Lesson 7
The Right Kind of Church Membership Matters
2 Timothy 4:1-5
Recently someone gave me an article talking about a new fad that is growing. It is called “Sunday Morning Assembly.” Even though it sounds like a new kind of church in reality it is just a secular gathering of people once a week to talk about the things that would normally occur at a party. I have thought a lot over the years about what church should mean to me. Those thoughts caused me to do a study on what I called “Encounters with God.” It was prompted by looking around in a worship service one Sunday and wondering why the people, who had come were there. If the writing of Paul in 2 Timothy was valid for the church at Ephesus it certainly provides us with an idea of what church is like today. I know that I am not a church expert but it seems to me we have drifted in the direction of looking at the body as a place to be entertained. I am probably just as guilty as everyone else by leaving many a worship service feeling empty. Even though I do not always get it right I have come to understand that the only reason that I am there is to focus on God. He is the one to be honored and glorified by our presence.
Thom Rainer, the president of Lifeway, and others have written extensively about what it means to be a member of a church. He believes there are four components to define a member. They are:
- Attendance at worship services on a consistent basis.
- Taking part in a small group. There are different kinds of small groups all the way from strict Bible Study to need based ones.
- Contributing financially to the ministries of the church
- Involvement in some type of outreach.
We know that these are not characteristic of most congregations. Statistically only about 20 percent of the people do 80 percent of all the ministries of the church. If we were to look at the membership of many churches we would probably see that the inactive roll is sometimes larger than the active. God does not call us to be inactive but actively engaged in His word. There is no way this can happen for those who continually sit on the sidelines while others are engaged in the game of life.
2 Timothy 4:1
Paul said two things before he actually got to the task for which Timothy had been called. With all the seriousness he could bring forth because he knew his time on this earth was short, he gave Timothy a charge to carry out. This charge would indicate that Paul was saying, you have a responsibility and an obligation to carry out. The second thing that was important for Timothy to know was all of his actions were under the scrutiny of God the Father and Jesus Christ.
When Jesus Christ appears at the end of time there will come a judgment on all of mankind. The first judgment will be for those who have rejected Christ. Followers of Christ will not be a part of that time of judgment. Once a person has become a believer he or she has been judged already and has the guarantee of eternal life. Followers of Christ should not believe however that they have escaped judgment although they cannot lose their salvation. They will come before the judgment seat to answer for the way they have served God during their lifetime. Paul will speak to what happens a little later in Timothy.
- What does it mean to receive a charge, although given by man, from God? (We have an obligation and a responsibility to serve Him faithfully.)
- Why did Paul speak with such urgency? (His time was short.)
- To whom are we truly obligated?
- What did Paul mean by speaking of the presence of God and His Son? (All of our actions are under the watching eye of the Father and Son)
- What is going to take place at the end of time? (Every person whether believer or unbeliever will face judgment)
- What are the two types of judgment?
2 Timothy 4:2
The charge to Timothy was to proclaim the word of God in every situation. In other words he was to preach whether it was convenient or not. He was to view the proclamation of the word with all urgency. Although Christ might not return for a long time for many the time was short so it could be a matter of life and death for the listener. There would be times when he might be facing a hostile audience. He was not to be fearful but to use his preaching when it was needed to:
- Reprove was to bring a person under conviction when he or she had drifted from the truth.
- Rebuke was the stern warning of the consequences that would come as a result of wrong behavior. The idea of being critical of that behavior would also fit.
- Exhort was to encourage those in difficult times not to lose hope.
His approach was to preach with great patience and clear instruction. Lives generally will not be changed overnight. It will take time to cultivate the relationships that will lead to transformed lives especially when facing the obstacles that confronted Timothy.
- How was Timothy to approach the mandate given to him by Paul to preach? (He was to be fervent and diligent in carrying out the charge.)
- What does it mean to proclaim the Gospel in season and out of season? (Take every opportunity no matter how difficult to share the message of the truth of the gospel.)
- What are to be the essential parts of preaching?
- How should we approach the sharing of the gospel? (With patience and clear instruction.)
- What was Paul trying to get Timothy to do when he speaks of patience? (Understand that it would take building of relationships to bring a person to the point that he was willing to face his sin and be converted.)
2 Timothy 4:3
The sense of urgency Paul felt can be seen in what he saw coming on the church. His view was both short term and for the period facing the world at the end of time. He knew from all of his experiences that there would come a time, which was already beginning in his day, when people would not longer want to hear the truth. Those individuals would want to be part of a group that told them what they wanted to hear. Of course that would mean that the leadership would condone any kind of behavior and by doing so would be very popular. What they would want to hear more than anything were stories filled with a lot of fluff and no substance.
- What did Paul see coming?
- What do we see happening in our own day?
- What are some examples of wanting to have one’s ears tickled?
- What is the danger of that kind of preaching and teaching? (The church loses all it power to impact and change lives.)
- Why would leadership succumb to that kind of preaching and teaching?
- What do you consider to be stories of fluff and no substance?
- What do you believe will be the outcome for people who refuse to listen to the truth?
2 Timothy 4:5
Before Paul launched into his own situation he had one last set of commands for Timothy as he was facing a difficult time. He said that no matter what others may do that he was to remain clear in his thinking not swayed by false doctrine. Paul gave this same kind of warning in Ephesians 4:14-15 where he stated that the Ephesians were to hold to and understand the teachings found in the Scriptures. Only as a man remains alert can he ward off the attacks of the enemy.
Secondly, Paul was sure that that being a Christian was going to become more dangerous. He wanted to reinforce in the mind of Timothy that hardship was coming. Timothy was to endure the suffering to come as a soldier.
Although gifted as a teacher, Timothy was called to go beyond that one facet of ministry and also take on the role of an evangelist. In other words he was being commanded to be a soul winner as well as a proclaimer of the gospel. To be a soul winner would require building relationships that would bring a person to the point of decision. The preacher/teacher would then have the responsibility of growing the person in Christ by discipling him.
Finally Paul calls him to fulfill his ministry. He was to remain faithful to the task to which God had called him. Knowing that trials were on the way, Paul wanted Timothy to have the victory that would only come from perseverance.
- Why is it so important for us to remain sober, clear minded, in all that we hear and experience? (It is so easy to be enticed to drift from the truth.)
- What hardships was Timothy going to face?
- Why would they be more difficult for him than the ones he had already experienced? (He would no longer have Paul around to guide and encourage him.)
- What is the danger of only focusing on the one or two gifts that God has given you? (Neglect other ministries where you are asked to serve.)
- Why did Paul specifically admonish Timothy to do the work of the evangelist? (It was not his gift but like all followers of Christ he had the responsibility to share the gospel with the lost.)
- How have you followed the command given to Timothy to witness to others?
- In what ways can we remain steadfast in our service to Christ?
- What is not acceptable in ministry? (To be a quitter.)
- Evaluate your membership based on the criteria from Thom Rainer.
- Remember that each of us has a calling and a purpose as we serve Christ.
- Even though you may not have the gift of evangelism you still have the responsibility to witness for Christ.
- Do not allow those who may sound good cause you to drift away from an understanding of true doctrine.
- What ever you do remain faithful to it for all your days.
- Remember 2 Timothy 4:2, 5
If there are important words to describe a follower of Christ, three of them would have to be patience, faithfulness and endurance. The influence of the church will and has be diminished because we have not constantly followed through on our commitment to be faithful servants of Christ. Our tendency to join the parade to the church with the latest and greatest methods or fads does not show the world that we have the ability to follow through on our promises to the end.
The world is too full of famous people, especially in the athletics, who do not keep their promises or fulfill their contracts, but are always looking for greener pastures. It is important for the church to be different. There are going to be difficult times that each congregation faces but it is the one where the people work together to overcome them that are the true witnesses for Christ. It is the individual responsibility of every person to reflect the attitude of Jesus who remained faithful all the way to the cross. It is urgent that we proclaim over and over again the gospel not only with our words but our actions also.