Tri-Cities Baptist Church

Come Before Winter
Practical Reminders for Those Who Want to Serve Servants
 
Have you ever been interested in really getting to know a great leader or someone you respect from a distance?  Well, 2 Timothy 4 gives us some intimate insight into the heart of the greatest church-planter theologian the New Testament church has ever known. The apostle Paul wrote a very personal letter to his son in the faith Timothy, and as he closed he provided some helpful instruction for any of us who want to encourage those who labor in serving the Body of Christ.  So here we go:
 
(1)       Everybody Means Something

Paul identified 16 different people in this passage and they all meant something.  Demas was a deserter.  Titus was a beloved son.  Luke was a life-long faithful friend.  Alexander meant “dreaded opposition.”  At least 100 men and women are named in Acts and in Paul’s letter as part of his inner circle of friends and associates, and they all meant something.  No one can serve alone.  So the questions are: What do you mean to those who serve you?  When your name comes up, what do others think?
 
(2)    Little Things Mean A Whole Lot

As Paul was in a dark, lonely, prison suffering wrongly, he asked for just his cloak and his books.  He didn’t ask for anything extravagant, just a couple of items that would minister to his needs.  Even the greatest servants of God have needs, but too often we assume our little efforts won’t make a difference.  Think again.  A word of encouragement, a simple note, acts of kindness all go a very long way.
 
(3)    The Main Thing is Bigger than Life

Despite his loneliness and his real needs, Paul experienced the presence and power of the Lord Jesus so that his message and mission might be fully accomplished.  For Paul and every servant of God, the mission is everything.  God’s servant is not in a popularity contest, and the difficulties around him will not distract him from his calling.  What that means is that the man on mission may not always accommodate our personal preferences.  Is that okay?  If it is, we will get in the trenches with him and remind him the mission is worth our lives as well…no matter what it may cost us.
 
(4)    Every Minute Counts

Paul did not always need the kind of attention he needed at this point in his life.  He wrote, “Make every effort to come before winter.”  There were many reasons the timing was important, but the truth is that in the life of every servant leader some seasons are more difficult than others.  Some days are more demanding than others.  We live in a fast-paced, highly connected culture, yet too often we miss the opportunity to encourage because we miss our moment.   So our ability to encourage requires that we pay attention to the seasons and get our timing right.
 
Growing secularism in our churches, general apathy and cynicism, consumerism, and unfair expectations all contribute to the discouragement that church leaders face in our day.  But these demands are not new.  Paul lived with these as well as many other difficulties, but his victories were made possible through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit and the divine partnerships of friends.  When we “come before winter” on behalf of the servants who serve us, the servant is strengthened and the Kingdom is advanced to the glory of God. How will you “come before winter”?  

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Daryl Crouch - Associate Pastor of Tri-Cities Baptist Church