Uncomfortable Discipleship, Part 2

Scripture — 2 Timothy 4:2-4 (NRSV)

In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I solemnly urge you: proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favorable or unfavorable; convince, rebuke, and encourage with the utmost patience in teaching. For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound teaching, but, having their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander away to myths.

Devotion

Yesterday I wrote about Paul’s charge to Timothy to preach the word, and his warning that when Timothy persistently and faithfully does so, some will turn away from that teaching even when it is true and challenging. Perhaps especially when it is true and challenging. As you may have noticed, I focused on this by considering those to whom the message is preached who perhaps don’t want to hear it because it makes us uncomfortable. I say “us” because I am certainly included.

There are many aspects of Biblical teachings that can make us uncomfortable. These include calls to repent, calls to mourn or lament, and calls to meekness, as I mentioned yesterday. This category of uncomfortable teaching may also include calls to consider how we honor the sabbath or how we might be influenced by our consumer culture in our spending and accumulation of possessions. In a politically divisive age, it may include challenges to give God a higher allegiance than our political party, or to love those with whom we disagree.

One question that has been recommended to me that I have found helpful is to ask when I find myself feeling uncomfortable after I experience a sermon or other form of teaching coming from a Christian leader (such as a book or essay) is this one: am I uncomfortable because the teaching is unbiblical in some way, or is it because I am being challenged to grow in my faith in a new way? Since I am fortunate to attend a church with solid Biblical teaching, I have to admit that most of the time I have felt uncomfortable after a sermon, it has been the latter: I am being challenged to grow in a new way.

This is a simple principle for all who want to be disciples of Christ, though it is not an easy one to follow (at least for me): the path to Christian growth often involves us being willing to be challenged in uncomfortable ways and ways that are countercultural. We need to be willing to be uncomfortable if we are to grow, and we should be aware of ways that culture tempts us to a more comfortable message than that of God’s word.

This passage from Paul to Timothy has an explicit message to those in positions of leadership in the church, which just as the message to congregations is also simple in principle: keep preaching the word, even when it is challenging and uncomfortable, and when folks don’t want to hear it.

When I am invited to speak somewhere, especially in an explicitly Christian context such as a church, or conference, or chapel at a Christian college, I usually start with one question that I bring to God: _What does this audience need to hear right now? Phrased another way, I might ask: What message—perhaps a challenging or uncomfortable one—is God putting on my heart?  But after I ask that question, I ask another one. How can I make a connection to this audience? How can I understand them and break down any barriers that make the message harder to hear than it needs to be—without diluting the message itself?

It is interesting to note that when Paul tells Timothy to persistently proclaim the message, along with convincing and exhorting (or as some translations read, correcting and rebuking), Paul also exhorts Timothy to be encouraging. I find that an uncomfortable message delivered with obvious love, understanding, and empathy is much easier for me to hear: a message from somebody walking alongside me on the challenging road of being a disciple.

Find all Life for Leaders devotions here. Explore what the Bible has to say about work at the unique website of our partners, the Theology of Work Project. Reflection on today’s Life for Leaders theme can be found here: Salt and Light in the World of Work (Matthew 5:13-16).