Remarks to the 1998 Candidate Class

By Dr. Wendell Kempton

The only commencement address in the Bible is given to His disciples by the Lord Jesus Christ. His final words hold great importance for us.

1. Remember the mandate.

Christ's mandate to the disciples was not "Grow in the grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ;" "Keep yourself pure;" nor "Make full proof of your ministry." The mandate was "Go into all the world and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."

With all the significant things Jesus could have said at the beginning of the Church Age, He told His first missionaries to go into all the world and make disciples.

2. Remember the ministry.

In 2 Timothy 4:5 the apostle Paul instructs Timothy as the younger man sets out on his service for the Lord. This was a desperate time for Paul. Most of his companions had left him. He might have asked Timothy to comfort him. Instead he says to Timothy, "Do the work of an evangelist, this is your mission; this is your ministry."

Some in this class are pilots, some physicians, teachers, pastors or translators. Whatever your profession, "do the work of an evangelist." Initiate contact with people and tell them the good news of Jesus Christ. That is your priority.

3. Remember the Master.

Jesus often spoke of Himself as a friend and a servant. But in John 13:13-14, He says to His to disciples, "You call me Master and Lord: and you say well; for so I am." Then He continues, "If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet." What an illustration for us of the total humility of Jesus Christ.

You are going out into a battle. Satan will try to render you inoperative. Some of your brothers and sisters in Christ may disappoint you. To be successful in the battle, you must get down on your knees in an act of humble forgiveness.

4. Remember the marvel.

Paul's words leap from the pages of Scripture like a lightening bolt, "I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry" (1 Timothy 1:12). The apostle was overwhelmed that the Lord counted him faithful. Never get over the marvel that God has called you to be missionaries. It is enough just to be counted faithful.

As I look into the faces of the new appointees, I am reminded how God brought you from where you were to this hour. This is a story of God's mercy and grace. I stand here representing our Board, our staff, our missionaries (many of them far away.) We want to commit ourselves to you. We hope you feel giant arms reaching out and bringing you in. You have all the rights and privileges to go into all the world and make disciples, to do the work of an evangelist, to show humility as Christ did when He washed the disciples' feet, and to be counted faithful unto the end.

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