“The Extent of His Commission” (2 Timothy 4:5c)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/16/2025 10:30 AM

My Worship Time                                                           Focus:  “The Extent of His Commission”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                    Reference: 2 Timothy 4:5c

            Message of the verse:  “do the work of an evangelist”

            I have to say that I continue to morn over the passing of both John MacArthur and a friend of mine who passed on the same day.  Tracy was a very troubled young lady who had a father who constantly prayed for her, and when I got to know her father I began to pray for her to.  She finally came to the Lord and her dad asked me to teach a Bible study at his home where two more of his friends also came, and one of them came to Christ as a result of that Bible study.  The sister of my friend came also.  At this time there is only three people still alive including me as her father died earlier this year, and then Tracy died the same day that John MacArthur died, and so it is a very sad time for me now, but knowing both of them are in heaven causes me to mourn with those who have hope, and I indeed have hope that both are now in the presence of the Lord.

            I am so happy that I have the commentaries of John MacArthur to help guide me through the Bible, and of course the guiding of the Holy Spirit of God too.  MacArthur begins this section with the word “Poieo (do the work), is the eighth imperative that Paul here gives to Timothy.  The noun euangelists (evangelize) is used only three times in the New Testament, always in reference to a specific office of ministry.  In his letter to the church at Ephesus, Paul tells us that Christ ‘gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers’ (Eph. 4:11).  The only person specifically called an evangelist is Philip (Acts 21:8), who was among the first deacons chosen in the church (6:5) and was used by the Lord to bring to salvation the Ethiopian official as he returned from worshiping in Jerusalem (8:26-38).”  If you are not familiar with that story, it is short and certainly worth reading.

            MacArthur then goes on to write “But the related verb euangelizo (to evangelize) and its compounds are used 54 times, and the noun euangelion (gospel, good news) is used 76 times.  Both words are used not only in relation to evangelists but also in relation to the call of every Christian to witness for Christ and of the responsibility of every preacher and teacher to proclaim the gospel of salvation.”  So that means that all of us who have been bought through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ is to tell others about how they too can be saved.

            “It is important to note, therefore, that Paul does not call Timothy an evangelist but rather calls him to do the work of an evangelist.  In other words, proclaiming the gospel of salvation was an important part of, but was not Timothy’s ministry.  As he preached, taught, and pastured those who already belonged to the Lord, he also was to confront the lost—in particular, nominal Christians within the church—with their need of a Savior.”

            Now MacArthur writes about how it is “important to note that the purpose of evangelization—whether by an ordinary Christian to a neighbor, by a pastor to the unsaved in his congregation, or by an evangelist to the general public—is to carefully but simply help unbelievers become aware of their sinfulness and lostness and to proclaim Jesus Christ as the only Savior and Lord.  Any human manipulation in that process, no matter how well intentioned, always becomes a barrier to genuine belief.”

            Now I do not put the gospel message on a lot of my blog posts, but when I do I believe that I do so correctly.  I have put my testimony onto my blog posts a number of times, and I realize that all people are saved in the exact same way, but the circumstances are sometimes different, which is the case for me.  I can say that on January 26, 1974 that the Holy Spirit of God opened my heart to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord, although I did not realize at first that He was my Lord, but nonetheless once I became a believer Jesus Christ became my Lord and Savior. 

7/16/2025 10:55 AM