“Fulfill your ministry.” 2 Timothy 4:5
Looking Timothy straight in the eye, so to speak, with irresistible moral authority, Paul passes the baton to the next generation of Christian leadership. What does Paul want Timothy to understand and accept at this defining moment?
Fulfill. There is a grandeur to every man’s ministry. It is a massive opportunity not to be diminished but to be exploited every day, to the end. Let all small thoughts of gospel ministry be put out of our minds. The world, and even the church, may not grasp how much is at stake. But we can fill our minds with this awareness: “I have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel (1 Thessalonians 2:4). I don’t minister for his approval; I minister with his approval. I can go for it.”
Your. Not, “Fulfill my ministry.” But, “You have your own calling from God. A new era of blessing can dawn through you. Offer yourself to God, and reach for your destiny.”
Ministry. That is, service. “Be mastered by One Great Thing. It will cost you. But if you’ll give yourself to it, you will help people, in Jesus’ name and for his greater glory.”
