Faithfully Living in God's Household: What is your Role? A Proclaimer of the Truth!--1 Timothy 2:7

Introduction:

Finding out who we are is a goal we seek after without exception. We leave home, friends, and family in our pursuit of finding our place. I think this is a feature of our subconscious, driving us to find meaning and purpose for life.

As a result of this drive for meaning, beginning in the early parts of the 20th century a shift began to reshape society. Shifting meaning and purpose of life to be dependent upon ones vocation, gender, or race. Therefore, if I had a high profile job, make a lot of money then I had what society deems a meaningful life.

This has progressed to the point where we tell people that if you want a meaningful life then you needed get X type of job. And in the 1940 with a sharp increase in the 1970s and 1980s, we told women that what they really needed was to become a part of the workforce enmass. Because to do anything else was to waste ones life. Therefore, you must liberate yourself from the oppression of whoever.

We have created a whole social consciousness that is obsessed with job titles, race, gender, and a host of other things, as though they define who we are and what your worth is. Therefore, we idolize men and women who are at the top of their respective fields all the while ignoring their blatant character flaws.

Paul’s Role:

Paul prior to knowing Christ, thought he had found his place in life. He was an up-in-coming teacher of the Law a Pharisee of Pharisees. And he was even given authority by the head honcho, being charged to persecute and stamp out Christianity. Paul indicates in his writings that he believed he had step on the fast track to the top.

But a predetermined encounter with Christ Jesus changed everything for Paul. Listen to how Paul describes himself prior to knowing Jesus and see if his mindset resonates with your life.

Philippians 3:4–6 ESV

though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.

Prior to knowing Christ Paul’s identify was in his flesh, in the observance of the religious laws of Judaism and as a Jew and Pharisee. All things that either have nothing to do with his will, such as being a Jew, or are based on things that can be removed on a whim such as being a Pharisee. These are the things that Paul built his life on.

We do the same thing, placing our identity in things that either have nothing to do with our will or things that are so temporal that they change from day to day. My identity ought not be found in serving as your pastor or teacher, these are things I do, but they flow out of my primary identity of being a redeemed image bearer of God, i.e. a Christian. Therefore, all that I do and seek to do is to be an outworking of that foundational reality. And this is what we see in the life of Paul.

Listen to Paul’s statement after experiencing Christ.

Philippians 3:7–11 ESV

But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

This is meant to give us a new perspective on how we as individuals are to live and operate within the community of believers. This affects everything from our marriages, raising our children, our place in society, the schools that we send our kids too, and our role within the church.

Paul's focus dramatically changed, leading him from attempting to dismantle the faith, to a complete dedication of his life towards its spread and advancement.

Paul now states, in v.7 “For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.”

Paul describes himself with three nouns, preacher, apostle, and teacher. What Paul is saying, is that God the Father has set him apart through the work of Jesus Christ and the indwelling Holy Spirit, for these specific roles. In the advancement of the Gospel, Paul says that his role is to preach, to be a divinely appointed representative of Jesus Christ to the world, and to teach the Gentiles to know God.

What is your Role:

We play the game the grass is greener on the other side, but that is coveting in disguise. We spur the good things that God has given to us, as we covet what God has given someone else. This is similar to what my children to when my wife puts a plate of good food in front of them, they turn their noses up at it and say I wanted something else.

I remember the difficulties early on in my faith that I had in understanding the timing of God and the desire to teach. Expound!!!

We do this because what we really have in view is ourselves, and not the Gospel. Causing us to miss out on the greater blessing that God has for us. For in his wisdom God has called us to walk in the works that he created for us, Ephesians 2:10 . That means God is working out his plan in the lives of the men and women who are seeking to walk faithfully in his household.

Ephesians 2:10 ESV

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

1 Corinthians 12:14–18 ESV

For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose.

We have been Called to Proclaim the Truth:

We all have a role to play within the body of Christ, but our roles are subordinated to the primary vocation of the church. As Paul states in vv.1-2 we are the be praying for the salvation of the lost, so that they would have hearts opened to hearing and receiving the message of the Testimony of Jesus Christ.

Therefore, Christians we are called to be proclaimers of the truth! This is our vocation, our role does not exempt us from this, but rather equips us and provides support for this. Every Christians exists because other Christians faithfully live out their vocation by being a witness to the testimony of Jesus Christ. Paul is saying to us that as he has fulfilled his role and vocations in preaching and teaching the church must do the same.

Gone are the days, church, when we could sit back and enjoy the fruits of our labor. The society of America is now post Christians. This next generation will be the first nation wide generation that is majority unchurched. For all you boomers out there let that sink in. Whereas you most likely grew up going to church, this next generation will not, where you grew up going to a school that allowed prayer, the Bible and other Biblical teachings in the class room, this one will not.

America in the course of 250 years has become a post-Christian country. We see this every where we turn, our cities for the most part are unsafe, death from drug abuse has skyrocket, cities that lessoned their criminal policies are scrambling to deal with the fallout. Suicides are up, families are almost nonexistent in major parts of the country.

We can stand around and complain about this politician passing such and such a law, or lament the failures of past generations. But that will only cause us to sink deeper into the sand. There is one path forward and for Christians it should be obvious.

We are proclaimers of the truth! Paul said that he was appointed as a preacher and teacher of the Gentiles so that they would be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. Paul gave his life to spread the Gospel as far as he could. He did not get the chance to see the great reforms take place by the end of the 2nd century, but he was faithful and he planted and water day in and day out.

Thus, we must focus our energy as a Church, seek the salvation of the lost, by providing a place where those who will never hear of Christ in regular society can come and behold the Glory of our King. But we must not only create a place, we must be going, taking every opportunity to cultivate relationships, meet the lost where they are and call them to repentance and faithfulness to God.

We probably will not see great reforms take place, maybe even our grand children will not see them. But that does not change our vocation of making our Lord Jesus Christ known to all people. For if it was an act of great Love that God the Father sent His Son to redeem us by his blood. Would it not be a message of great love that we refocus our lives on the spread of the Gospel?

Re-oriente your life around the Gospel, for this is your Christian duty! Too many of us are focused on just getting what I can get, and fear the loss of material goods, so we do nothing. Did Christ die for no reason that you would keep quiet out of fear!

You have been appointed as a witness to Jesus Christ, your identity is found in him, not your job, your family, or friend group, if you claim Jesus as Lord he is your identity. And you have the great privilege of taking the message that brought you life to those who are dead in their trespasses and sins so they will see and be saved.

Final Exhortation:

Romans 10:14 ESV

How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?

Our role as the church is to be in the business of spreading the Gospel. For how will they be transformed from death to life if they do not know, how will they live if we do not tell them. How will society change for the better if sin is not dealt with by the Holy Spirit through the blood of Christ.

God has put you into his Body the Church with intentionality and purpose, joyfully walk in that purpose. If you have no idea where you fit, or need council on where you could fit come and talk with me, there are opportunities for you to use the gifts God has given you.

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