9 Reminders from Paul

By Eugene Chang

2 Timothy 4:1-5

Good morning brothers, sisters, and friends. How great and awesome it is to be able to gather as a family and body of believers to worship and praise our God. I thank the worship team in leading us in the praise songs. I thank God for your prayers and your support of me and the ministry that God has called me to. Through your partnership, DCCC is playing a role in ministering to the lost in the U.S. and Mexico. Actually, each one of us is playing a role in service and sharing the Gospel of Christ; some locally, others globally. It is only the Spirit and God's grace and His mercy and your prayers that lives can be impacted for eternity.

It has been a very special privilege and honor to minister and serve together with you the last several months. I also thank the church, especially Pastor Lee for giving me the opportunity to share with you this morning before I go back to Mexico and Arizona to share the Gospel of Christ and also train up and prepare servant leaders for ministry in the church and society.

I pray that God will use me as His vessel to effectively communicate and share His words as we look at 9 reminders that Paul gave to Timothy and the church. Please join me in prayer, before we go into today's message. (short prayer)

Brothers and sisters as we look at what Paul commanded to Timothy, I want to assure you that the practical significance of this message goes beyond those who are pastors or in some kind of leadership. This message applies to every person who has confessed with his or her mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord and has made Him, Lord and Savior of their lives. Every Christian is called to a life of ministry and is to follow the examples of pastors. From 1 Timothy 4:12, it can be seen that pastors are called to be an example to the body of believers

Notice that in these verses of 2 Timothy 4:1-5, Paul said nothing to Timothy about how people might respond to his message. He did not lecture Timothy on how large his church was, how much money it took in, or how influential it was. He did not suggest that the world was supposed to revere, esteem, or even accept Timothy. In fact, Paul said nothing whatever about external success. Paul's emphasis was on commitment, not success.

My friends, sometime we use worldly standards to define success in church ministry. The church most often judged "successful" are the large, rich mega churches with new facilities, school, and state of the art audio visual systems, But not one church in a thousand falls into that category. That means one or two things: most churches are pitiful failures, or the gauge of success in ministry must be something besides material prosperity.

As a student of the Bible, I believe the latter part of the statement to be true. External criteria such as affluence, money, or positive response have never been the biblical measure of success in ministry. Faithfulness, godliness, and spiritual commitment are the virtues God esteems- and such qualities should be the building blocks in any ministry.

Look again at Paul's instructions to Timothy. Instead of urging Timothy to devise a ministry that would garner accolades from the world, he warned him about suffering and hardship. In Scripture, external success is never a valid goal. Paul was not telling Timothy how to be "successful," he was encouraging him to pursue the divine standard.

That of course is what defines true success. Real success is not getting results at any cost. It is not prosperity, power, prominence, popularity, or any of the other worldly notions of success. Real success is doing the will of God the father, regardless of the consequences and circumstance.

Or, using the terms as the world often employs them the appropriate goal is not success, but excellence. Paul was encouraging Timothy to be all that God had called and gifted him to be. Timothy was being reminded and urged by Paul to pursue Spiritual excellence.

The brief passage of 2 Timothy 4:1-5 defines biblical ministry. This includes nine reminders which we will look at in brief detail. God has shown me and is still reminding me in my life and ministry the earnest importance of these nine reminders.(Reminder to spur/ challenge).

Paul began the final section of his last epistle using the words, "in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom." Paul was a prisoner near the end of his own life. He knew he would soon stand before God to give an account. These thoughts were heavy on his mind. He reminded Timothy of the seriousness of the young pastor's own commission. He counseled Timothy to live and work in light of impending judgement. Timothy needed to concern himself with what God thought of his ministry, not what people thought. He reminded Timothy to understand and remember his calling. Timothy must not be ministering to please men, but to please God. Let us do things to please and praise God our Father. Let us remember our calling.

Now... what kind of ministry pleases God ? A ministry that preaches the word. As Christians, we must remember this. As we share, our task is to proclaim the scripture, and the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. It is the basis of our hope and new life in Christ.

I remember years ago when I was in junior high school and first felt the Lord's calling into ministry, I was given a bible by Pastor Howard Hsieh. In the bible was a note urging me to "preach the word." As I preach, teach and share sometimes in front of thousands of people, I've never forgotten that simple biblical instruction. Really, what else is there to preach ? What else is more powerful and impacting than the truth and the light of the Gospel of Christ ?

It's not through my own doing, or my work that things happen. It's only when there's less of me and more of God first in my life, that things are in true balance. It's only through prayer, God using me as His servant and the Gospel being preached and the Spirit moving and convicting people of the message that eternal change can take place.

What was the Word that Timothy was to preach ? Paul had made this clear in the end of chapter 3. 2 Timothy 3: 16-17 says that "all scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." The whole Word of God is to be preached. The entire task of a faithful Christian revolves around the Word of God - guarding it, studying it, and proclaiming it.

Paul's goal as a preacher was not to entertain people with his rhetorical style, or to amuse them with cleverness, humor, novel insights, or sophisticated methodology- he simply preached the Gospel of Christ, proclaiming his death, burial, and resurrection.

There have always been people who gather crowds, because they have dynamic personalities, are entertaining speakers, popular politicians, or know how to manipulate a crowd. Such preaching may be popular, but it is not necessarily powerful. No one can preach with supernatural power from God, if he or she does not preach the Word.

Preaching the Word, must be at the very heart of our ministry. As God's people we are called to share His message. Only God's Word will provide real hope and eternal comfort. Only God can set people free and give them eternal life.

Paul next reminds Timothy that this duty is a never ending task. A task of a Christian is 24/7. Not only is he to preach the Word, he is to do it regardless of the climate of opinion around him. He is to be faithful when such preaching is tolerated, but also when it is not. He is to be faithful in and out of season.

Let's face it- in today's society, preaching the Word is out of season. Many people do not want to hear the message. Also, in society many "religions" are all accepted. But at the same time, humanity is experiencing God's wrath as He gives people over to the consequences of sinful choices, the due penalty of their sin. My friends, our society and nation may be feeling the divine abandonment in our age more than ever before. This is certainly no time for weak men and women, weak messages, and weak ministries. What is needed is moral strength and courage and uncompromising proclamation of the truth that can set people free.

Paul says that the excellent minister must be faithful to preach the Word, even when it is not in fashion. The expression he uses is "be prepared." The Greek term (ephistemi) literally means to stand beside. It has the idea of eagerness. It was often used to describe a military guard, always at his post, prepared for duty. Paul was speaking of an explosive eagerness to preach, like that of Jeremiah, who said that the Word of God was a fire in his bones. That's what Paul was demanding of Timothy. Not reluctance but readiness. Not hesitation but fearlessness, Not cool talk or popular words, but the truth of the Word of God.

Paul also gives Timothy instructions about the tone of his preaching. In 2 Timothy 4:2, he uses two words that carry negative connotations and one that is positive: reprove, rebuke, and encourage. All valid ministry must have a balance of positive and negative. The Christian who fails to reprove and rebuke is not fulfilling his commission. God guides disciplines those that He loves... to help us grow and shape our lives toward His will and His path.

My friends, we need to deal with the needs of those around us. A person's deepest need is to confess and overcome their sin and come into a relationship with Christ. So preaching that fails to confront sin and correct sin through the hope in Christ does not meet people's needs. It may make them feel good. And they may respond enthusiastically, but it does not mean that the preaching has met their needs.

To reprove, rebuke, and encourage is to preach the Word. The excellent Christian confronts sin and then encourages repentant sinners to behave righteously. He is to do this with great patience and careful instruction, and a loving/ humble Spirit.

Paul next reminds Timothy to not compromise in difficult times. Paul tells Timothy that there would be a time when those in the church would not endure sound doctrine, but desire instead to have their itching ears filled with what they wanted to hear.

Fearless preaching is all the more necessary in these times. Brothers and Sisters, when people will not tolerate the truth, then that is when we must be courageous and outspoken.

Why are people unwilling to endure sound teaching ? It is because people love their old lifestyle and sinful nature. People want to own God without giving up sinful lifestyles, and they will not endure someone telling them what God's Word says about it. But as Christians, out of love for others and to follow Christ, we must confront and deal with sin.

What do they want to hear ? Wanting to hear what they want to hear, they will seek out teachers who will tickle their ears and feed their lust. They want what makes them feel good about themselves. Christians who offend them , they reject. And the person that brings the salvation message they most need to hear is the one they least want to hear.

This appetite for ear tickling preaching has a terrible end. Verse 4 says that people will turn from the truth and turn aside to myths. They become the victims of their own refusal to hear the truth. The people willfully choose this action. Having turned from the truth, they become victims of deception. As soon as they turn away from the truth, they become pawns of Satan. My friends, the absence of light is darkness.

My friends, people want to have their ears tickled, but we need to continue to stand for the truth and proclaim the Word of God. The truth of God does not tickle our ears. Rather, it burns them. It reproves, rebukes, convicts, then exhorts and encourages.

In John 6:66-68 after Jesus had delivered a particularly hard message, Scripture tells us that as a result of this message, many of His disciples turned back and no longer followed him. As the crowds left, Jesus asked the twelve if they wanted to leave too. Peter's reply on behalf of the twelve is significant. Peter answered Jesus saying, "Lord, to whom shall we go ? You have the words of eternal life. That was the right response. It revealed the difference between true disciples and those who were not: their hunger for the Word.

In John 8:31-32, Jesus said, "if you hold to my teachings, you are my disciples. You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. People seeking to be entertained, served, curiosity seekers, and people who just follow the crowds are by no means true disciples. It is those who love the Word of God and who love God who are true followers of Christ.

Next, Paul reminds Timothy that as a minister, he must be one who keeps his head in all situations. The King James Versions says, "be sober in all things." This is not just a warning against drunkenness. Nor is Paul suggesting that Timothy should be somber, joyless, gloomy or morose. Keeping your head in all situations means that one is self-controlled, steady, attentive. It describes a state of mental alertness and control of one's faculties.

The successful Christian in ministry is a solid person, a stable person, like an athlete who has brought all his passions and appetites and nerves under complete control to perform at a maximum level. In other words, a Christian is not called to be flaky, not to be trendy, not to be a pursuer of things that come and go. In the face of a changing world, in the midst of a society that is becoming more immoral and accepting of ungodly practices, we need to be rooted, steadfast, stable, and rock-solid in the Word and also the pefect will of God. My friends, we cannot compromise or fall away when the pressure is on.

Brothers and sisters, the world is need of Christians who will not be moved or shaken. Christians who will remain steadfast to the truth and know their priorities. My friends, the world needs Christians whose heads are clear of deceit, false teaching, and wrong motives. The world needs ministers who will courageously declare the Word of God.

In 2 Timothy 4:5, Paul reminds Timothy to endure hardship. The life of a Christian is not one that seeks earthly applause. Neither should a Christian be a lover of earthly comforts or a lover of earthly possessions . Rather, we should have our mind set on things above and be willing to live for Him. Timothy could not have the kind of ministry God desired of him unless he was willing to go through some suffering.

No ministry of any value comes without hardship. At times I encounter people headed for ministry who are looking for a church without problems, a ministry without challenges, a congregation that will make life easy. To tell you the truth, there is no such place for the faithful Christian who studies and teaches the Word. My friend, the notion that ministry can be both effective and painless, very rarely exists. It is true that you will face hardships and trials will come when you preach the unadulterated Word of God. And when hard times come, you have two choices. You can endure and remain steadfast, or you can compromise. We are called to be faithful and speak the truth. It is very difficult to do this and not escape some kind of suffering, trial, or persecution. In 2 Timothy 3:12, Paul writes that in fact, everyone who wants to live a Godly life in Christ Jesus, will be persecuted. Thus, faithfulness and hardship go hand in hand.

Paul wrote this to remind Timothy that suffering hardship and enduring trials is much a part of the faithful Christian's duty as any other aspect of his work.

Did Timothy follow Paul's reminder ? Eventually he did. In Hebrews 13:23, it is written that Timothy has been released. The author of Hebrew appears to have known Timothy well and loved him. He tells the Hebrews that Timothy had been released. This seems to suggest that Timothy had been released from prison. We can assume that when the suffering came, Timothy endured it. He did not compromise. He remained faithful even though it meant imprisonment.

The 8th reminder that Paul gives Timothy, is to do the work of an evangelist. At first sight, it might seem that the reminder "do the work of an evangelist" is an abrupt change of direction. But it is not. Paul was encouraging Timothy to reach out beyond the comfort level of his own flock and boldly proclaim the Word to unbelievers. Paul was not suggesting that Timothy's office was that of an evangelist. He was telling Timothy that part of his duty in ministry was to share the hope and Good news of Christ with non-believers.

Again, Paul was commanding Timothy to declare the truth boldly. Timothy may have been tempted to seek a haven in the comfort of the flock. Paul was urging him to minister on the front line. He wanted Timothy to face the world courageously and preach the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. Paul wanted Timothy to proclaim sin, righteousness, judgement and God's law. He wanted Timothy to declare the depravity, not the dignity of mankind. He wanted Timothy to herald the second coming and warn of eternal judgement. He wanted him to magnify the cross, the resurrection, the atonement, grace and faith. He was urging Timothy to be solemn and persuasive in confronting unbelief.

Lastly, in 2 Timothy 4:5, Paul reminds Timothy "to discharge all the duties of your ministry." Another version says "fulfill your ministry." The meaning of this passage means to accomplish, fill it up, do it all. In other words, don't serve God half heartedly, do it with all your might; give 100%. Paul was coming to the end of his life and in 2 Timothy 4:6-8, was able to write "for I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge will award to me on that day- and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing." Paul wanted Timothy to reach the same point someday. God wants us all to reach that point one day, to be able to finish the race and keep the faith.

Brothers and sisters, this charge which included the 9 reminders from Paul to Timothy has implications for each one of us. As Christians who have been blessed and saved through faith, besides receiving God's blessings, we are also called by God to be a blessing. We are all called to be ministers in some sphere of service. Whether you are father leading a household, a mother ministering to her own children, a brother or sister ministering to your siblings, a leader in the church, a teacher teaching children, a Bible study leader, a worship team leader, a fellowship coordinator, or a student in college, high school, or elementary school, these 9 principles apply to you.

1) Rememeber your calling.
2) Preach the Word.
3) Be faithful in and out of season.
4) Reprove, rebuke and exhort.
5) Don't Compromise in difficult times.
6) Be sober in all things.
7) Endure hardship.
8) Do the work of an evangelist.
9) Fulfill your ministry.

There is no room for compromise. There is no place for timidity. There is no need for fear. Brothers and sisters, let us be faithful in our ministry and service, and give God all that you have. I encourage you to present your body before God as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God. In whatever we do, let us proclaim the truth and serve God in some way; being faithful until the end. (Please join me in prayer)

At this time, I'd like to briefly share with you about some of the missions work that I am involved in and will be involved with during the next 8 to 9 months in northern Mexico and also in parts of the United States. I have a monthly newsletter which highlights the month of ministry. A copy is posted in the vestibule. Or if you're interested in praying for me and being updated on the ministry that God has called me to, I can put you on my mailing list.

- Help oversee 10 churches in Mexico and 1 in Yuma, AZ. (8 of the 10 churches in Mexico are now self supporting)
- 7 day crusade in Tijuana and Ensenada. (Mid- October 1999)
- Bible Institute (70+ students); also certificate class in Yuma, AZ (English).
- Breakfast ministry in colony 10 de abril in San Luis R.C.
*average of 125+ kids, mid week study, visitations.
- Pastor's alliance (50 pastors who pray and keep each other accountable)
- ministry to street kids, gangs, drug/ alcohol rehab, jails.
- ministry to single mothers and orphans; (job training/ day care; etc.)
- ministry at Templo: El Camino w/ Pastor Mariano Meza.
* teach Sunday school, and preach. * visitations, worship team prep, bulletins, etc.
*in charge of YG and young adults ministry.
- Women's conference (in Feb. 2000)
- Youth Conference (Dec. 99 and March, 2000)
- Evangelistic Outreaches and concerts.
- Misc. ministries
* help Azusa Pacific prepare for when 5,000 young people come to minister
* help coordinate and translate for YUGO, GAGA, Amor, Habitat.

Thank you for your partnership, your prayers and support. Through God's mercy His Holy Spirit, His love and grace and your partnership, lives our being changed for eternity. I know that it's not through my own. doing. Rather, it's only through God and the Holy Spirit that people have been ministered to, reconciled, healed, and found hope and true peace and freedom.

Title: 9 Reminders from Paul
By: Eugene Chang
Series: Miscellaneous Topics
Date: 9/26/99