Smelling Salts for Weary Pastors
by Paul Tautges | April 18, 2018 3:15 am
Yesterday, I was blessed to attend a pastor’s appreciation event hosted by the Salem Radio Network, and two of their local Cleveland stations (1220AM and 95.5FM). The keynote speaker was Philip DeCourcy, pastor of Kindred Community Church and preacher on the Know the Truth[1] radio program.
The Scripture passage for his message of encouragement was 2 Timothy 2:8-13.
8 Remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel, 9 for which I suffer trouble as an evildoer, even to the point of chains; but the word of God is not chained. 10 Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.
11 This is a faithful saying:
For if we died with Him,
We shall also live with Him.
12 If we endure,
We shall also reign with Him.
If we deny Him,
He also will deny us.
13 If we are faithless,
He remains faithful;
He cannot deny Himself.
Take some time to meditate upon these words of encouragement from the apostle to Timothy, the pastor of the church in Ephesus. Philip encouraged us to think upon four realities which feed our inner resolve to persevere in the ministries to which God has called us. Here are four smelling salts, truths to awaken our senses to the presence and promises of God.
- A Glorious Win (v. 8) – Think upon the resurrection of Christ, not only as a past event, but as a present reality.
- A Glorious Word (vv. 8b-9) – Think upon the unstoppable power of the gospel, which cannot be bound in chains or any human limitation.
- A Glorious Work (v. 10) – Think upon the guaranteed success of God’s role in evangelism. The doctrine of election does not sever the nerve of aggressive evangelism. We preach, and God saves.
- A Glorious Welcome (vv. 11-13) – Think upon the promise of eternal reward for faithful servants, and God’s final benediction.
Remember, the only comparison God wants us to make is to compare this temporary present world to the eternal glory that is yet to come. Any other comparison will lead to discouragement. Every servant of God will find great encouragement by having his mind and spirit awakened to the empowering realities of these truths.
If you found this helpful, you will be blessed by Philip’s newest book, which is a collection of brief, encouraging devotionals Emergency Rations: Surviving the Struggles of Life[2]
Related
Endnotes:- Know the Truth: http://www.ktt.org/
- Emergency Rations: Surviving the Struggles of Life: https://www.ktt.org/resources/emergency-rations
Source URL: https://counselingoneanother.com/2018/04/18/smelling-salts-for-weary-pastors/
Smelling Salts for Weary Pastors
by Paul Tautges | April 18, 2018 3:15 am
The Scripture passage for his message of encouragement was 2 Timothy 2:8-13.
8 Remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel, 9 for which I suffer trouble as an evildoer, even to the point of chains; but the word of God is not chained. 10 Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.
11 This is a faithful saying:
Take some time to meditate upon these words of encouragement from the apostle to Timothy, the pastor of the church in Ephesus. Philip encouraged us to think upon four realities which feed our inner resolve to persevere in the ministries to which God has called us. Here are four smelling salts, truths to awaken our senses to the presence and promises of God.
Remember, the only comparison God wants us to make is to compare this temporary present world to the eternal glory that is yet to come. Any other comparison will lead to discouragement. Every servant of God will find great encouragement by having his mind and spirit awakened to the empowering realities of these truths.
If you found this helpful, you will be blessed by Philip’s newest book, which is a collection of brief, encouraging devotionals Emergency Rations: Surviving the Struggles of Life[2]
Related
Source URL: https://counselingoneanother.com/2018/04/18/smelling-salts-for-weary-pastors/