Work and Suffer - #51

1Timothy 4:9-10 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation. For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe. These things command and teach.

To be a faithful pastor, you must preach the word of the Lord. "This is a faithful saying" includes all that was said before about being a faithful pastor. What Paul has said is true and worthy to be believed. Everyone has advice and knows what  a preacher should do, but only the Word of God should bind the conscience of the man of God. Not all advice is bad, not all advice is good. Paul isn't giving advice and you need to believe it.

Paul believes this truth so much that he gives his life over to the work and suffers for the glory of Christ. Paul loved those he ministered to enough to tell them the truth whether they hated him or not. Van Til used to say we should be "mild in manner, strong in matter". You can be kind and gentle and winsome all day and litterly twice on Sunday, and if you are faithful to the Word of God, you will suffer reproach from those who do not want to hear the truth. Once you refuse old wives fables (4:7) the story doesn't end there, because those that sell fables are not going to be happy. Paul suffered for the sake of the gospel - it is worthy to suffer for.

Man of God, the gospel is more important than our feelings, more important than our own lives. We are the ambassadors of Christ and must count it all joy to be able to declare the truth. The God we serve is the living God. He is living so He can bless you. Living, so He will support you. He is living, so He sees you in your work. Trust Him. Trust your Saviour. He will be your strength when you have none and He will support you when the time comes to hold to these faithful sayings. Take heart and take courage that the living God is with those that declare His truth. This doesn't mean that you will have no troubles. It means that when you do have troubles, keep in mind that you are the ambassador of the Living God declaring His message and there this road of suffering for the truth is a well traveled road.

Next time, we will get a little more in depth about the "Saviour of all men". Earlier in the series, a man said that my treatment of chapter two was "the most ridiculous thing he had ever read in his life". So as not to disappoint my semi-Pelagian friend, I want to give a full treatment of the passage.