“Command and teach these things. Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress. Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.” (1 Timothy 4:11-16 ESV)
We read in the Scriptures that the body of Christ, his church, is made up of many parts (we are those parts), that we do not all have the same function, and that we don’t all have the same giftedness. But we, as members of Christ’s body, are to be using the gifts given to us by God in the areas of ministry assigned to us by God. For some, their gift is prophecy, for others it is service, to another it is teaching, and to another it is exhortation, or it is generosity, or it is leadership, or it is mercy, etc.
And we, as members of the body of Christ, are to be those who are encouraging one another in our walks of faith and in obedience to our Lord. We all are to speak the truth in love to one another so that we are not led astray by the cunning and craftiness of other humans in their deceitful scheming, and so we all grow to maturity in Christ together, as each part does its work. We all are to be teaching and admonishing one another with all wisdom and exhorting one another so that none of us becomes hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
And all of us are to be stirring one another up to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together so that we can be encouraging one another. And if a fellow believer falls back into sin, we who are living godly lives should restore that person back to fellowship with Christ and to godly living. For whoever brings a sinner back from his wandering will save his soul from death. And we are all to making disciples of Christ, teaching them to obey his commands, and we are to be proclaiming the truth of the gospel and exposing the fruitless deeds of darkness.
[Matt 5:13-16; Matt 28:18-20; Jn 4:31-38; Jn 13:13-17; Jn 14:12; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:14-18; Acts 26:18; Rom 10:14-15; Rom 12:1-8; Rom 15:14; 1 Co 12:1-31; 1 Co 14:1-5; Eph 4:1-16; Eph 5:11-27; Php 2:1-8; Col 3:16; Heb 3:13; Heb 10:23-25; 1 Pet 2:9,21; 1 Jn 2:6]
So, Paul’s exhortation to Timothy may well apply to all of us who are followers of Jesus Christ, who are his servants and witnesses, who are his body parts, who have been gifted of the Spirit in various ways and who are to be ministering to one another as these Scriptures teach that we are to minister to one another. Yes, we are not all in positions of biblical authority over other people, but we still have a responsibility to the body of Christ to help one another to live holy lives, pleasing to God, and to help one another to walk in faithful obedience to our Lord, and not in sin.
Especially since we live in a day and time, at least we do here in America, where “the church” has largely been turned into businesses incorporated under the state marketing their businesses to the ungodly of the world, we need to be people of God who are serving the Lord in the ways in which he has designed us to serve him and one another. For it appears that not many gatherings of what are called “churches” are operating as the biblical body of Christ, but they are operating as businesses marketed to the world.
And especially since it appears that the majority of these gatherings have ceased from teaching the full gospel message as Jesus taught it, and as his NT apostles taught it, but so many of them have altered and diluted the gospel to make it more acceptable to human flesh, we need to be the people of God who are still speaking the truth of the gospel, who are calling people to genuine repentance (change of mind resulting in change of behavior) and to obedient walks of faith in Christ in holy living, and no longer in sin.
For so many professers of faith in Jesus Christ these days are living not much differently from those making no profession of faith in Jesus Christ, so that there is not a distinguishable difference these days between the church and the world. And largely they are being taught that they do not have to repent (turn from) their sins and follow Jesus in obedience to his commands in holy living. For they are being given the impression that a mere profession of faith in Jesus Christ “seals the deal” and now heaven is guaranteed them.
And so many of them are continuing to live worldly lives, and for self, and for self-pleasure, and in sin, even in sexual sin and in immorality and adultery and in lying, cheating, and stealing and whatever else they feel that they have the liberty to now do without punishment since they made a profession of faith in Christ. But the Scriptures teach that if sin is our practice, and if righteousness and obedience to our Lord is not what we practice, we don’t know God, and we do not have eternal life with God.
So we need to be those of God who are living for him, in practice, and who are speaking the truth of the Scriptures to other Christians and to the people of the world so that they can come to genuine God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ and be crucified with Christ in death to sin, and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer as slaves to sin, but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness. For if sin is what we obey, it leads to death. But if obedience to God is what we obey, it leads to righteousness, and to sanctification, and its end is eternal life with God (Romans 6:1-23).
[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-11; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 10:23-31; 1 Co 10:1-22; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]
Should I Not Preach Jesus
An Original Work / July 4, 2013
Based off 1 Corinthians 9:16-10:13
Woe to me should I not preach Jesus.
I’m compelled to preach the full gospel.
I make myself a slave to ev’ryone
To win their hearts to Christ.
All this I do for my Lord Jesus,
And for the sake of His Name;
Do it for the sake of His gospel,
So that I, its blessings gain.
Scripture notates the sins of others;
Written down for us as examples
To keep us from setting our hearts
On evil as did those of old.
Do not worship other gods of man;
Do not give your hearts to them;
Not partake in immorality.
Do not test your Lord and King.
So, be careful if you think you are
Standing firm in your faith in Jesus.
God has given his word to warn us,
So through faith we will not fall.
No temptation has o’ertaken you
Except what is commonplace.
God is faithful to not let you be
Tempted past what you can bear.
He gives the way of escape.
