“And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth.” 2 Timothy 2:24,25
Today, the success of a preacher is determined by the size of his congregation, or the number of decisions, dedications, and rededications he instigates, rather than by the message he proclaims. By this standard, Noah was a failure. He saw only 8 saved after 120 years of preaching, and yet the Bible commends him as a preacher of righteousness, 2 Peter 2:5.
Although unpopular by men’s standards, before God He was highly favored. It was not for anything in himself, but because he found grace in the eyes of the Lord, Genesis 6:8. This is free, unmerited, sovereign grace in Christ that is the only foundation of salvation. The result of that grace was God imputing the very righteousness of Christ to His account, giving him perfect standing and acceptance with Him. The righteousness he proclaimed was that of Christ and not His own, 1 Peter 3:18,19.
Better to sow the seed of the Gospel with patience, leaving the result in God’s hands. His servants are called to be faithful, not successful, I Corinthians 4:2. True fruit is the result of the Spirit of God revealing Christ in the heart. Apart from the clear message of the Gospel, preachers may entice others to make decisions, walk aisles, or repeat the ‘sinner’s prayer,’ but that is not salvation. Even if five thousand perform such duties of men’s inventions, five thousand wrongs do not make a right. It is the Gospel alone that is the power of God unto salvation. Where the Gospel is faithfully proclaimed, such methods will not be used. Faith is a persuasion, not a performance. It is the gift of God, not a work of man. It brings sinners to Christ the sinner’s altar, not some man-made altar. It takes sinners to Christ, not a man.
Rather than be fretful or discouraged by the few that the Lord is pleased to call in our day, let’s be thankful! There is no greater joy than for God to cause the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ to shine in even one sinner’s heart, Luke 15:7