Philippians 2:22-24
But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel. I hope, therefore, to send him as soon as I see how things go with me. And I am confident in the Lord that I myself will come soon.
Timothy is someone who could labor with Paul. What did he labor with Paul? In the work of gospel. Preaching the gospel cannot depend on famous evangelists, and it must be someone everyone involves in to labor with the Lord. You might think you are not familiar with the Bible or you don't know what to say, so how could you labor on the work of evangelism? Actually, preaching the gospel is not just verbal, but more importantly by prayer and by action.
What does it mean to preach the gospel by prayer? In order for preaching the gospel to be effective, prayer is an essential element. When the U.S. was fighting the Persian Gulf War, they fought a war in the air before they sent in the army. Once they had control of the air, battles on the ground becomes easier. Many believers do not understand the importance of prayer; they directly enter into field of gospel, which is like fighting a close-distance ground battle before having control of the air. It will surely result in many casualties and lead to defeat! Through prayer, we can first bind work of the deception and accusations of the enemies in the hearts of the believers. In 2 Corinthians 10:4-5, Paul said that "The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." Therefore, never use your inability to speak eloquently as an excuse; when you pray, you are serving in the work of gospel.
What does it mean to preach the gospel by action? Action speaks louder than words, it is the testimony of action that is the key which convinces people. Years ago I knew a brother back in Philadelphia. He accepted the Lord in the U.S., and later he ran into a college friend who was a foe of his back in the college days, when they attacked and slandered each other. When that happened he really had great struggle inside; on the one hand he felt that since he's a Christian, he should apologize to the person and reconcile with him; on the other hand, he thought that those things happened so long ago it'd be embarrassing and also pointless to apologize. After much struggles, he gathered courage to go in front of his classmate, held his hand and told him: "I'm sorry, I was wrong before, please forgive me." The person was so touched that he held the brother and cried. What a beautiful picture it was! This picture, however, involves the price of sacrifice! Are you will to labor with the Lord in prayer and action?
Pray with Pastor Tong
Lord Jesus, I thank you, for you have shown how important I am in the work of gospel. May your spirit guide me to open my mouth and pray and open my heart to testify for you. I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!
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