We are supposed to find our example of the love of Christ in the leaders we follow. When the church becomes a business it always runs the risk of losing the love that is supposed to guide it. The Bible says that the world will know us by our love for one another. Have you ever walked into a loveless church? You can usually sense it right away. No one seems to want to talk to you or be friendly. Have you ever had a preacher expound on the love of Christ but you know they do not lead their lives or even run their church by that same guiding love they preached? Our love cannot be shallow. It cannot be based upon agreement but rather on Christ. Love based upon deeds not just words. When Christ looked upon the multitudes He had compassion for them. People are not attendance statistics or future tithers. They are people and usually they are hurting in form or another. As much as they need the Gospel - they need it delivered with love.
Next, we see Paul instruct Timothy that we must be an example to all believers in the display of our faith. That may sound easy enough but how many carnal leaders do we have running churches today? Leaders who do not understand the true nature of spiritual warfare and therefore rarely preach it. Leaders who are quick to turn to the solutions of this world instead of standing on faith. The truth is that faith is always easier taught than caught. It is always easier to teach the principles of faith than to have to actually live them. But nothing teaches faith better than a life lived by faith.
The final area Paul instructs Timothy on to lead by example is purity. The dictionary defines purity as being free from anything that contaminates or pollutes. It is a topic rarely discussed or preached about anymore because it relates directly to holiness.
So think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. So you must live as God's obedient children. Don't slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn't know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, "You must be holy because I am holy." - 1Peter 1: 13-16 (NLT)
No one is perfect beloved but it seems we sometimes use that as an excuse to not even try. This letter written by Peter was written to various churches so it is addressed to believers in general. How much more important is it for the Body of Christ to see the principles of holiness and purity from it's leaders? The modern church continues to infiltrate the world looking for relevance instead of bringing the pure Gospel. We should not be relevant to a culture that is sending people to hell. We cannot continue to mix Biblical principles with worldly logic and human reasoning. We must seek to purge the pollution from the Church and it must start with those who would take the lead.
Having reviewed the personal responsibilities for would be Christian leaders and those who would seek to bring the Word of God; the key verses wrap up with Paul sharply focusing Timothy on what he should be concentrating on. Nothing about cultural relevance. Nothing about seeking as many people as possible. Nothing about giving them purpose, drawing circles in the sand, or any other wave of false doctrine. Just three things that if preachers/teachers/leaders would stick to, we would have far less problems than we currently do. The first is reading Scripture to the church. What a novel concept! I remember someone once asked me why I use so much Scripture when I preach. My answer is that there is nothing I can say that will break any yokes in your life. Only the Word of God has that power. My job is to bring that Word and connect the dots. Joel Osteen once said that he often goes the entire sermon without Scripture and then maybe brings it in at the end. How sad. I have watched other preachers who seemingly have no Scripture in their sermons or verses taken horribly out of context to support their false teaching. There is power in the Word of God! The Bible says that it never returns void! I remember once that I was going to give up writing because there was very minimal feedback. Looking back I can see the carnality in my logic. That very night however, a woman who had been left quadriplegic from a horrific motorcycle accident emailed me to say that the devotionals had restored her faith. She went home to be with the Lord the following week. God could not have been clearer. We do the writing, preaching, and teaching and He makes sure His Word does not return void. The first focus for anyone who wants to lead/teach/preach is Scripture, Scripture, Scripture.
The second focus however is to be an encourager. This is not just an academic or doctrinal exercise. People are real and so are the mountains we face. Once you have established the truth through Scripture Paul reminds us of the human condition we all face. My pastor once taught me that if the people who hear you do not feel as though you care about them, they probably will not receive the message. Too many times we see a barbed wire Christ devoid of love. The Bible is not meant to be a blunt instrument to whack people over the head with. These truths are not easy. They go against the world we all live in. Christianity is often falsely sold to people as being easy and costing little. The Bible does not say that. We must be prepared to pick up our cross and follow Him. That message though can be delivered in an encouraging fashion.
Once you have solidified the truth through Scripture and acknowledged our shared humanity through encouragement, the final instruction for today is that now we can begin to teach. The Bible says that the people perish because they lack knowledge of who God is. When Phillip first meets the Ethiopian Eunuch he asks him if he understands the Isaiah Scriptures he was reading.
