Judge and Preacher!

II Timothy 4:1-2
  I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.

I have been on several jury trials. While many, if not most people do not like to be on a jury, I really enjoyed it! Just to see the whole process at work, close up, was so educational to me. I guess the time off work, maybe the drive, and of course the loss of your regular pay in exchange for the minimal pay a juror receives, are probably just some of the factors for not wanting to be chosen.

In that process, of course you have a judge. He is really the referee in the courtroom. While the jury hears the evidence of the crime committed, they are also ‘charged’ by the judge with the heavy weight of making the correct decision. It really is made clear to you in the judge’s instructions that this decision is placed on the shoulders of twelve human beings. Still, in this life, we are not the judge or jury with our peers. Only God is. He is judge and jury, the One who sees all the evidence and decides the outcome.  

We have, however, been given many jobs to do by the Lord. I call them ‘preach, point and push.’ In today’s scriptural passage the apostle Paul is telling Timothy, and ultimately us, what we need to do until the ‘Judge’ returns. So, let’s take a look at our job description — we have been told to “preach the word, reprove, rebuke and exhort.” And, we need to do all that with “great patience and instruction.”

I’m just gonna say this first off… we will not all preach from a pulpit. But, we will still preach! My husband was a pastor of a church that declined to about 20 people before we were assigned there. When we retired it was up to about 200. Was that my husband’s doing? Only in the sense that he did what he was told by the Holy Spirit. Now scripture tells the Pastor of any church to “equip” the saints. Once the people have the knowledge, they go out and ‘preach’ without even speaking a word. In all of our actions, interactions, responses and behaviors, we are preaching! Perhaps you’ve heard the age-old saying, “I preach the gospel everyday… sometimes, I use words!”  

I remember one job I had as office manager of a home health agency for the elderly. The other woman in the office was very high strung. One day when I returned after a day off she said, “You cannot take any time off again. The office was in chaos! But as soon as you walk in, the office is calm.”  

I did not know what to make of that statement, but later the Holy Spirit reminded me, “When you walked in, I did too.” And the Holy Spirit, part of the Godhead, carries a peace that passes all understanding. My husband had similar experiences when he was a teacher. When he was in the classroom, things ran smoothly. The other teachers would tell him of the upheavals when he was not there. That’s how we preach! And those experiences give us the opportunities to explain the ‘hope’ that lies within us.  

We also have been given the instruction to “reprove and rebuke” when we see people starting down the wrong path! This one is much harder to do. In some of the situations I have had to address with people, they do not always receive it well. It is their choice, for their own good, yet if they are not aware of this scripture verse, they may think you are out of line. 

Here are two experiences that come to mind with different outcomes. We have seen couples living together without the blessing of marriage on their lives. After explaining to one couple that God cannot bless them ‘abundantly’ without being under His covenant umbrella, they married. Their lives were immediately free from the guilt and bondage of sin, and began to flourish. On the other hand, the other couple continued to delay the marriage siting ‘money’ as their reasoning for the delay. Since the cost of a marriage license is reasonable enough, that is not a good reason. Their lives have continued to roll along like a car on a pot-hole ridden road. Bumpy and rough, to say the least. God just cannot go against His Word and bless sin.  

I am also reminded we have a responsibility to gently point to something that needs attention in a friend’s life. We can be held accountable if we don’t. Let’s say, gossip. Put up a ‘stop sign’ when friends begin this one. As difficult as it may seem, you are making them aware of something they may not have noticed, since it had become such a habit. If nothing else, they will probably think twice before sharing some gossip with you.  

The last job we have is finishing what we started. Once we have pointed to the sin, now we can point to the way that will bring peace and prosperity. Exhortation is the ability to ‘give a little push’ in the right direction to people who have expressed their need to change. You may do this by encouraging them to join a Bible study, or teach a Bible study. Maybe it is to head a group, or just go to one. Whatever it may be, we must use great patience and instruction when we exhort people. Case in point: I am very new to blogging – so my dear friend came alongside me and patiently instructed me… for hours! That’s an exhorter extraordinaire!  

So, watch how you are living your life. Are you preaching a sermon that will expose a person’s sin and push them onto the right path? Or… is your life preaching a sermon that is somewhat less than it should be? You will be preaching, no matter what!

Question: Can you remember a time in your life when you gently ‘gave a little push’ in the right direction to someone who needed it? How did that turn out? Feel free to share with our readers via the Reply Box below.