Life and Doctrine

-


Scripture:

1Tim. 4:16 Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; continue in these things, for in doing this you will save both yourself and your hearers. (NRSV)
16 Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers. (NIV)

Observation:

In these words to Timothy we hear words which speak to us as well.  His ministry was to be a testimony of his faith.  There was to be no distinction between what he preached and taught and the way in which he lived his life.  His life and doctrine were to be one and the same. 

This wasn’t necessarily to be a simply task.  There was a perseverance in the task which would require effort.  Every day was to be a day of living out his faith and in doing so he himself would be saved.  At the same time those who heard his preaching and messages would also be saved, both by his words and his life.

Application:

For the preacher of the Gospel there can be no distinction between the words we preach and the lives that we live.  If we are to proclaim Christ and a new life in him, then we must be living that life to its fullest.

Never should a preacher be preaching something that he/she does not personally live out in their own lives.  Close attention must be paid to doctrine and then the practical living out of that doctrine.

We begin to run into trouble when a preacher no longer knows their own doctrine.  A life will be aligned with what it believes and understands and when there is no understanding of doctrine there is nothing with which to be aligned.  For those in the holiness tradition we have believed in a doctrine that is powerful and transformative.  It is a doctrine that results in a life that desires to be a reflection of Jesus Christ.  There are huge ramifications for this in the daily life which include love of God and love of others; issues of justice for the poor and marginalized of this world; self-discipline and introspection regarding our use of resources and an overall desire to be like Christ. 

Our life and doctrine must be one and the same.  We must pay attention to our teaching and to our living because the cohesion between these breathes life into ministry.  The reverse is also true.  When there is no alignment between our doctrine and our life those around us will become disillusioned.  The ramifications are tragic. 

May God help us to live lives of cohesion where the words of our mouths and the lives which we live are an on-going testimony to the work of Christ in our lives.

Prayer:

Lord, please help me this day to be faithful to you in all things.  Amen.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Take Off Your Ornaments

-
Scripture: Ex. 33:4 ¶ When the people heard these harsh words, they mourned, and no one put on ornaments. Ex. 33:5 For the LORD had said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘You are a stiff-necked people; if for a single moment I should go up among you, I would consume you. So now take off your ornaments, and I will decide what to do to you.’” Ex. 33:6 Therefore the Israelites stripped themselves of their ornaments, from Mount Horeb onward. Observation: The people had sinned before God by making and worshiping the golden calf!  They had taken their golden jewelry — the earrings and other items they had gotten from the Egyptians and used them to create an idol.  Now, in an act of humility and repentance they were to take off all of their jewelry and ornaments.  It was a time of mourning over their sin and it included intentional action on the part of the Israelites.  Application: We don’t do all that well with humility and repentance!  It seems that we live in a ti...
Read more

Does God Value Boys More than Girls?

-
Scripture: Lev. 12:1 ¶ The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: Lev. 12:2 Speak to the people of Israel, saying: ¶ If a woman conceives and bears a male child, she shall be ceremonially unclean seven days; as at the time of her menstruation, she shall be unclean. Lev. 12:3 On the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. Lev. 12:4 Her time of blood purification shall be thirty-three days; she shall not touch any holy thing, or come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purification are completed. Lev. 12:5 If she bears a female child, she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her menstruation; her time of blood purification shall be sixty-six days. Lev. 12:6 ¶ When the days of her purification are completed, whether for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting a lamb in its first year for a burnt offering, and a pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering. Lev. 12:7 He shall offer it before the LORD, and make atonement on her ...
Read more

On Grief and A Flute Player

-
Scripture: Matt. 9:23 When Jesus came to the leader’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, Matt. 9:24 he said, “Go away; for the girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. Matt. 9:25 But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl got up. Matt. 9:26 And the report of this spread throughout that district. Observation: This is a simple story which we have heard or read numerous times. Jesus heals the little girl and the people rejoice. But at the moment in which he arrives at the home he encounters the professional mourners. These are the flute players, the ones who have come to make a great noise about the child’s death. It is the flute player that testifies to the fact that she is truly dead. Also, flutes were generally employed when it came to the death of a child. The whole community would therefore understand that it is a child who has died in this home. The flute player is doing the job they have ...
Read more