Have you ever been in a situation where people were
constantly calling into question your credentials? Wondering out loud if you
were truly qualified for the task at hand? Questioning whether you have what it
takes to get the job done? Even suggesting that you may not have the right to
take that position? Throughout Paul’s ministry, he was questioned in this
manner. His authority as an apostle was denied, and he was constantly forced to
defend his calling. You can see it in many of the letters he wrote that have
been included in our Holy Bible.
As he wrote this letter to the younger minister, Timothy,
Paul settled the matter up front. He didn’t do this for Timothy; this young
minister knew who Paul was and admired him greatly. If it were not for Paul,
Timothy would not have been the man of God that he was. No, he was not
justifying his position to Timothy but to all his critics who would read this
very important letter. It is important because it contains two of the most
significant passages in the Bible as it pertains to the leadership of the
church. We will get to these eventually, but they deal with who should serve as
pastors and deacons, and my friends, if our churches would heed the words of
this apostle, many problems could be dealt with before they came into being.
So look at how Paul starts his letter. He states up front
that he was an apostle of Jesus Christ because he had been commanded by God to
be an apostle of Jesus Christ. Understand two things: he was saved by the grace
of God that was offered to him in Damascus. When Ananias came to Paul on
Straight Street, Paul gladly and freely chose to accept God’s invitation to
become a follower of Jesus Christ. Of course, following the dramatic way Jesus
revealed himself to the man who was known as Saul in Acts 9, how could he not
accept this wonderful gift that not only changed his name to Paul but also
changed his life forever. But know this. Once he had accepted God’s gift of
salvation, he became God’s slave, and God ordered him to duty. He commanded
Paul to be an apostle. This is the second thing that I want you to understand:
once Paul said “yes” to salvation, his right to say “no” to God vanished. The
same is true for Christians today: Jesus is not the Lord of our lives if we
ever tell Him “no.” And if He is not the Lord of our lives, then He is not our
Savior, either.
Child of God, when you surrender your life to Christ in this
salvation relationship, God becomes your Master – your Commander-in-Chief. Not
only are we not allowed to say “no,” our hearts should be so in tune with His
heart that we don’t ever want to reject His commands.
What does it mean to be an apostle? The word literally means
“one who is sent.” He was a messenger. In this case, Paul became a messenger of
Jesus Christ. His message is a simple one: God is our Savior and the Lord Jesus
Christ is our hope.
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