"Preach the Word."

“I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”

(rf. 2 Tim. 4:1–5NKJV)

            The Apostle Paul in his last letter of ministry writes to his son in the faith, Timothy. He has all along been encouraging his protégé to be strong and of good courage, to go forth in faith to serve the Lord in his particular calling as a pastor of his flock. Paul is basically in this letter “passing the baton” to Timothy, knowing that he is wrapping up his ministry on earth, preparing to make his transition to the very Presence of the Lord to whom he has given his life in service all of these many years. He wants Timothy to follow his example and to be faithful to the Lord even as Paul has endeavored to be.

            To that end, Paul warns Timothy of a time yet to come when the fickleness of people within the Church will desire their felt needs met and to follow the latest trends (“according to their own desires”), rather than the solid spiritual food of Scriptural teaching and “sound doctrine”. This growing, vocal group will pursue after non-truths (“fables”) with no regard that their path is leading them far away from Biblical truth. Because “their itching ears” need so desperately to be scratched (or are perceived so), this activist movement within the Church will not be satisfied with the few leaders who agree with their perspective, but not only will gather more, but will “heap up for themselves teachers” whose purpose is to expound and exponentially grow the movement all the more. In other words, in the mind of Paul, this is a very dangerous and potentially poisonous situation of which Timothy must not only be aware but must stand against! How then does the normally reserved Timothy do this?

            Paul’s response for Timothy is quite simple: “Preach the Word”! Paul understands that there is no greater power nor weapon in hand than that of the Scriptures articulately and expertly wielded. Paul has been educated by Gamaliel in the Old Testament (rf. Acts 22:3) and by Christ Himself in its connection to the Gospel and His teachings (rf. Gal. 1:11-17). Paul knew the power of the Word firsthand. Therefore, he knew by holding to the simplicity of sharing God’s Word with the Church consistently and with boldness by the power of the Holy Spirit, Timothy would be able to halt the advance of their pernicious beliefs and reverse the course of any headway their poison may have made in the life of the Church. Paul knew that by pursuing this course, Timothy would undoubtedly experience many “afflictions”; however, the way of faithfulness is a difficult one, as Paul knew well. The only way to safeguard the well-being of the Church was for Timothy, like Paul, to continue forward with the message of the Gospel of Christ unchanged and undiminished, sharing it with all (“do the work of an evangelist”), making the most of his particular calling (“fulfill your ministry”).

            This same encouragement is needed in our day. It is as if the Apostle Paul looked down the halls of time and disclosed to Timothy what was happening in the 21^stcentury American Church. We are definitely a consumer-driven entity, if we are to be honest with ourselves. Our likes and wants determine where we go to church far more than where God is most worshipped and where our spiritual gifts can be best used. If we are the least offended in something, we either decide that we will not go to “that church” any longer or any church for that matter or we will begin to “shop around”.  We are no better than those Paul speaks of: “according to their desires”. 

            An entire book could be written on how Scriptural truth has been jettisoned in favor of politically correct positions that provide cover for all manner of sinful behaviors and acts that, when are taken objectively into account by a thorough exegetical study of the Bible, are found to be abhorrent to God. What is being created is a new religion altogether in the name of God that nullifies all sin, the need for forgiveness, and the requirement for Christ’s atoning sacrifice on the cross. This new religion, a counterfeit of Christianity, would be desirable for all and to all, but requires nothing from anyone other than belief in a Jesus of pure love with no change regarding life or repentance from sin.

            Paul’s words to Timothy are the same antidote for this poison in our day: “Preach the Word”! One must know the truth in order to point out and do away with the counterfeit. As one who long ago pledged his life to serve the One who saved his soul, I personally have chosen to follow both Paul and Timothy in the same vein. There is no other means of true salvation than is found in the blood of Christ Jesus. Jesus came “to save His people from their sins” (rf. Matt. 1:21). My hope is that His people will not be easily led astray by the appeal of their own desires but will hold fast to the lasting truths and “sound doctrine” of the Scriptures for only in them is true life found. 

An Easter Message

“But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings.”

(rf. Mal. 4:2ESV)

            The above passage was given to God’s people in the closing message of the Old Testament. As the Lord revealed to them once again His desire to send His chosen vessel of “healing” and restoration, prefaced by the coming of “Elijah the prophet”(rf. Mal. 4:5), He wanted them to be prepared for what would be in His words, “the great and awesome day of the Lord” (rf. Mal. 4:5).

            As we consider the wonder of Christ’s death, burial and resurrection at Easter, let us measure it anew against the backdrop of these words from the prophet Malachi. So often we tend to look at the actions of Jesus on our behalf in a vacuum, as by themselves, and, thus, lose some of the power intended by the Lord to affect us in our hearts and minds. 

This prophet of the Old Testament was the last to speak to God’s people for several centuries. Therefore, when John the Baptizer arrived on the scene and began his ministry, it truly stirred the hearts of the people. They began to wonder if, indeed, this was the “Elijah the prophet” of Malachi’s writings. Then, when John pointed to Jesus’ coming as the fulfillment of his own ministry, the reality of those prophecies surely were coming to pass! Yet, the people had no idea what was in store for them as Jesus’ ministry among them unfolded.

Not until the climax of Jesus’ life and ministry arrived on the hill of Golgotha with his death on the cross and his burial following with his disciples disbursed in sorrow did it seem that all of His efforts had come to naught. With the dawn of the third day came the astounding news of His resurrection from the dead and of the stone of His tomb being rolled away by divine power. This truly was “the great and awesome day of the Lord” as foretold by Malachi!

We know, however, that this was not the end of the story. Jesus now sits at the right hand of His Father, God Almighty, in heaven, awaiting the time of His return. His power continues to be displayed through the Holy Spirit who He sent to earth to minister through His Church in His stead. He remains “the sun of righteousness…with healing in (His) wings”to those “who fear (My) name”. As His followers, we simply must trust, obey and continue to live out His truths, knowing that the spiritual, physical and emotional healing is still available to us because our beloved Savior and Lord is very much alive and will ever live! Happy Easter to one and all!

From Death to Life

This article was originally published at ThomRainer.com on Feb. 13, 2017. It was reprinted online in Outreach Magazine on March 8, 2017. It is written by Thom Rainer who serves as president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources. Dr. Rainer can be found on Twitter (@ThomRainer) and at facebook.com/Thom.S.Rainer. Dr. Rainer’s insights are worthy of our consideration as we begin a new year. 

Six Secrets of Churches That Went from Death to Life

She was on her deathbed. Every breath was laborious. Every breath was more difficult.

Those who surrounded her knew the end was imminent. It was only matter of time—a very brief time.

But the impossible became the possible. The dying lady survived. In fact, she not only survived, her outlook is very promising today.

Hers is a true story of resuscitation: from the brink of death to survival to improved health to a healthy life.

What about churches? Can a church experience a similar miraculous recovery? Admittedly, I have only seen a few churches with the same story of resuscitation. But I have seen a sufficient enough number to make some concise observations. These observations are among the most encouraging events I have ever witnessed.

How did these few churches go from near death to vibrant life? Here are their stories.

1. A Prolonged Period of Prayer

The members knew that only a miracle of God could save their church. So they decided to set aside a period of prayer, usually a few weeks or a couple of months. Members would gather after the worship service. Some would gather in homes. They would admit their total dependence on God. And they would place everything about their churches at his mercy and in his will.

2. A Covenant to Forsake Self

When a church dies, there is the predictable prologue of self-centered, self-serving membership. Church members argue about the style of music, the length of the sermon, the types of ministries and programs, and even the type of furniture in the church. Membership becomes about me, myself and I. In the resuscitated church, the members covenant to put self last. They agree they will not demand their way but seek to put others first. Some of the churches even create a written covenant.

3. A Willingness to Kill Sacred Cows

This process is often an extension of the previous commitment. As the members covenant to forsake self, they commit to doing away with programs, ministries, events, rooms, furniture and anything else that has become a sacred cow. They often don’t see those sacred cows until their eyes have been opened in the prolonged period of prayer.

4. A Commitment to See Through the Eyes of the Outsider

As the members continue to forsake self, they begin to ask how the church is viewed from the perspective of the outsider. They may actually engage with a person to visit their church and share their experience. It is amazing to see how this process transforms facilities, worship, greeters’ ministry and children’s ministries, to name a few.

5. An Agreement to Connect and Invite

Members commit to be intentional about developing relationships with people outside the church. They set prayer goals of how many people they will invite to church each month. The church begins moving from an inward focus to an outward focus.

6. A Decision to Move Beyond the Negative Naysayers

This core of members realizes that not everyone will be on board. There will always be those who view church as a spiritual country club with perks and privileges. Indeed, in most of these resuscitated churches, there was stiff resistance, adamant opposition and financial threats. But the members were loving but firm. No longer would their church be controlled by the naysayers, critics and bullies. They would stand together and stand with others who were attacked and maligned.

Is church resuscitation common? No. Is church resuscitation possible? Yes. In God’s power, yes.