“But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness” (1 Timothy 6:11). A “faithful man” is a “man of God”.
There are certain things that a “faithful man” or a “man of God” pursues because he is fleeing other things at the same time. I often tell younger men who I mentor that there is one state of mind and heart you never want to be in; ‘neutral’! If a vehicle is in neutral with no brakes, it can either roll forward or backward. Paul wanted Timothy to “flee” the “evils” that come from “the love of money” (6:10). “It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.” (1 Timothy 6:10). Notice the phrase, “some have wandered away from the faith.” This means to “no longer believe what is true, but to start believing what is false—‘to stray from the truth.’” “Pangs” are “intense anxiety, anguish, grief, and emotional pain.” They are conditions we must avoid at all cost because of their consequence. On the other hand, to “pursue” means to “do something with intense effort and with definite purpose or goal.” Paul does not leave this idea without clear objectives to pursue, “righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.” This is the only state of mind and heart that will preserve us from “evils” that cause “wandering, or pangs.” Sadly, this danger is not isolated to individuals, but is the same danger that churches can fall into if they are not Spirit filled and being led by the Spirit in all aspects of church life and ministry. Are you in ‘neutral’ or do you have your life and church leadership in “Spirit filled drive”?
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In this series on “faithful men” (I will include women), there is one role that concerns me regarding those who profess to be Christians. I often hear employees complain about their jobs, wages and employers to the point that it is embarrassing, especially if they say Jesus is their Lord. I will give a few Scriptures and then close with some comments.
“Let all who are under a yoke as bondservants regard their own masters as worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and the teaching may not be reviled” (1 Timothy 6:1). “Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, as you would Christ, not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants with a sincere heart of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man” (Ephesians 6:5–7; Colossians 3:22-23 is similar). God’s reputation (His name) is on the line through the way we do our work faithfully and respect our employer. Even if we are in the position of being the employer, we must “stop…threatening, knowing that He who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with Him” (Ephesians 6:9). In either position, we are God’s ambassadors and missionaries in the work place. Faithfulness goes a long way in making the message of the gospel clear to others through our manner of life. Make sure you are faithful in the place where God has called you! Paul was never shy about following up with those he discipled and taught biblical principles. He told Timothy to “command and teach [the] things” he learned from Paul (1 Timothy 4:11). This is repeated in Chapter 5:7; “Command these things as well, so they may be without reproach.” “Teach and urge these things” (6:2c). Paul took the same approach with churches as well as individuals. “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence” (Philippians 2:12). Notice the confidence Paul had in this new church as well as in his disciple, Timothy.
There are many we train who say they will continue their study of Scripture using God’s Plan for His Church as a tool, but when we return, little has been done. This is not faithfulness as Paul expected of Timothy. He thoroughly learned what Paul taught so he could teach others. THAT IS BEING FAITHFUL. While we find very few who complete the training, there are some “model believers” who are having a genuine impact on others in their culture. I give you one such below: Since we were in Nairobi and Eldoret (Kenya), I have been using God's Plan for His Church and it has produced tremendous results. We have opened eight churches that are following this fundamental biblical teaching. May God bless for introducing us to these powerful, simple and practical lessons and format that is seen throughout the Book of Acts and the Epistles of Paul.” Daniel Would you become a “Timothy or Daniel”? Such fruitful impact can only be experienced by faithful study and application of God’s Word to your personal life, marriage, family, work and ministry. We know from Acts 16:1-3 that Paul heard about a young man at Lystra who “was well spoken of by the brothers at Lystra and Iconium.” Based on this good report, “Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him” as he proceeded on his second missionary journey. Why did Paul invite Timothy to go with him? Wouldn’t this slow down the apostle in his work? Just the opposite! Taking a young man who had already proven a degree of “faithfulness” would give Paul the opportunity to help him mature and multiply the work of preaching the gospel and planting well established churches.
Toward the end of Paul’s life as he sat in house arrest in Rome, he wrote his third to last letter. Who should it go to but this young man. Paul heard some disturbing news and he wanted Timothy to have the right kind of devotion that protects against those who “will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared” (1 Timothy 4:1–2). This danger still exists today. How was Timothy going to protect himself from such trends? “Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching” (1 Timothy 4:13). This kind of devotion is a ‘continual watching and being alert’ so you do not deviate from the practice of reading Scripture ‘out loud’. We don’t practice this today as we should. The root word for “public reading” (anaginṓskō) means “to know exactly or to recognize” the Scriptures which comes from the practice of reading them. With devotion like this (habitually reading the Scriptures), the Spirit gives the resource to exhort (encourage and comfort) as well as teach the truth of God’s Word. Where is your devotion? Will it protect you from false teaching or slight departures from truth? Jesus gave an open invitation for anyone to follow Him. “Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23). All the disciples paid a price when Jesus called them to follow Him. They left family, business, and personal comforts to be associated with the Master disciple-maker. It is no different today. Each person who wants to be faithful to the call of Jesus will pay a price in one way or another.
But the greatest cost that every disciple must pay is denial of self, and there are very few who are willing to pay that price. John the Baptist was chosen by God to “Make straight the way of the Lord” (John 1:23) because he was the kind of man that insisted in word and deed that Jesus “must increase, but I must decrease” (3:30). NOW THAT IS SELF DENIAL!! It is impossible for us to be faithful to the Lord and have our own agendas for personal gain at the same time. Often money is a hidden agenda that we never tell others about, but secretly we make that our goal in life and ministry which places the glory of God, the gospel and building up the Church secondary. Jesus made it clear that “no one can serve two masters…you cannot serve God and money” (Matthew 6:24; Luke 16:13). Loyalty and faithfulness cannot be divided between two masters and still be loyalty and faithfulness! “Take up [my] cross” also means that I will be faithful in the circumstances God calls me to or places He placed me in. Are you willing to pay the cost of being faithful to Jesus wherever He puts you? Your reward is with Him, not in this world! Four most important marks of a “faithful man” are outlined by Paul in the following verse: “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15). Let’s take each of these points and see how they apply to us in any culture, anywhere in the world, any time and under any circumstances.
· “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved.” The injunction in ‘doing your best’ is that we are to be “eager to do this quickly”. I am afraid that much of our eagerness is directed toward an audience from whom we see approval (see John 5:44). · To “present yourself to God” indicates that we are “standing near” Him because He is the only one who matters. HIS APPROVAL IS THE ONLY APPROVAL THAT MATTERS! · “A worker” is a person who is “characteristically engaged” in pleasing his Master. Shame will only happen when we know in our conscience that we are not pleasing the Lord. Be very careful that your conscience is always being acted on by the Holy Spirit. · A faithful person is one who “rightly handles the word of truth.” The words “rightly handles” is one word in the Greek meaning “to give accurate instruction, to teach correctly, to expound rightly.” We must remember that Scripture does not belong to us as preachers or teachers. Its interpretation belongs to God as the author (2 Peter 1:20-21), NOT MAN! All four of these areas have been sadly neglected by leaders and the Church in general. If we are honest, there will be no need for illustrations. If pastors, elders, teachers, leaders and missionaries became very serious and committed to these four requirements, the work of God would immediately expand beyond our imagination. I will give one positive illustration from Liberia where Randy is training today. “A great report here in Liberia. We have about 15 very eager leaders who are taking God at His Word and relying on the Holy Spirit. Also, we got my visa for Sierra Leone yesterday. Will be traveling there Sunday after the service and training leaders Monday through Wednesday.” Praise the Lord for His work! Among other needs in the Church today, there is a desperate need for “faithful men” (2 Timothy 2:2). While there has always been a great need for these kind of men, the last few decades have proven that pastors, leaders, husbands and fathers have fallen far short of God’s standard. The word “unfaithful” has been all too common in church news. The answer is not, as some say, ‘raising the bar or standard’. God’s standard has always been there in His Word. The problem has been in our acceptance of God’s authority in His standard, the Word.
As Paul quilled his last letter to Timothy in late AD 67, shortly before his death under Nero in AD 68, he expresses some deep concerns that are still present today. Paul was bound by chains, but his mind and spirit were focused on how the Church would move forward. It would largely be through “faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” Let me explain this phrase as clearly as I can. You cannot claim to be “faithful” if you are not discipling others to be “faithful”! In other words, “faithful men” look past where God has placed them and their work to every generation that follows. Because this responsibility has not been taken seriously, we are not multiplying godly leaders who are willing to disciple others. In the last year, the NFI team have become more and more concerned that we invest in faithful men who will multiply themselves even if we are gone. This takes clear spiritual vision and a single dedication to training that establishes and encourages. I invite you to log in tomorrow as we look at specific details of what a “faithful man” looks like. Two days ago, I read an article out of the Jan/Feb 2018, Mission Frontiers magazine that just arrived the other day, written by the editor, Rick Wood, “24:14, The Best Hope for Reaching All Peoples. Are You In?” Here are a few quotes from this article:
“In 1974 at the Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization, Dr. Ralph Winter pointed out the uncomfortable reality that we would never complete world evangelization at the rate the global church was going because the Church was sending the vast majority of its mission resources to the areas and peoples of the world where there was already an existing church, i.e. they were reached. We are facing a similarly uncomfortable reality in our day as we did in 1974--missions and church planting as usual will not get us to the goal of reaching all peoples and providing access to every person. The vast majority of our mission efforts are still focused on the reached areas of the world…Only a tiny fraction of Church funds and personnel go to those peoples with the least access to the gospel. Unfortunately, the most commonly used methods of church planting are not able to keep up with the growing population within unreached peoples.” (Used by permission). We are indebted to God’s grace for giving us the same vision and understanding years ago. Now the passion for reaching the unreached is driving this ministry to train indigenous leaders to reach their “neighbors” with the gospel. “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:14). We have already established that there is absolute authority in all of Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16 and 2 Peter 1:20-21). Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Paul adds his weight to this issue in several references which I will give below:
“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence” (Philippians 2:12). “That is why I sent you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, to remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach them everywhere in every church” (1 Corinthians 4:17). “This is my rule in all the churches” (1 Corinthians 7:17). “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). “If anyone is inclined to be contentious, we have no such practice, nor do the churches of God” (1 Corinthians 11:16). It is clear that Paul had no problem exerting his authority as an apostle because he knew that it came from the Lord. There are many other reasons we should follow Paul’s example, as if the biblical authority was not enough. Paul was the most successful church planter in all of history. (Examples will be given later). From Antioch to Rome via Jerusalem, Paul had a single ambition; “to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named” (Romans 15:20). This biblical principle lays the foundation in our ministry; to equip indigenous leaders to preach “the unsearchable riches of Christ” to those who have never been reached (Ephesians 3:8). For us at NFI, this journey is more exciting than anything we have ever experienced, because we know it is God’s will with His authority behind it. Will you join what God is doing in these days? During the month of January, Randy will be in both West & East Africa. It is our prayer that God would empower His church to infiltrate the entire continent with gospel and church planting movements. Thank God that you are going with Randy in prayer. Your prayers are needed more than you know. There have been major hindrances and obstacles in planning this trip, but we are convinced that God wants to break through. Let’s call on Him and trust Him to raise up strong and bold leaders who will teach and train others in His plan for His church (2 Timothy 2:2). Thank you for partnering in the gospel. Itinerary - January 2-3 - JFK to Monrovia, Liberia (WEST AFRICA) January 4-7 ● Training leaders in Monrovia. We have invited leaders from Guinea & Sierra Leone. Pray for travel and arrangements for those coming from distances inside and outside Liberia. January 8-12 ● Plans to work with church planters was cancelled. Please pray for open doors for training and ministry that will spread throughout West Africa. January 13 ● Travel from Liberia to Uganda. Pray for the flights and land travels. EAST AFRICA MINISTRY January 14 ● Travel to Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement, Uganda. This is a 5 hour travel by land. January 15-16 ● Training in South Sudanese refugee camp in Kiryandongo, Uganda. These brothers and sisters have fled their home country due to the civil war and genocide that continues there. Our hope is that God will begin church planting movements that will multiply into the country of Sudan. January 17-18 ● Training leaders in Kiryandongo District, Uganda. A major district in western Uganda, pray that these leaders take up the charge to do follow-up training with the South Sudanese. January 19-21 ● Training with Moses in Gulu, Uganda. He now lives in a refugee camp and is leading a group of churches there. Pray that these leaders embrace the vision of reaching into the northern country of Sudan. January 22 ● Travel to Bugiri, Uganda, a 7-8 hour journey by land. January 23-24 ● Training in key church near Bugiri, Uganda. Please pray for Pastor Peter Emojong who is assembling leaders in his town and region. January 25-26 ● Training leaders in Busia, Uganda on the border of Kenya. Many South Sudanese live in refugee camps in Kenya and will participate in this training. Pray for them as they long to go back to their home country, and pray they take God’s Plan for His Church back with them. January 27-28 ● Prayer and Planning for East Africa in Bugiri, Uganda. Meeting with four key leaders to develop a strategy for 2018. Please pray for Tomas, Henry, Nathan & Hosea. January 29-30 ● Travel from Entebbe, Uganda to JFK Randy worked with many of those mentioned above, back in September/October 2017, laying a foundation through introducing GPHC. This trip will be critical for building faithfulness in these “Timothys” so they will take the principles they learned from God’s Word and pass them on to other faithful servants. One of the major issues that hinders progress is a historic dependence on money. Paul’s model was to plant self-sustaining churches that will expand on their own. This is our goal, so the Gospel and the Holy Spirit’s power alone will ignite a movement of God. |
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