Sermonette: 1 Timothy 4

When I was younger, I used to be blown away by the complexity of the Bible. This is a book that covers thousands of years of history, contains hundreds if not thousands of prominent characters, and explains the roots of two of the world’s largest religions. It is also written in three different languages and many different writing styles. Everything from the stories of Genesis, the commands of Leviticus, the prophecies of Ezekiel, the poetry of Psalms, the short sayings of Proverbs and the letters of Paul. Then, three years ago, I became a pastor; and while the Bible is still the most complex book I know, as I’ve begun to preach it, I’ve realized that from at least one perspective, it is incredibly simple. When we come to the Bible, and ask what does the Bible wants us to do, it is simple because there are really only two answers.

The Bible commands two things: put all your faith in God and live the way the creator wants. Sure, we can debate all day long how exactly God desires us to live, but really, we’re just getting nitpicky. While I haven’t asked, I believe most pastors would agree that the primary difficulty with leading believers today in America isn’t enlightening them to what the Bible wants, but rather, getting Christians to actually commit to living the way they know they should. Calling pastors "shepherds" is really fitting in this context, because the issue isn’t with showing the sheep the direction, but rather just getting the sheep to move.

So a fundamental aspect of pastoral ministry becomes "how do I motivate Christians to live like Jesus intended?" Reasons like "because Jesus saved us," "because it’s a better way to live," or "because obedience is important in Christianity" are common. This week as I finished up preaching on 1 Timothy 4, I found one I had never considered. 1 Timothy 4:16: “Watch your life and your doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.” Obviously, by living well we draw closer to God; thus the "saving yourself" part. This isn’t surprising to me. Rather it’s the fact that Paul commands Timothy to live a worthy life because the people around him are at stake that surprised me. His life is an example for others to follow, whether he likes it or not. And the quality of his example will either lead people toward heaven, or toward hell.

Think about that in terms of our lives today. The way I act, be it in church, at After School Program or at Mary’s could determine another soul’s eternal destination. I would lie if this truth didn’t frighten me. I preach to a church of between 20 and 45, plus a youth group of five to 10. So I prepare for hours before I present myself in front of a max of 55 people. Often my example of the way I live will be seen by more than 55 people in a week before Tuesday. More than 55 people will see my actions before I put a single thing in my cart if I go to Walmart on a busy day. The old saying, "actions speak louder than words," has never been so true.

So, if I haven’t lost you yet and you’re still reading, I challenge you to think about how many people see your actions. Not how many people you will seek out to interact with, or how many people you’ll talk to, but how many people will merely see the way you act. You might not even be present when they see the way you live. They could hear a story about you, or read something you’ve written or see something about you on Facebook. All these people are at least half-heartedly watching your life. Think about that, and realize that your unconscious actions will influence them toward heaven, or toward hell. And no, there isn’t a neutral option. With that truth sitting in our minds, we truly don’t have any reason to not live the way God desires. But we do have all the reasons to seek to be the best disciple possible.