Preach the Word

Paul warned his ministry companions of impending change. Listen to his words of warning and see if you can identify the days of which he speaks. Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:3-4: For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.

A time was coming, it had not yet arrived, but it was coming. History would bear out that there have been many such times of change in the church such as the one that Paul was going to describe. I remember in my fundamentalist days – uh oh, now you know that I am one of those guys – but I remember this warning going forth from the pulpit quite regularly.

What would be characteristic of these coming days? It was that people would not put up with, endure or embrace sound doctrine. Instead they would go shopping for truth. In a true 21st century consumer mentality they would seek to suit their own desires, they would look for those who would scratch where they were itching, ultimately willing to sell their souls for made up stories, myths.

Using a very broad brush let me make a few observations from Paul’s letter to Timothy.

First, Change is Inevitable. The world in which we live is in a continual flux. The reality is that it has always been changing, it is nothing new. The only difference is the scope and speed of change. It amazes me that throughout the years the church has developed ministries to address the changing needs of society, like Sunday School or MOP’s or a multitude of other ministries; yet once they are established they quickly become inflexible institutional programs. One of the goals of the RMCBA is to help churches and their leadership understand the days in which God has placed them and develop effective ways of impacting their communities for Christ.

The next thing we need to understand is that Leadership Development is Essential. Paul’s letters to Timothy and Titus emphasize the importance of leadership development, giving us examples of the coaching/mentoring relationship. Paul was following the example of Jesus and His investment in future leaders. The RMCBA is exploring a partnership with Christian Leadership Institute (www.christianleadershipinst.org) under the leadership of Michael Sabo (currently serving as Transitional Pastor at Grace Church of Greeley, CO). CLI, in partnership with Denver Seminary, is a non-traditional alternative to Seminary training. Their mission statement is: “To collectively unite the training strengths of seminaries, local churches and parachurch ministries resulting in the holistic development of godly leaders.” Imagine this – “developing Christian Leaders who have a strong love for God, a growing godly character and a high level of Biblical and ministry competence” within the context of the local church at a fraction of the cost of Seminary. You will be hearing more about this unique opportunity in the days to come.

The last thing that I would emphasize from this passage is that Biblical Core Values are Foundational. Paul’s advice to Timothy in view of the shifting society was to Preach the Word. Unfortunately we instantly translate those words into our 20th century institutional mindset of Sunday morning worship service – an evangelical/attractional model. But I believe the context indicates an evangelical/missional model. Timothy was to do this in his calling and gifting as a evangelist. People will forever be saved the same way – there is no other way. It is the Holy Spirit acting on the heart of an individual hearing the proclamation of the Good News of Jesus Christ. The context of the Gospel will always be relational as opposed to institutional. For a long time our culture embraced relationally the institutional church. That has been changing for the last many decades with the church often choosing the response of denial.

The Great Commission, making disciples of Jesus Christ, is our mission, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is our message, doing it in the context of relationship is the method. How to do this in the context of our changing world? - now that is the mystery.