Paul tells Timothy to teach basic truths, and to “think about what he has said”. Okay, Paul. Here’s what I am thinking about what you said:
I agree that we should stick to teaching basic Bible truths, but what about when most of us already know the basics, and no one else seems to want to hear the basics? What do we preach when most of the people know the basics, and there are only a few that don’t? If I hear you correctly, there should be more people preaching the basics, and less people talking about the intricate details of the faith. So, have we placed too high a priority on ministers with Phd’s,? There’s nothing wrong with education, but as I listen to Paul talk he seems to infer that once we know the basics we go out and share the faith…not just testimony…but teaching. Maybe if Paul were here there would be more preachers with less formal education.
And then there’s the passage where Paul says “think about this”. (vs 7).
We have a soldier, an athlete and a farmer. The first two have to focus on their job and not get distracted and the third is an illustration of reward for effort. The soldier demonstrates passive focus (he ignores) while the athlete demonstrates active focus (following rules). It reminds me of Paul’s comment about “forgetting what is behind and strain toward what is ahead” (Philippians 3). In order to be a good disciple, I have to do both. All three have a specific job to do, and opportunities to lose focus abound. The soldier can get distracted by civilians, the athlete can forget the rules and the farmer could expect a harvest without planting and caring for the plants.
What’s the point? I think the point is that suffering and persecution have an important part to play in the development of our faith. If persecution comes our way we don’t want to get distracted by pursuing comfort, or miss out because we believe that suffering for faith is a “third world” practice. Perhaps there are some fruits of the Spirit that can only be harvested if they are given birth from a desire to serve that endures persecution. Maybe that would explain some of the “weakness” that seems to infect the church in the United States. The persecution ingredient hasn’t been added. Of course, there are many benefits from having wealth and peace…the US has been able to send missionaries and resources to hundreds of other countries and support them in difficult times. Then again, if we were more spiritually mature as a country, perhaps there would be less problems to try and fix.
Do you suppose Jesus has something to say to us in this passage? I don’t think we need to go out and find an opportunity to persecution, but we shouldn’t neglect those who currently suffer, or avoid it when it comes our way.
In Christ,
PR