TEACH AND SHOW

 

TEACH AND SHOW

Titus 1:1 This letter is from Paul, a slave of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ. I have been sent to bring faith to those God has chosen and to teach them to know the truth that shows them how to live godly lives. NLT

Paul had a special calling from God as an apostle to the churches. God sent him to the churches to bring people to faith, build them up in the faith by teaching them truth, and show them how truth should be lived out in life.

You and I have similar callings; we are to bring people to the faith, teach them truth, and show them how to live godly lives. In order to bring people to faith, we must first know that it is real, that it works. We don’t know faith works by just talking about it; we must live it.

In order to teach the truth, we must know the truth and the only way we are going to know the truth is to be students of God’s Word. There is much confusion about what God says simply because we don’t read it, study it, and prayer over it.

Not only do we need to tell others the truth, but we must show them how it is lived out in our daily lives. Great harm is done to the cause of Christ and the faith of many by those who do not live what they proclaim. No one is going to perfectly live godly lives, but all of us who know the Lord must strive to live godly lives. If others cannot see Christ in and through us, what we say will not matter.

Paul told the church at Corinth to follow his example in following Christ. We should so reflect Christ in our lives that others will be attracted to Him and want to know more about Him. Godly living opens the door for the Gospel to be shared and faith begun in lives.

What kind of an example of a godly person are you? Remember, godliness is revealed when you are all alone as well as when you are around others. Are you striving to be consistently holy at all times? Are you?

OUR HEAVENLY CROWN

 

OUR HEAVENLY CROWN

II Tim. 4:6-8 As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near. I have fought a good fight. I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me---the crown of righteousness that the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that great day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his glorious return. NLT

I don't know about you, but I live with these verses in mind. I don't know when the Lord is going to take me home to heaven. Until He does, I must continue to do what He has given me to do. Each day I live draws me closer to that day. I know that what lies before me in heaven is the prize the Lord has prepared for me, and I want to be able to accept it in humility knowing I have finished well. The crown of righteousness awaits all who faithfully live righteously here on earth. I will get my crown.,

We are in a fight, and it would do well for us to never forget it. The life of a Christian is not an easy life. Satan is a bully, and he is always looking for a fight. He is stubborn and does not take no for an answer. He relentlessly keeps throwing punches at us in an attempt to knock us down and out. He is determined to win the battle for our souls.

In order to fight a good fight, we must train well, study his moves, and plan well our defenses and attacks. We must not think of ourselves more highly than we ought to but instead recognize that we must rely on the Lord to help us fight our battles.

We must never give up in this race of life. It is a marathon, and faithfulness to Christ is an absolute must until we cross the finish line.

Earthly crowns fade, are forgotten over time, and sometimes are even taken away from us. Our heavenly crown is eternal and will never be forgotten or taken away from us.

What awaits us is the completion of our salvation. We will be able to stand before God clothed in the righteousness of Christ. We will join all those who are faithful to Christ when He comes for the Church and go home with Him to heaven.

How are you doing? Are you fighting a good fight? Are you running a good race? Are you confident that when the Lord does come for you that He will find you to be faithful and that you will be ready to go to heaven with Him?

REMAIN FAITHFUL

 

REMAIN FAITHFUL

II Tim. 4:7 I have fought a good fight. I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful.  NLT

      Do you like a good fight?  Most people would prefer not to fight.  We teach our children to settle their differences in other ways because we learned the hard way that when people fight, someone will get hurt.  We knew that there was a good possibility that it would be us as a child growing up fighting, and it often was us that got hurt.  We now see fighting as a sign of immaturity.  There are better ways to resolve conflicts than fighting.  Yet, fighting is a normal part of living.

      There have been wars amongst men for centuries.  We don’t like it but accept it as part of life on earth.  Power drives people to want to conquer those who don’t like them, threaten them, or are weaker than they are.  A vast horde of humanity lose their lives because of war.  Sometimes war takes on physical form and sometimes it is verbal in nature.

      Great damage is done when people fight each other with words.  Psychological and emotional scars are left that plague the soul for years to come if not resolved.  Some people are very good at fighting with words. 

       When words are written rather than spoken, the potential is there for great damage to be done because the reader does not know the meaning behind the words.  Assumptions can be made that were never intended.  Be careful what you say to another when you write.

      There is also a fighting that takes place over the soul of man.  There is a constant battle everyone fights over the integrity of his soul.  Every believer constantly is at war with the forces of evil.  No one can escape this fight.  If you are not in a spiritual war, you are not living rightly with God. 

       Live in such a way that you can say with Paul that you have fought a good fight, that you have finished what you started when you came to Christ, that you have been faithful to the end.  Don’t let Satan get the upper hand; resist him daily.  It’s not an easy fight to win, but it is a very winnable fight when you live submissively and obediently to Christ.

      You won’t win if you do not finish.  There may be many obstacles along the way, but you must finish what you have started.  There is no timeouts in the race.  Keep plugging away and you will get to the finish line and great will be your reward in heaven.

DON'T FEAR SUFFERING

 

DON’T FEAR SUFFERING

II Tim. 4:5 But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don't be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at bringing others to Christ. Complete the ministry God has given you. NLT

Let's think clearly about this verse for a moment. Most who are reading this today do not suffer much for the Gospel. Things are changing daily in our world and it is becoming more and more common, but for the most part, there is little real suffering going on in the Church. Because most of us have lived free from suffering, we fear it and don't appreciate its value to our faith. We do, however, seem to have fear when it comes to sharing our faith and bringing others to Christ.

Many of us are way too concerned about what others will say or do. We remain silent because we don't want to be put on the spot, ridiculed, or perhaps harmed because of our witness. Some do not share their faith because they don't want to come across as foolish due to their lack of Biblical knowledge. They fear being asked questions they can't answer. There are some who know they don't live what they claim to believe and fear they will be called hypocrites.

Paul admonishes Timothy to not let fear stop him for doing what the Lord wants him to do. We are to complete the ministry God has given us to do. No matter what it is, we must step out in faith and simply do it. We must believe what we proclaim about God being with us and enabling us. We must display our love for the Lord by serving Him. What matters is not the momentary consequences of our obedience, but the eternal consequences if we don't. God richly rewards those who obey Him and serve Him in what He has given them to do.

Do not leave your ministry undone; complete it. Don’t give up before you are done. Quitters do not honor Christ. He has given you a task to do. Do it until He gives you peace that your task is done.

PEOPLE WON'T LISTEN

 

PEOPLE WON’T LISTEN

II Tim. 4:3-4 For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to right teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever they want to hear. They will reject the truth and follow strange myths. NLT

It is here, right now. People for the most part do not listen to right teaching, nor do they want to. They buy into all sorts of false teachings, but refuse to change their minds about Biblical truth. They will listen to those things which make them feel good and do not require much out of them. They want teachings that suit their thinking. They want others to do their thinking for them.

People want teachers who will tell them what they want to hear instead of what they need to hear. Those who stick to the Word of God and do not compromise it for the sake of the people they serve are getting fewer and fewer. People want an easy road to heaven and gravitate towards those who promise it. They want to hear those things that excite them instead of those things which challenge and change them. People are quickly becoming anemic as far as holy living is concerned. They are quick to chase after anything but the truth of God's Word.

We need to be very discerning in these last days. We need to be sure we examine the things we hear with the Word of God. We need to listen with critical ears letting only the Word of God be the standard whereby we live. We need to be wise enough to dismiss and not pay attention to those who teach another Gospel. We need to hold them accountable if they are in our churches. We must not give people what they want; we must give them what they need in order to be made holy, a people after God's own heart.

We are certainly in the last days of life as we know it on earth. It is more important now than it ever has been for us to take charge of our minds and souls. Do not let anything in that cannot be supported by God’s Word. Your soul is at stake.

PREACH THE WORD

 

PREACH THE WORD

II Tim. 4:1-2 And so I solemnly urge you before God and before Christ Jesus---who will someday judge the living and the dead when he appears to set up his Kingdom: Preach the word of God. Be persistent, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching. NLT

You do not have to be a preacher in order to preach the Word. Each of us has a responsibility to tell others what God says. We are obligated by God to share what we know and to live what we know. God will hold us accountable for our witness, or lack thereof. We talk about what excites us. We want others to know what really matters to us. We are not shy about sharing our opinions on earthly matters so why are we reluctant to talk about our faith?

Our failure to talk about our faith and God’s Word is a testimony to how little we really value God and His Word. If we value our relationship with God as we ought, we cannot fail to share it with others. Period.

We need to be persistent in our witness. It's not a one-time deal. We easily back off when someone rejects our testimony and we don't bring it up again. Instead, we ought to be determined to continue to be a witness for Him. We don't know when the heart is ready to hear. We don't know when the time is favorable or not. We are not knowledgeable or wise enough to know when it's "the" right time. Therefore, we must continue to share our faith whenever we have opportunity. Sometimes are more uncomfortable than others, but we should never let our comfort dictate our witness. The readiness of the soul for eternity is of greatest importance in life, and our witness may be the turning point for someone. Tell others what God has done for you. Tell them what God says.

Preach the Word. Preaching requires preparation. In order to preach well, you must know your material well. Good teaching comes from proper understanding, and proper understanding comes from good connections with God and the study of His Word. If we know what we are talking about, we can confidently witness with patience. We can instruct others with a clear understanding of God's directives. We can correct, rebuke, and encourage others with boldness because we know that it is the mind of God and not our own.

I solemnly urge you today to be a preacher, a proclaimer of God's Word. People you know desperately need to hear about your faith in Christ, our Savior. People desperately need to know about Jesus, our Lord. Who will tell the people in your life if you don't?

The best preachers and teachers of the Word are not paid to do it. They are far more effective witnesses to the lost because they have a personal relationship with them. Let others know your Savior through you.

FOOD FOR THE SOUL

 

FOOD FOR THE SOUL

II Tim. 3:16,17 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right. It is God's way of preparing us in every way, fully equipped for every good thing God wants us to do. NLT

Why should we spend time in God's Word? Why should we spend energy trying to understand it? Why does it matter how well we are acquainted with it? The bottom line is if we don't make God's Word a priority in our lives, we will never know what pleases God, and we will never grow up and become mature in our faith. Without a good understanding of God's Word, we will always struggle with sin in our lives and never be properly prepared to serve the Lord.

Also, if we believe that God has inspired the Scriptures, then it becomes to us of highest importance. If God matters to you, you will want to know what He has to say. He has inspired all of His Word given to us. Therefore, all Scripture is important to us. There is no part of Scripture that God does not want us to know.

Very few of us can say that we have read through the Scriptures in its entirety. We claim we don't have the time. Yet we find the time to read books, newspapers, and magazines we like. We have time to watch movies, sports, and TV. We have time to engage in all kinds of recreational activities. We have time for those things which matter to us.

It has always baffled me how so many of us think that a scattered verse here and there is sufficient for our needs. There is a severe lack of knowledge in the Church about truth because we don't read or study our Bibles. We don't value what God has spoken to us like we ought. We claim to believe it, but don't really know what it says because we have never read it. We are easily thrown for a loop when we encounter false teachings because we are not into the Word like we must be. We never grow very much into holiness because we don't hear what God says through His Word.

To me, it only makes sense that if you want to know the truth, you go to the source of the truth. People are Biblically illiterate, both in and outside of the Church. An alarming number of people who have been raised in the Church struggle with basic truths from the Bible, where to find books of the Bible, what is sin, whether hell is for real, etc.

God gave us His Word for us to open, study, and apply to live—not to sit on our shelves and gather dust. An unopened Bible does the soul no good. Get into the Word and it will get into you and help you to live a life that is pleasing and acceptable to God.