The Last Days Of The Church XXXIX

 Paul understood that the continuity of the church was predicated upon the next generation having examples and testimonies they could look back upon as ones who walked in godliness and the authority of God. As his time drew near, he made sure that Timothy was well-equipped to continue the ministry and be a useful member of the body of Christ.

You can tell a lot about a preacher, pastor, or evangelist from whom they identify as their mentor, or a more commonly used term that I’m not a big fan of, their spiritual father or mother. Whose teaching did they sit under? Who poured into their life that which they are now pouring into the lives of others?

It’s no surprise that many of the most popular prosperity peddlers of our day can be traced back to one or two individuals who gave birth to the thing that has become the monstrosity it is today. With each iteration, everyone added their own wrinkle, their go-to analogy or anecdote, but the root of it remains the same year after year, decade after decade, and the brains behind it all was one Oral Roberts.

I mention this not to start a fresh debate about the merits of Oral Roberts and his ministry but to highlight the fact that it is vitally important who you draw life examples from and whom you deem worthy of learning from when it comes to spiritual matters.

A good rule of thumb is whether they are focused on Christ rather than on man, on the pursuit of godliness rather than the illusory trappings of this world. If they are consistently pointing the way to Jesus, and if their message revolves around the supremacy of Christ rather than their own accomplishments, then you’re likely being discipled by someone who has the kingdom of God as their principal purpose and not some ulterior motive.

Paul wasn’t teaching Timothy how to be a better orator or more enigmatic, how to take up a bigger offering, or how to position himself for advancement within the hierarchy of some denomination. He was providing the practical tools necessary for being a good soldier of Jesus Christ and exhorting him to cling to truth no matter how many wandered from it or attempted to usurp it.

Paul was showing Timothy that it is possible to live godly in a godless world, different from those of the world, separate and set apart, no matter how many insisted otherwise or how many within the church gave in to compromise. You don’t have to follow the crowd; you don’t have to go along to get along; you don’t have to compromise biblical truth for the sake of acceptance. You must live godly in a fallen world and a fallen church because God doesn’t grade on a curve.

You are either salt and light, or you are not. It’s not a spectrum; it’s binary.

When an individual or a church body prioritizes anything over the pursuit of godliness, whether growth, fame, fortune, validation, or acceptance, they are no longer being faithful to the calling, will, or Word of God in their lives. In one’s own eyes, it may be for the noblest of intentions, but the road to perdition is paved with good intentions, even noble ones.

The feedback is clear: if we keep insisting on righteousness, sanctification, and holiness unto the Lord, we will never grow as a church or a ministry. Was your purpose growth for its own sake or actually saving souls? We can’t approach ministry as a business. We cannot use worldly means to open the eyes of the lost to spiritual manners. If eternity is not incentive enough to compel someone to take their spiritual man seriously, a Chick-fil-A gift card isn’t going to move the needle in the right direction.

But you don’t get it. It’s a new world, a modern world, a plugged-in, tech-savvy, busybody, easily distracted world. That preaching the gospel and scripture exegesis might have worked back in the day, but we have to contend with the changing times and tweak our messaging if we want to stay relevant. What’s the point of being relevant if the cost is not being true to scripture?

The church must reacquaint itself with its purpose anew and pursue it wholeheartedly without regard for modernity, polling, feelings, or pushback. The instruction we’ve received has not changed over the years. We are to preach the gospel to every creature. That was the mandate delivered by Jesus to His disciples, and it stands to this day. If you are a disciple of Christ, a soldier of the cross, one who has forfeited this present life for the one to come, then that is your singular objective, and no other should supersede it. This steadfast commitment to biblical principles is our anchor in the ever-changing tides of the world.

Clarity of purpose is paramount when it comes to doing the work of the ministry. If your purpose is not well established, if you don’t know why you’re doing what you’re doing or what you’re hoping to achieve by doing it, there will always be doubt, hesitation, and a predisposition to being distracted by tertiary matters that keep you from fully committing to the course before you.

Depending on your objective, you will either do the work of the ministry in the fullness of joy or be ever resentful of others who’ve garnered more success with seemingly less effort. You either do it for the glory of God or for the glory of man. The two are like oil and water and do not complement each other. When you pursue the glory of God, your singular goal is to point the way to Jesus and declare His lordship and sovereignty over all. There’s no wrestling for the spotlight or trying to stand out as an individual because, in your heart, the burning desire is that those to whom you minister see Him and not you.

When our pursuit is our vainglory and everything we do is to promote the self, highlight our abilities, or try the networking thing to get in good with those who we see as someone who can further our aspirations, then the joy that ought to accompany being in ministry quickly dissipates, and we find ourselves obsessing over pie charts and speaking gigs rather than walking in fellowship and obedience to God.

It’s not that I don’t know how to grow the ministry or the steps I’d need to take to promote myself. I do, and I reject them wholesale because one day, perhaps one day soon, I will have to stand before God and give an account. You can’t put that reality off forever, no matter how advanced modern medicine gets. Eventually, my time will run out, just as yours will, along with everyone we know. Will you stand before God with clean hands? The older I get, the more I return to this most essential question and search my heart to ensure that I will.

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea, Jr.