SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 1/8/2025 9:38 AM
My Worship Time Focus:
PT-5 “The Teacher”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: 2 Timothy 2:2
Message of the
verse: “The
things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men
who will be able to teach others also.”
John MacArthur has much to say about teachers and I
suppose that because that is what he is and has been for many years that this
is why he has a lot to say about teachers.
Teachers are very important to the Church and have been for a long time,
and will continue to be until the Lord comes to take His bride to heaven to
live with Him.
In the last SD there was a story that MacArthur tells
about his college days when he ran track and tells of how the third person in
the relay just stopped because he did not feel like running any longer. He was ridiculed by his teammates and also by
his coach for not doing what he was trained to do. Ok MacArthur doesn’t tell a story without a
spiritual meaning like most Pastors and teachers do, and so he brings this
story into his teaching as he says “Timothy’s assignment was to run the second
lap, as it were, of this spiritual relay, in which he as to entrust the things he
had been taught by Paul—that is, pass on the in-depth teaching of God’s Word—to
faithful men under his care. That which
he was to carefully guard (1:14; cf. 1 Tim. 6:20) he also was to carefully
teach.”
What truths was Timothy to teach, and I can say that it
was not just the basic gospel message of salvation, which is to be preached to
all who will hear. Telling other about what Christ did for them on the cross is
the job of everyone who is a believer.
Paul is talking about the careful, systematic training of church leaders
who will teach and disciple other believers in the fulness of God’s Word. MacArthur writes that “This particular
ministry is to be selective. It is
reserved for faithful men, who will be able to teach others also. He is
directing Timothy to invest in the lives of spiritually devout men who are
gifted to teach potential pastors and evangelists. Such men must already have proved their love
for the Lord and their giftedness in His service. They must be prequalified by proven spiritual
character and ability, as well as by fruitful labor.
“Pistos (faithful)
is used later in the chapter of the trustworthiness of God’s promise that ‘if
we died with Him, we shall also live with Him’ (v-11), and a few verses later
of Christ Himself, who, even ‘if we are faithless,…remains faithful; for He
cannot deny Himself’ (v. 13). In other
words, this special entrustment is reserved for men whose character reflects
the faithfulness of God’s own Word and of God’s own Son. In this context, faithful not only refers to
spiritual character but to spiritual giftedness. God does not call every believer to be a
teacher ad a teacher of teachers. Paul
knew Timothy had such giftedness (see. 1:6) and here instructs him to find
others who were so gifted and to teach them.”
I have listened to many hundreds of John MacArthur’s
sermons and have read many of his commentaries which helps me in writing my
Spiritual Diaries and his ministry at the church he is preaching at began a
long time ago, not sure but over fifty years ago. The church that he is still preaching at “Grace
Community Church” had around 500 people attending when he first got there. Let me just say it grew, and grew very
fast. One of the things that happened
was a school was begun and that school is doing things just like mentioned in
this last paragraph I quoted from MacArthur.
His desire is to teach others so that they can then go out and teach and
preach and this is successful because it follows the plans that God has put in
place. I mentioned that Jesus told His
disciples that it was important for Him to go away, and the reason was that
after He went back to heaven that the Church was born and that started the
cycle of teaching, of preaching, and of gifts to be given to those that the
Lord wanted to carry on the teachings of the Church. It is still going on today and will continue
to go on until my favorite event of Bible teaching will happen, that is the
rapture of the Church when all who have believed in Christ for salvation will
be caught up in the clouds of heaven where Christ will call them and then go to
heaven with Him to live with Him forever.
I have always desired to be one of those who are alive when the rapture
takes place, and am still holding out along with my family.
Spiritual meaning for my life today: The church
that I go to has some rules that I do not actually agree with, and yet it is
the church that the Lord has brought us to.
The rule about not being a church deacon of leader in the church if you
have been divorced, which I was well over fifty years ago before I became a
believer. I am still able to teach a
Sunday school class which I have been doing for around nine years. All I can do is do what I believe the Lord
desires me to do and I am thankful to be able to teach this very small class
and to write my Spiritual Diaries that the Holy Spirit of God is sending around
the world each and every day, to which I am amazed and thankful for.
My Steps of Faith for Today: Trust the
Lord to continue to give me grace to do the things that He has planned for me
to do in eternity past, so that He will receive the glory.
1/8/2025 10:13 AM
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