I hope you enjoyed Deliberate. Well I don't know if hope so much you enjoyed it as much as I pray God met with you and dealt with you. That out of it came a deeper relationship with our Savior Christ Jesus and a burning desire to deliberately follow hard after Him, to touch the hem of His garment and to sit at His feet. To desire and choose a relationship with Him above all else.
Today I have a question for you. A point to ponder and I pray for some discussion.
I have been reading the letters to Timothy. One of the verses that I have heard often is verse 12.
"Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity."
We appear to have an abundance of "young " pastors heading up or starting up churches across this land. I am not against "young" pastors. However, I think many of them forget the second half of the verse. To be examples in word, in conduct, in love... Arrogance seems to be very prevalent. Arrogance that dismisses the wisdom of elders, not just church appointed elders, but even elder men & women within the church. Arrogance that dismisses anyone who disagrees with them or challenges them on any point. Arrogance that presents a hip young leadership to the public. Full of compassion and grace to those who are lost. Yet it is a leadership that has the "my way or the highway" mentality. A leadership whose grace and compassion runs out when they are questioned or disagreed with.
I know there are many "young" pastors across this land who are doing exactly what Paul had instructed Timothy to do. Who are humbly accepting the great gift God has placed within them and acting in a manner that reflects that humility. I am not saying if you pastor is young (or older for that matter) that you should be disagreeing with them on every point and challenging their authority. But how your pastor responds when you do ask questions should tell you a lot. Arrogance on either side destroys relationships. Arrogance will always find its way out into the public eye. That is the thing about arrogance - it wants to be seen and heard.
So what do you think about this verse? Do you see it differently? Please share if you do. Otherwise it is just my ramblings. Granted I could ramble for a while but it is so much more fun if you join in.
Looking forward to hearing from you!
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4 comments:
I agree with the point you are making. That happens in so many other areas as well. Someone finds part of a verse, or one verse, and takes it out of context to meet the desire they have. Arrogance is brutal - it can sneak up on you real quiet and slow and before you know it, it destroys you and everyone in your path. It does appear that many young pastors, and many older ones for that matter, act as if they were the answer for all the church's woes, and not just their church's woes, but the church universal. It is hard to act with humility in the face of such arrogance. Yet, that is what we are called to do - that is what Christ did. You mentioned the pastor's repsonse when questioned as being very telling of their character, and I agree. I also think our approach to the question tells a lot as well. When we approach, it should not be with arrogance either - but with truth and love. There's another verse we like to separate. These days it's either truth with no love or love with no truth - but that's another topic for another day. So, to end my rambling, I agree.
love ya
Youth is usually thought of as just that - young, lacking in experience, wisdom, patience, good judgment, seeking instant gratification,etc. Paul seems to be saying "this is the way it is, now to counteract that perception, act with the fruits of the spirit -conduct yourself in love, purity, with faith in God and His word - act like a mature Christian." Requires a lot of prayer, Bible study and wisdom of elders for a young pastor to pastor in that manner.
like the love with no truth or truth with no love - we may look at that tomorrow:)
sueonthefarm makes a good point - youth comes with some downfalls inherently. and it is only by the power of the Holy Spirit that one can overcome those. putting on Christ allows Him to shine through, not youth. and Christ acts with humility, not arrogance. Paul was telling Timothy that he had a big responsibility and he needed to be humble under the weight of it. a good lesson for all of us
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