How do you choose the right people to train for ministry?
10 Jul 26
Today's devotional: taken from YouVersion, Devotions on F.I.R.E. Year One
Readings:
Psalms 1
Psalms 2
Psalms 3
Acts 16:1-15
And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also (2 Timothy 2:2).
How do you choose the right people to train for ministry?
Paul looks for faithful, available, and teachable (FAT) men to train for ministry work. He chooses Timothy to replace John Mark (Acts 16:1-5). Timothy is a faithful disciple who “was well spoken of by the brethren” (Acts 16:2). The young man, whose name means “to value God,” makes himself available and is teachable. First Corinthians 4:17 shows the following two traits: “For this reason I have sent Timothy to you, who is my beloved and faithful son in the Lord, who will remind you of my ways in Christ.” Paul could dispatch Timothy to a troubled Corinthian church because he was faithful, available, and teachable. We should also strive to be FAT.
Employment Point: Invest in faithful, available, and teachable servants.
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Reflections
Hahaha.. this is a good way to help people remember what kind of servants we ought to be. Those that are FAT! Faithful, Available and Teachable.
“Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers,”
Psalms 1:1 NIV
- When we’re making decisions, big or small, about our careers, money, relationships, and more, may we seek God’s wisdom found in the Bible, godly counsel, and the leading of the Holy Spirit. His guidance is essential and trustworthy for living a fulfilling life and not creating messes.
“but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.”
Psalms 1:2 NIV
- The promise is that if you ‘delight’ in God’s Word and ‘meditate’ on Scripture ‘day and night’ (v.2, MSG), your life will be blessed. Happiness comes from what happens to you. Blessing is what happens to you through knowing God and meditating on his words
“That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers.”Psalms 1:3 NIV
- God promises you fruitfulness (‘which yields its fruit in season’, v.3b), vitality (‘whose leaves do not wither’, v.3c) and prosperity ('whatever they do prospers', v.3d), though not necessarily material prosperity!
“Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear and celebrate his rule with trembling.”
Psalms 2:10-11 NIV
- The Word has it here for even the kings to follow and it warned them on what they should do. The number rule-to serve the Lord with fear. Recognise that He is LORD over all.
“Many are saying of me, “God will not deliver him.” But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high.”
Psalms 3:2-3 NIV
- David encourages us in this verse to have the kind of faith he has. One that trusts the Lord more than men. When men said that this is the end, his trust is in the One True God, which brings us to the point on where and who we put our trust upon.
- There is a song titled “Power” by Chris Tomlin. Have a listen https://youtu.be/0ghypOJ6XW8?is=peCiJQpdxTZRoGBr
“During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.”Acts 16:9-10 NIV
- Paul was guided by the vision he saw and knew this is where the Lord is directing him to. Before that, they could not go anywhere or preach to word to anyone. Nothing much was mentioned on what they were feeling at that point in time.
- If it were me in their shoes, I believe I may wonder which direction I ought to turn. Otherwise, I will just assume the drivers default of going straight till I hit a fork and see where the Lord may lead.
- It is a reminder that in ministry, we will have to walk in step with the Lord. Not go before Him or get lagged behind. Seek His direction always.
“One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.”
Acts 16:14-15 NIV
- reading these two verses, we know that this can only come from the Lord’s divine appointment. That a seed had been planted and they went there intentionally to reap the harvest. Not only so, they were being provided a lodging place in the house of a believer.
- My learning point is that we never know what the Lord has in mind for us or His plans forward. But if just go with the flow without resisting it (with discernment of course), we more often find ourselves in places where we experience Him personally. At least, this is what I have encountered.
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The Spiritual Sluggard
BY OSWALD CHAMBERS
July 10
Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together. —Hebrews 10:24-25
We are all capable of being spiritual sluggards. There are times when we don’t want to mix with the rough-and-tumble of life as it is, when our sole objective is to secure peace and comfort for ourselves.
The note struck in Hebrews 10 is that of coming together to encourage each other and to spur each other on. This requires a special kind of initiative—the initiative of Christ-realization, not self-realization. To live a remote, retired, secluded life is the antithesis of the spirituality Jesus Christ taught.
The test of our spirituality comes when we find ourselves faced with injustice and cruelty and ingratitude and turmoil. All these can turn us into spiritual sluggards; they can cause us to retreat from the world and to use prayer and Bible reading merely to soothe ourselves.
We might start going to God for the sole purpose of getting enjoyment; we might lose interest in manifesting the life of Jesus Christ in our own lives. If we are behaving like this, we can be sure we’ve taken a step in the wrong direction.
Enjoyment, peace, and relaxation are effects of the spiritual life, but we try to make them causes.
Peter wanted to rouse Christians to action by reminding them of what Christ had done. “I think it meet,” he said, “to stir you up by putting you in remembrance” (2 Peter 1:13 kjv). It is a shocking thing to be stirred up by one of God’s provokers—by someone who is full of spiritual activity. The danger of spiritual sluggishness is that we do not want to be stirred up. All we want is repose. Jesus Christ never encouraged the idea of spiritual repose. His instructions were clear: “Go and tell . . .” (Matthew 28:10).
WISDOM FROM OSWALD
We all have the trick of saying—If only I were not where I am!—If only I had not got the kind of people I have to live with! If our faith or our religion does not help us in the conditions we are in, we have either a further struggle to go through, or we had better abandon that faith and religion.
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Reflections
“To live a remote, retired, secluded life is the antithesis of the spirituality Jesus Christ taught.”- quoting Oswald, just this sentence alone may already throw many of us into “oh dear. There goes the retirement plan.” But think of it this way, even when you stopped working, do you stop being a child a God? You don’t. So God’s works continue, till the very end.
I see ourselves as people who take action. Because when we become Christians, we start by believing, by saying yes to the Lord. Then we confess our sins and seek repentance. We chose to get baptised or even be confirmed members of the church. Each of these steps involves making informed decisions and taking an action alongside it.
Well, that’s not the end. Because we have to commit to study His word. Otherwise there’s no other way where we can get to know the Lord. Studying the word is never a one-off thing. It is a lifelong commitment and the consistent choosing to carry the cross daily. It takes effort, every single day.
But what if we choose not to take action? Sure.. but count your costs. Because if it is not the Lord that we seek, then we will start to seek something else. The question then turns to one where we have to reflect and ask ourselves, whether what we are seeking is leading us towards the end goal we want to achieve-that is eternal life. Ultimately if our actions do not align with our goals, something is wrong.
So what Oswald is saying, is that being a child of God means we cannot shirk away our responsibility of sharing the gospel. We cannot sit and do nothing or do not offer that helping hand. The world of heavens is not one where we live alone and not talk to one. It is about community, encouraging one another, just like how iron sharpens iron.
Let’s pray:
Heavenly Father and Eternal God, we give You all the thanks and praises, for You alone deserves all these. We thank You Father, for Your grace and mercy and help us to reciprocate such love for us to the people we meet, so that we can bear good witness for You. In Jesus’s most loving name we ask and pray. Amen 🙏🏻
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