“I CHARGE YOU in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word, be urgent in season and out of season, convince, rebuke, and exhort, be unfailing in patience and in teaching” (2 Tim. 4:1–2). “I charge you in the presence . . . of Christ Jesus.” To be in Christ is to be in the presence of Christ Jesus—the judge. It is not an amiable relationship of mystic sweetness alone; it is a relationship of responsibility to Jesus as Lord and Judge.
That responsibility is sevenfold: (1) “preach the word”—preach Jesus, for He is the Word. “Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of our religion: He was manifested in the flesh” (1 Tim. 3:16). One would have thought Paul would say, “Great indeed is the mystery of our religion: It . . .” No, it is not an it; it is a He. (2) “Be urgent in season and out of season”—preach for a verdict, a choice, a decision; “in season”—in the pulpit, “and out of season”—everywhere. It was said of Brother Bryan of Birmingham, Alabama, that he sometimes held up the traffic on a sidewalk, and even in the street, while he prayed for a man in need. The city loved him for it and put up a monument to him in the center of the city, a man kneeling with hands outstretched to God in prayer. (3) “Convince”—be a convinced Christian and a convincing Christian. (4) “Rebuke”—love a person enough to rebuke him, but rebuke him in love. (5) “Exhort”—exhort for decision. In the old days of Methodism exhorters got up after a sermon and exhorted the people to decision. Now the exhorters have dropped out and so have the decisions! (6) “Be unfailing in patience”—don’t give anyone up. “We never give them up in Waterstreet,” was the motto of that mission. (7) “And in teaching”—Paul’s own example: “teaching you in public and from house to house” (Acts 20:20).
O God, our Father, Thy Word has been and is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our pathway. Help us to hide it within our hearts that we may not sin against Thee. Thy Word leads me to Thy Son. Amen.
AFFIRMATION FOR THE DAY: His judgments are my salvation, for He judges me for my good and only for my good.
