Acts 16:1-5
New International Version 1984 (NIV1984)
16 He came to Derbe and
then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was a Jewess and a believer, but whose father was a Greek. 2 The brothers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him. 3 Paul wanted to take him
along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in
that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. 4 As
they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the
apostles and elders in
Jerusalem for the
people to obey. 5 So the churches were
strengthened in the
faith and grew daily in numbers.
Appearances, are they
important in the ministry? It seems that
Paul thought so. In our previous chapter
we looked at how Paul spoke and supported those Gentiles who were not circumcised
yet here we read how he circumcised Timothy just because of the Jews. Why didn’t he just explain to these Jews as
he did the others that circumcision was not necessary to be used by God ? What makes this situation any different? We are all ministers of Christ and we can all
be used by Him so if a minister needs to be circumcised so shouldn’t any other
person? You would think so but there is something
about the ministry, being set apart for the service of the Lord, that may
require some things that otherwise would not be required of most people. It was not the Lord that required this action
but people. It is not any more of a
requirement for Timothy to be a Christian than for any other Christian but if
he was going to minister, the people needed physical evidence of his conversion
and his desire to do whatever it took to serve the Lord. It doesn’t see right but we must do what we
are called to do in order to bring glory and honor to the Lord.
It has been said that ministers
and deacons live in glass homes. People
will watch how you conduct your business, how you raise your family, and how
you treat your spouse. They will be
quick to note if you partake of things such as alcohol, smoking, or even
overeating. In their eyes, it is okay
for them to do these things but a minister of the Lord should not. I was raised by a deacon who happened to be a
preacher’s son. I know that ministers
are not perfect, that sin crouches at their door just like anyone else’s but I
also know that when they depend on the Lord’s strength to resist temptations,
and they truly seek the Lord, their ministry for Him is well rewarded.
We should all consider ourselves
ministers and we should all do everything we can to exemplify Him. Not all of us are called to standup in front
of the church and preach or to teach Sunday School or even call on the sick and
shut-ins but we are all called to pick up our cross daily and follow Him. If we
would consider ourselves as a tool to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ and we
depended on Him to live our lives worthy of that calling our churches would be
full. Yet we have people who do not come
to church because the church is full of hypocrites. The unbeliever is watching us just like the
people in the church are watching the minister and the deacon. If our actions don’t match our words, if we
act differently at church than we act in public, if we are not living the Word,
only hearing it, there will be someone out there that will reject the Gospel
because of our actions.
As you seek Him today, I hope
that you will check your life. Are you
living a worthy life, one that exemplifies Christ or are you living a life that
is only a convenient life for following Him, say, Sunday morning from 10:45 AM –
12:00 PM? Seek Him and His ways and then
follow Him faithfully.
Seeking Him with all my heart,
Sheila
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