2 Timothy 4:1-8 (2)

How can we live faithfully as Christians?  Again, we slaves must pay attention to our Master.  Fulfilling ministry is exactly what our Master Himself did: I have finished the work which You gave me to do (John 17:4).  We must hear this because it is part of our likeness to Him.  Again, hear Paul’s words to Timothy.

·        Convince, rebuke, exhort.  This first term is also the second term used in 2 Tim. 3:16 (NKJV reproof).  It means he is to challenge false thinking/ doctrine and putting the two passages together, he is to use the Bible to do this.  Rebuke is never a matter of who shouts loudest or who has the most votes.  It is determining truth by the word of truth.  Then he is to admonish believers to be different, to be Christ-like.  And lastly, he must encourage them, coming alongside them and walk with them as they seek to put off the old life and put on the new.  It is not just preaching; it is shepherding the flock.  It is people oriented.

·        With all longsuffering and teaching.  Ministry will have challenges.  Over the years we learned that problems in ministry were necessary opportunities to show our love to the flock.  We must not quit when times get tough.  As 4:5 says, we must endure afflictions.  And we must not lose confidence in the Bible!  The ministry is a marriage of longsuffering AND teaching.  When the ministry seems to be less fruitful (less visible fruit) we must not jettison the Bible or even the supposed depth of the Bible so as to increase numbers. This type of ministry takes time, time to establish relationships, time to teach the whole counsel of God.

·        Be watchful in all things.  A primary task of church leaders is to be on the watch for false teaching, both from inside and outside the body of believers (Ac. 20:28-31).  But this command also means we must watch out for those things that will take us away from what Christ has given us to do.  Remember the illustration of the soldier who must be careful not to entangle himself in the affairs of this life (2 Tim. 2:3-4).  For example, a pastor (a teacher of God’s word) needs to be careful not to get so engaged in politics that he is not able to convince, rebuke and exhort those who are called to serve the Lord in politics.  He must be able to speak God’s word to all parties and ideologies.

·        Do the work of an evangelist.  Evangelists were what we sometimes call the church planters of New Testament times.  It was the ministry Paul and Timothy were engaged in and it seems here that Paul is reminding Timothy not to forget the gospel ministry as he is so engaged in the pastoral ministry.

Would you like a mechanic who could diagnose your engine’s problem, dismantle the engine, but then only reassemble it half-way?  Of course not.  Neither should we be enamored with unfulfilled ministry.  Service is our calling.  We are slaves to the One who called us.  Let us fulfill our ministry!