I was thinking about different people whom I have heard preach, teach and hold offices in churches.  I found out that through the last 35 years, that I have held some type of office in the church, whether it was Pastor are Teacher, that the Marks of a Mature Christian are not always the age of a person. 

I was teaching the youth at Antioch Baptist and the Girls Ministry, and going on Lay Missions at the age of 18, and during those times I encountered people who needed to go back to the Book (Bible).  I am sure you have also come in contact with some of those same type of persons.

I feel that the Marks of a Mature Christian, are not always age, appearance, achievements, or academics. Marks are attitude, positive under pressure, sensitive to people, mastered his/her mouth at home and in the public, peacemaker not a troublemaker, patience and prayerful. Attentive to the study of God's Word.

Let's look at the Ministry of Timothy. First let me give you a little history Timothy, from my Study Bible. **On Paul and Barnabas journey to Lystra, a city of Lycaonia. It is believe that a Jewess named Lois, and her daughter Eunice, were converted to Christ during that ministry. Eunice was married to a Gentile, and they had one child named Timothy. Timothy was instructed in the Jewish religion, but his father refused to allow his son to be circumcised.

Paul left Lystra, but when he returned, on his second trip, he found Timothy to be a member of the local church, and highly recommended by its leaders there at Iconium. Under the prompting of the Holy Spirit Paul added Timothy to his apostolic party. Since they were going to be ministering among the Jews, Paul admonished Timothy to be circumcised, not for righteousness' sake, but to avoid offending the Jews since his mother was Jewish. The books of Timothy is a letter written to Timothy, by Paul, primarily to encourage Timothy in his difficult task of dealing with doctrinal errors and practical problems in the church at Ephesus, and to give him instructions concerning pastoral responsibilities and the qualifications and duties of church leadership.

Even though Timothy was young, Paul assignment to Timothy, involved serious difficulties, and he felt it necessary to write this letter of instruction to his young associate as he faced the problems. The letter not only guided Timothy in fulfilling his responsibilities as a church leader, but it has been a handbook for pastors throughout the whole church age.  Paul's instructions are that the church must have a well-trained, deeply devoted, and highly consecrated ministry.  One's who stay in constant touch with God through prayer and study of the Bible.

** "Pat's Opinion" Timothy was young, but he had the marks of a mature Christian.  He listened to Paul's advice, and He became a true minister of the Word.  He was not afraid to preach exactly what God wanted him to.  He taught and preached it whether it made the congregation mad or happy.  If he stepped on a few toes, it did not matter. He stood on the Word of God and stayed there. 

Paul told Timothy in his letter to:

2 Timothy 1:5-7, "Remember the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois, and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love, and a sound mind."

2 Timothy 3:14-15, "But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus."

2 Timothy 4:5, "But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry."

I again, say, I feel like there are a lot of ministers, deacons, and etc. who need to get back to the Bible. The churches today need more Timothy's.  The people who have made their minds up to take seriously the calling on their lives.  The ones who will be faithful to proclaim the gospel, and not afraid to preach the Word. Not just talkers, but doers of the Word. There are too many preachers who are letting the deacons rule and run the church. They are even preaching just what they think the people want to hear, and not what God has told them to preach, because they don't want the offering to go down. They don't want to make someone up-set. (How is that person going to feel when they are sent to Hell. It will be too late.  They will be wishing they had someone who preached the Word to them, not just part of it.)

You can just about always know the routine when you go to that type of church. The people come in without a smile and leave with the same sour face. But they have the sweetest little sugar coated message you have ever heard, but the message was not what God wanted them to hear.  This is the reason so many churches are failing and the membership is low. This is why so many people are not attending church, because there is not a Shepard out doing his work and calling on them.

It does not matter if you are a Pastor, Teacher, or Janitor in the church.  If God has called you to that position, you need to do your best. You will stand before God one day and be held accountable on how you did your work that He called you to do.

 I am not sure why I did this type of devotion tonight. I was not even headed in this direction, but I guess God was, because someone needed to hear it. I am adding the scriptures below. God tells us exactly what is going to happen to the Shepard who does not take care of His flock. But Praise God, it also tells how God Himself will pick up the broken pieces of the flocks and bless them. But woe to the Pastor, Teacher, Song Director, Youth Director, Deacon, or whomever God has called to take care of His people and they do not do it.

Anyway, after you read the scripture below, I do not know about you, but as for me, I think I will be a Timothy. God through the Holy Spirit, teach me and I will preach it.

1. The word of the LORD came to me:

2. "Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who only take care of themselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock?

3. You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock.

4. You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally.

5. So they were scattered because there was no shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild animals.

6. My sheep wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. They were scattered over the whole earth, and no one searched or looked for them.

7. " 'Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD :

8. As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, because my flock lacks a shepherd and so has been plundered and has become food for all the wild animals, and because my shepherds did not search for my flock but cared for themselves rather than for my flock,

9. therefore, O shepherds, hear the word of the LORD :

10. This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am against the shepherds and will hold them accountable for my flock. I will remove them from tending the flock so that the shepherds can no longer feed themselves. I will rescue my flock from their mouths, and it will no longer be food for them.

11. " 'For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them.

12. As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness.

13. I will bring them out from the nations and gather them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land. I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land.

14. I will tend them in a good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture on the mountains of Israel.

15. I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign LORD.

16. I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice.

17. " 'As for you, my flock, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will judge between one sheep and another, and between rams and goats.

18. Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture? Must you also trample the rest of your pasture with your feet? Is it not enough for you to drink clear water? Must you also muddy the rest with your feet?

19. Must my flock feed on what you have trampled and drink what you have muddied with your feet?

20. " 'Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says to them: See, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep.

21. Because you shove with flank and shoulder, butting all the weak sheep with your horns until you have driven them away,

22. I will save my flock, and they will no longer be plundered. I will judge between one sheep and another.

23. I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend them; he will tend them and be their shepherd.

24. I the LORD will be their God, and my servant David will be prince among them. I the LORD have spoken.

25. " 'I will make a covenant of peace with them and rid the land of wild beasts so that they may live in the desert and sleep in the forests in safety.

26. I will bless them and the places surrounding my hill. [a] I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing.

27. The trees of the field will yield their fruit and the ground will yield its crops; the people will be secure in their land. They will know that I am the LORD, when I break the bars of their yoke and rescue them from the hands of those who enslaved them.

28. They will no longer be plundered by the nations, nor will wild animals devour them. They will live in safety, and no one will make them afraid.

29. I will provide for them a land renowned for its crops, and they will no longer be victims of famine in the land or bear the scorn of the nations.

30. Then they will know that I, the LORD their God, am with them and that they, the house of Israel, are my people, declares the Sovereign LORD.

31. You my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, are people, and I am your God, declares the Sovereign LORD.' "

Joyfully, In The Master's Service
Blessings, Prayers and Love,
Pastor Pat

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