again (John 3:3-5).
The wise man's eyes are in his head, but a fool walketh in darkness (Ecc 2:4). I have often wondered why some men never have wisdom in their head and have learned it is because they are fools who in their darkness think they are in the light.
As the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool: this also is vanity (Ecc 7:6). I have seen over the years men and women who make their laugh the loudest to be heard. I have seen men laugh at the wise when they should have been standing in awe and respect. I have heard the laughter of fools and it is same to the ears as the sound of screeching on a chalk board. Laughter is good but the laughter of a fool is vanity.
When a novice becomes a Man of God there will be no fool within him. He will walk in dignity of God's calling and will be found in the company of wise men.
He will no longer view "his" ministry as the goal of life but rather the work of God to which his ministry must be dedicated.

A novice who becomes a Man of God will have earned the respect he deserves and the honor of the wise.
If you are a novice do not despise this ministerial office. Become a Man of God the right way. There is hope for you if you will let a real Man of God train you. I say to all of you, AVOID FOOLS. Identify them, mark them, and have no fellowship with them. Company with fools will signal to your Pastor that you are a potential trouble maker who will damage the church and people.
A novice who is honorable in his ministry will always be in unity with his Pastor and always subject to his leadership and wisdom. A novice who does things on his own and begins a pattern of sneaking and going places and doing things without the Pastor's knowledge and consent, will become a self-made failure. He will find himself shut out of churches and not given honor. A novice who shows a pattern of good works, who knows how to stay in unity, who shows respect for his Pastor, who is humble, and who stays in his place until God promotes him: WILL BECOME A GREAT MAN OF GOD!

Examination of a Wise Man, a Novice, and a Fool

Pastor Reckart
Cebu, Philippines 05/12/2008