2 Timothy 4:1-4 – 1 I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.
.
What does your church want for a pastor? Ministry-minded men, what kind of pastor do you want to be? If the answers to these two questions does not flow fairly quickly through 2 Timothy 4:1-4, there is something very wrong with your answer.
A Quick Look at the Passage
Paul sets up his call to Timothy with as much weight as he can muster. He charges Timothy to do something by all the greatest of thoughts. He charges Timothy by God the Father and his Son, Jesus—the Jesus who will return and judge. He charges Timothy in the light of Jesus’ appearing and Jesus’ kingdom to do one thing: preach the word.
To preach is to proclaim. Timothy is to proclaim something for all to hear. He is to proclaim the word, the perfect, inspired, God-breathed, useful (see 2 Timothy 3:16-17) word of God as it is found in the holy scriptures. Proclaiming the Bible and its teaching is Timothy’s job, and he must fulfill this task. Timothy is to do this work when it is easy and when it is hard, when it is well-received and when it is opposed.
Paul warns Timothy that a generation of people is on the way who will not willingly endure sound doctrine and solid, biblical preaching. No matter, Timothy is to preach anyway. They will want to hire men to say what makes them feel good, but Timothy is to preach the word. They will run away from God and turn to falsehoods, but Timothy is to keep going, keep preaching the word, whether they like it or not.
A Response for Pastors
If you are training to be a pastor or are simply a ministry-minded person, this text should lay the foundation for what you will do as you pursue the ministry. Perhaps you want to be a preacher. Perhaps you want to do music. Perhaps you are a youth minister. Perhaps you are a missionary in training. Perhaps you want to work with college students. Perhaps you want to simply comfort senior adults. Regardless what is your role, you are to preach the word. You are to bring the perfect, life-changing, all-sufficient word of God into the lives of those around you.
When you bring people the word, some people will love it and others will hate it. It does not matter how they respond, your job is still the same. You certainly do not want to offend a person by your personality, your style, or something not related to the scriptures; but if they are offended by the actual content of the Bible and not your presentation, you must keep preaching the word. Preach the word, not your own opinions. Preach the word, don’t just do little celebrity interviews. Preach the word, don’t give into the temptation to say that our society does not like preaching anymore. Preach the word, not some soft-sided imitation of the word. Preach the word, not psychology. Preach the word, not seven habits of whatever is new on the bookshelves. Preach the word, not simply ten tips for potty-training toddlers. Preach the word, preach it well, and preach it faithfully.
A Response for Church Members
If it is your pastor’s job to preach the word, it is your job to do two different things. First, your job is to hear the word. You are part of the flock to whom the pastor preaches. Listen, and listen well. When the word is opened to you, pay attention. Take notes. Welcome the speaking of God’s word into your life. Do not sit there trying to find someone to whom to apply these insights, fix them on your own life first. Do not seek to simply be entertained with fun stories and cute jokes, long for the pure, non-watered-down word of God.
Second, your job as a church member is to encourage, even demand, the preaching of the word. When your pastor brings the word to you, really the word and not something less, thank him. Don’t just say, “Nice sermon.” Instead, share with the pastor your genuine appreciation that he chose to open to you the word of God. When he brings you something less than the word, with much humility and charity encourage him to not hold back, not pander to the desires of the ungodly, not give into the advice of the world, but to truly preach the word.
Conclusion
Paul charged Timothy with all his might to preach the word. I believe that he would give us the same challenge. Our culture is not word-oriented. Many of our churches and their memberships are not fixed on scripture. But if we are to do what God calls us to do, we must be a people who thrive on and are centered on the word of God. Preach the word. Hear the word. Change as God changes you through the word. Let us become a people who truly love God’s holy word.
Pastor Travis Peterson 