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NASB | 2 Timothy 2:15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | 2 Timothy 2:15 Study and do your best to present yourself to God approved, a workman [tested by trial] who has no reason to be ashamed, accurately handling and skillfully teaching the word of truth. |
Subject: Peace...? |
Bible Note: Thank you for all three of your messages, Kalos. I apologize for not having replied to you personally before, but I thought I answered your earlier comment in my response to Justme. Yes, I absolutely agree, "the church" is the body of Christ - and I also agree that "the church" is never separated from or in conflict with Him. But I think the major question is what we actually mean by "the church"... Is "the church" merely a financial institution to pay the salaries of "ordained" pastors? Is it some political or social authority to enforce certain rules on people? Is "the church" really the legal organization which calls itself "the true church of Christ", condemning to hell all those who do not belong to it? Or is Christ's Church rather the living community of ALL worshippers who belong to the Lord, united in the Spirit of Love, co-operating with one another to build the kingdom of God? Getting a bit more personal about this, do you believe that "the church" or Jesus Himself should forbid me to spread the Gospel to my non-Christian classmates and friends, both in words and actions, just because I am only 16 and have not been 'authorized' by a church in a formal 'ordination' ceremony to do so? I have no certificate in theology (yet) and I possess no legal right whatsoever to claim that I am a 'missionary' or a 'preacher' - but has the Lord not given me authority, or even an obligation, to do my best to make good use of the spiritual gifts He has blessed me with? I do study, to make my service to Him more efficient. But I do not believe it is His will that I (or anyone) should stop 'preaching' just because I am not formally ordained. "So in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully." Romans 12:5-8 "There is one body and one Spirit--just as you were called to one hope when you were called-- one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it." Ephesians 4:4-7 As I said in my reply to Justme, I believe the question is not whether we are called but what we are called to do. I do disapprove of 'Christians' who go about prophesying and teaching things that never came from God, for their own selfish purposes (eg. earning money for their online 'service')... But will their teachings not be futile and controversial because of the absence of God? (1Tim 1:3-7) Additionally, do we not need to be empowered by the Holy Spirit to perservere in doing what God has called us to do? (Isaiah 40:30-31) If someone is not a Christian, he will obviously not go around preaching things about the Bible and Jesus (Mark 9:40). If nevertheless someone is a Christian (by which I mean "born of water and the Spirit" - John 3:5), I trust in the guiding power of the Holy Spirit to convince him of his calling (eg. Philippians 2:13; see also Romans 8). Possessing the gifts of the Holy Ghost is NOT the same as possessing a manmade certificate about it... Being Christian, whether a pastor or a toilet cleaner, is 24-hour service, 365 days a year. Concentrating too much on church formalities and far too little on the Lord Himself has resulted in the painful wounds in Christ's Body... Only when ALL members, not just the ordained pastors, are individually in but not of the world, ALL being made one in the Spirit, will "the" church of Christ function to His good pleasure. Or at least that's what I believe. May God bless you, Zsuzsi |