Entrusted
- Published
- in Ministry
My friend and I waited in line — all night long. We were in high school, and the Dallas Cowboys were going to their first Super Bowl. My friend’s dad worked for a local company. The company wanted to purchase a number of Super Bowl tickets. This meant that someone needed to wait in line for the ticket office to open. (This was at the old Cowboys building on Central Expressway.) So, my friend and I got in line at about 6:00 one evening, received a number, and then waited in the parking garage for the rest of the night. The next morning, someone came from the company office with a large sum of money (cash) and gave it to us to purchase the tickets. We were entrusted with a lot of money.
There is a sense in which the church collectively, individual Christians, and, in particular, those who preach/teach the Word of God have been entrusted with the Gospel.
1 Timothy 1:11 …that conforms to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me.
1 Timothy 6:20 Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge,
2 Timothy 1:12 That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I
know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard
what I have entrusted to him for that day.
2 Timothy 1:14 Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you — guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.
What does this suggest? This idea of being entrusted with something very valuable is a much needed reminder that what we are doing on this earth is larger than ourselves. In fact, we are handling and passing on something that is like a precious treasure. We are holding "cash" that is not ours but belongs to someone else. This is sobering and yet can also be very motivating.
Now, I want to remember that as I am teaching/preaching that I am passing on something that did not originate with me. I am passing on something that does not belong to me. Rather, I have been entrusted with something that originated with God and is his.
I want to remember this as I study and reflect upon Scripture and the things of God. I want to remember this as I prepare a message to communicate to a group of people. I also want to remember this as I think about my work, my ministry, and my identity.
Thinking about this today reminds me that as a Christ-follower I have been entrusted with something that is of incredible value. As a Christian minister, this reminds me today that what I am doing in my work is very, very significant. Why should I or any other Christian minister get lost in some pathetic attempt to prove my worth, my importance, or my competence? Could it be that being charged with carrying out a ministry that I have been entrusted with is enough?
Think with me about the notion that Christians are entrusted with the Gospel. What difference might such an understanding make in the way we function?
Every Christian is entrusted with the gospel and has the job of passing it on to everyone they can. I think Christians have forgotten that we have this job. We have a tendency to try and stay away from confrontation and all that sharing the gospel can bring. It is not easy to pass on the knowledge of life, just like it is not easy being a Christian.
However, when one truly receives Christ into their lives they are willing to lose everything they have in order to share the gospel with some one. The true gospel states that there is a place of pain and torture where many will go. It also states that there is a narrow path that leads to heaven. When a Christian gets onto this path and sees the destruction that is coming to many all they want to do is share the gospel and save the lives of others.
Let me put it this way – if you were given the knowledge that there was a gas leek at someones house during the night and everyone in that house was going to die what would you do? Of course you are going to do whatever you can to get into that house and save the people inside. When you receive Christ you receive this knowledge that many are in fact dying and they need Jesus. This is what is entrusted upon us in the world we live in….evangelize to your friends, family, people at work, people at school, the nations. Lets start doing it!!
Very important words, Jim. One thing that comes to mind is that we have to weigh all the expectations placed upon us against what God expects of us. Choosing His priority over mine or someone else’s when they don’t coincide is difficult. Thank you for the reminder.
Richard,What an good comment. I appreciate so much the genuineness of you faith and your desire to be what God wants you to be. I hear in your comment a rejection of the status quo and a desire to give yourself completely to God. I admire and respect you for that.
Darryl,Thanks very much. When I read your comment, I thought about the various expectations that Jesus had to deal with from people who expected the messiah to be this or that. I guess the challenge of various expectations has been with us for a long, long time.