February 21, 2019
Epiphany
“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:
2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.
3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions,
4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.
5 As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.” 2 Timothy 4:1-5
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
Paul writing to Timothy reminded him, in the passage above, to preach the Word of God when convenient and when inconvenient. In addition, he charges him to “do the work of an evangelist.” This charge applies to all believers especially those in Christian leadership. The reason is obvious: we are surrounded by those who do not know Christ and our churches are also filled with people who do not know Christ.
Do the work of an Evangelist
Doing the work of an evangelist involves continually proclaiming in the church and outside the church what the Bible says about Jesus as well as what it says about sin and its consequences. Sin leads to eternal suffering and separation from God called Hell Fire in the Bible. The only escape from this eternal consequences of sin is repentance from sin, and faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord. He died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins so that we are forgiven, reconciled to God, given eternal life, and made children of God to spend eternity with Him in heaven. Here is what God says to us in the Bible :
“Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Galatians 5:19-21
“But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” Revelation 21:8
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’” Matthew 7:21-23
“Then he (Jesus) will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.'” Matthew 25:41-43
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.’ And he who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’ Also he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.’ And he said to me, ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.'” Revelation 21:1-7
If you have not repented of your sins and trusted in Jesus as your Savior and Lord, you can do it now where you are. Ask Jesus to forgive you, confess you faith in Him as your Savior, and commit to follow him in obedience as the Lord of your life. The Holy Spirit will empower you to continue in the obedience of faith. And then ensure that you join a church that believes, teaches and practices the Bible so you can grow into a mature believer in Christ
Warm regards,
The Rt. Rev’d Dr. Felix Orji, OSB
Bishop | Anglican Diocese of the West
St. Francis Cathedral Church
470 Eagle Drive
El Paso, Texas, 79912
www.dioceseofthewest.org
www.stfrancisanglicanchurch. org
“We are justified by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone. True faith always yields the fruit of obedience to one degree or another.” Dr. R. C. Sproul
