Ministry Reminders

2 Timothy 3:10–15 NKJV

10 But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance, 11 persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra—what persecutions I endured. And out of them all the Lord delivered me. 12 Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. 13 But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, 15 and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

Reminder #1: Follow the example of godly mentors

2 Timothy 3:10 NKJV

10 But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance,

2 Tim 3:

Faithful men who have walked before us.

Those whom you can emulate now.

For what purpose? Why do we follow the example of godly men?

2 Timothy 1:8–12 NKJV

8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, 9 who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, 10 but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, 11 to which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. 12 For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.

2

Be a godly mentor

You need these 3 types of men in your life at all times:

Paul

Barnabas

Timothy

Reminder #2: Expect and Teach Persecution (12-13)

2 Timothy 3:12–13 NKJV

12 Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. 13 But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.

Expect to suffer persecution

You might never experience real persecution, but expect it.

Matthew 10:22–23 NKJV

22 And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved. 23 When they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

Teach that persecution for the believer is coming

The American church teaches the opposite today: we teach that we are a favored nation and thus believers are always surprised when the lost behave like lost people.

Paul told Timothy that evil men AND imposters would grow worse and worse.

The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament γόης

one who entices to impious action by apparently pious words,

In the strictest sense of the word, “a magician.”

People will follow these people and their twisted gospel message, causing the persecution to come from those who claim to know Christ, but in reality are far from Him.

Understand that it simply isn’t going to get better for believers here on earth

The biblical pattern is persecution, not a Christian earthly utopia.

Reminder #3: Follow the example of scripture

2 Timothy 3:14–15 NKJV

14 But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, 15 and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

The verb “continue” in verse 14 also means to remain, stay, or reside. It is an present, active, imperative verb.

Notice here how Paul talks about “the things you have learned,” and “who you learned them from.”

What things?

The Holy Scriptures

What are they for?

To make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Jesus Christ.

The scriptures is what is going to make us wise: study programs help, following a solid Bible teacher is good, but spending time in the scriptures will make you wise for salvation.

A final reminder from Toby: Preach the gospel.

2 Timothy 4:1–5 NKJV

1 I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: 2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. 5 But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

2 Tim. 4:1-

Today, you are being ordained as a minister of the gospel. Do the work of an evangelist.

Be a minister of the gospel.

This is what you are being ordained into.

You aren’t a paid problem solver, you are a gospel minister.

You aren’t a program expert, you are a gospel minister.

You aren’t the main one to organize the setting up of tables, the cleaning of the building, or the only one responsible for shoveling snow in the winter. You are a gospel minister.

Hospital visitation for the saints shouldn’t receive more time than your study and evangeilzing. You are a gospel minister.

Acts 6:1–4 NKJV

1 Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists, because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution. 2 Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. 3 Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; 4 but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”

Prioritize the study of the Word in order to preach evangelistically.

Now more than ever we not only have more lost people in our churches, we need to mobilize the saved to do the work we’ve been called to do.

As you preach, share personal examples of how you evangelize. You will be the evangelistic thermometer of your church. No one in your church will be more evangelistic than you.

Find places preach outside of your home church.

When someone invites you to pray before your child’s game, do it.

When the nursing home needs someone to preach once a month, do it. Who needs the gospel more than a lost person in an assisted living home?

Be the camp pastor.

Sign up to preach a service at the camp ground.

Go tell Bill you’d like to preach at every church one one wants to preach in.

Set a goal of evangelistic encounters for the month and have someone hold you accountable.

I interviewed former Home Mission Board evangelism executive Darrell Robinson a couple of months ago. I asked him his thoughts on training pastors to be intentionally evangelistic. Here’s what he said:

“If you’d like to be intentionally evangelistic as a pastor, church planter, or leader, you need to personally talk to at least 10 lost people everyday.”

Many of you know that I wrote my dissertation based upon Charles Brock’s red book. Dr. Brock says this about evangelism:

“You need to share the Good News with everyone, everywhere you go. There are lost people at Wal-Mart, the doctor’s office, and the gas station.”

His favorite fishing hole right now is the cancer clinic. He goes, hands out red books, and talks to people who are interested.

Scott, sit down this week and realistically write down the number of evangelistic encounters you have each month right now and figure out what you have to do to get to 1 a day, 5 a day, or 10 a day. (200 per month!)

Take someone with you as you evangelize.

Make a goal to go evangelize with your pastor twice a month.

Go with your wife and kids.

Learn the secret of the two extreme age groups:

Take a kid with you door to door, or simply doing surveys at the mall. Take your own, or bring a friend with their little one-a smiley happy one.

No one says no to a kid.

Take a senior adult with you. A smiley, happy one. I’ve been with Dr. Brock on a college campus. No one said no to him.

Be a student of past evangelists.

This is important in the area of evangelism.

CE Matthews

As you evangelize, you’ll learn all sorts of crazy ideas. One of the best ways to combat this is by teaching what the Bible says rather than what you think it says.

Roland Allen

Roland Leavell

Roy Fish

CE Autrey

Robert Coleman

Charles Spurgeon

Jonathan Edwards

Offer some type of gospel invitation every time you preach.

Some of the best times to do this are at weddings, funerals, the holiday services. Why? Because lost people are there!