(1) In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: (2) Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. (3) For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine.
Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a
great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. (4) They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. (5) But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.
(2 Timothy 4:1-5)
I've known this verse and always liked it, but I read it recently, looking at verses for a Homegroup teaching and was completely blown away by it. So, feeling it highly applicable to our trip, I wanted to share it here.
(1) In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge:
That is an intense introduction to a charge if I ever heard one. God doesn't take things lightly that use his name (commandment #3 (or #2 for our brothers and sisters in the Catholic church)) and Paul was definitely aware of this. Read through it again and look at each clause; Paul wanted Timothy to take what he was about to say very, very seriously.
(2) Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.
"Preach the word." Everything else in this charge is clarifications on how, why and when this is supposed to happen. All of the weight of Paul's introduction gets channeled into this one command, "preach the word." I have had seasons of my life that are evangelism-centered (mission trips, HG focus, Outreach Class, Spirit's leading...), but what do we do when we don't feel actively called to Witness? (Answer: we witness anyway). "Correct, rebuke and encourage" are part of the preaching of the word (both to believers and non-believers, Paul doesn't specify). "Encourage" sounds great, but "correct" and "rebuke?" Those aren't always received as well.
(3) For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine.
Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a
great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. (4) They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.
This sounds all-too-familiar to me. There will always be different points of the Gospel message that are contrary to the culturally-held values around us. We mustn't sacrifice the message of the cross for "helping" it to go down more smoothly. Let us not speak the words that itching ears desire to hear, but those that dying souls need to hear.
and my favorite part:
(5) But
you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of
an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.
I love this verse. We are to maintain our God-given, God-centered perspective at all times; faithfully discharging everything God has given us in the face of hardships (they will come if we do this). Earlier, Paul has said that the Holy Spirit has given "some to be prophets, some to be evangelists and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service..." (Ephesians 4:11-12). When I was younger, I had a friend who I looked up to (on a trip to Monterrey) tell me that he didn't have the gift of evangelism, so he just prayed instead of sharing the Gospel when we were out on campus. It sounded off to me, but I didn't know why until I read this verse. "Do the work of an evangelist" Paul doesn't say Timothy is an evangelist. Timothy was a young pastor; I feel like teaching and discipling were probably more his focus. But Paul tells him to witness, regardless of his gifting. You are called to do the work of an evangelist... at all times, in all places, to all people.
Monday, January 27, 2014
Sunday, January 19, 2014
pre-trip: bitterSWEET
We had some bad news this week: Sheryl won't be able to come with us on the trip. It's sad, but it's because she's preparing to follow God and fulfill her dream to go to Mexico full-time, so it's bittersweet... or bitterSWEET, as with all the hard things that we encounter while following Christ. She is still, of course, involved in our team and will hopefully be able to come to the rest of our training times.
Speaking of: today we had our support-raising training time at the church office. Jenni (our church's Missions Administrator) led our training. Our team has historically been very laissez faire when it comes to support-raising, but Jenni's skill and experience have us feeling very much more prepared (our letters are all written and addressed and stamped)...organizational magic! We needed this training time because we're behind in our support-raising, but it was a great time nonethless.
It was really encouraging to see the whole team together. We've had prayer meetings every Sunday morning (Sheryl's organized them, heh), but haven't all been able to make it to any of them. Our team dynamic is not only really exciting on a ministry level, but it seems like it will be ridiculously fun as well.
Speaking of: today we had our support-raising training time at the church office. Jenni (our church's Missions Administrator) led our training. Our team has historically been very laissez faire when it comes to support-raising, but Jenni's skill and experience have us feeling very much more prepared (our letters are all written and addressed and stamped)...organizational magic! We needed this training time because we're behind in our support-raising, but it was a great time nonethless.
It was really encouraging to see the whole team together. We've had prayer meetings every Sunday morning (Sheryl's organized them, heh), but haven't all been able to make it to any of them. Our team dynamic is not only really exciting on a ministry level, but it seems like it will be ridiculously fun as well.
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
pre-trip: The Scandal of Grace
I've been thinking and learning about Grace a lot lately. Frequently a word taken for granted or thrown around without understanding, Grace (charis) has been on my mind and, given the nature of our trip, it seemed apropos to include my thoughts here.
The tension of the Gospel is the conflict between Grace and Justice. I grew up understanding Justice like Physics (those of you who have heard my diatribe on physics will have to set it aside): Justice is the irrefutable, inescapable Law. Action to reaction. God is holy and an action of unholiness is countered, balanced out by an action of punishment. The same law applies on a smaller scale for humans (micro-justice): if you hurt me, I have a right to compensation (hurt you, talk bad about you, receive an apology). Like Physics, I was glad when Justice applied to the world at large; it keeps things orderly and prevents anarchy. However, I frequently want to be the exception. I want the good things I "deserve", but not the bad.
Allow me a brief tangent on Rights and the word Deserve: As an American, I appreciate rights and have grown up with them as a cultural value (and they are a good thing, thank God for the blessings he has given us to have them). As I've walked with Christ though, he has called me again and again and again to lay down my Rights for other people (each time so painful, like prying a Dr. Pepper away from me right before the first sip). Ministry is laying down ones rights for other people. What do you feel entitled to? The parable of the unmerciful servant comes to mind (Matthew 18:21+). "Deserve" is a dangerous word to use as a people redeemed. We deserve death in all its forms (physical, spiritual, eternal) as rebels against the God who is Life.
Back on point, our world is dark. The very ground cries out to God because of the brokenness and the darkness. We need Justice so very badly (I think of Psalm 94:3-7, "How long oh Lord?"). Wickedness does indeed seem to run rampant in our world. Young boys forced to kill their families and become child soldiers, young girls forced into things that make my heart weep, people starving while leaders pocket illicit fortunes... Liars, thieves, traitors, murderers and rapists populate the earth. And what is our God going to do about it?
If they want, he'll forgive them. He'll honor them, rejoice that they want him, call them "friend" and "beloved."
Will Campbell sums up the Gospel like this: "We are all bastards but God loves us anyway." He chose his words both for shock value and for the literal sense of our illegitimacy before God adopts us as sons and daughters.
The unfairness of Grace throws me off. As often as I claim to be grace-filled (definitely not graceful though), would I forgive someone who hurt those I love? Do I even forgive that guy who is rude to me in traffic? Anger (not inherently a bad thing), is our God-given response to injustice. Yet we are called to offer Grace.
As soon as I get upset by that, God reminds me which side I was on; that apart from Grace, I was a Wicked One. My labels now are beloved son, heard of God, friend of God, righteous, holy, included in the Bride of Christ. Apart from Grace they would be liar, adulterer, enemy of God, child of the devil, object of wrath...
The message we preach, however, is not that God let all of this piled-up injustice slide by. Any God who did that would not be Just and therefore not be Good. No, the truth is much harsher, much more beautiful, much more humbling. The truth is that God stored up all that wrath from all the sins from all the people from all time. He took it all, focused it into one powerful, wrath-filled stroke, and unleashed it onto his only-begotten, beloved, perfect son, Jesus. Jesus didn't just die. He died under all of the wrath we deserved. Grace isn't unjust, but it sure is unfair.
Thank you Jesus. Thank you.
The tension of the Gospel is the conflict between Grace and Justice. I grew up understanding Justice like Physics (those of you who have heard my diatribe on physics will have to set it aside): Justice is the irrefutable, inescapable Law. Action to reaction. God is holy and an action of unholiness is countered, balanced out by an action of punishment. The same law applies on a smaller scale for humans (micro-justice): if you hurt me, I have a right to compensation (hurt you, talk bad about you, receive an apology). Like Physics, I was glad when Justice applied to the world at large; it keeps things orderly and prevents anarchy. However, I frequently want to be the exception. I want the good things I "deserve", but not the bad.
Allow me a brief tangent on Rights and the word Deserve: As an American, I appreciate rights and have grown up with them as a cultural value (and they are a good thing, thank God for the blessings he has given us to have them). As I've walked with Christ though, he has called me again and again and again to lay down my Rights for other people (each time so painful, like prying a Dr. Pepper away from me right before the first sip). Ministry is laying down ones rights for other people. What do you feel entitled to? The parable of the unmerciful servant comes to mind (Matthew 18:21+). "Deserve" is a dangerous word to use as a people redeemed. We deserve death in all its forms (physical, spiritual, eternal) as rebels against the God who is Life.
Back on point, our world is dark. The very ground cries out to God because of the brokenness and the darkness. We need Justice so very badly (I think of Psalm 94:3-7, "How long oh Lord?"). Wickedness does indeed seem to run rampant in our world. Young boys forced to kill their families and become child soldiers, young girls forced into things that make my heart weep, people starving while leaders pocket illicit fortunes... Liars, thieves, traitors, murderers and rapists populate the earth. And what is our God going to do about it?
If they want, he'll forgive them. He'll honor them, rejoice that they want him, call them "friend" and "beloved."
Will Campbell sums up the Gospel like this: "We are all bastards but God loves us anyway." He chose his words both for shock value and for the literal sense of our illegitimacy before God adopts us as sons and daughters.
The unfairness of Grace throws me off. As often as I claim to be grace-filled (definitely not graceful though), would I forgive someone who hurt those I love? Do I even forgive that guy who is rude to me in traffic? Anger (not inherently a bad thing), is our God-given response to injustice. Yet we are called to offer Grace.
As soon as I get upset by that, God reminds me which side I was on; that apart from Grace, I was a Wicked One. My labels now are beloved son, heard of God, friend of God, righteous, holy, included in the Bride of Christ. Apart from Grace they would be liar, adulterer, enemy of God, child of the devil, object of wrath...
The message we preach, however, is not that God let all of this piled-up injustice slide by. Any God who did that would not be Just and therefore not be Good. No, the truth is much harsher, much more beautiful, much more humbling. The truth is that God stored up all that wrath from all the sins from all the people from all time. He took it all, focused it into one powerful, wrath-filled stroke, and unleashed it onto his only-begotten, beloved, perfect son, Jesus. Jesus didn't just die. He died under all of the wrath we deserved. Grace isn't unjust, but it sure is unfair.
Thank you Jesus. Thank you.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)