Priorities for All
Do you sometimes feel pulled in many different directions at once? Our jobs and financial needs so often conflict with family responsibilities, church responsibilities, sports, hobbies and friends. Some clearly get their priorities wrong. When the Roman city of Pompeii was being excavated, the body of a woman was found. It had been mummified by the volcanic ash from the erupting Mount Vesuvius. Her position tells a tragic story. Her feet pointed towards the city gate to which she was clearly fleeing, but her outstretched arms and fingers were stretching back for something behind her. The treasure she had dropped was a bag of pearls. The eruption of Mount Vesuvius froze her in this attitude of greed.
Her priorities were clearly wrong. It is said that eleven millionaires went down with the Titanic when she sunk on her maiden voyage. One survivor, who left three hundred thousand dollars in money, jewellery and securities in his cabin, said,
“The money seemed a mockery at that time. I picked up three oranges instead!”
Over the doorways into the magnificent cathedral in Milan are carved pictures with inscriptions. One has a carved wreath of roses and underneath is written,
“All that pleases is but for a moment.”
Over another a cross has been carved, associated with the words,
“All that troubles us is but for a moment.”
Over the great central entrance are the words,
“That only is important which is eternal.”
How true. If we grasp these three truths we will not let trifles trouble us; passing pleasures won’t preoccupy us, we will live for what is permanent, for eternity.
Jesus said just this when he was discussing the priorities people should have. He is warning us not to run after those things that pagans run after because our heavenly Father knows our needs.
“. . . But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be given you as well.” Matthew 6:33
So the two major priorities of life are spiritual,
To gain admission into God’s kingdom, both for ourselves and others
To become holy people, committed to living God’s way.
Paul’s second letter to Timothy was written when he was imprisoned in Rome, shortly before he was beheaded. It is a very personal open letter to remind us all about our priorities as God’s people.
It is so easy for us to think that doing our jobs well is our main priority. This can be totally consuming and leave little time for anything else. No, a Christians priorities should be God first, family next and job third. Too often this is reversed. The light that shines out from our lives must be our dependence on the Lord Jesus. It is little benefit if at work colleagues or clients see our high standards yet do not realise because they have not been informed that these standards come from our commitment to the Lord. Didn’t Jesus say,
“. . . let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16
The problems the early Christians faced are so similar to those we Christians face today. The second letter to Timothy is written to those who have become Christians, who have made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ and have entered the Kingdom of God. It is this personal commitment to Christ that is the key to salvation. Commitment to a church or cause does not save. Paul writes to Timothy and those with such a commitment to the person of Jesus Christ,
“. . . your sincere faith.” 2 Timothy 1:5
Faith is always in a person, a true Christians has a dependence on the forgiveness that Christ has won for them on that cross. Because we are committed to him, he gives us His righteousness as a free gift. We are saved by the gift of God’s righteousness; our feeble attempts at being righteous can never save anyone.
Paul, in this farewell letter, gives three priorities for Christians.
Do not be afraid to testify
“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel . . .” 2 Timothy 1:7-8
Fear can paralyse Christians. We can be so afraid of what others think of us that we take no risks whatsoever. Christians have been given the Holy Spirit, a spirit of power, so that we can all achieve great things for God. This power enables us to put ourselves out to love other people and to do this requires self discipline. Our decisions, such as who to invite round for a meal or coffee, who we spend time with, will be controlled by what pleases Jesus. A common fear Christians face is testifying about Jesus. It can be a paralysing fear. Just think, when was the last time you talked about the Lord Jesus to a non-Christian? Didn’t Jesus warn us about being ashamed of him?
“What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” Luke 6:25-26
Any shame we feel about Christ will be reflected in the way we associate with others who are living for Christ. If my relationship with Christ is strained, so will be my relationship with others in His church. Just as we shouldn’t be ashamed of our Lord, so we should not be ashamed of other Christians in the church. Indeed, to talk with outsiders about your church and what it is doing is a great introduction to start talking about Jesus and what He means to you. This can lead on to an invitation for them to come and hear the Bible’s message being explained. People must hear this message and we may be the only ones who can introduce them to it. It is God who longs that all people should hear the message eternal salvation that is only available through Christ. God longs for all people to put their trust in Him and so be saved.
This commission is not just for the apostles and church leaders, it has been given to all Christians. All Christians, both men and women, have been ordained as priests of God; we have all been commissioned as His representatives.
“To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father . . .” Revelation 1:5-6
There will however be a price to pay. Christ and all his apostles suffered. Paul suffered, he was abused and imprisoned because he tried to fulfil the commission God had given to him to share the gospel. Yet he adds,
“But join with me in suffering for the gospel . . .” 2 Timothy 1:8
The reason Paul suffered was because he insisted that all people need Jesus Christ.
“And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know who I have believed and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.” 2 Timothy 1:11-12
Paul was clear that living with an eternal perspective was eminently sensible.
So the first lesson Paul wants us to learn is not to be afraid of testifying about Jesus and the salvation he alone brings to those who rely on him and live for him.
2. Guard God’s truth
“What you have heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching.” 2 Timothy 1:13
All true churches are built on the teaching God has given us through His apostles. They are the foundation of the city of God. In the Nicene Creed, an early creed accepted by all major Christian churches, we say,
“I believe in one holy, catholic (universal), apostolic church.”
An apostolic church is one whose doctrines come from Scripture alone. Christians must be intolerant of teachings and emphases that are contrary to or not emphasised in Scripture. For example some denominations venerate Mary and pray to her, as if she is a god. Some hold that she was sinless even though she addresses God as ‘her Saviour’ (Luke 1:17). The Bible emphasises Christ and Him alone. There was a Roman Catholic bishop in Mexico City who had an experience of God. This resulted in the Bible becoming alive to him. In his cathedral there were two statues standing on either side of the altar. One was of the Lord Jesus and the other was of Mary. He moved the statue of Mary to the back of the cathedral so that it faced the front. When asked why he had done this by some disapproving members of the church he replied that according to the Bible Mary was in the congregation, a sinner saved by grace, and therefore her place was with everyone else, worshipping the Saviour, Jesus Christ.
The problem has always been that if we stand firm, only teaching biblical apostolic truths, people will desert us. There will be a price to pay. If popularity is a prime goal, we will not teach God’s word faithfully.
The message we as Christians have to pass on and inspire others with is the timeless truth that Jesus and his apostles taught. Paul always emphasises that we should only teach what Christ’s apostles taught.
“And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be able to teach others.” 2 Timothy 2:2
“But God’s word is not chained.” 2 Timothy 2:9
It is not our thoughts but God’s message that we are to pass on.
“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed (there’s that word again) and who correctly handles the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15
“. . . the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:15-17
In order to guard God’s truth we must train others to pass on the message,
“The things that you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.” 2 Timothy 2:2
There is an urgency about this task of training others. If our generation fails to pass on God’s message to those around us, then God’s church will inevitably decline with awful consequences for society. Paul finishes this, his final letter, with an impassioned plea that we need to hear today.
“In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: ‘Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage – with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather round them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.” 2 Timothy 4:1-5
How can we all guard God’s truth? Clearly we must understand it well for ourselves and make this a priority. We should all read the Bible every day, we should make attending a weekly Bible Study in a home group a priority, and we must become involved in a Bible teaching local church. My social life should fit in around these priorities and not the other way round. We must then ensure that we are teaching others what we are learning.
3. Be single-minded in your commitment to Christ
How we need to hear this today. Paul gives three illustrations of what being a single-minded Christian will involve.
A good soldier is committed to pleasing his commanding officer. In the same way a Christian’s over-riding ambition is to please the Lord Jesus and live for his reputation. Just as with a soldier this will involve hard training and discipline.
An athlete’s goal is to win the race and receive the gold medal. This requires total dedication in training and lifestyle. So if a Christian’s ambition is to be successful for Christ, we must also have a totally dedicated mindset. No athlete wins who is lazy and not hard working.
The farmer is also hardworking because he expects the reward of the harvest. Similarly Christians must work hard to bring in God’s harvest, which includes winning others for Christ. 2 Timothy 2:3-6
A group of theological students who were about to become pastors were taken to visit the Revd. Llewellyn Roberts, who ran a very successful youth group in his church. and he described the various activities that his group ran. One of the students then asked Uncle Lew, as he was affectionately called, what he attributed his success to. Uncle Lew could not pronounce his ‘h’s’ properly so he replied,
“ ’ard work, ‘ard work.”
Such living for the Lord Jesus is not easy. It will entail suffering. Paul keeps returning to this theme. Jesus was single-minded so we should follow his example.
“Remember Jesus Christ . . .” 2 Timothy 2:8
If we expect problems we will not be disappointed. Naturally we want to get on with everybody we work with so the danger is that we will compromise our priorities. Paul later suggests that if we are not facing difficulties because of our stand for Christ, something is probably wrong.
“In fact everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” 2 Timothy 3:12
If we experience no opposition, is it because there is little to oppose, because we are not Christ-centred, Christ-proclaiming enough? The world is happy for us to have a private faith but not for us to ‘go public’ about the Lord Jesus and his claims. It should come as no surprise if those who are rebelling against God and his Son hate it when God’s opinion and his offer of salvation through faith in Christ are publicised.
The next verses are probably an early Christian hymn,
“If we died with him, we will also live with him. If we endure, we will reign with him.” 2 Timothy 2:11-13
The choice is ours. We can choose not to get involved in living for Jesus Christ, we can be ashamed of him. However there is a great danger in this approach,
“If we disown him, he will disown us.” 2 Timothy 2:12
Didn’t Jesus himself say,
“Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven. Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth . . .” Matthew 10:33
God’s word is utterly dependable. He is not fickle. The encouragement and warnings are clear.
“If we are faithless, he will remain faithful for he cannot disown himself.”
A close relationship with Jesus is vital if we are to maintain such a single-minded devotion to the Lord and his cause. It is unfortunately all too easy to get immersed in Christian activity and find that the relationship with Jesus becomes cold. After I became a Christian, I became active in the Christian Unions at both my university and my medical school in London. I was a member of a thrilling church where the Bible teaching was exceptionally good. I was elected President of the Christian Union and we saw some remarkable things happen. A friend and I then went to Uganda to help with work in a mission hospital in Uganda. We were well taught and felt we had a lot to offer. One afternoon my friend and I were strolling up Namirembe hill, in the centre of Kampala, when we met a Ugandan Christian coming down on the other side of the road. He had a broad smile with bright teeth, and a very deep dog collar round his neck. "Hello," he called. We crossed over the road and started talking.
"What are you doing in Uganda?" he asked.
"We are working in Mengo Mission Hospital."
"Oh, that's lovely. Does that mean that you are Christians then?"
"Yes, we both are," we replied.
"That's good, but tell me, how are you getting on with Jesus?"
I had never been asked a question like that before, but gave a typical English reply, "Very well, thank you, and you?"
We may have blushed but somehow the Ugandan minister must have seen our embarrassment because he switched the conversation to himself, still with that open smile on his face, and said:
"I became a Christian when I was 29 years old and was working as a schoolmaster. I became very active in my church, but somehow, in spite of all my Christian activities, my walk with the Lord was cold. Then I learnt what the problem with me was. I was active for God but he was not closely involved in what I was doing. I then learnt to keep Jesus busy in all I was doing. If I failed him, I learnt to say sorry quickly; when everything was going well I learnt to keep thanking him; when there were problems I learnt to involve Jesus at the beginning. That's the secret, I have learnt to keep Jesus busy. I must go now, but please don't forget, keep Jesus busy." He then disappeared down the hill. I have no idea who that Christian was, but one day in heaven I will thank him from the bottom of my heart for giving me those five minutes. That is the secret, it is not just obedience that God wants; above all, he longs for a close friendship with each of us.
Medicine is a wonderful calling but how easy it is for a doctor, or anyone, to become so wrapped up in what others see as good work that we cease to enjoy living with and for Jesus. If we go to a party and are asked about our profession, do we first think of our work as a nurse, specialist or General Practitioner or is our first thought our profession Christ?
One very successful senior surgeon who began the Christian life when he was a student explained to me why he was no longer involved in a church,
“My surgery is my Christianity now.”
Surely our first concern must be to work and speak for the honour of our maker, Jesus the Christ. This is easily said, but how can I, or any one, keep doing this under the pressure of modern medical life?
The youth leader of a local church brought a group of her youngsters to join in one of our services. I sat down next to her to welcome her. The first thing she said to me was,
“The trouble with your church is that you talk too much about Jesus!”
But the Lord Jesus is our message. God really entered this world as Jesus Christ, to be our Saviour, to die on that cross for you and me.
Look at what Paul would say,
“Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead . . .” 2 Timothy 2:8
Our commission as Christians is to share the message about Jesus because those who belong to him, who live for him (that’s what the word ‘believe’ means) are saved and will eventually be raised from death to live with God in heaven.
Some may object to such teaching by saying that this high standard of commitment is only for the few, for apostles, clergy and the like. This is not true; there are so many passages in Scripture that rebut such a suggestion. Here are a few.
“He (Jesus) died for all that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has gone, the new has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:15,17
Is this true for each of us? Are we keeping Jesus busy? Are we determined to make living for Jesus Christ the priority of our lives?
BVP
