Devoted Ministry (Part 2)

2 Tim. 1:6-18, “For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. ⁷ For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.

⁸ Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God, ⁹ who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, ¹⁰ but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, ¹¹ for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher. ¹² For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day. ¹³ Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. ¹⁴ Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you.

¹⁵ You are aware of the fact that all who are in Asia turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes. ¹⁶ The Lord grant mercy to the house of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains; ¹⁷ but when he was in Rome, he eagerly searched for me and found me— ¹⁸ the Lord grant to him to find mercy from the Lord on that day—and you know very well what services he rendered at Ephesus.”

2 Tim. 2:1-2, “You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. ² The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”

These words are from Paul to Timothy, and as far as we know are part of Paul’s last letter or communication to anyone before his death. At the very least it is part of his last letter that is part of the New Testament canon.

As Paul sees his own ministry coming to a close, God uses him to give us a very clear grasp of what ministry should look like going forward by allowing us to see his heart for the ministry of Timothy among the Ephesians.

I am going to just share a quick list out of these passages that ought to be true of the ministry of CHBC as a whole and therefore needs to be true of your heart and life personally.

1. Remain excited about the gospel. “⁹ who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, ¹⁰ but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,”. If this does not still excite you, then it is hard to be engaged in ministry. The world develops all kinds of ways to care for the poor, provide education, meet the needs of the sick, etc. Our motivation should come from the gospel change that has occurred in our own lives, and how the gospel can change others’ lives.
2. Be willing to suffer for the gospel. “Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God,” (2 Tim. 1:8). To truly minister to others means sacrifice. You cannot love without sacrificing. If you love your spouse, you sacrifice. If you love your children, you sacrifice. When we minister to others we do so because we love them. That means the willingness to suffer the sacrifice of our time, ourselves, our resources. Again, doing this because “it is the right thing to do” is not very motivating. Doing this because the gospel calls me to it, it extremely motivating. I am saved by Jesus’ sacrifice, and I love Him by giving of myself in love and care for others whom He has placed in my life.
3. When we do ministry, we guard the gospel. “I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day. ¹³ Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. ¹⁴ Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you,” (2 Tim. 1:12-14). If we are doing ministry right, we are guarding the gospel. We are loving, caring for others, and serving others in a variety of ways because of what God has done for us through Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. The motivation of our actions and activities matter. If we do it to earn salvation, or if we do it to make ourselves look good to other people, we are guarding ourselves. But when we love because He first loved us, we are guarding the good news of God’s reconciling work in the world.
4. Ministry will occur with those who betray you and those who support you. 2 Tim. 1:15-18, “You are aware of the fact that all who are in Asia turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes. ¹⁶ The Lord grant mercy to the house of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains; ¹⁷ but when he was in Rome, he eagerly searched for me and found me— ¹⁸ the Lord grant to him to find mercy from the Lord on that day—and you know very well what services he rendered at Ephesus.” If you minister to people, you will get hurt. You will also find yourself with some people who refresh you. But if you wait until there is no chance of getting hurt, you will not reach out in ministry at all.
5. Ultimately ministry is about passing on the gospel. 2 Tim. 2:1-2, “You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. ² The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” As we minister to others keep the big picture in mind. It is our purpose that people will be transformed by the gospel and will in turn share how God is changing them with others.

When we think about ministry, we often first think about things we can do. I want you to think first about God and what He has done. Then love others in His name and for the purpose of seeing the seeds of the gospel planted more and more deeply into their lives.

By His Grace and For His Glory,

Pastor Mark