The Charge
“I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;” – II Timothy 4:1
Timothy was charged by the Apostle Paul to “preach the Word.” “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.” – II Timothy 4:2 The charge was from one who wrote under inspiration. The credibility of the Apostle was noteworthy enough to deliver the charge but the inspiration in the statement of the charge was even more significant. The Divinely inspired Word of God added the most weight to the charge!
Some of us are called to be ministers of the Gospel and we are given a pulpit ministry. We are humbled by such a high calling and recognize the awesome responsibility of remaining faithful to the Word. We concur with the Apostle where he writes, “And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry;” – I Timothy 1:12
All Christians are “charged” to faithfully serve the Lord for a “command” is a “charge” and the “commands” in the Word are not options but commands! Today we hear people talking about getting “charged up” or “pumped up” in the matter of serving God. Many wind up with a dead battery or flat tire because they have lost their charge and their air. I have observed down through the years that many lose their prime because they had a leak to start with. If a Christian is not charged to faithful service by the Word of God alone, they are certain to lose their prime!
We all love good music in our churches and we appreciate lively services. A good hearty “Amen,” is appropriate every now and then and we need to have our emotions stirred. I, however, believe that nothing short of a “charge” from the Word of God, is a trustworthy charge! All congregations have members with health issues and difficulty in getting to church and that is fully understood. Some could come to church but always manage to find excuse for staying home. Some attend church if they hear of a Gospel singing or popular preacher holding the service. Praise God for anybody coming to church but our primary motivation for Christian service should not be inspiration but rather command! We are charged to be faithful. If I must depend on anything less than the Word of God to get me to church, anything less than the Word of God can keep me out of church! If that is the case, I had a leak to start with!
Chuck Peters 8/24/2023
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