Chronicles of a Watchman by Dr. James P. Norman Jr.

A minister must be alert so that he will not lose his perspective as some do. Blinded by the cares of life, he becomes as Samson, grinding at the mill.  The joy and the glory of the early morning  is gone.  He has somehow lost his first love.  To such Jesus spoke in His message to the church at Ephesus, "I know thy works, and thy labor, and thy patience...and hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake has not fainted.  Nevertheless, I have somewhat against thee, because though hast left thy first love" (Revelation 2:2-4).  A minister must have an unwearying love for people and a devotion to their needs.  When that love dims under the stress and strain of daily work, he becomes devitalized.  God help a preacher always to retain the spiritual glow which can only be achieved by constantly believing and standing. It is human nature for people to stratify into different social levels.  There are some who are naturally more congen...

It is a glorious thing to receive a call to the ministry.  There is a majesty about the task of being an ambassador for Almighty God.  Yet as a calling the ministry demands certain qualifications.  No person is ready to be an effective minister at the time of his call; therefore, he should lose no time in beginning his or her preparation. It goes without saying that first of all, their experience of conversion must be deep and real.  The unregenerated heart is unable to receive and understand spiritual things, much less instruct others in them.  A person by reason of their personal charm and natural abilities may be able to satisfy the religious instincts of a congregation, but without a real experience himself, he is a blind leader of the blind.  Let every person who feels a call to the ministry, therefore,  dig down deeply until he or she is firmly upon the rock.  While Jesus regarded His disciples as saved men (Luke 10:17-20), He did not cons...

Eminence and Power comes from Here. Why? It is our Gospel Right The gospel is still the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes (Acts 3:26;Romans 1:16).  The word "salvation" here means full deliverance by the power of God from sin, sickness, failure, powerlessness, and Known needs of the human life . It is our Redemptive Right Redemption means that God has bought us and that we belong to Him and we are not our own (I Corinthians 6:19-21).  It is our Needful Right From the standpoint of need as Children of God, we have a right to claim as full a supply as God has promised (Philippians 4:19). It is our Promise Right All the promises of God are for all who believe, but not one thing is promised the unbeliever (2 Corinthians 1:20; 2 Peter 1:3-4). It is our Family Right A sons of God men naturally have power by virtue of the relationship with God (John 1:12; 2 Timothy 1:7). It is our Legal Right As believers, we have the legal right to ...