Preach The Word

Preach The Word

Near the end of his last epistle Paul gives Timothy a solemn exhortation in the most awe inspiring language.  I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word… (2Tim 4:1-2).  As someone wisely said, matters of the greatest import must be pressed with the greatest vehemence.  Paul does not call upon the Almighty Judge, refer to His Parousia and mention His Kingdom unless the matter in question is of the utmost significance.  Preach the word!  This must be for Timothy a top priority.  As a minister of the gospel he must proclaim the gospel.  It is a non-negotiable.  Of course Paul is not saying Timothy has nothing else to do, though some ministers appear to interpret the command this way.  Rather, Timothy must make preaching his top priority.  His grand and glorious business as a faithful steward must be the proclamation of Christ.   

Abide in the Teaching

Israel’s failure in this regard led to a severe rebuke.  My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge…  a people without understanding shall come to ruin…  For the spirit of whoredom is within them, and they know not the Lord (Hos 4:6, 14; 5:4).  The Hebrew heralds had not fulfilled their commission.  Israel lacked knowledge and understanding.  John says, Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son (2Jn 9).  The teaching is crucial to salvation.   

Appointed Heralds

Yes, it is humbling to hear the gospel from mere jars of clay (2Cor 4:7) just as it was humbling for Namaan to deal with a servant and wash in the Jordan (2Kgs 5:9-12).  But in either case, there is no healing apart from the appointed means.  God’s power is made perfect in weakness (2Cor 12:9).  Would we refuse to quench our thirst if the water was provided in a styrofoam cup?  It pleases God to offer salvation through good news proclaimed by fallible men.  Who are we to argue?  Praise Him for appointing heralds who can sympathize with us in our miseries.  Petition Him to appoint heralds who will not shirk their duty and above all things will preach the word!

 

Cutting Straight

Cutting Straight
Many believe 2Timothy was the last epistle Paul wrote. Abandoned by friends and suffering in a Roman prison he was conveying some final thoughts to his young protégé Timothy.  The apostle offered inspired guidance to this youthful presbyter concerning one’s personal conduct and public ministry.  A good soldier of Christ finds spiritual strength by the gospel of grace in Christ and seeks to disciple others to do the same (2Tim 2:1-2).  Temptations to deviate from the course abound, even imprisonment and martyrdom, but the good officer stays the course.   

What's a minister to do?
If as a worker (a minister or teacher) he strives to avoid shame and seeks the approval of God, he must do his best to rightly handle the word of truth (2Tim 2:15).  Literally the minister must be eager and do his utmost to cut straight in handling truth.  An approved, unashamed workman in God’s household does not deviate from inspired revelation.  Is this all he does?  Absolutely not.  He is not a mere intellectual or academic.  He may not cloister himself among his books and neglect the needs of his flock.  Indeed, he has many responsibilities.  Peter sums it up by saying he must shepherd the flock of God exercising oversight willingly, eagerly and exemplarily (1Pt 5:2-3).  Like all Christians an officer must strive in every area to be Christ-like, but uniquely he must do this as a public person.  Expressions of faith, displays of hope and demonstrations of love should characterize his personal and public testimony.  

Rightly Handling God’s Word
Paul certainly does not restrict the minister’s duty to preaching and teaching.  But he does identify this as the primary focus of his ministry.  He points out that rightly handling God’s word is that to which he must commit himself with untiring devotion.  An approved workman is one who skillfully cuts straight when handling truth.  Like a master butcher dexterously wielding his knife to gain the best cut, a minister must skillfully handle the sword of the Spirit so he may wisely and faithfully feed the sheep.  James says the wisdom from above is first pure and only then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere (Jas 3:17).  Hence, the minister must devote himself to rightly handling God’s word so that the wonderful blessings of unity, security and fellowship may be enjoyed by a well-fed congregation.  Paul’s point is a matter of emphasis, not exclusion.  The preaching of, teaching from and counseling by the Scriptures is the root from which so many good and pleasant fruits will grow.  We do not neglect the fruits by any means, but we will not enjoy them either without a healthy root.  Sadly, many modern ministers focus so intently on the fruits that they neglect the root.  As a result we find churches in which the Word is not central, preaching is not esteemed and orthodoxy is not safeguarded.  Their unenviable condition leaves them vulnerable to the gangrene of irreverent babble leading them to ruin and ungodliness (2Tim 2:14-17).  This occurs because they have become like those who swerved from the truth (2Tim 2:18).  May the Lord Jesus by His Spirit keep us from deviating from Scripture and enable us to cut straight in handling the word of truth!

Public Ministry

What is a minister to do?  The average pulpit committee sets forth an elaborate job description that even the most talented man finds difficult to fulfill.  Cultural influences help shape the expectations so that the list includes responsibilities for which Timothy himself would have been utterly ill-equipped.  Thankfully the apostle Paul established a job description of his own.  Devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching (1Tim 4:13).  This is simple, straightforward and to the point.  It is ministry for which Timothy was gifted by the Spirit and to which he was ordained by the church (1Tim 4:14).  Such public ministry may not be imaginative or flashy, but neither are the ordinary meals consumed three times a day.  Yet just as the body is nourished by regular food consumption so the soul is nourished by consistent Word intake.  Neither process is complicated.  Prepare and serve the food!  The minister is to practice these things, indeed, to immerse himself in them (1Tim 4:15).  How many modern ministry profiles would establish that as the primary criteria for candidates?  The Lord Jesus taught that a minister must be a faithful and wise steward who gives them their food at the proper time (Matt 24:45).  To use modern jargon, the Spirit is advocating a “means of grace ministry.”  That is, a ministry devoted to the ordinary means of grace, or those divinely-appointed ordinances by means of which Christians grow in grace and sanctification, such as the reading, preaching and teaching of God’s word.  Perhaps most revealing is how Paul caps off this particular portion of instruction:  Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers (1Tim 4:16).  Notice, steady devotion to this kind of ministry will not necessarily delight or amuse or entertain one’s hearers.  It will SAVE them!  What?!  Did he really say SAVE them?  Many might feel a bit uncomfortable with that language, especially because we know salvation is from the Lord.  But God works through means and appoints His agents.  He will apply the great salvation accomplished by Christ to His people through the faithful, wise and ordinary reading, preaching and teaching of His word.  Only our glorious God could and would accomplish His purpose through cracked jars of clay.  May He raise up men who will feed His sheep at the proper time!