Max Effort

“For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe” (1Tim 4:10).

Pet peeve alert! Few things get under my skin as an athlete saying, “We’ve got to give 110% in order to win.” Dude, that’s mathematically impossible. You can only give 100%. That’s all you got. You can only give 110% if you’ve been holding back to this point, say giving 85% to 90%. 

That’s the first thing that popped into my pea brain whenever I read Paul’s words to Timothy here. The apostle just told Tim the importance of hitting the spiritual gym to get in ripped and prepped to tell others about Jesus (1Tim 4:7-9). Sharing the Good News isn’t for wimps. “For this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe” (v10). Leave it all on the field. Give it everything you’ve got. We give max effort for others because Jesus gave max effort for us!

A team of false teachers have distracted Ephesian disciples from focusing on the game. Instead, they’ve duped folks into spend all their energy on stuff that really doesn’t matter (1Tim 1:3-7; 4:1-3). Myths. Endless family trees. Pointless controversies. Crackpot teaching about staying single and restricted diets. They’ve fooled folks into believing they can save themselves by subtracting stuff from their lives. Self-righteousness by subtraction didn’t work then and it doesn’t work now. 

Paul reminds Tim the reason it’s so important to be in top spiritual condition and be CrossFit (1Tim 4:7-9). “For to this end we toil and strive” (v10). Don’t miss the teamwork involved here. “WE toil and strive” (v10 emphasis added). As pastors, they’ve got a fight on their hands. But they don’t do it alone. This is a team sport. The apostle doesn’t face the opponent all by his lonesome. He knows Tim is a trusted teammate. Every minister must be prepped to play the biggest game of their lives. But we’re not flying solo. We have brothers and sisters who cover our blindsides and backsides. 

Together we “toil and strive” (v10). Toil. Strive. If it sounds extreme, that’s because it is! “Toil” is the Greek verb kopiao, which means working to the point of exhaustion. Striving. Struggling. Busting your butt until you’re physically and emotionally fried. In Luke’s Gospel, Simon tells Jesus how he and the crew of his fishing boat “toiled (Gr. kopiao) all night long and took nothing!” (Lk 5:5). When Christ sat down next to Jacob’s well, He was “wearied Gr. kopiao) as He was from His journey” (Jn 4:6) and totally wiped out. That’s what happens when you give max effort.

Just in case we might think we can simply roll our helmets on the field and win, Paul says we must “strive” as well (v10). This is agonizomai, which describes competing in first century sports with 100% effort. It’s where we get our word agonize. The apostle compares the race each believer runs with how “every athlete exercises (Gr. agonizomai) self-control in all things” (1Cor 9:25). When Jesus meets with Pilate, He tells the governor that if His kingdom was an earthly one, “My servants would be fighting (Gr. agonizomai)” to keep Him from being crucified (Jn 18:36). It’s about leaving it all on the field. We give max effort for others because Jesus gave max effort for us!

The man from Tarsus teams both of these words together in a letter to the church in Colossae. And here’s the shocker: he’s talking about the VERY same thing! “For this I toil (Gr. kopiao), struggling (Gr. agonizomai) with all His energy that He powerfully works within me” (Col 1:29). Did you catch that? We bust our tails but we do it in the strength and power of God! God specializes does His best work when our tank is empty and He gives us the endless power of His Holy Spirit. We give max effort for others with the max effort Jesus is working in us!

We leave it all on the field because “we have our hope set on the living God” (v10). Hope isn’t just a vague optimism. Gospel hope is an absolute certainty and stone cold, lead pipe lock. We can be absolutely sure because our God lives! Even when his world collapse all around him, Job held on tight to this very same hope. “I know my Redeemer lives!” (Job 19:25). We see His ever-presence in the very name He whispered to Moses from the burning bush (Ex 3:14). He’s the Great I Am. Our God is always in the present tense. Jesus tells the religious police, “Before Abraham was, I am” (Jn 8:58). Bad grammar, but GREAT theology!

As followers of Jesus, we haven’t placed our hope some long dead religious leader. Every other founder of world’s major religions are dead and gone. Muhammed? Dead. Buddha? Dead. L. Ron Hubbard? You got it. Dead. There’s only One who walked out of the cemetery once and for all. Jesus Christ. When the women went to the tomb that very first Easter Sunday, the angel announced, “He is not here, but has risen!” (Lk 24:6). Guess what. If you go to the tomb today, He’s STILL not there! Our hope is in “the living God” (v10). 

But Jesus isn’t just for an exclusive group of people. He’s not just for the so-called One Percent. He’s not only available to folks who make a certain amount of money or members of specific countries. Christ “is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe” (v10). The Son of God came to our rescue when we couldn’t save ourselves. He made the ultimate cosmic dumpster dive, coming from the heights of heaven to filthy, sin-filled world in order to deliver us from our self-inflicted mess.

Jewish people waited for thousands of years for the One God promised to send. They expected Messiah to come to Jews and Jews alone. They had no idea He was coming THROUGH God’s chosen people as “the Savior of all people” (v10). But God has generously sprinkled this idea of a worldwide Rescuer throughout the entire Old Testament (Gen 18:17-18; Ps 18:49; Is 9:1; 11:10). 

Earlier in this letter, Paul tells Tim about “God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved” (1Tim 2:4). God demonstrates His love for the entire world by sending His one and only Son to the rescue (Jn 3:16). The Samaritans nailed it when they saw Jesus as the “Savior of the world” (Jn 4:42). Christ lays it all on the line for a lost and dying world, “not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2Pet 3:9). Jesus gave max effort for you and me!

But hope in Christ isn’t like Little League. Everybody does NOT get a trophy. Everybody does NOT get to spend eternity in paradise. Paul explains that when he writes how salvation is “especially for those who believe” (v10). The apostle’s statement takes universalism off the table. Universalism is the belief that God will save every last person who ever lives when it is all said and done. Instead, some scholars say a better understanding here is “While God is potentially Savior of all, He is actually the Savior of those who trust in Him.” 

God graciously grants eternal life only to those who place their trust in who Jesus is and what He has done for us. He lived the perfectly obedient life to God’s holy standard that you and I failed to live. He died the brutal and bloody death for our sin that we should have died. He rose to the spectacular new life that we don’t deserve. He comes to rescue anyone and everyone who places their trust in what He’s done on their behalf. Christ gave absolutely everything to do for us what we could never dream of doing on our own. Jesus gave max effort for you and me!

We should put everything on the line to win even when it hurts. ESPECIALLY when it hurts! Fight with focus and intensity. The battle requires us to bust our tail. There’s too much at stake. People’s eternal destinies hang in the balance. Bust your tail! No pain. No gain. Leave it all on the field. We give max effort for others because Jesus gave max effort for us!

Do the Hokey Pokey

“I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth” (1Tim 3:14-15).

How many times have you seen a team, business, or organization frozen in place because they don’t know what to do? It happens when a leader leaves and takes the playbook with him. That’s not going to happen in Ephesus if Paul has anything to do with it. God may have the apostle hitting the road to Macedonia, but that doesn’t mean the Ephesian church and her pastor are paralyzed without their founder. 

Here in a couple of verses, Paul gives us the very reason he writes to Timothy, his spiritual son who’s now the lead pastor of the church in the huge port city. “I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth” (v14-15). 

Just in case the apostle has travel problems, here’s what to do and what to remember. Don’t stand still. Get God’s family moving. Remind them God who’s very much alive calls us together. Remember we’re a place that tells the truth.

The Ephesian church is like a car broken down on the side of the road. Hood up. Jacked up. It wasn’t long ago that this congregation was rumbling GUV, a Gospel Utility Vehicle. Powered by God’s Spirit, it took the Good News of Jesus anywhere and everywhere. Somehow, someway, a team of false teachers got behind the wheel drove the church into the ditch. Suddenly it was going nowhere fast.

That’s when God sent Paul and his protege Timothy to the rescue. The apostle kicked two bad leaders named Hymenaeus and Alexander to the curb (1Tim 1:20). In the middle of the repair, Paul had to answer another emergency call in Macedonia (1Tim 1:3). He appoints Tim as the new lead pastor in Ephesus with instructions to continue cleaning up the mess the spiritual con artists have made (1Tiim 1:4-7) as well finding new leaders with impeccable integrity (1Tim 3:1-13). 

Paul doesn’t want Tim to wait one second for him to get back. Get the church moving again. That’s the priority. He’ll hop on board somewhere down the road. Priority one: get rolling. There’s a lost and dying world that desperately needs to hear the truth of who Jesus is and what He has done. As Willie Nelson sings, "On the road again!"

Just in case Tim and the folks in Ephesus are wondering if Paul has forgotten them, he lets them know, “I hope to come to you soon” (v14). Great example of leadership here. Do whatever you can to stay in contact with those you lead. I have no doubt that if Paul would have used a cell phone, email, text, or FaceTime if he had them. Stay in touch. Let them know they’re still on your mind. Otherwise folks lose heart and lose hope. He really hopes to come back. E City has a special place in his heart. And why not? The apostle has spent more time teaching and preaching here than just about anywhere else.

Here are the facts that neither Paul nor Tim knew at the time. History indicates that the man from Tarsus never got back to Ephesus. He wrote this letter around 64-65 AD. The apostle was back in prison not long after in 66-67 AD. That’s when he wrote Tim a second letter just before his execution. 

In the meantime, Paul wants Pastor Tim and the Ephesian believers to get moving. Whatever you do, don’t wait for the apostle. There’s too much on the line to twiddle thumbs. “I am writing you these things to you so that, if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave” (v14-15). Behave. Every time I see that word, I can’t help but think of Austin Powers catch phrase, “Oh, behave!” It was the groovy super spy’s way of telling someone to stop being naughty. But this is SO much more than simply following the rules. 

“Behave” is the Greek verb anastrepho. It means to live, stay, or act in a particular way. Interestingly, the word literally carries the idea of revolving, turning around, or going back and forth in a place. Turn around? That sounds familiar. “You do the Hokey Pokey and you turn yourself around. That’s what it’s all about. CLAP! CLAP!” Maybe the Hokey Pokey IS what it’s all about!! The theological implications are mind boggling!!!

A better idea of what Paul is talking about is figuring out what to do and then keep doing it. Getting in the groove and staying there. Or in the words of Steely Dan, “Go back, Jack, do it again!” Don’t just sit there. Get busy. Get moving. Here’s what to do. Much of the rest of the letter is going to be instructions on doing just that. Don’t just do them once and stop. It’s not just a one and done kinda thing. Keep on keeping on. Go back, Jack, do it again!

Next we see three powerful descriptions of the church. “The household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth” (v15). Don’t make the mistake of looking at these through 21st Century lenses. For the vast majority of folks, church has come to mean a building. Sometimes it’s a classic cathedral with a steeple. Maybe a quaint little country chapel. For others it’s a modern joint with video screens and smoke machines. 

Paul is NOT talking about anything like that. He’s writing to and about the people God has called to do life together in His name. Listen to me. The church is not real estate. It’s not brick and mortar. It’s people. It’s noses and toeses. It’s broken people like you and me. Meeting places are important. But we need to be careful that we’re not devoting most of our resources to paying a mortgage instead of helping people. Jesus calls us to minister to people not buildings. That will become crystal clear as we look more closely at Paul’s words to Tim.

First of all, we’re “the household of God” (v15). The Greek word here is oikos. No, we’re not “the yogurt of God.” I would agree that church can be messy like yogurt, but the word here means house, home, or better yet, family. Paul tells the Corinthians about that awesome day when he was honored to baptize the “household (Gr. oikos) of Stephanas” (1Cor 1:16). The apostle certainly didn’t dunk Steve’s split level ranch in the baptistry. It’s no surprise that Paul wrote an earlier letter to the Ephesian church reminding them that they are “members of the household (Gr. oikos) of God” (Eph 2:9).

The followers of Jesus gather together as God’s family. A couple of things to remember about family. First of all, they’re messy. Hmm, maybe the ARE like yogurt! I don’t know of a family out there that doesn’t put the funk in dysfunction. Families are full of people who are weird and annoying. If you don’t know anybody like that in yours, I have bad news for you. It’s probably you. Are there folks in your church who make you a bit uncomfortable? Good. You’re right where you need to be. 

The other part of being in a family is that it’s a sanctuary. It’s a safe place. When the world attacks you from every angle, you need a place to hide. That’s your church family. And that’s not just a Sunday morning worship gathering. Get plugged in and connected to a small group. These Gospel communities are where Jesus does the best work in our lives. Find a safe place. Find a small group.

As a group of believers we’re also “the church of the living God” (v15).The word Paul uses here that most Bibles translate as “church” is ekklesia. It literally describes a group of folks who are called out to something. In the Greco-Roman world of the first century it meant an assembly, gathering, or any group of people called together. I don’t think it’s any coincidence that Dr. Luke uses this very same term to describe the crowds that freaked out when people started worshiping Jesus and not Artemis (Acts 19:32, 39). Buildings don’t riot. People do. 

The early followers of Jesus got their hands on ekkesia and used it as their own. Our Savior Himself said, “I will build my church (Gr. ekklesia)” (Mt 16:18). Not a facility. A gathering of people. Christ may be the Architect and Contractor but He’s not so much worried about walls, roofs, and floors. He’s constructing a something amazing out of folks like you and me. It’s about people. Not a place. It’s about relationships. Not real estate.

And it’s a gathering of people who don’t just worship any god. We’ve been called together by “the living God” (v15). For the citizens of Ephesus, they knew the big tourist attraction in their town was the massive Temple of Diana. The disciples of Christ worship the God ALIVE instead of lifeless wooden and stone idols at a pagan temple. Jesus may have been a corpse when they put him in the tomb, but He walked out ALIVE! He headed home to heaven ALIVE! He is God ALIVE! 

Finally, we should be a people who are “a pillar and a buttress of the truth” (v15). As a pillar, we hold the truth of Jesus high. We’re proud of who He is and what He has done. As buttress, we come alongside to support and stabilize folks in the Gospel. Never forget that Truth is a Person. Christ made it clear that He is Truth in bodily form (Jn 14:6). As such, we should not be afraid to speak truth. We’re willing to say what needs to be said to one another. Don’t forget to wrap God’s truth in thick coating of love and grace. But we hold truth high and we support each other with it.

So Paul makes sure that the people of Ephesus aren’t dependent on him and his return. They can get moving and get going without him. That’s because they are “the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth” (v14-15). Let’s remember that we’re God’s family, not His facility. We’re a people He’s called together where He is still God ALIVE! We’re a people who aren’t afraid to tell the truth, to each other and our community. That’s what it’s all about. CLAP! CLAP!