Leading?

2 Timothy 2:14-19

14 Remind them of these things, and solemnly charge them in the presence of God not to wrangle about words, which is useless and leads to the ruin of the hearers. 15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. 16 But avoid worldly and empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness, 17 and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, 18 men who have gone astray from the truth saying that the resurrection has already taken place, and they upset the faith of some. 19 Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to abstain from wickedness.”

Examine / Explain

In this charge to leaders within the church, we are reminded that the foundation of our faith is Jesus Christ. And there are those within the body of believers who will miss the mark of the Gospel. In their babbling chatter, they will convince others to follow their claims. They will overthrow the faith of those who do not have the solid foundation of Christ.

How do I apply this to my life?

How am I leading others in the church? What words come out of my mouth are babbling chatter that has no bearing on core beliefs in the Gospel but could profoundly affect the guy next to me? Am I standing firm on the foundation of my faith, which is Jesus? Do I have enough relational equity to call out those straying away by name? Paul had to know these men and have a rapport with them to say what he said about them. Going around calling out false teachers and teaching without having a relationship with those doing it is meaningless, and my time would be better spent studying the Word or pouring into those around me what to look out for in false teaching. Let’s avoid that, and you teach the next guy the same things. Ah, it always comes back to discipleship. Am I doing enough with discipleship? I see this passage as primarily for an elder of the church, and I also can see how it applies to all of us. We should be leading. We should be making disciples with purpose and intent. We are always teaching others how to live and do in their own lives, whether we do it intentionally or not. What has my family caught from my following of Christ? What have I taught them to do? Because I see my actions more than my family, my perspective is passivity, apathy, and laziness.

What is my response?

Father, I know others see me differently than I see myself. I know that you see me differently than I see myself. Could I see through your eyes myself and others? Maybe, if I could remove the blindness of how I see people, my perspective would shift. I get locked in on how we, as believers, are not internationally making disciples. All the while, if anyone is watching me, I am teaching how to be distracted with the argument of doing it wrong rather than just being intentional and making a disciple. Like breathing, I should be intentional with my walk and let the next guy know how to do it. Not that I have it all figured out because I don’t. But if I have that firm foundation of Jesus and study the Word, I am responsible for giving what I know away to others. Lord, how am I doing? Where am I failing? Where can I surrender to you in life? What is getting in the way of my leading of others? Do I have the courage to say cut it away from me? Do I dare say circumcise my heart until all that is left is a true reflection of Jesus? Can I let go of my sin to follow You? Will I deny myself, or will I deny You? One has a better outcome…