By Kyle Cox, Future Leader with The Rock at MBC Loudoun

I recently was blessed to attend a pastor’s conference with some of the greatest Christian thinkers of our day. One of the lessons learned was the definition of true pastoral ministry. This charge doesn’t just apply to the Pastors of our churches but to all people who believe in Christ as Lord and Savior. As it says in 1 Peter 2:9, “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” We all as believers have this responsibility to be ministers of the gospel, so the importance of remaining faithful to the task is of the highest importance.

There are three things that we should cultivate to remain faithful to the gospel message daily, and all three flow out of what Paul writes to his understudy Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:1-5.

The first is to remain faithful to the message. Simply put this means to preach the gospel in every interaction and chance you get. No matter what passage you are looking at or discussing realize that they each point to Christ. It also means that you never assume that a person totally understands the gospel! There is true power in the words of Scripture and the amazement of the news that Christ died for us, don’t try and change the story to be original or fit the popular norms, just stick to what saves and it’s not our persuasiveness or creativity.
You also have to be familiar with the people that you are dealing with. You can’t craft a sermon as a Pastor, or find the right way to encourage or challenge someone if you are isolated from them. Experience life alongside of them, take the time to know what inspires them or what trips them.

Finally, act with complete patience when dealing with people. There are always those people who you meet with regularly who just don’t seem to get it, or change. Overtime if we are not aware of our weakness in patience, if we don’t battle to seek Christ’s likeness in this area, then we begin to become frustrated or angry and it flows into our relationships with these people. When you fight this remind yourself of two things. One, God’s continued patience with us! Despite the fact he has saved us we still fall, fail, and don’t live up to meeting God’s expectations, yet God continues to be patient and grow us and mold us into the people he wants us to be. Two, remember sanctification is a process NOT an event! Think about all the illustrations of learning used in the Bible, it is often referenced to agriculture. Farming is a slow process, think back to how long it has taken us to figure out and trust some of the simplest truths about God. Why do we think the people we minister to should grasp it at the drop of a hat? It means being patient for God’s timing and not trying to change things or make things happen under our own power.

This passage from 2 Timothy reminds us to fight for these things daily because as seen in verse 8 there is a glorious future, crowns of righteousness, which await us as followers of Christ. But it’s only possible for us as sinful people to obtain such wonderful gifts, and that reality brings us back to our knees at the foot of the cross.