The Top Ten Questions for Potential Elders
There has been a Tradition that said no one is "perfect enough" to be a Church Leader. But what happens then is that someone unqualified takes the control, often as a "church boss" in the worst sense. What a person is NOW is most important. Compare 1 Cor. 6:11. The church in the New Testament appointed elders and deacons in a short time. Being "full of the Holy Spirit" and of "common sense wisdom" is vitally important. Read Acts 6:1-6.
"Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God. Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood." Acts 20:26-28 (NKJV)
"Now it's up to you overseers.
Be on your toes—both for yourselves
and your congregation of sheep.
The Holy Spirit has put you in charge
of these people—God's people they are—
to guard and protect them.
God Himself thought they were worth dying for.
Not bossily telling others what to do,
but tenderly showing them the way.
When God, who is the best Shepherd of all,
comes out in the open with His rule
He'll see that you've done it right
and commend you lavishly.
The Jewish Synagogue as model.
The synagogue was developed while Israel was held captive in Babylon. Since they no longer had access to the Temple, some form was needed for Bible study and worship. This same form provided the pattern for the church as they spread across the first century world. Church leaders (also called elders, bishops, pastors) were to take the lead in spiritual matters as a board of directors. Church helpers (also called deacons, servants) were needed to administer to the physical needs of the congregation. In the Christian Family, the whole person (body, soul, spirit) was encouraged to grow and to develop into a Christ-like maturity. Paul speaks of church organization and body-life in Ephesians, 1 Timothy and Titus.
Eph. 4:11-16
And He filled earth with His gifts.
He handed out gifts of apostle,
prophet, evangelist, and pastor-teacher
to train Christians in skilled servant work,
working within Christ's body, the church,
until we're all moving
rhythmically and easily with each other
efficient and graceful
in response to God's Son,
fully mature adults, fully developed
within and without,
fully alive like Christ.
No prolonged infancies among us, please.
We'll not tolerate babes in the woods,
small children who are
an easy mark for impostors.
God wants us to grow up,
to know the whole truth and
tell it in love—like Christ in everything.
We take our lead from Christ,
who is the source of everything we do.
He keeps us in step with each other.
His very breath and blood
flow through us, nourishing us
so that we will grow up healthy
in God, robust in love.
1 Tim. 3:1-7
If anyone wants to provide leadership, good!
But there are preconditions:
A leader must be well-thought-of,
committed to his wife,
cool and collected,
accessible, and hospitable.
He must know what he's talking about,
not be overfond of wine,
not pushy but gentle,
not thin-skinned and touchy,
not money-hungry.
He must handle his own affairs well,
attentive to his own children
and having their respect.
For if someone is unable to
handle his own affairs,
how can he take care of God's church?
He must not be a new believer,
lest the position go to his head
and the Devil trip him up.
Outsiders must think well of him,
or else the Devil will figure out a way
to lure him into his trap.
1. Is this man committed to his wife and family? One who dearly loves his wife and family will be able to dearly love God's People.
2. Has this man shown wisdom in decision-making? Does he have "common sense wisdom"?
3. Has this man shown the ability to keep his temper in check? Everyone has a 'temper' but we learn to control it. Some are more controlled than others. The man who will make a good elder will have a tough skin, a tender heart, a short memory, and a long fuse.
4. Is this man willing to be inconvenienced for others? Will he go the "second mile"?
5. Is this man capable of teaching Scripture to others? You are not simply looking for a man who knows how to say something, but rather a man who has something to say - something from God.
6. Has this man established wise personal habits?
7. Does this man have a strong sense of stewardship?
8. Does this man have a track record of discipling leadership? You're looking for a man who's got a track record of leading people closer to Jesus.
9. Has this man been a Christian long enough to maintain humility? Paul says he must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited. The chief occupational hazard of spiritual leadership is pride, and too much visibility too soon in a man's Christian pilgrimage can inflate his ego.
10. Is this man respected in the community? The first quality listed is "above reproach," literally meaning "not able to be held." In other words, if charges were leveled against this man, he wouldn't even be held for questioning because his reputation is so solid. He's Teflon, not Velcro. His integrity is such that accusations just won't stick.
A Final Word of Challenge
"The local church is the hope of the world, and its future rests primarily in the hands of its leaders." If it's true that everything rises and falls with leadership, then as your congregation selects its elders, you'll want to take a close look again at this picture of a spiritual leader in 1 Timothy 3:1-7. The work of the church is too critical, the stakes are too high, the consequences are too eternal for a congregation to choose its leaders hastily (1 Timothy 5:22). Choose poorly, and the church will miss opportunities to build the kingdom.
But if leaders are chosen wisely, the church will flourish. And when the church flourishes, the gospel is preached, the lost are found, souls are saved, sin is confronted, children are taught, marriages are mended, addictions are broken, the hungry are fed, the grieving are comforted, the lonely are embraced, the wounded are healed, the community is transformed, and the nations are reached with the good news of Christ.
When the leaders are at their best, the church will be at its best, and when the church is at its best, it is breathtaking to behold. Look out world!
A final reminder. Remember: this picture Paul provides in 1 Timothy 3 is a sketch, not a snapshot. As you search for leaders, you're looking for a great resemblance, but you may not find an exact likeness.
Keep in mind that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). Look for excellence in character, but apply these standards with grace. You can (and should) find men who have learned to sin less, but you will never find men who are SINLESS. (1 John 1:6-10; 2:1-3)
At the end of the day, the good news is this: everything rises and falls with One Leader, and while we may fail, He never does.
The Local Church Is A Work In Progress
The church must be forever "restoring and being restored." The church of the New Testament set an example we try to follow.
What does the Bible say about this? The Bible is our Instruction Manual about what God wants us to do. We ask: "What did God say?" But we must read with care. We may "read into" the Bible things not there and miss the point. Compare 2 Cor. 3:14,17. "But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ.... Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty."
"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." 2 Tim 1:7 (NKJV)
"For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you-- " Titus 1:5 (NKJV)
To Set In order. Some things required time to complete. To appoint church elders. These were spiritual leaders in the local congregation, and there were always more than one. Compare 1Tim. 3:1-7. Note that the church at Ephesus had church elders in less than three years time (Acts 20:17). In every city. Each congregation had its own church elders and church deacons. (R.D.Ice BSNT)
Church Elders are:
1. "Clerks watching the store while the Boss is away."
Someone has to keep things running smoothly.
Compare the Parable of Pounds. "A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return. So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, 'Do business till I come.'" Luke 19:13 (NKJV)
2. "Older brothers watching out for the younger children."
They need protection and guidance. "Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you." Hebrews 13:17 (NKJV)
3. "Not dictators but facilitators." 1 Peter 5:2-4. "nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock;" (NKJV)
4. "Coaches urging and directing the team on to victory."
Compare Hebrews 12:1 where Paul uses the Olympic Games as a teaching example. "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us," (NKJV)
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
COUNTERFEITING RELIGION
COUNTERFEITING RELIGION
Jesus warned about the leaven of the Pharisees. "Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadduccees." Matt. 16:12 Compare Matt. 15:1-9.
What if Simon the Pharisee had been the one to meet the Eunuch on the road??? Would he have said something like this?
The Ethiopian said: "See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?" Acts 8:36 "And Simon said, 'First, our scribes have searched the Law and found 613 laws. You must be taught these and be able to speak to each of these laws. Further, our scribes have found a hundred or more new laws from the silence of God - from the things He did not say. You must learn these also. And then we have another problem. You need to be circumcised, and that is impossible since you are a eunuch. So I see no hope at all for you.'"
NOT!!! The truth is: upon the Ethiopian's confession of faith in Christ -"I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God" - Philip immediately baptized him into Christ! Which included the Holy Spirit of the Living God as a gift (Titus 3:5-6). And the Ethiopian went on his way rejoicing! When he got back home he joyfully spread the Good News Gospel that God had acted in Christ to put the world right with Himself! Old barriers and walls have been torn down. It no longer mattered that he was a Gentile, or that he had been surgically neutered. Whosoever will may come and be saved eternally!
Damnable heresies come in different forms. Jesus said of the Pharisees: "But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life."
John 5:40 (NKJV)." They were intense Bible students. They carefully read & studied each word, researched the fine print, and read between the lines. But their minds were already made up against Jesus! They refused to believe in Jesus. They were “agents of change” while they convinced themselves they were preserving The Old Ways. Thus they rejected Jesus, and crucified Him.
Jesus speaks to the Pharisees:
You have your heads in the Bible always.
You studied for degrees in the Sacred Books.
And PhDs in books about the Sacred Books.
And you're convinced this will get you into Heaven.
But you miss The Point: IT'S ALL ABOUT ME!
The Holy Scriptures are jam-packed with
huge stomping clues about ME!
But you can't find it in your heart to admit it.
Because then you would have to ask ME
for the eternal life you want so much.
Believe ME and live eternally!
[adapted from Rob Lacey]
[compare 1 John 5:9-13]
Counterfeits. “God has told us in His precious Word that we should know a tree by its fruit. Wherever we find the real, we find the counterfeit also. But praise God for the real. We find in the time of Peter, when men and women were receiving the power of the Holy Ghost, the counterfeit appeared in Ananias and Sapphira. But God’s power was mightier than all the forces of hell, so their sin found them out. Be careful, dear loved ones for your sin will surely find you out. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son cleanseth us from all sin.” William J. Seymour, 1906
An example.
Marvin is a guy in the house church and John is one of the main two characters.
After a few moments Marvin let out a frustrated sigh. “I don’t know, John. I always thought the institution I left wasn’t working because it had the wrong principles. I thought we were getting the right ones in place so we could finally experience real church life.” Murmurs of agreement buzzed around the table. “But you don’t see it that way?”
“No, I don’t. If it helps, I think you’re finding better principles–onesthat reflect more accurately the life of the early believers. But keep in mind that following priciples didn’t produce their life together. We can observe what happened as they followed Jesus, but copying that won’t produce the same reality.
“Jesus didn’t leave us with a system; he left us with his Spirit–a guide instead of a map. Principles alone will not satisfy your hunger. That’s why systems always promise a future revival that never comes. They cannot produce community because they are designed to keep people apart.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because they keep the focus on services or rituals, principles turn most people into spectators. By holding up standards and motivating people to conform to them they only encourage people to pretend to be what they are not, or to act like they know more than they really do. Questions and doubts are discouraged and people can’t deal with the things they are hiding. Thus they only let people see the shadow they want them to see, not who they really are. Feeling isolated, they only become more focused on their own needs and what others aren’t doing to meet them. They fight over control of the institution, however large or small, so that they can make others do what they think is best. It is a story that has been repeated for a couple of thousand years.”
Following a pattern or copying whether it is 2000 years ago that you copy or if it is the group whose conference you went to just doesn’t produce the same reality. I love that line about He gave His Spirit instead of a map. And I know the part about people pretending is so true. So whether you are in a big church, little church, house church, fluid church, coffeehouse church or whatever, Here’s to everyone, following the Spirit’s leading and to seeking God’s guidance on every decision.
Imitaion or Real?
Be careful to turn away from the counterfeit and run to the Living God. As one has said: “We must recover holiness without legalism, boldness without presumption, and power without pride. When the church does this she will gain the attention of both the heavens and the earth, because her God will be with her in His manifest presence.”
There is an energy, a dynamic, a power, a strength imparted by God through the Holy Spirit, love poured out into our hearts that energizes us to act. “Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily (Colossians 1:28-29 NKJV).
Christian love and spiritual power are intended to be profoundly linked; when they are not, something less than the fullness of the gospel is present. Strengthened now, in faith, hope, love, and spiritual power, let us look again at the situation in which we and the whole Church are living.
Ralph Martin wrote in 1994: “Seventeen hundred years of Christendom are falling into ruins around us. An age is coming to an end, not just the end of a remarkable century but the end of seventeen hundred years of Christendom. The greatest apostasy since the birth of the Church is clearly far advanced all around us.” Yet at the same time we can see that Africa and India have emerged as a new center of Christendom.
God has made all mankind with an instinct for truth, a sense of right and wrong, and most of all a hunger for God Himself. Eventually, truth will win out. Perhaps after great suffering and great waiting, but truth will win out!!!
God is judging His church. Judgment begins at the house of God. 1 Peter 4:17. Our choice: Throw up our hands in despair? Lift up our hands in prayer, praise, joy, hope! Note 1 Timothy 2:8. We are privileged to live in a time that while exceedingly difficult, is also a time where we have seen and will see yet more of the great interventions of God. But one thing is certain, God is not worried about the situation. He is not anxious. He is not afraid. He is in control and will see to it that all things work out to the good of those who love Him. The nations may rage. Mankind may scheme. God laughs. Compare Psalm 2:1-6.
At her best the Church is full of faults, many warts and wrinkles. An ideal church is nowhere to be found, but a church with an IDEAL is found wherever there is a church in which the Holy Spirit dwells. She - the Church - believes that great things are struggling to birth in the womb of the present. She “abounds in hope through the power of the Holy Spirit” ([Romans 15:13]. The Holy Spirit fills her life with a never failing hope. “Then he said to me, ‘Write: Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’ And he said to me, ‘These are the true saying of God.’” Revelation 19:9.
Jesus warned about the leaven of the Pharisees. "Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadduccees." Matt. 16:12 Compare Matt. 15:1-9.
What if Simon the Pharisee had been the one to meet the Eunuch on the road??? Would he have said something like this?
The Ethiopian said: "See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?" Acts 8:36 "And Simon said, 'First, our scribes have searched the Law and found 613 laws. You must be taught these and be able to speak to each of these laws. Further, our scribes have found a hundred or more new laws from the silence of God - from the things He did not say. You must learn these also. And then we have another problem. You need to be circumcised, and that is impossible since you are a eunuch. So I see no hope at all for you.'"
NOT!!! The truth is: upon the Ethiopian's confession of faith in Christ -"I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God" - Philip immediately baptized him into Christ! Which included the Holy Spirit of the Living God as a gift (Titus 3:5-6). And the Ethiopian went on his way rejoicing! When he got back home he joyfully spread the Good News Gospel that God had acted in Christ to put the world right with Himself! Old barriers and walls have been torn down. It no longer mattered that he was a Gentile, or that he had been surgically neutered. Whosoever will may come and be saved eternally!
Damnable heresies come in different forms. Jesus said of the Pharisees: "But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life."
John 5:40 (NKJV)." They were intense Bible students. They carefully read & studied each word, researched the fine print, and read between the lines. But their minds were already made up against Jesus! They refused to believe in Jesus. They were “agents of change” while they convinced themselves they were preserving The Old Ways. Thus they rejected Jesus, and crucified Him.
Jesus speaks to the Pharisees:
You have your heads in the Bible always.
You studied for degrees in the Sacred Books.
And PhDs in books about the Sacred Books.
And you're convinced this will get you into Heaven.
But you miss The Point: IT'S ALL ABOUT ME!
The Holy Scriptures are jam-packed with
huge stomping clues about ME!
But you can't find it in your heart to admit it.
Because then you would have to ask ME
for the eternal life you want so much.
Believe ME and live eternally!
[adapted from Rob Lacey]
[compare 1 John 5:9-13]
Counterfeits. “God has told us in His precious Word that we should know a tree by its fruit. Wherever we find the real, we find the counterfeit also. But praise God for the real. We find in the time of Peter, when men and women were receiving the power of the Holy Ghost, the counterfeit appeared in Ananias and Sapphira. But God’s power was mightier than all the forces of hell, so their sin found them out. Be careful, dear loved ones for your sin will surely find you out. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son cleanseth us from all sin.” William J. Seymour, 1906
An example.
Marvin is a guy in the house church and John is one of the main two characters.
After a few moments Marvin let out a frustrated sigh. “I don’t know, John. I always thought the institution I left wasn’t working because it had the wrong principles. I thought we were getting the right ones in place so we could finally experience real church life.” Murmurs of agreement buzzed around the table. “But you don’t see it that way?”
“No, I don’t. If it helps, I think you’re finding better principles–onesthat reflect more accurately the life of the early believers. But keep in mind that following priciples didn’t produce their life together. We can observe what happened as they followed Jesus, but copying that won’t produce the same reality.
“Jesus didn’t leave us with a system; he left us with his Spirit–a guide instead of a map. Principles alone will not satisfy your hunger. That’s why systems always promise a future revival that never comes. They cannot produce community because they are designed to keep people apart.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because they keep the focus on services or rituals, principles turn most people into spectators. By holding up standards and motivating people to conform to them they only encourage people to pretend to be what they are not, or to act like they know more than they really do. Questions and doubts are discouraged and people can’t deal with the things they are hiding. Thus they only let people see the shadow they want them to see, not who they really are. Feeling isolated, they only become more focused on their own needs and what others aren’t doing to meet them. They fight over control of the institution, however large or small, so that they can make others do what they think is best. It is a story that has been repeated for a couple of thousand years.”
Following a pattern or copying whether it is 2000 years ago that you copy or if it is the group whose conference you went to just doesn’t produce the same reality. I love that line about He gave His Spirit instead of a map. And I know the part about people pretending is so true. So whether you are in a big church, little church, house church, fluid church, coffeehouse church or whatever, Here’s to everyone, following the Spirit’s leading and to seeking God’s guidance on every decision.
Imitaion or Real?
Be careful to turn away from the counterfeit and run to the Living God. As one has said: “We must recover holiness without legalism, boldness without presumption, and power without pride. When the church does this she will gain the attention of both the heavens and the earth, because her God will be with her in His manifest presence.”
There is an energy, a dynamic, a power, a strength imparted by God through the Holy Spirit, love poured out into our hearts that energizes us to act. “Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily (Colossians 1:28-29 NKJV).
Christian love and spiritual power are intended to be profoundly linked; when they are not, something less than the fullness of the gospel is present. Strengthened now, in faith, hope, love, and spiritual power, let us look again at the situation in which we and the whole Church are living.
Ralph Martin wrote in 1994: “Seventeen hundred years of Christendom are falling into ruins around us. An age is coming to an end, not just the end of a remarkable century but the end of seventeen hundred years of Christendom. The greatest apostasy since the birth of the Church is clearly far advanced all around us.” Yet at the same time we can see that Africa and India have emerged as a new center of Christendom.
God has made all mankind with an instinct for truth, a sense of right and wrong, and most of all a hunger for God Himself. Eventually, truth will win out. Perhaps after great suffering and great waiting, but truth will win out!!!
God is judging His church. Judgment begins at the house of God. 1 Peter 4:17. Our choice: Throw up our hands in despair? Lift up our hands in prayer, praise, joy, hope! Note 1 Timothy 2:8. We are privileged to live in a time that while exceedingly difficult, is also a time where we have seen and will see yet more of the great interventions of God. But one thing is certain, God is not worried about the situation. He is not anxious. He is not afraid. He is in control and will see to it that all things work out to the good of those who love Him. The nations may rage. Mankind may scheme. God laughs. Compare Psalm 2:1-6.
At her best the Church is full of faults, many warts and wrinkles. An ideal church is nowhere to be found, but a church with an IDEAL is found wherever there is a church in which the Holy Spirit dwells. She - the Church - believes that great things are struggling to birth in the womb of the present. She “abounds in hope through the power of the Holy Spirit” ([Romans 15:13]. The Holy Spirit fills her life with a never failing hope. “Then he said to me, ‘Write: Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’ And he said to me, ‘These are the true saying of God.’” Revelation 19:9.
CALLING OR CAREER
Calling or Career?
I received an e-mail from a young man in the Philippines.
"My beloved brethren and sisters, I am one of your brethren in Christ here in the Philippines especially in Southern Mindanao . I am so sure that we are one in Christ; I am member of the "church of Christ conservative (non-instrumental and non-institutional)." I had been looking to communicate some christian (sic) brethren whom I don't know yet. I am only 17 years old but age doesn't matter in preaching the Gospel of Christ."
Has he received a call from God to reach out in Christian love to the world with Christ? Or is he seeking a career to advance himself? God knows, but I do not. Some sought religion as a means of gain (1Timothy6:5). But we are to be constrained by the Love of Christ (2Cor.5:14-18). And those who would be spiritual leaders should themselves pursue spirituality (1Timothy6:11-16).
The faith and worship of the church is a sacred trust. This is to be preserved intact. Personal likes and dislikes, and personal gain should not be in the picture. Spiritual ignorance is not a virtue. Some would best serve the Lord by working at a day job and avoid being busybodies.
Paul the Apostle said: "And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God." 1Cor 2:1-5 (NKJV)
On the other hand, Timothy was barely a teenager when Paul called him to be a Christian worker (Acts16:1). Timothy was destined to be one of Paul's chief coworkers and was to receive two of Paul's Letters. Paul was the church planter. He surrounded himself with young people who would share the call of God. And he reached out to people who were already tuned in to God. In Philippi he found Lydia, a believer in the true God of Judaism, a Gentile. She was a well-to-do business woman with a large home sufficient to host the Christian missionaries. And this led eventually to the conversion of the Philippian jailer. Lydia's house became the center of a Christian congregation to which Paul addressed his Letter to the Philippians.
A proverb says: "It is better to get 10 men to work, than to try to do the work of 10 men." Paul sometimes found it necessary to "make tents" to support himself. But he multiplied his efforts by using all available talent. Another proverb says: "Good enough is good enough." Experience is a great teacher and there are no shortcuts. One who loves the Lord and is doing his/her best at the moment, will gain expertise as time passes. Things learned today will prepare us for the challenges of tomorrow. We must reach out in faith asking the Spirit of the Living God to point us in the right direction.
And Paul the Apostle said: "And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love." 1Cor 13:13 (NKJV)
I received an e-mail from a young man in the Philippines.
"My beloved brethren and sisters, I am one of your brethren in Christ here in the Philippines especially in Southern Mindanao . I am so sure that we are one in Christ; I am member of the "church of Christ conservative (non-instrumental and non-institutional)." I had been looking to communicate some christian (sic) brethren whom I don't know yet. I am only 17 years old but age doesn't matter in preaching the Gospel of Christ."
Has he received a call from God to reach out in Christian love to the world with Christ? Or is he seeking a career to advance himself? God knows, but I do not. Some sought religion as a means of gain (1Timothy6:5). But we are to be constrained by the Love of Christ (2Cor.5:14-18). And those who would be spiritual leaders should themselves pursue spirituality (1Timothy6:11-16).
The faith and worship of the church is a sacred trust. This is to be preserved intact. Personal likes and dislikes, and personal gain should not be in the picture. Spiritual ignorance is not a virtue. Some would best serve the Lord by working at a day job and avoid being busybodies.
Paul the Apostle said: "And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God." 1Cor 2:1-5 (NKJV)
On the other hand, Timothy was barely a teenager when Paul called him to be a Christian worker (Acts16:1). Timothy was destined to be one of Paul's chief coworkers and was to receive two of Paul's Letters. Paul was the church planter. He surrounded himself with young people who would share the call of God. And he reached out to people who were already tuned in to God. In Philippi he found Lydia, a believer in the true God of Judaism, a Gentile. She was a well-to-do business woman with a large home sufficient to host the Christian missionaries. And this led eventually to the conversion of the Philippian jailer. Lydia's house became the center of a Christian congregation to which Paul addressed his Letter to the Philippians.
A proverb says: "It is better to get 10 men to work, than to try to do the work of 10 men." Paul sometimes found it necessary to "make tents" to support himself. But he multiplied his efforts by using all available talent. Another proverb says: "Good enough is good enough." Experience is a great teacher and there are no shortcuts. One who loves the Lord and is doing his/her best at the moment, will gain expertise as time passes. Things learned today will prepare us for the challenges of tomorrow. We must reach out in faith asking the Spirit of the Living God to point us in the right direction.
And Paul the Apostle said: "And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love." 1Cor 13:13 (NKJV)
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