Be the Example

Have you ever felt too young, to do something of significance? Or possibly even too old, to do something important? Regardless of your age maybe you feel too small for that all-important big job?

Maybe you get a sense that you are too inexperienced to contribute something meaningful? Or possibly even too underqualified to make a real difference?

In the book of 1 Timothy, which is a God-inspired letter from Paul to his “son in the faith,” Timothy, Paul equips and encourages Timothy in things like doctrine, leadership, and living out the ways of God.

He writes: “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.” ‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭4‬:‭12‬ ‭(New International V‬‬ersion)

If you’ve ever felt too young, remember that God has purposefully put you where you are, at this specific time in history. He desires to use your passion, drive, vision, energy, and ideas to magnify His glory. You see things from a unique vantage point, and that is a great thing.

If you’ve ever felt too old, remember that God has purposefully put you where you are, at this specific time in history. You have grit, wisdom, leadership, and the gift of life experience. You see things from a unique vantage point, and that is a great thing.

The thing is, you and I are never too young, or too old, to be used by God.

Victor Biennoury, Samuel Anointing David
French, 1842
Paris, Ecole nationale superieure
des Beaux-Arts

For those of you who feel that you are too young – Maybe you need to be reminded that God used a young shepherd boy called David, to greatly impact the world. He was the youngest of his brothers and was not even included in a special sacrificial observance arranged by Samuel in Bethlehem. Nevertheless, he was the one that God had chosen to be king, a man after God’s own heart, and so he was summoned from the field where he was tending the families flock to be anointed king. (Refer to 1 Samuel 16:1-13). 

And for those of you that feel as if you are too old – Maybe you need to be reminded that God used a person who, by today’s reckoning, would have been a tad too old. At the age of 80, God appears to Moses in the form of a burning bush and commands him to go to Egypt to tell Pharaoh to let his people go (Refer to Exodus 3, Exodus 7:6-7, and Acts 7:30-34). He then leads the Hebrew people for another 40 years through the desert towards the promised land.

The thing is, no matter our age, God has empowered each and every one of us to live a life that points people to know Him, and to love Him.

So, how can you do that?

You can set an example – in the way you talk, in the way you act, in the way you work, in the way that you love, in the way you live out your faith.

For Colossians 3:17 reminds us that “whatever we do or say, (we are to) do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.”
(New Living Translation)

You and I have been given an awesome privilege and responsibility to represent God. He chose you and I, as sons and daughters, to represent Him well. To be an example of what it means to love Him and love others. To follow His ways and teach them to those that follow us. We are to be an example!

So, what kind of example are you being?

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The Importance of Scripture

The following article (letter) originally entitled “Sunday Mornings: Unsung” was written by Lee Eclov.

Lee is a retired pastor, author and adjunct professor at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School with a heart for helping other pastors through his two God-given gifts, encouragement (grace-giving) and wisdom. He regularly writes the weekly pastor-to-pastor letter for Preaching Today’s newsletter, which you can subscribe to here.

This letter which was sent out in the past week shows the importance of reading the scriptures – Not only individually which is essentially easy to do, due to the numerous apps etc. at our disposal. But Lee encourages us to invest time and energy into it, especially if they are to be used aloud during our services.

In much the same way as preaching, singing and or playing an instrument, reading the Scriptures is something that we need to put our heart and soul into as we prepare for worship each week.

The Apostle Paul reminds us of this in Colossians 3:23-24 “Put your heart and soul into every activity you do, as though you are doing it for the Lord himself and not merely for others. For we know that we will receive a reward, an inheritance from the Lord, as we serve the Lord Yahweh, the Anointed One!” (The Passion Translation) 

Lee writes*;

I must admit, when I hear someone (especially a young person) say, “I just loved the worship at that church,” I’m pretty sure they don’t mean the Scripture reading, prayer, Communion, creed, or the offering. Perhaps you’ve noticed that for many today, worship is synonymous with music. And that’s it.

One of our great privileges and responsibilities as pastors is showing God’s people these unsung treasures on Sunday mornings, a duty we cannot leave only to others.

Take the reading of Scripture

I’ve spent all my life in churches with a high view of Scripture. One of the mottos of my denomination is, “Where stands it written?”

Ironically, we didn’t actually read the Bible very much on Sunday mornings, especially apart from the sermon text.

Paul said; “Devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture; to preaching and to teaching.”
1 Timothy 4:13
(New International Version)

Of course, now people aren’t dependent on us to hear the Bible; they can read it themselves. What’s more, most pastors do read Scripture as part of their sermon. But simply hearing the Word read aloud by itself is meant by God to be music to the ears of believers.

Pastors must see to it that Scripture readers are as well-prepared as our best musicians, and that begins with the heart. Some forty years ago I asked Gleason Archer, an eminent Old Testament professor in our congregation, to read the thirty verses about Elijah and the prophets of Baal from 1 Kings 14. He read expressively with apt gravitas but what made it so memorable was that he took so seriously simply reading for us this account of God’s holy might. When he finished we sat in silent awe.

I suspect that worship leaders who are strong on music assume that just listening to Scripture is boring; that the service will lose its mojo. But we’re not reading the Iliad here!

When the Bible is read thoughtfully and well, God’s Spirit makes sure that his people develop an ear for it.

“The word of God is alive and active.” Hebrews 4:12 (New International Version)

Perhaps your church observes the rich tradition of having four lectionary readings each Sunday from the Old Testament, the Gospels, a Psalm, and an Epistle. Other congregations focus on Scripture in creative ways with readers’ groups, litanies, memorized recitations, and passages accompanied by art or other images.

One church I pastored developed a small cadre of readers with different voice colors to fit different kinds of passages. Sometimes they read alone, sometimes in groups. Other people wrote scripts from biblical narratives or wove together several texts on a theme.

Some tips. Before reading Scripture to God’s people the reader should pray it through, internalizing and meditating on it, attentive to the Spirit’s coaching.

Then practice aloud, like a singer practices, till its phrases come naturally, conversationally. And don’t go fast! Pauses give listeners time to absorb what they’re hearing.

Finally, read as an act of faith, believing that God himself is speaking.

When I was a boy growing up in our rural church in South Dakota, Pastor Earl Gulbranson, a missionary to a nearby reservation, would occasionally come to preach. He was tall and solemn with thick white hair, and he required something of us that our pastor never did. Before he preached he would intone, “Let us stand for the reading of God’s Word.” Lazy me would think, Why do we have to stand up? But now I realize that simple requirement was my first introduction to the unique, sacred responsibility I had to hear and receive Scripture.

*Used with permission

Obviously, when we look at the history of God’s people Scripture holds a special place in the hearts of those that desire to hear it, absorb it and learn from it.

I wonder, is this the same for you and I today? Do the Scriptures hold pride of place amongst all the other aspects that make up our worship services today, or is it relegated to the sidelines, only ever getting a cursory look in? 

The Scriptures, the reading of God’s Word are (or at least should be) of utmost importance for each and every one of us! 

The Apostle Paul reminds Timothy that “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (New International Version)

Within The Salvation Army “We believe that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments were given by inspiration of God and that they only constitute the Divine rule of Christian faith”. And I’m pretty sure many other churches hold to this view also.

So, how can we encourage and train our brothers and sisters in preparing well for the reading of the Scriptures?

Reread the tips provided above – maybe you have some other thoughts / ideas / techniques that you’d like to share – if so leave a comment below 🙂

Throughout the aftermath of the Covid pandemic that many of us are living through currently, many church leaders, ministers, pastors, and officers have come to acknowledge that many aspects of discipleship, including Bible Study and the reading of the Scriptures, have been sadly lacking in our churches.

You might like to read this article “Bible Literacy Crisis! And What You Can Do About It” written for The Gospel Coalition or check out the following links:

• Essential 100…
• Essential Jesus
• How Do You Study the Bible?

So, the final two questions I’d like to leave with you for today and the remainder of this week to ponder and reflect on are: How can you make the Scriptures come alive in your setting this week? And, how can you encourage people to get together in their homes and spend time studying the Word?

Blessings ’til next time 🙂

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Word of Encouragement – 10 October

Throughout the past week or so as I’ve been doing my devotions, reviewing articles and blogs that I’m following, and catching up with some people around the country providing support and encouragement the overriding theme that has been coming through is something that I touched on in my latest health update, albeit briefly – In all things be content!

Now this can be extremely hard when our backs are against the wall or we are facing turbulent or trying times; when things are not going the way that we intended, let alone the way we thought God intended, or when we appear to be living in topsy-turvy times and our worlds come to a grinding halt, or even when due to the actions of someone somewhere not taking seriously the concerns and/or needs of us or others from our perspective.

And in all of this we are encouraged Scripturally to be content – Yeah Right!

I hear a Tui advert playing in my head! (For those of you that don’t know, the kind of advert pictured was popular a number of years ago in NZ for a leading beer company). 

Now, as a Salvationist, I am in no way promoting alcohol, and I personally haven’t touched a drop for approximately 16 years. Which for those of you that knew me in my youth might think wowzers… And even though Paul tells Timothy in 1 Timothy 5:23 to “no longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your stomach’s sake and your frequent infirmities” (New King James Version) which I can relate to with the number of drugs I have been taking.

There are times however when I feel as if I could do with a stiff drink these days – but that’ll more than likely extend as far as a Mocha, especially at Café L’Affare here in Wellington 🙂

Yet in all things we are encouraged to be content – it is almost a requirement of living a Christ-centred life – a life filled with ‘Hope & Life!‘

We are to exhibit it so that others see in us something that is completely countercultural to what they experience in the lives of others that they rub shoulders with. 

So why is it then that this is not the case? Why do so many Christians mirror the same attitudes and personas that people see in everyone else? Has satan won this round and we have forgotten what Paul told the church of Rome?

“So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life – your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life – and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.” Romans 12:1-2 (The Message)  

Now as is always the case in this day and age their will be some that would point to one interpretation over another and focus on one aspect of the above passage (that some will even say has been taken out of context of the whole chapter let alone the letter) and does not take into effect the overall emphasis of the writers intent, let alone the intent of the ultimate author – and I could go on…

But have we become so well adjusted to the culture around us, that people can no longer distinguish us (followers of the way) from those that do not have a faith?

Have we become so blemished by the smudges, scars and marks on us that we do not know how to love one another, let alone our brothers and sisters that come to us for assistance?

Do we embrace what happens and show to the world around us that regardless our faith is strong enough to see us through and that we can still show love and kindness to all those that we intermingle with?

Do we recognise what God is wanting from us in these days – to be the light, the beacon of Hope and Life in a darkened world that is crying out for what He has established the church to be? The place where His glory and presence shines – through US, His children.   

On thursday I read the following excerpts from the Word for Today and spent some time contemplating its meaning for me in these unprecedented times that we are constantly told we are living in.

If you don’t subscribe to this daily word of encouragement may I encourage you to do so either through Rhema or you can download it on whichever platform works you have.

“True Christ-centred, grace-motivated gratitude fits life’s most desperate moments and difficult situations… Gratitude (contentment) is a hard-fought, grace-infused, biblical lifestyle… and [its] transforming power is reserved for those who know and acknowledge the Giver of every good gift and who are recipients of his redeeming grace.” Read the full Word for Today post here. 

The thing is, contentment is a choice – we can either allow discouragement, doubt, fear and concern to rule our thoughts which if we are not careful leads us into the steely grasp of satan’s plan to cause disruption, distrust, disunity, dismay, despair and derision in our daily lives that over time erode the joy that should be inherit in our lives.

Jesus Christ is the ‘Light’, the ‘Life’, and the ‘Hope’ of the World, and so much more besides – and we as his disciples regardless what we are facing should have that same attitude and persona about us that shows that we believe that that is so.

Not that we want to gloss over all the stuff that can crowd in on us – but through our faith in Him and our trust in God the Father we need to show that in all things that we are going through we can and we will get through, and come through the other side triumphant 🙂

For we have won the victory!

We are to be content in all circumstances – take another look at what Paul went through on his journey of faith (refer to 2 Corinthians 11). Check out the story of Joseph, or Job, or Nehemiah, or even Jonah – They all went through extraordinary times and yet learnt to be content (to a large extent) and this doesn’t include the many examples we can draw on throughout history of people who have learnt to trust in God, and be content in all circumstances, shining as examples to us today as heroes of the faith. 

So how about in the next day or two, rather than focussing on all the bad stuff that is going on, start focussing on the good that is happening – be encouragers, not naysayers, build each other up with psalms and songs of praise, not ripping into someone or gossiping, slandering or even putting down anything that is not going the way that ‘you’ want.

That is not Christ-like and according to most counsellors, mental health advocates and the like is something that we need to ignore (although at times this can be extremely hard to do) or completely disregard, unfriend or remove from our spheres of influence all together…

Let’s be a body of believers, the church, that stands up in these days and offers encouragement to a world that seems to have lost a fair chunk of hope! For we should be bringers of Life and Hope!

Blessings 🙂

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