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II Timothy 4:5, “But you be sober in all things, endure hardhips, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”
This is one of my ATF(All Time Favorite) Verses. I know I’ve said that before about other verses, but if you read my blog with any regularity you will find out that I have a lot of ATF Verses, LOL.
The Apostle Paul who was quite possibly the greatest evangelist of all time wrote this verse in his letter to his young apprentice Timothy, but God also predestined this verse for all of us, and I believe there are things that we can all learn from Paul’s instructions.
The first thing that we see in this verse is that we should be sober in our judgments. That means that we should not rush into decisions. Romans 14:10 says, “But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God.” As human beings, we have a tenency to judge other people harshly because of their actions in a matter. I must confess that sometimes I am guilty of this. I jump to conclusions about people based on one thing that I see them do. This should not be! Jesus said in Matthew 7:5 that we should “fist take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” Which, I interpret as sating that we should not be hasty in our decisions. Whether that be condemning others, or what have you, we should always sit down, and clear our heads before we “jump” into a decision.
The second piece of advise that Paul writes to Timothy is that he should endure hardships. Basically, he’s saying that you’re gonna have to put up with a lot of junk from other people, but he should deal with it in a graceful manner. This is a follow up, reminder to Timothy(and us), of the teachings of Jesus. First, He said in the Beatitudes; Matthew 7:11-12, “Blessed are you when men cast insults on you, and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, on account of Me. Rejoice, and be glad…” Jesus was saying, and Paul reminds us, that there’s gonna be a lot of junk we have to put up with as Christians, but other people are watching, and our actions on this earth are being judged by them, but our “reward in heaven is great.”And Jesus said in John 16:33, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In this world you have tribulation, but I have overcome the world.” I translate that verse to say, “You are going to have to put up with junk while you’re in the world because this world is a junkyard, but I own the junkyard!”
Then Paul says that we should “do the work of an evangelist”, and this is a sticking point to me because most people see “evangelists” as someone like Dr. Billy Graham, etc. People like that who have totally devoted their life to spreading the word. People who make their living as evangelists, and not the ordinary person who has a 9-5 job at the factory. Acts 26:16 says, ” … stand on your feet, for this purpose I have appeared to you, to appoint you a minister and a witness…” As Christians, if we have encountered the living Christ we all have the responsibility to share what He has done , and will do. That is the highest calling of all believers, and it is what an evangelist does. Webster’s Dictionary defines evangelist as one who preaches the Gospel. A lot of people are scared by that idea because they say I cannot “preach”, or I’m not a “preacher”. If you can talk you can preach, besides have you ever heard the saying “actions speak louder than words”, you preach, or evangelize, every day through your actions.
Father, I ask that you help me fulfill my personal ministry that You have given me, and make me remember that people are watching and seeing by my actions how a Christian should act. Please, help me to show your Son in all that I do and say. Amen
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Yes, You Can Ministry 