October 14, 2022

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE REFERENCE:

“All of Scripture is God-breathed and therefore useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness for the purpose of thoroughly equipping the servant of God for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3.16-17)

“For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around themselves a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.” (2 Timothy 4.3)

TODAY’S REFLECTION:

So, yesterday I reflected on the two passages from 2 Timothy based on “being equipped for every good work.” The premise was to align our thinking on the task which Paul presented to Timothy as his successor as the very task which is given to each one of us. We are called to be those “good” teachers in this regard: we are to be “teachers” of good.

Now if we understand, or at least consider, that “good” in this context refers to God, God’s design, God’s will and God’s calling into our lives following yesterday’s final word from Jeremiah “for I know the plans I have for you which will prosper you, give you hope and a certain future and not to harm you [but strengthen you and encourage you]”, then we may ask or evaluate our own “teaching” as to whether it is good and about good. You see, there is an educational paradigm used to evaluate teachers as being “structurally” good teachers. But, I believe the failure of modern education comes in the simple fact that education in today’s classroom does not teach “good.” We may see that assumption of “God” being allowed or tolerated in the classroom by law as inclusive of a freedom to believe anything. However, it would seem that believing in anything but Christianity and the Judeo-Christian theology/philosophy and practice is what is allowed or tolerated. The segregation of Christians and Jews and Jewish-Christians or Christian Jews from the “others” is more and more evident. It has some similarity to what Babylon did to Israel in the 7th-5th centuries B.C. and what Nazi Germany did to Jewish adherents in the 20th century A.D. It speaks to me of the fear which the world has of God and it is not the healthy fear that I am alluding to. Paul saw it happening in the 1st century A.D. as Christ followers were the victims of both Roman and Judaizing cultures. Even the apostle Paul knew he was about to surrender his all for the cause of Christ up to and including his own death not by natural causes but by persecution due to the fear of those who would not believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, King of kings, Lord of lords, Prince of Peace, Mighty God, Everlasting Father upon whose shoulders the weight of the governance of humankind was placed. But, Paul also believed that he was not the “end” of the cause for Christ and the will of God for God’s people. He may die but the cause would live on in those who would dare to believe in the “goodness of God” as teachers of “good” and as “good” teachers. The cause would live on until “that Day” which Paul hoped would come before his death but to which he had resigned himself to “would come when God’s time was determined the best for the world and not for Paul or any one believer.”

Are we, as disciples of Christ and students of the inspired and God-breathed Word of the Gospel, willing to accept faithfully and dutifully the mantel of responsibility which comes with being “good” teachers and teachers of “good”? This is the commission which Christ gave to His “disciples.” It was not merely given to the eleven on the mountain before He ascended into Heaven. It was given to them to be multiplied and disseminated among all those who would believe. By faith, all believers are leaders of others and teachers of all. We are called in faith to go into all the world and make disciples. That is, we are called to be teachers of the gospel. Jesus said “Go into all the world and make disciples, teaching….” I do not know how we can avoid the accountability of the Great Commission. We are called to be teachers of all that Christ has commanded of us: love God, love neighbor, love enemies and love ourselves. It is the framework upon which Jesus said “all the Law and the Prophets hung.” It remains the framework upon which our lives hang as well as we take up our cross and follow Him for the sake of the gospel which is for all people. Further, we not only are to teach others about the gospel but we are to figuratively and literally immerse them, baptize them, in the ways of the gospel and the call to be obedient to Him in life, death and resurrection. What shall we be raised to? We shall be raised to whatever our teaching has been for! Is our teaching for ourselves? Then Hell is what we shall be raised for! Sorry, but that is the way it will be. Is our teaching for God’s glory and proclamation and therefore for others to see and know and accept God through faith in Jesus Christ? Then Heaven is what we shall be raised for! And I make no apologies for that because that is the “way, truth and life” which has been shown to us and given to us as a promised possession of heart, soul, body and mind via the spirit of Christ.

Whether we like it or not in today’s world, this is where we are historically, theologically and practically. We must hear the word of Paul as he speaks to Timothy in what may be embraced as his “final will and testament.” He is bequeathing to us the great opportunity to join with him for the cause of Christ to the benefit of those for whom Christ has given His life as an atonement for sin that they might be saved. We are called to not only be so great a cloud of witnesses as that which surrounds us by faith but to be members of the priesthood of all believers. It is time to take this “seminary,” read seminal, education or the “seed bed of strong influence for later development” and broadcast it vigorously and diligently while we have the opportunity.

TODAY’S PRAYER:

Father God who has trusted us with a great trust, the life and word of Your Son, Jesus our Lord and Savior, breathe upon us the breath of life of good teachers as teachers of good. We give ourselves to the task of life long learning which shall be known in long life learning borne out into eternity with You. We do so in honor of Christ who has called us into life and truth and by His Name we accept this way as our own. AMEN.