Called to Bear Witness for the Truth

Photo credit: Metro Praise International Church

The apostle Paul says that the church of the living God is the pillar and foundation of the truth (1 Tim. 3:15). What he meant to say is that the church is the instituted organism called and equipped to uphold and proclaim the truth in this world of lies, illusions, and delusions.

As Christ's church we preach the truth. As members of the His church we testify to the truth, defend it, support those who proclaim it and seek to live it out in our daily lives.

But what is this truth we’re called to proclaim and guard? What kind of teachings should be our forte? It should be the apostolic teaching which centers on the gospel, the good news of salvation in and through our Lord Jesus Christ.

After testifying that the church is the pillar and foundation of the truth, Paul goes on to say, “Beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great: He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory” (1 Tim. 3:16).

In this verse, we have what scholars call an early Christian creed that contains the gospel in a nutshell. It’s not the whole apostolic doctrine but a good summary of what they proclaimed. This summary is about Jesus Christ and it contains six truths about Him. (By the way, Paul emphasizes the person and work of Christ a lot in 1 and 2 Timothy. It's probably because it was the doctrine under great attack in the church of Ephesus).

Notice in 1 Timothy 3:16 that what is about to be said is “the mystery of godliness” which is great and is commonly confessed. “Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness” as the other version says. In other words, it's a common creed of the early believers. Every point of this creed is indeed true!

It is called “the mystery of godliness” not because it is something that is puzzling that no one knows or understands it. Rather, it really means something that was once hidden and has now been revealed. The question is not “What is this mystery?” but “Who is this mystery?” Verse 16 tells us that it is Jesus Christ, the true revelation of godliness – and He has been revealed to us in the pages of the Scripture.

Paul tackles six things here that are at the center of the Christian faith. Briefly let's take a look at these truths.

First, Jesus Christ was manifested in the flesh. Many cults and world religions challenge the basic tenets of Christianity, including the incarnation of Jesus Christ. But what a remarkable fact that Jesus Christ is the living, eternal God in human flesh. The Word of God became flesh and dwelt among us!

Second, Jesus Christ was vindicated in the Spirit. It means His resurrection. The ultimate vindication of Jesus took place when He was raised from the dead by the Spirit of God (Rom.1:4). It could also mean that Jesus was vindicated in His spirit. In other words, although He was fully man, He was sinless and perfect (Heb.4:15).

Third, Jesus was seen by angels. Throughout His earthly ministry, angels ministered to Him. They announced His birth. They ministered to Him during His temptation in the wilderness and they strengthened Him in Gethsemane. They also observed him during His death and resurrection. After He was put in a tomb, the angels rolled way the stone at the door of His tomb and they announced His resurrection and ascension. Angels were involved in His earthly ministry from beginning to end. This statement could even have in mind the worship given to the ascended Christ by angels in heaven.

Fourth, Jesus was proclaimed among the nations. After His resurrection, Jesus commissioned His disciples to go and make disciples of all nations. He commanded them to proclaim the message of His salvation to every tribe, nation and tongue. This is taking place. The gospel is being preached all over the world. This is our calling as the church and we fulfill our identity as “pillar and foundation of truth” as we do our share in making disciples from every nation, calling everyone to bow down before King Jesus, and teaching those who would heed the call to obey all the commandments of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Fifth, Jesus was believed on in the world. At the first public preaching of the gospel of Christ after the pouring out of the Spirit to the first disciples, 3,000 people believed and were saved. In the days that followed, thousands more believed. The gospel was spreading and God has ordained that everyone who believed in Jesus Christ will be saved. We proclaim faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ as the only means by which man can be saved. Not by good works or faith plus good works. Salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone is our message.

Sixth, Jesus was taken up in glory. This refers to the bodily ascension of the risen Christ. It shows that God was satisfied with His atoning work. Hebrews 1:3 says, “After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.” Now He is at the right hand of the Father, with all authority in heaven and earth. And that authority He shares with the church by His Spirit.

This is the gospel in a nutshell. God in Jesus Christ became man. He died for our sins, triumphed over death, was honored by angels and feared by demons, and ascended into glory. This message has been preached all over the world and many have believed and been saved and empowered to live in holy obedience and service to Jesus Christ.

As believers in this day and age, you and I are proofs that Jesus is believed on in the world. That is why we ought to take the church seriously, to be strong in our proclamation of Jesus Christ, who is “the way, the truth, and the life.”

God's church is the chosen instrument to proclaim the saving truth of Christ. This is our identity. So let us consider seriously that as Christians, as people called and redeemed by God through faith in Christ, you and I are members of that institution that is the pillar and foundation of the truth. That’s our identity in Christ. And we ought to live accordingly by the power of the Spirit who is in us to bear witness for this truth.

God’s Indescribable Gift - Part 2

(part 2 of my meditation on 2 Corinthians 9:15 "Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!" Thanks to my friend Andy Spriensma, whose thoughts I have borrowed a lot here.)

God’s indescribable gift does not only make us generous. It also keeps us humble. Here we are going to focus on that word “indescribable.”

We need to understand that when Paul mentioned about God’s indescribable gift, he was referring to none other than our Lord Jesus Christ. He is God’s ‘indescribable gift.’

In preaching and teaching the Word of God, what is it that we do but tell of this gift. We describe this gift. And that is the proclamation of the gospel, the preaching of the good news.

Pastors like me have been trained to be preachers of God's holy Word in the pages of the Bible. The whole Bible reveals this gift of salvation. Preaching is especially the telling of that gift!

Probably no one understands this better than the apostle Paul himself. He has traveled vast portions of the known world of his time preaching the gift of Jesus Christ. He has proclaimed the gospel to both Jews and Gentiles, slaves and rulers, friends and foes. Yet he says that this gift from God, our salvation in Jesus Christ, is “indescribable” (ESV says, “inexpressible” while KJV “unspeakable”).

Now the word “indescribable” has an interesting background. First, it appeared only here in the whole New Testament. Second, it is not found in the Greek version of the Old Testament or in any Classical Greek literature. It was until later, near the end of first century, that an early Christian bishop used the word.

So did Paul just make the word up? If so, ironically here, Paul cannot find a word to express the fact that he cannot fully express or describe the gift of God in Christ.

Thus what Paul really meant to say in using that word is this: We cannot fully express God’s gift. Jesus Christ cannot be described in exhaustive detail. Even the paraphrase The Living Bible translates this verse this way: “Thank God for his Son - His Gift too wonderful for words.”

Now while the Living Bible is not an accurate translation of the original texts it grasped, however, the right meaning of the text. Paul is saying that the gift of God is too glorious and too wonderful for words to do full justice to it.

Paul has seen this gift in the person of Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus. The Holy Spirit has revealed to him the great plan of salvation. He has entertained visions from heaven. He has witnessed the power of Pentecost in his work and he can testify that God’s promises are being brought to completion.

Because of this he has an even greater burden to put all this into human words. But certainly God’s glory cannot be contained in the Greek or the English language, not even in my own language or in any language of the world.

God’s marvelous works of grace cannot be limited to any language. The mystery of the gospel cannot be completely decoded in human language. No matter what distinctions or systems we make of it, the gift of salvation, the Son of God, is “indescribable.”

So in order to keep us from bragging how great and exhaustive our knowledge of Christ is and how effective teachers or preachers of the gospel of Jesus Christ we are, Paul is reminding us that God’s gift is beyond our words.

As teachers or preachers, it is always enticing to hear from students and parishioners how good we are in explaining and applying the Word of God in their lives. That is why preachers and teachers of the Bible must remember that however splendid their sermon or teaching is, no matter how good their points are, no matter how well they have excelled in their interpretation and how creative and articulate the presentation of their ideas is, still, their glorious sermon or lecture pales in comparison to the glorious Gift they are called to proclaim and teach.

Jesus Christ and how He has saved us from our sins, how He was sent from heaven above according to the great electing love of God the Father to come down and rescue us from our sin and misery, to suffer in our flesh, and to die upon the cross for our sins, is too wonderful and too humbling for words.

Yet we speak about Him who was raised on the third day and who declared victory over sin and death, over Satan and the whole world, who has all the power and authority given to Him, and who is our only Savior and our great God. This is the Gift we speak about. And what or who we speak about will always be far greater than how we speak about Him.

This serves as a warning to all of us who think we already know Jesus Christ and do not need to study the Bible or hear about Him more. It keeps us humble because no matter how long we have been a Christian or no matter how long we’ve been reading, studying or teaching the Bible, still our knowledge of Christ is still lacking. We don’t fully know our Lord and Savior yet. Even the apostle Paul admits that God’s gift, our Lord Jesus Christ, is ‘inexpressible,’ ‘indescribable,’ He’s beyond description.

Man’s Selfish Quest for Earthly Possessions

(a meditation on Luke 12:16-19)

Luke 12:16-19
16 And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’
18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’

The agricultural setting and terminologies of this parable perfectly fits the situation in Jesus’ life and time. Undoubtedly, the images Jesus presenting to His audience were understandable to them because Israel was largely a rural and agricultural community. So what’s the point of this parable?

The parable can be divided into two sections. Each section contains one major point. Each point is derived from the action of each character mentioned. The two characters are the rich man (v. 16) and God (v. 20). The division would be: (1) the rich man’s selfish quest for earthly possessions (vv. 16-19); and (2) God’s solemn judgment of man’s senseless life (vv. 20-21).

The first section tells us of man’s good agricultural harvest (v.16) and his boasting about the kind of life which he can enjoy as a result of his great material success (vv. 17-19). The second section, however, gives us a sad picture of man’s destiny in the hands of God who will demand a reckoning of his life. This second section is notably marked by the contrasting word ‘but’.

The Rich Man’s Selfish Quest for Earthly Possessions (vv. 16-19)

The point of the first section of the parable is not to show the readers that acquisition of material wealth is sinful, nor to remind them that good stewardship of one’s wealth is wrong. The Bible itself does not condemn money or any earthly goods. What is ‘foolish’ in the rich man’s action was his selfish or covetous pursuit of acquiring wealth.

Covetousness is surely a sin, a breach of the essence of the tenth commandment that says, “You shall not covet.” This surely hinders one’s relationship with God for as Paul says in Col. 3:5, “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: ... covetousness, which is idolatry.” A selfish quest for wealth is indeed idolatry for it draws man away from God unto mammon.

Greed also destructs one’s devotion to God for as Paul again warned Timothy in 1 Tim. 6:10 that, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.”

Indeed the rich man in the parable is preoccupied with self and his quest for more wealth for selfish indulgence. This is obvious by the text’s repeated use of the personal pronoun “I” and the words ‘relax, eat, drink, be merry,’ which also imply a kind of life void of godliness.

In general, the point here, as one author puts it, is that, “A purely selfish accumulation of possessions is incompatible with true discipleship.” The problem with this man is that, in his great material success he did not bother to ask, “How much shall I give to the cause of God?” Nor did he inquire, “How much of this shall I give to the poor?”

Let us always remember that everything we call our own comes from God and they belong to God. He gave them to us in order to serve Him and others better. One day we will give account to Him for the use of these things, whether money, talent or gifts.

Jesus is saying, “If you want to follow me, you must be willing to give up the things in your hands. You must be willing to suffer loss. You must be willing to assume other’s loss and trust me to repay you. You must make me your greatest treasure in life and in death.”

Unless we accept this challenge, we cannot be true followers of Christ. Do you really want to follow Christ? You must be willing to die yourself so Christ could live and rule in your heart. Instead of striving for your self, work hard to help others as well, especially those who are in the family of God.

Giving up our pride is necessary to be able to consider others as important as we are. Sometimes as a pastor, I have the tendency to present myself as if I know a lot. The truth is, I don’t. There are certain areas that others know more than I know. Women know a lot about housekeeping, cooking and baking. I know very little. Our children know more about computers and how to use them than we do.

The world does not revolve around us. We are not the most important people in this world. We must therefore learn to give up our rights and privileges in order to serve others in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Let's use our time, our talent and our treasures not to boost our pride but in order to serve our neighbor and fellowmen. Give up anything Christ requires from you. Put Him first. Stop saying, “I will do this and I will do that so I can be happy.” Instead say, “If this is pleasing to the Lord and beneficial to others, I will do it.”

A meaningful and successful life is a life that obeys the will of God and cares for the welfare of others. Christ Himself exemplified this life by living and dying for the glory of God and the redemption of His people. God defines success in life. He is the judge who evaluates our lives. What kind of life do you live? God judged the man in the parable. God’s judgment of this man’s life is that it is a senseless life.

Willing to Suffer for the Sake of Christ

"For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. For you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews,..."
- 1 Thessalonians 2:14

Having heard, received and accepted the Word of God, the Thessalonian saints became imitators of the churches in Judea. In what way did they become imitators of these churches? These churches that the Thessalonians imitate are in Palestine, where many Jews live. These churches are in Christ Jesus, which means they are in union with and belong to Christ. They are to be distinguished from the assemblies of Jews that are also in Judea but are not followers of Jesus Christ.

“Being in Christ Jesus is what makes a group of people a distinctively Christian Church,” says one scholar.[1] Another commentator notes that these churches are composed of “the original church of God in Jerusalem (cf. Gal 1:13; 1 Cor 15:9), now in dispersion (as a result of the persecution which broke out after Stephen’s death), together with her daughter-churches.”[2] These churches suffered persecution in the hands of fellow Jews who did not believe that Jesus is the Messiah of God.

What is interesting to note here is that one of the fiercest persecutors of these churches used to be Saul of Tarsus, who is now Paul the Apostle of Jesus Christ, the one writing them. Paul was there when Stephen was martyred. Now Paul is testifying to them that these churches in Judea have endured tribulations because of their faith in Christ.

Paul’s transformed life to Christ may have served as a testimony of God’s powerful Word and as an encouragement to these young Christians in Thessalonica. Saul the persecutor has now become Paul the persecuted, just like them.

So in the same way the Thessalonian believers have become imitators of these churches in Judea because they suffered the same things from their own countrymen (v. 14b). When they accepted Paul’s message the Jews started to cause trouble in the city by taking some wicked gang members to form a mob.

This mob tried to hunt down Paul and company and when they did not find them they turned to the new converts, particularly to the man named Jason. And they dragged him, together with some of the brothers, before the city authorities, accusing them falsely (Acts 17:5-6). Since then, these believers have been objects of harassment and discrimination by the Jews and local authorities for their undivided loyalty to God and to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Can you imagine yourself being dragged in the middle of the night to the city jail for believing in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? It’s awful, isn’t it? But these young believers are being harassed by their own people who turned against them because of their faith in Christ Jesus.

Often it is true that the most intense persecution we suffer as Christians comes from those who are somehow related to us: a co-worker maybe, a classmate, a relative, or a fellow believer.

Don’t be surprised when a relative hate you because of your strong conviction against sin, injustice, or immorality as a Christian. You will suffer rejection and isolation in this world because of your solid commitment to Christ, His Word and His Church. But be of good cheer. Do not be afraid. You are one with Christ and His Church. You are not alone. There are other believers who are as committed to Christ in their faith and conduct as you are.

Pray together and encourage one another. God promises that He will be with us. No persecution, suffering, sickness, famine, sword, not even death, shall separate us from the love of Christ. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us and freed us from our sins by His blood. That is our confidence in life. That is our comfort even in death.

So Paul encourages the believers by saying that in enduring these afflictions as Christians, they are fellow-members of the same body as the Judean churches. Paul already mentioned in 1:6 that they became imitators of him and his co-workers and of the Lord Jesus for they received the Word of God with joy even in affliction. And that’s the ground for Paul to say thanks to God. He is so delighted to see these Thessalonians willing to pay the price of following Jesus Christ even through persecution.

How about you? Are you prepared to suffer for Christ? Are you willing to forsake the comforts of this world for the joy of belonging to Christ?

We see here an emerging pattern or pathway of obedient faith in Christ Jesus. Just as Christ endured suffering for doing the will of God; just as Paul, Silas, Timothy, and the churches of God suffered much affliction because of their labor to get the Word of God out to the world, so also the Thessalonians on account of believing the gospel. So for the sake of the gospel of Christ, are you willing to suffer, whatever that affliction might be?

The Scripture attests that persecution is a natural outcome of being a Christian. We don’t go out seeking persecution here and there, do we? But they come as our priorities, desires, and pursuits as Christians collide with the culture around us. For the believers in Thessalonica to undergo suffering for Christ’s sake proves that they belong to the same body of Christ in Judea and all over the world.

They are, in fact, one with us in this 21st century Philippine context. Their firmness in affliction testifies to the fact that their faith is genuine. And the joy that they manifest proves that the work of the Holy Spirit is present in their lives – joy in affliction…suffering gracefully in the name of Christ. What a tremendous testimony of God’s transforming power to a world filled with grumbling and whining!

As you and I endure many trials we not only unite ourselves with the body of Christ but also testify to the fact that our faith in God and in all that He promised is genuine. Our patience, joy and peace amid these trials further reveal the fruit of the Spirit in our lives. And that’s one way of witnessing to the world about our faith in Christ.

You and I are willing to suffer with joy as Christians if necessary. The world doesn’t like pain and suffering. They are willing to pay the price just to avoid affliction and discomfort. We are different, and we ought to be different. We ought to accept willingly every trial and affliction for doing the will of God. That’s a powerful testimony to the world! That's a powerful witness that we belong to Him who is a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.


[1] Andrew W. Young, Let’s Study 1 & 2 Thessalonians (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 2001), 37.

[2] F. F. Bruce, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, in Word Biblical Commentary, eds. David A. Hubbard & Glenn W. Barker, Vol. 45 (Waco: Word, 1982), 45.

Embracing God’s Word

"And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers." - 1 Thessalonians 2:13

Do you know what makes your missionaries really joyful in the field? It's not the monthly or quarterly financial support that you send them, though that is very important. It's not the regular letter or email of encouragement that you write them, though that is also very helpful. No. What brings real gladness to every missionary, and even to every minister, is when they see the people they are serving believe and embrace the Word of God.

Tremendous joy can overwhelm every pastor's and missionary's heart when they witness the Word of God working effectively in the lives of the people they minister. It's that kind of delight parents feel when they see their children promptly and wholeheartedly obey their word. Acceptance of God's Word manifested in the faithful and obedient lifestyle of every church member would bring pleasure in every pastor's and missionary's heart.

We turn to our text to meditate on how the Apostle Paul expresses thanks for the effective work of God’s Word. We see in this verse Paul's thanksgiving for the work of God's Word in effecting change in the life of God's people.The first thing we can notice here is the content of his thanksgiving. What is that thing or occasion that made Paul offer thanks to God?

The Thessalonians received the Word of God, which Paul and his co-workers preached to them. They heard it from Paul in the synagogue, where he reasoned with them from Scriptures (Acts 17:2). For three Sabbaths, Paul patiently explained and proved to them from the Old Testament that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead.

This Christ that Paul was telling them was no other than our Lord Jesus, the One whom the Jews rejected and put to death. He came from heaven to do His Father’s will. His mission was to save God's people from their sin. He who is God took the form of a servant and humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

He did this to fulfill all the righteousness that the law of God requires so that anyone who believes in Him will receive the righteousness that He achieved in His perfect obedience. Do you believe that Christ lived obediently to earn righteousness for you and me? Are you convinced that His death paid for the penalty of your sins?

The Thessalonians were confronted with similar questions when they first heard Paul. And they believed. They acknowledged that they were sinners in need of God's pardon. They believed that Jesus has suffered and died on their behalf so that in His suffering and death they might be spared from the coming wrath of God. They were so convicted by Paul's preaching that they turned from their idols to serve the living and true God (1:9). They were so convinced that Christ's death and resurrection brought life and hope for them who were dead in sin and enslaved by despair.

This is the Christ whom Paul proclaimed to them from the Scriptures. Is this the same Christ that you believe in? Is the Jesus that Paul proclaimed to the Thessalonians the same Jesus that you confess as your Lord and Savior?

Every time Paul remembers how the Thessalonians accepted and treasured every gospel truth he shared to them, he can't help thanking God for such a response. Of course, we are aware that Paul's evangelistic sermons were done by the power of the Holy Spirit. It was the Holy Spirit who opened the hearts of the Thessalonians, both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, to believe and appropriate the Word of God. And that's the occasion for Paul to say, “For this reason we also constantly thank God...” (v.13). God, through His Word and Spirit is at work in them.

Through Paul's bold gospel proclamation and by the power of the Holy Spirit, coupled by their exemplary lives, the Thessalonians eagerly embraced the Word of God. They were persuaded by it (Acts 17:4), believed its truth claims, appropriated its wonderful promises, and recognized what it really is, the “word that comes from the mouth of God” and not mere words of men. That Word, I tell you, has changed them and their lifestyle.

This is very important to us as 21st century believers. The Word of God in this passage in one sense can mean the whole Bible in its written form handed down to us. It can also mean the body of doctrines that summarizes the whole Biblical teachings on God, Christ, sin, salvation, second coming and other important truths of the Christian faith which we received from our forefathers in the faith. The faithful preaching of God's Word every Lord's Day can also be denominated as the Word of God as the Second Helvetic Confession, Chapter 1, declares, “Wherefore when this Word of God is now preached in the church by preachers lawfully called, we believe that the very Word of God is proclaimed, and received by the faithful.”

We who are deeply convinced of the power of God's Word ought to be involved in getting that Word out to the world, one way or another. We are not just talking about sending missionaries overseas, though that's part of it.

We are talking about that sense of burden and faithfulness to witness both in word and in deed to our neighbors and friends. These neighbors may have been struggling for years in life and they do not have the same hope and comfort that you have in Christ. They may have never heard about the power of God’s kingdom and the rule of King Jesus. If you go out as a friend and share the good news of Christ, both in your word and action, they might be able to taste God’s goodness, which you have been enjoying.

As one with Christ, we have the ability and resources to make that Word visible to our friends and neighbors. It may start by becoming really acquainted with them and showing genuine interest in asking and listening to them. Before you know it, God may have been working in the heart of that neighbor-friend and he might just hold on to every word of God you share to him. Another soul will enter God’s kingdom as that friend of yours accepts and believes the Word of God.

It is a sad situation to behold when churches that bear the name of Christ reject the Word of God and regard it as mere words of men. An equally distressing phenomenon is the disinterest of the Bible and its doctrines by many professing Christians. Instead of listening and learning from the Word of God, they lean their ears and set their minds on various ideologies and philosophies to satisfy their curiosity. Pulpits and airwaves in this county and all over the world have become venues for selling watered-down gospel and management techniques of how to grow a church.

Of course, you don't want that to happen to yourself and to your church, do you? But once you start neglecting the faithful preaching and teaching of God's Word you are heading for that direction, too. Once you do not diligently guard what you hear from the pulpit and church classrooms, seeds of falsehood or different gospel, which is not a gospel at all, will creep in.
Disregard of God’s Word may also manifest in your failure to find regular time for Bible reading and meditation. It even shows in your lack of interest in going to a Bible study. It could also be seen in your casual and frivolous attitude toward sin.

The way to accept and embrace the Word of God the way the Thessalonians did is by, first of all, longing and thirsting for the pure preaching of God's Word every Lord's Day. Preaching of God’s Word is of primary importance for God’s people. As you let that preached Word saturate your mind you will be constrained by the Holy Spirit to act in obedience to that Word. As you patiently read and study that Word and let it regulate your heart and mind, God will show how great your sins and miseries are.

Maybe He will lead you to confess and repent from certain sins that you've been committing over and over. That Word of God gives you the grace to abstain from doing something immoral and destructive, like hurting your spouse, slandering your brother, abusing your freedom in Christ or even blowing your top.

Parents, how many times have we committed foolish mistakes by flaring up in front of our children, which could have been prevented if we hide the Word of God in our heart? Or how many young boys and girls could have obeyed mom and dad promptly and nicely if they just let God's word that says, “Honor your father and your mother” or “Do all things without grumbling” dwell in their heart.

Acceptance of God's Word would be evident in our lives when we start memorizing and meditating that Word daily that it becomes part of our daily thought and conversation with others. As we let those verses ring in our mind that Word will come out in our praying, in our encouraging and even in correcting in love of our fellow believer.

By filling our minds with Scriptures, praying with Scriptures and singing the Scriptures, we will be faithful recipients of the Word of God. That Word will come out naturally in our behavior and lifestyle. How serious have you been taking the Word of God?

THE CHURCH AS THE PILLAR AND FOUNDATION OF TRUTH

Another meditation on 1 Timothy 3:15-16

The Apostle Paul says, “I am writing these things to you so that, if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and [foundation] of the truth.” After saying that the church is the household of God and of the living God, Paul concludes that the church is the pillar and foundation of the truth.

You know what, right at the heart of Ephesus was the place of the temple to the goddess Artemis (or Diana), which was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world (cf. Acts 19:26-27). It had 127 pillars around it. Each pillar, about 18 meters tall, was a gift of a king. All of them were made of marble, and some were covered with jewels and overlaid with gold. The function of the pillars was not just decoration but also to hold up the immense roof.

Most probably Paul is alluding to these pillars of Artemis' temple when he says that the church is the pillar and foundation which holds up God’s truth. Let's deal with this, by noting first of all what this description of the church cannot mean.

The church as the pillar of truth cannot mean that the church creates truth. The church is a gathering of people called and saved by God out of the world. Even though saved, the people of God do not have the power or authority to create truth. So we do not create or produce the truth; we hear it, and by the Spirit's power we obey it, defend it and preach it. The church is “the pillar and foundation of the truth” not in the production of truth, but in the proclamation and presentation of truth.

The expression “pillar and foundation” is also suggestive of strength – and the Lord's church, as it ought to be, should be strong in the presentation and proclamation of truth. No institution; no group of people should be stronger than the church in the matter of proclaiming and presenting the truth.

And what is this truth? Or better, who is this truth? No other than our Lord Jesus Christ who said, “I am the way, THE TRUTH, and the life.” He is the Lord of the church and the head of the church, as Paul says in his letter to the Ephesians.

As God's church you vigorously preach the truth, especially in this pulpit. You preach Jesus Christ and him crucified. As members of the Lord's church you also proclaim the truth, defend it, and support those who proclaim it ... You proclaim the truth as you teach the truth in your respective home, in the Bible study and Sunday school classes, and as you worship according to the truth. There is this strength so significant and intense, it can be said the church is the “Pillar and Foundation” of the truth.

Every church, Paul is saying, is responsible to support and bolster up the teaching that has been delivered to us. Every church is to be a strong bulwark of the gospel against the assaults of false teachers. And Timothy was dealing some of these false teachers in the Ephesian church.

It has been observed that Christian doctrines are not very popular in many churches these days. But Bible doctrines are what we as the church are called to proclaim and defend. It’s the deposit that’s been given to us for safeguarding.

John MacArthur writes, “Churches that tamper with, misrepresent, depreciate, relegate to secondary place, or abandon biblical truth destroy their only reason for existing and experience impotence and judgment.”

And what is the truth we’re called to proclaim and guard? What should be our focus? Nothing but the apostolic doctrine – the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

In verse 16, we have what scholars call an early Christian creed or hymn that contains the gospel in a nutshell. It’s not the whole gospel but it tells us who Jesus Christ is. It contains six truths about Jesus Christ.

By the way, Paul emphasizes the person and work of Christ a lot in 1 and 2 Timothy. You know why? Probably because it was a doctrine under great attack.

You’ll notice in verse 16 that what is about to be said is “the mystery of godliness” which is great and is commonly confessed. “Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness...” In other words, it's a common creed, a common confession of faith, of the early believers. Every point of this creed is true. They’re beyond dispute.

It is called “the mystery of godliness” not because it is something that is mysterious in the sense that no one knows it or understands it or because it is mystical. Rather, it really means something that was once hidden and has now been revealed. And the question is not “what is this mystery?” but “WHO is this mystery?” Verse 16 tells us that it is Jesus Christ, the true revelation of godliness – and He has been revealed to us in the pages of the Holy Scripture.

Be Watchful of Your Doctrine

A meditation on 2 Peter 3:17

"You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability."

We need to be warned of the danger of false teaching and its natural outcome, that is, greed and immorality. It is true that the Scripture is quite clear when it comes to many teachings. Salvation or redemption from sin, for example, is clear from the Bible that it is from God alone, by His grace alone and to be received only by faith in Christ alone. Salvation is not by faith plus our good works. Rather the Scripture teaches that salvation by grace alone, by faith alone, in Christ alone, results in holy living and produces good works in the lives of those who are saved.

However, there are portions of Scripture that are not easy to interpret. Peter admits that some of Paul's letters contain some things that are hard to understand. These hard-to-understand writings of Paul and other hard passages of the Scripture are being used by these false teachers inside the church to teach strange and esoteric doctrines. These false teachers are twisting the Scripture to deceive many and to earn personal gains (v.16).

Peter is aware of such false teachers operating in the church. That's why he's telling his fellow believers, and he tells us today, to be watchful or else we be carried away by the error of these unprincipled men. By the way, Peter calls them untaught and unstable people who distort the Scriptures (v.16b). Thus he's warning us to be on our guard of our doctrine and to be aware of people who teach erroneous doctrines.

In chapter 2, Peter describes the nature of these deceivers (vv.1-2, 10-12, 13b-19). Then in 2:3b, 4-9, 13a, he warns his readers of the danger and destruction awaiting those people and those who follow them. They will be punished and destroyed by God at the proper time, the same way God punished the ungodly in the time of Noah and Lot (2:4-10a). The apostle is giving us a strong warning here. So we have to take his warning seriously.

If you claim you have received the grace of God in salvation you ought to have a godly lifestyle now, different from your careless and unproductive lifestyle in the past. Or, at least, some noticeable changes in your thinking pattern and behavior must have taken place. It doesn't mean, of course, that you are thoroughly perfect and everything is doing well in your life now. No, that's not what is meant here. In other words, as a professing believer of Jesus Christ, have you seen some growth in your life in terms of your interest in knowing God through the Bible? Or have you noticed a growing desire to obey God and a constant striving to resist sin and temptation in your life?

These are signs of growth in the grace and in the knowledge of God and our Lord Jesus Christ. Brothers and sisters in Christ, to grow in the grace of God is also to grow in the knowledge of God and our Lord Jesus. Peter makes this very clear in 1:2. We can notice there that God's grace and peace are multiplied in or through the knowledge of God. To know God is the means by which His grace and peace grow and become powerful in our lives.

If you want to enjoy God's perfect peace and His amazing grace, your knowledge of Him has to grow. As one famous preacher says, “Grace is not a mere deposit. It is a power that leads to godliness and eternal life [1:3]. And where the knowledge of the glory and excellence of God cannot be found, grace does not flow. The channel from God's infinite reservoir of grace into and through our lives is the knowledge of God.” This knowledge of God comes to us, of course, through our Lord Jesus Christ as the Spirit opens the Word to us.

Young boys and girls and dear young people, you need to listen, you need to learn the doctrines of our faith before you can take them to heart. And what's the best way to have the knowledge of God but to continually avail of God's appointed means of grace, that is, the preaching of the gospel of Christ and the sacraments. Bible study and meditation, as well as prayer, are also means by which God reveals Himself to us and increases our faith in Him. Faith comes by hearing the Word of Christ (Romans 10:17).

Do not underestimate the transforming power of God in gospel-preaching. Likewise, do not forsake the things that you've learned from the Bible which your parents or Sunday school or catechism teachers have taught you. Continue to live by them and diligently seek opportunities to share those precious gospel truths to others.

Parents, don't give up. Train your children in the way of God's covenant. Remind them of God's promise to them which was signified and sealed in their baptism. Challenge them to live by faith and to grow in the knowledge of their blessed Savior Jesus Christ.

So together, let us be faithful in the study of God’s Word – in preaching and teaching, and in upholding one another in prayer, asking God to cause us to grow in His grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Growing in God's Grace by Knowing His Patience

2 Peter 3:15-16: "And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters."

We need to understand that the reason Christ has not returned yet is to give time for the full number of God's people to be saved. 2 Peter 3:15a is a recap of 2 Peter 3:9. Peter is saying that the Lord is not unfaithful to His promise. The very reason why Christ is not coming back yet is to give time for the people of God to repent and be saved. Through the proclamation of the gospel, God is patiently calling His people from all over the world to repent from their sins and return to Him in faith.

Verse 15 is God's word on how to interpret the time between the first and the second coming of Christ. It is the time of salvation. The Savior has come and has opened the way for God's people, His sheep, to return to His fold. While our Lord Jesus Christ has not appeared for the second time, the way to God is still open. But when He comes back the way will be closed and the time of salvation will be over.

Notice that, according to Peter, this is also what Paul taught and wrote in his letters. Peter says, “And count the patience of our Lord as salvation.” Paul says in Romans 2:4, “Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?”

So both the Apostles Peter and Paul teach that God's postponing or withholding final judgment on the wicked is an act of forbearance that should be interpreted as 'giving more time', so to speak, for our repentance and salvation.

Moreover, in 2 Cor. 6:2 Paul also says, “And working together with Him, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain — for He says, "AT THE ACCEPTABLE TIME I LISTENED TO YOU, AND ON THE DAY OF SALVATION I HELPED YOU." Behold, now is "THE ACCEPTABLE TIME," behold, now is "THE DAY OF SALVATION"” (emphasis mine).

So by mentioning Paul and his letters, Peter shows that there is agreement among the apostles. The false teachers may reject the perfect law of God or deny the second coming of Christ, but the apostles of Jesus are united on these matters: Christ is coming again and you should live a life separated from sin and consecrated to God. Meanwhile His delaying is for our salvation.

The knowledge that all the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ are united in their doctrine is really enriching. It helps us to see how God divinely superintended the writings of the Holy Scripture ( 2 Peter 1:21) so that when it is correctly interpreted and applied to us now, it confirms the divine authority of God. And it accomplishes the purpose for which it is intended for the hearers – that is, their salvation and sanctification, and for God – His praise and glory. Again verse 18 tells us, “...but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory, both now and to the day of eternity.”

God's patience is God's work of grace in order to give us time to repent, believe and be saved. In God's sovereign plan, it is also the time for us to grow in our knowledge of Him and to be continually transformed by that knowledge from the inside out so we can progress in holiness.

That's why we take this time as opportunity to spread the good news of Jesus Christ through out the world, to call people to repentance and faith and to disciple the nations of the world, teaching them everything Christ has commanded us to do. You grow in the grace of God when you participate in taking this opportunity to go out to your neighborhood and proclaim the mercy and grace of our God and, at the same time, warn them of the coming judgment if they persist in unbelief.

You also grow in the grace of God when you take your sin seriously. Sin is an offense to the holy character of God. When we sin we commit something that the law of God forbids and God will not let us go away with that, unless we repent and depend solely on the grace of God.

Will you forsake your sin and serve the Lord while the way is still open? Do not provoke the Lord's patience by persisting in disobedience. But in humility, confess your sin and trust in the finish work of Christ, the blameless and spotless lamb of God. He will truly save you until the end.

THE CHURCH AS THE HOUSEHOLD OF GOD

A meditation on 1 Timothy 3:14-15a

In establishing a new congregation that is Biblical, you need a manual on how to start and nurture a church. I tell you there are books on church planting out there but none of those is as comprehensive and Scriptural compared with the letters of Paul to Timothy and Titus. So if you want to start right on target, these letters serve as faithful guide or manual on church planting.

These letters of Paul tell us not so much on what kind of strategies work. But they help in selecting the right leaders who would serve as officers of the church and in teaching the people the things they ought to know and the things they ought to do in the church.

When we started the Reformed congregation in Davao City back in 2000, we also didn’t know what to do. Thank God that we have His Word to guide us, especially the three letters of Paul to his young fellow ministers who served as pastors in two new different congregations. These letters, known as Pastoral Epistles, served as manual for new inexperienced leaders in fulfilling their task of setting the new congregation in order.

1 Timothy is especially relevant because Paul wrote this letter to a young and less experienced co-worker whom he left in Ephesus with a mandate to promote order to the Ephesian church. Though the circumstances surrounding the letter were different from the situation we are in, the instructions of Paul here are very insightful and relevant to us. We can learn from these epistles what the church is and how church people should conduct themselves.

The verses we're focusing on is considered by some scholars to be the very heart of this letter. So as we look at these verses, we're right at the center of this epistle. What Paul writes in this letter are basic teachings on the doctrine and life of the church. We need to be reminded with these essential things ourselves.

In this section, Paul particularly reminds Timothy why believers ought to behave in a certain way in the church. He tells us that our conduct ought to match with our identity as the church.

If we have a low view or even a wrong view, of the church, we won't care how people conduct themselves in the church. We won't care about its office-bearers, its worship, or its doctrines. But if you and I have a Scriptural view of the church, as Paul presents here, then we will be very concerned about the conduct of the people and the organization of the church.

So what is the church according to Paul in 1 Timothy 3:14-16? Paul presents three pictures of the church here, and I'd like to unfold these pictures as we try to develop an understanding of why Paul even cares about the church. We are given here three related descriptions. First, the church is the household of God; second, the church is of the living God; and third, the church is the pillar and foundation of the truth.

My focus in this article is to show that the church is THE HOUSEHOLD OF GOD (vv.14-15a).

The church in Ephesus, where Paul left Timothy, was far from being perfect. Not only that, Timothy, the young pastor of the church and Paul's representative, didn't always have the boldness necessary to confront those who needed confronting. There were false teachers within the church. It was far from the place it should have been, and yet it still was the church.

Paul says in vv.14-15a, “I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing you these things so that, if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God.” Here we see not only the reason for the letter, but it also gives the theological basis for it. Its basic message is that order is necessary for the church, precisely because of what the church is.

Now I want you to note that Paul is especially thinking of the local assembly of Christians in Ephesus when he uses the word church here. What he says, of course, applies to every Christian church, and in some measure applies to the universal church. But he's especially thinking of the gathered people of God. So God's church is first of all the household of God.

Before we try to understand the meaning of the phrase “household of God” note also what Paul is saying. He says, “I am writing you these things.” What are “these things”? Well, it seems that “these things” could be referring to the things he's just written about in chapter 3, about office bearers of the church, i.e., elders and deacons, and their qualifications (vv.1-13).

However, Paul could also be referring to the entire epistle. And it seems likely that here Paul is speaking of the entire purpose of his letter. And what is that purpose? That you and I will know how to act or behave in the local church. At the heart of Paul's concern in writing about all these things is that the local church would live in light of a wondrous truth.

And what is that truth? He tells you right here in v.15. It is the truth that the local church is the household of God. Now “household” is translated by some Bible versions as being a house, or as referring to a building. That is possible, especially in light of what Paul is about to say about the church being a pillar and foundation (v.15).

In that case, the church is portrayed as the place where the living God dwells. So let us be reminded that every time we gather together for worship, God is among us. That tells us a lot how we should conduct ourselves in the presence of God. I ask you, how would you behave if our president is among us? For sure children would sit straight and listen to him when he speaks. How much more when the King of all kings, is among us! And indeed He is with us, or should we say, we are in His presence in worship. We are in His presence and He speaks to us in His Word. So we better pay attention.

But it seems that the idea of the church as the household of God, that is, as a family of God, is also in mind here, especially that Paul is talking about behavior, which entails relation-ship. So we may say that the church is both the house of God and the household of God.

Do you realize how important it is to bear in mind that we are God's household, that we are His family? Each of us is a member with God's family – children and adult, we are part of God’s family. You and I are God's children by faith in Jesus Christ. And because of that, you and I belong to each other. We need one another as believers. We can't live as “Lone Ranger” Christians. We need one another's encouragement. We need to correct each other and we need to learn to resolve our conflicts together in Christian love. We need to be committed to each other even if sometimes we disagree on certain issue. Commitment to remain faithful to the Lord and each other is necessary as members of God’s household.

So how involved are you in the lives of the other family members? Do you even know their names? How much time do you spend in knowing each other, in praying for one another, in studying the Word together, in serving one another and in praising God together?

God wants you to appreciate the glory of the local fellowship of believers. And so dear brothers and sisters, it's so important that we pause and think. Because in the fellowship of believers, just like in any family, we get irritated with one another and we get irritated about things with our church. And that irritation or frustration with other family members, if not properly dealt with, sidetracks our attention from the essential things that the local church does.

And it causes us to undervalue the glory of what we have together as the assembled saints of God – things like meeting with God, experiencing His presence, giving Him praise, hearing His word, growing in grace under the means of grace together.

Paul is saying we need to appreciate the fellowship and communion of the saints. He is saying that all of “these things,” may they be qualifications of the church leaders or the practical instructions in this letter, won’t make sense, won’t grip our heart until we realize we are the place where God meets. We are the dwelling place, the house and the household of God.

We are God's family. Everywhere Bible-believing and Christ-exalting Christians gather Lord’s Day after Lord’s Day, committed to one another in membership in a local congregation, there God dwells. And Paul wants us to realize that this local church is glorious in ways that we seldom appreciate. But once we do, we learn to live and act as the house and household of God.

The Word of God is not Chained

A meditation on 2 Timothy 2:8-9

October 31, 2010 marks the 493rd anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. One of the many accomplishments of the Reformation is the recovery and the propagation of the gospel of salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. After being set aside by many for centuries, the powerful Word of God has spread in many parts of 16th century Europe, conquering many hearts with the message of salvation in Christ alone. However, the victory of the gospel has also cost the lives of many faithful believers, including preachers.

It is a fact that when the gospel advances persecution and suffering also intensify. Today, almost 500 years after the Reformation, the gospel of God continues to go out to the nations, conquering many souls for the Lord Jesus Christ. But with this conquest also comes an on-going resistance and opposition. Yet, by the power of the Holy Spirit, God's people and God's faithful ministers continue to labor in proclaiming this glorious gospel throughout the world. There are good reasons why ministers of the gospel are greatly motivated to persevere in this ministry in spite of its accompanying challenges and hardships.

In 2 Timothy 2:8-9, the Apostle Paul presents two living examples of perseverance in suffering for the sake of the gospel. First, he presents our Lord Jesus Christ (v.8); then he mentions himself (v. 9).

First, we have the example of our Lord Jesus Christ. One of Paul's repeated exhortations in this letter is for Timothy to share in suffering for the gospel as a faithful minister of Jesus Christ. In 1:8 he says, “Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God,...”

Again in 2:3, Paul urges Timothy saying, “Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.” This call to share in suffering, of course, is in the context of laboring for the gospel. In verses 4-6, Paul underscores “the need for suffering hardship as a good soldier of Christ with the imagery of the soldier (v.4) being supplemented with that of an athlete (v.5) and a farmer (6)” (George W. Knight, The Pastoral Epistles, p. 392). These three images (of soldier, athlete, and farmer) convey the idea of disciplined and enduring service that would eventually be rewarded.

Then in verse 8 Paul calls Timothy to focus his attention on Christ. “Remember Jesus Christ,” he says. Paul is urging Timothy here to 'keep in mind' and to 'think about' Jesus as the one raised from the dead and as the one who descended from David. The reason why Paul mentions Jesus Christ this way may not be obvious, especially as it relates to his calling Timothy to share in suffering.

However, if we'll take Paul's word that this is his gospel, that this is the good news that he preached, then we know that the two descriptions of Christ are but a shorthand of the content of the gospel. This gospel centers on the person of Jesus Christ. This gospel should encourage Timothy 'for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes' (Rom. 1:16).

In this gospel Jesus Christ is being preached as the one who has risen from the dead and the offspring of David. In saying this Paul is implicitly telling Timothy of the death of our Lord Jesus Christ. And in remembering the death of Christ Timothy is also reminded of the many sufferings of Christ, especially His death on the cross.

Through His death Christ paid for the penalty of our sin, and in His death He died for sinners, like us. So the underlying truth in this is that Jesus Christ suffered and died before He was resurrected. Therefore “Timothy is to remember that Jesus is raised from death itself, and that triumph is to encourage him when he contemplates suffering hardship for Christ” (Knight, p. 397).

Also by stating that Jesus is the offspring of David, Paul is declaring that He was born from the line of David, thus underscoring His humanity, His royal descent, and His Messianic identity. His death and resurrection as the Christ, the kingly Messiah from the line of David have secured for His people eternal salvation.

Through His death He redeemed His people from their sin; through His resurrection He conquered the power of death and the devil. Paul is telling Timothy, “Remember your risen and ever-present Lord.” He went through suffering. He died but He conquered death. Now He is alive!

We all recognize the motivational and inspirational power of an extraordinary life. Some of us may have been deeply influenced, for example, by the lives of John Calvin, Martin Luther, and many other godly ministers of the past in the Reformed and Presbyterian tradition. Although inspiring, these faithful soldiers of Christ can’t help us. They are dead and their bodies rot in the ground. But listen to the testimony of the Word concerning Jesus, “Since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession … He always lives to make intercession for [us]” (Heb. 4:14, 7:25). Remember Jesus Christ. He lives and empowers us by His Holy Spirit. He is the essence of the gospel. And this gospel is the message that Paul has preached.

But this gospel was offensive to many people then, as it is now. Not only because of its simple call to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ for salvation, but also in its exclusive claim, that is, that apart from Jesus Christ, salvation is nowhere to be found. And this uncompromising claim to exclusivity is what makes the gospel so provocative and what gets those who preach it in trouble, especially in our relativistic and pluralistic society today. Certainly this was true in Paul’s case.

So I want to focus, secondly, on Paul's own example. The gospel that Paul has preached centers on the person of Jesus Christ. Paul received this message concerning Christ by revelation (Gal. 1:12). This is the message he preached in public places (Acts 16:13). This is the message he put forth in places of worship (Acts 17:17). This is the message he shared with people in small groups from house to house (Acts 20:20). This is the message he entrusted to others (2 Tim. 2:2).

Now in v. 9 he is telling Timothy that because of this gospel he is suffering. It was in the course of advancing the message of Christ that Paul endured suffering (1:8, 12; 2:8); that he is chained and treated as a common criminal. His chains, of course, refer to his imprisonment in Rome. This was a much worse situation than the house arrest of his first imprisonment (cf. Acts 28:16-31). This prison was a pit without normal sanitation jammed with people awaiting execution. Paul's word translated "criminal" here is the same word used for those thieves crucified with Jesus. So we may understand the shame Paul was talking about in 1:8, having been classified by the Roman government in the same way as those he was incarcerated with.

But in spite of his suffering in chains in that Roman dungeon, Paul is confidently sure that the word of God is not chained. The gospel of Christ cannot be bound by anyone. One pastor beautifully puts it this way,

It is true of the gospel enterprise that although the messenger may be fettered, the message is always free. The word of God is not chained. Chain the man and the message circulates throughout the prison (Phil. 1:13). Restrain the messenger and the other saints are rejuvenated to speak the word of God without fear (Phil. 1:14). Incarcerate the man and he writes Spirit-inspired letters which last for all eternity and which God uses to liberate untold millions from the bondage of sin. Isolate the man in jail and he, like Bunyan, writes books which God will use to draw men and women to Himself and to cause the saints to persevere in the way of holiness. Silence one preacher and another will step up to take his place. Burn martyrs like Cranmer and Ridley and God uses their dying words to quicken others to life. Burn Bibles and individual pages of Scripture and memorized verses will spread from house to house, saint to saint. Imprisonment and death in no wise slow or stop the advance of the gospel. It will accomplish the purpose for which God has sent it out (Tom Ferrell).

John MacArthur also says, “Paul affirmed that even though he was imprisoned, the gospel could never be imprisoned. That's an important message for those who say we need to soften the gospel message so we don't lose the freedom to preach it. They say we need to take away the offense of the gospel, but that would rob the gospel of its power (cf. 1 Cor. 1:23-25). Some will respond, ‘If we boldly proclaim an offensive gospel we may be arrested and jailed.’ But if that's where the Lord wants us to be, then that's great! Paul wrote to the Philippians, ‘All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar's household’ (Phil. 4:22). Paul was a prisoner at the time he wrote that, yet many in Caesar's household had come to faith in Christ through his witness in such circumstances. Paul viewed the circumstances of imprisonment as an opportunity to evangelize his guards.”

We know that God may permit his servants to be imprisoned, silenced or even killed, but the truth remains that the word of God is not chained and cannot be chained. And Timothy must be strengthened by that truth. We, too, must be encouraged by that truth today, but most especially when we are facing tough times in the ministry.

Some years ago, my wife borrowed a book from a friend about a man named Brother Yun, a Christian leader of the underground church in China. The book is entitled The Heavenly Man. It is an intensely dramatic story of how God took this young, half-starved boy from a poor village in Henan Province and used him to preach the gospel despite horrific opposition and persecution. Brother Yun is a man who from his youth has suffered prolonged tortures and imprisonments for his faith. However, throughout the book he kept pointing to the character and heart of Jesus.

Many Christians in North America or Europe are casually aware that outside the West, Jesus' followers experience difficulty because of their faith. I am aware that in November many churches observe a Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church, but afterward people go on with their lives. You cannot read this piercing biography of Brother Yun, whose real name is Liu Zhenying, and remain unchanged. The recorded experiences show in a concrete way what it is for Chinese Christians to live hard lives of extreme danger because of their faith: police raids in the night, long imprisonment without trial, beatings, forced abortions and sterilizations, starvation, dehydration, isolation, nakedness.

However, from these, God produces lives of commitment to Christ, lives of joy, and intense motivation to carry the message of the gospel around the world, at any cost. After reading this book, you'll appreciate the impact Jesus has on civilization as the West know it. You'll see how dark and brutal civilization becomes without Christ. You'll understand why the freedom and protection you and I, from a free country, take for granted are a treasure. But you will also see how dangerous peace, safety and material prosperity can be to your spiritual health and to your commitment to serving the cause of Christ.

Almost 500 years have passed since Luther penned that famous line in his hymn that goes, “Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also; the body they may kill, God's truth abideth still, His kingdom is forever.” Yet in those words we can still hear the confidence of Luther that even though his enemies may silence him, God's word will prevail. And it did, and it does and it will prevail forever.

May we not be disheartened by the many hardships in the gospel ministry but be encouraged by the words of the Apostle Paul to Timothy saying, “Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead...Remember that I may be in chains but the Word of God is not chained.”