Reliable Sources

“and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2Tim 2:2)

Journalists must trust their sources. It’s critical to the accuracy of any report. Where would Woodward and Bernstein be without the legendary “Deep Throat”? When a reporter can rely on his or her source, the public can have confidence in the story. 

Okay, I realize the news media is not exactly seen as a great bastion of credibility these days. I get that. Too many overzealous journalists so fired up to break the big story that they lean on dubious sources and play fast and loose with the facts. But back in the day, you could take it to the bank if you read it in the New York Times or heard it from Walter Cronkite. Not any more.

Long before Spotlight or Watergate made headlines, Paul wanted Timothy to have the utmost confidence in the news he was passing along. “And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust to to faithful men who will be able to teach others” (v2). Tim can trust the news he’s heard from the apostle. He can trust the source. Now he’s to keep his eyes and ears out for folks he can rely on to keep the message moving forward. When it comes to the Good News, it’s critical that we can trust our sources.

When we understand the context of this verse, we’ll see that it’s vital that the message moves forward. Paul is in Rome, locked up in Caesar’s SuperMax, otherwise known as the Mamertine Prison. He’s writing a letter to his young protege Timothy while he sits on Death Row. The apostle knows his time is rapidly running out (2Tim 4:6-7). While he desperately hopes for one last visit from his good buddy (2Tim 4:9, 21), Paul encourages Tim to lean on the power of God’s grace as he continues telling people about Jesus (2Tim 2:1). 

First of all, the former Pharisee reminds the young pastor that he can trust his source. He can rely on “what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses” (v2). Tim has had a front row seat for Paul’s teaching so many times that he’s probably lost count. He first hooked up with the apostle several years ago when the Gospel tour made a stop in his hometown of Lystra (Acts 16:1-5). Before Tim knew what hit him, he was studying under the dude the Lord personally picked to tell non-Jews everywhere the Good News. 

Every place they stopped, Paul talks about the grace of God expressed in His Son Jesus. He lets them know that Christ is the answer to the problem religion has been trying to solve for thousands of years. Religion is our futile attempt to get to God. It’s futile because we can’t get there without 100% obedience to God’s rules. Break one and we’ve broken them all, according to Jesus’ kid brother James (James 2:10). 

But placing your faith in our Savior is does just the opposite. Instead of trying to work our way to God, He comes to us. Christ does for us what we could never do…even when our lives depend on it. He lived the perfect life for us, died in our place, and strolled right out of the empty tomb. I don’t care what kind of mad skills you have up your sleeve. You can’t pull off anything that awesome. 

The most amazing thing about Jesus is that He gives you and me credit for everything He does and takes our hot mess off our hands (2Cor 5:21). That’s the message Tim has heard Paul spread in city after city around the Mediterranean Rim. Timothy can trust his source. The apostle heard it straight for Jesus Himself (Gal 1:12). It doesn’t get any better than that.

A couple of important things we don’t want to miss about what Tim has heard. First of all, Paul uses words. Well, duh! Okay, work with me here. The apostle makes a point of speaking about Jesus out loud. You may have heard the old saying, “Preach the Gospel constantly. Use words when necessary.” I appreciate the sentiment. We SHOULD let our actions speak for us. We should live lives of love. But at some point words ARE necessary for others to know the Good News. No one will ever understand why you do what you do without an explanation.

The other subtle point Paul makes is that he consistently helps folks understand what he’s talking about. He explains what it means to place your trust in Jesus. He unpacks what the life of a Christ follower looks like and feels like. The apostle has a great way of putting the cookies on the bottom shelf. That does NOT mean he waters down the Gospel. But he illustrates and helps folks apply the grace of Jesus.

How about you? Don’t feel like you need to tote a ten-pound theological textbook with you to explain the Good News. It doesn’t take a slew of impressive sounding five syllable words to do the trick. If you’re like me, chances are you don’t know what they mean anyway. All you need to do is understand the concepts behind them. And when in doubt, go back to the basics. God made a perfect universe. We jacked it all up. Jesus came to our rescue. 

Paul mentions to Tim about “the presence of many witnesses” (v2) he’s had the privilege of speaking to. The Greek word for “witness” (Gr. martus) has a couple of meanings. It can describe one who testifies to facts in a legal setting. When the religious bullies railroaded Jesus, He boldly announced He was indeed Messiah and would soon take a seat next to His Heavenly Dad. That’s when the high priest blew a gasket. “He has uttered blasphemy. What further witnesses (Gr. martus) do we need?” (Mt 26:65).

It can possibly a person who tells others something they know directly and personally. In other words, somebody with firsthand knowledge. Just before He headed home to heaven, the resurrected Christ told His followers how He would give them His Holy Spirit so that “you will be My witnesses (Gr. martus) in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). When Judas Iscariot broke bad, the apostles had an opening on their roster. A key requirement for his replacement was that he be “a witness (Gr. martus) to the resurrection” (Acts 1:22).

It can also be used when talking about a martyr. In this context, it’s one who tells what he knows even though it may result in death. Our Savior gave His buddy John a sneak peek at the end of the story and gave him a glimpse of a nasty prostitute dripping with “the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs (Gr. martus) of Jesus” (Rev 17:9). So the meaning of the word also carries the idea of someone so impacted by the grace of God that they are willing tell others about Christ even though it could well be fatal.

As a follower of Jesus, I’m a witness. More than a fan in the stands. More than a spectator. I’m actively involved in what He’s doing. I have the privilege of telling others what I’ve seen Him do in my life and through my life. How about you? What’s He been up to in your life? I know, I know. You don’t want to brag. But remember, this isn’t about you. It’s about Him. And it’s ALL about Him! This isn’t meant to put you on a guilt trip but a witness who doesn’t testify isn’t of any value to anyone else. While people may not be able to swallow some of the stuff in the Bible, they have a heard time doubting what’s happened in your life. They can trust the source.

While Paul certainly doesn’t want Tim to limit the audience of the Gospel, he wants him to keep an eye out for people who with a very special set skills. No, we’re not talking about Liam Neeson’s character from “Taken.” The apostle wants his spiritual son to “entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (v2). These folks need to be trustworthy and reliable. It’s important to keep the Good News good. One hundred percent grace. A zero tolerance policy against works. Those who teach must have a figure-four leg lock on the core of the message. People must be able to trust the source.

Here’s a cool observation I ran across when digging into this verse. John MacArthur points out that from Paul to Tim to faithful men to those would they tell covers FOUR generations! If Paul is Timothy’s spiritual son (1Tim 1:2; 2Tim 1:2), then the faithful folks he finds are the next generation. And once they pass along the story of Jesus, the apostle has great grandchildren in the faith! Talk about leaving a legacy that lives on!! All because of reliable sources.

Intervention

“As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear” (1Tim 5:20).

So what happens when a church leader makes headlines for all the wrong reasons? What? Don’t think it could ever happen at YOUR church? Oh, you can keep skipping down the primrose path if you want. If that’s you, please tell the unicorns and leprechauns I said “hey.” But you know the truth. Church scandals happen WAY too often. And it could happen here.

Well, I have some very good news about some very bad news. The Apostle Paul has some important instructions for crisis management in the local church. His guidance isn’t some “break glass in an emergency” kinda deal. It’s for us to know ahead of time. 

Understand what to do before disaster strikes. “As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear” (v20). When an elder makes sin a conscious and regular part of his lifestyle, it’s time for an intervention. For the good of the leader. For the good of the church.

You know all about interventions, don’t you? That’s when a person participates in self-destructive behavior but doesn’t have a clue the damage they’re doing. To themselves. To the people they love. 

At some point, folks draw a line in the sand. It’s time for a face-to-face meeting. It’s time to get all the cards on the table. It’s time to stop tap dancing around 800-pound gorilla in the room. (That sure paints an interesting picture, don’t you think? Trippin’ a nifty time step around King Kong’s little brother. But I digress.) 

There comes a time when you must lovingly, boldly, and openly intervene. You love someone too much to let them continue. You’ve had a front row seat for their self-destruction. Time has come for an intervention. For the good of the person. For the good of their friends and family.

Don’t forget the original purpose of Paul’s first letter to Timothy. The apostle has hit the trail for ministry in Macedonia and put Tim in the driver’s seat of the Ephesian megachurch (1Tim 1:3). 

Pastor Tim has quite the hot mess to clean up in E City. Spiritual snake oil salesmen have driven the congregation into the ditch with all sorts of bizarro teaching (1Tim 1:4-7; 4:1-3). A big part of this Ephesian comeback is filling the leadership void with godly people of integrity (1Tim 3:1-13).

If and when there is any future trouble at the top, Paul lays out a clear process (1Tim 5:19). What sort of evidence is there? Do you have a minimum of two witnesses? Three would be much better. 

If you prove the charges true and the elder continues to sin, it’s time to get the entire church involved. It’s time for an intervention. For the good of the leader. For the good of the church.

You might wonder where in the world I get the idea that Paul is talking about elders here in verse 20. Context. Just before this, the apostle is talking elders (1Tim 5:17-19). Just after, he’s talking to Tim about leaders (1Tim 5:21-22). I may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but it sure seems to me he’s talking about elders and leaders.

That being the case, we’re to keep an eye out for church leaders “who persist in sin” (v20). Paul uses the verb hamartano here. It means to do wrong or miss the mark. To sin is do anything contrary to the will and law of God. 

But avoiding sin is a whole lot more than NOT doing the bad stuff. It’s also NOT doing what you’re supposed to do. Sins of commission and sins of omission are sins. Period. And we also sin when we do the right things for the wrong reasons.

If you haven’t figured it out yet, let me break the bad news to you. You’re a sinner. I’m a sinner. We’re all sinners (Rom 3:10-12, 23). That’s the reason we need a Savior. We need Someone perfectly obeys God’s law when we fail miserably. 

That’s where Jesus comes in. He doesn’t just die to take the punishment for our crimes, He lives the life of perfect obedience we fail to live. That’s the very Good News about the incredibly bad news.

But Paul describes a leader “who persist in sin” (v20). The form of the verb here is the present tense. In other words, someone who was sinning, is sinning, and probably will be sinning tomorrow unless somebody takes some radical action. 

Here’s the deal. Sin continues to be part of our lives on this side of eternity. Even Paul, the author of most of the New Testament, was honest with his cage match with sin while trying follow Jesus perfectly and obediently (Rom 7:13-20).

The apostle is talking here about pastors and elders who take a never-ending ride on the sin cycle. They repeatedly return to some behavior that not only damages them personally but the congregation they shepherd. 

Their transgression happens over and over and over and over. Lather, rinse, repeat. They live in a virtual Groundhog Day of sin. The sheer repetition of their destructive behavior takes it’s toll not only on the individual, but friends and family, and in this case, the church family.

The next step is unpleasant but unavoidable. “Rebuke them in the presence of all” (v20). I don’t know about you, but “rebuke” is one of those “Bible words” that you don’t hear very often outside of a church. 

A closer look at the original Greek word elegcho tells us that it means to expose something, bring it to light, or convince people by revealing the proof. It’s like the investigative reporting on “Dateline” when Keith Morrison exposes the undeniable evidence of the crime and now somebody must do the time.

New Testament authors use elegcho when talking about those moments when the light bulb comes on and the truth is glaringly apparent. John the Dunker exposed King Herod Antipas and “reproved (Gr. elegcho) him” for shacking up with his sister-in-law (Lk 3:19). 

Jesus told Nicodemus how a dude up to no good does everything he can to keep it quiet “lest his works should be exposed (Gr. elegcho)” (Jn 3:20). Paul told his friends in Ephesus to not only avoid private sins “but instead expose (Gr. elegcho) them” (Eph 5:11). 

In his second note to Tim, the apostle hopes the young preacher will be on his toes to “reprove, rebuke (Gr. elegcho), and exhort, with complete patience and teaching” (2Tim 4:2).

Some of you may be scratching you head right now. Hmm, this all sounds REALLY familiar. Have I read this somewhere before? Probably so. Paul ties this process to Jesus’ instructions for church discipline in Matthew 18:15-17. 

Here's a quick review. Step one, meet one-on-one with the person who has done you dirty. If he blows you off, move to step two. Take two or three other folks with you and confront him again. If he blows off you and the others, it’s time for step three. 

That’s when you present the matter to the entire church. If that doesn’t turn on the light bulb, it’s time for a status change. The dude in question goes from an insider to an outsider. But the point isn’t just to punish. The big idea is interact with him as if he doesn’t have a relationship with Jesus. You don’t shun him. You share the Gospel with him.

The apparent difference between Christ’s instructions in Matthew and Paul’s process here is that this step happens “in the presence of all” (v20). We’re to bring the elder stuck in the sin cycle before the entire church. As heartbreaking as it is, it’s time for an intervention. 

God is up to a couple of different purposes when we do this. First of all, we demonstrate to this fallen leader that we’re united in our love for him. Whatever rat hole of destructive behavior he’s fallen into, we know this isn’t the crazy good abundant life Jesus has promised for him (Jn 10:10). We desperately want him to know the hurt and pain he’s brought to God’s family.

Paul lets us know the second purpose of this process is “so that the rest may stand in fear” (v20). This isn’t so much the fear of being found out and called on the carpet. He’s talking about the awareness of the clear and present danger of sin’s insidious impact on anyone and everyone. 

Our leaders are NOT super saints who are faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to leap tall buildings with a single bound, with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men. 

Our elders and pastors need a Savior just like you and me. We ALL need Christ every single moment of every single day. We ALL need to be in a continual state of repentance and dependance on Jesus. Elders. Pastors. You. Me.

Let’s go over it one more time. First we see that we had better have our ducks in a row when it comes to confronting one of our church leaders (1Tim 5:19). But if there’s evidence and more than witness, it’s time to move on with the process. At some point, it may come to an awkward but necessary intervention with an elder. 

We have to face the fact that life in the church is often messy. Everything is not neatly stored in one little bag with a twist tie. Why would we ever expect it to be? For heaven’s sake, Jesus invited jacked up people like you and me to be a part of it! 

So if an elder gets caught up in self-destructive, it’s time for an intervention. For the good of the leader. For the good of the church.

Got Witnesses?

“Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses” (1Tim 5:19).

Stories of law enforcement falsely accusing someone of a crime seem to be everywhere these days. The controversial documentary series “Making a Murderer” alleges cops and prosecutors cooked up the murder conviction of Steven Avery. And just about every week, shows like “Dateline” and “48 Hours” pull back the curtain on investigations gone horribly wrong. These heartbreaking stories usually involve circumstantial evidence and questionable witnesses.

In a letter to a young pastor named Timothy in Ephesus, Paul establishes a standard for any investigation into leaders in the church. “Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses” (v19). He’s simply reiterating and applying a longstanding principle of God’s law. If you’re going to publicly accuse anyone of sin, much less an elder, you need evidence. Not rumors. Not whispers. Not innuendo. It’s going to take real forensic evidence. Got witnesses?

This is going to be an important tool for Tim. His mentor is on the road to Macedonia and has put him in charge of getting the Ephesian megachurch back on track. A team of spiritual con artists have weaseled their way into leadership and distracted folks from following Jesus with a combination of urban legends, goofy theories, and doctrine that’s downright demonic (1Tim 1:3-7; 4:1-3). 

Paul already kicked two of these knuckleheads to the curb (1Tim 1:20). The apostle set the bar for leadership integrity going forward (1Tim 3:1-13). And now he establishes clear guidelines for investigating charges against them.

In the previous verses, Paul talks about “elders who rule well” (1Tim 5:17), so it makes sense that he brings up those who don’t. Just to be sure, we’re NOT talking about incompetent leadership. We’re talking about a leader who willfully sins. That’s obvious from verses 20-24 where the apostle warns elders to avoid sinful activity like a Justin Bieber concert. 

You don’t kick out leaders just because you don’t like them. Poor performance isn’t grounds for dismissal. The standard for removal from the church office of elder must be sin which can be proved.

There may well be a few more false teachers serving in the Ephesian leadership who need to hit the road. If there’s more trouble at the top, Paul gives Tim the means to send them packing. The yardstick is clear. He can’t even consider cranking up an investigation without a minimum of two witnesses. 

If the evidence is there, dig a little deeper. Find out the truth. See if there are folks who are willing to testify to what’s going on. It has to be more than a random Twitter post or an anonymous online comment. You need real witnesses. And one witness won’t cut the mustard. Two is better. Three would be awesome.

God established the requirement of multiple witnesses when He gave Moses the law. “A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed. Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established” (Dt 19:15). That’s especially true in death penalty cases (Num 35:30; Dt 17:6). 

Fast forward from the Torah to the kangaroo court that convicted Christ. “Now the chief priests and the whole council were seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put Him to death, but they found none” (Mt 26:59-60; Mk 14:55). It was only through perjury that Jewish leaders were able to cook up enough evidence to get Him crucified.

Jesus told His followers to use this same forensic principle when handling cases of between believers. The Lord says we’re to sit down one-on-one with the person who sinned against us. “But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses” (Mt 18:16). 

Interestingly, that’s REALLY the meaning behind a verse that’s regularly quoted for small worship attendance. “For where two or three are gathered in My name, there am I among them” (Mt 18:20). In other words, when two or three of His followers agree together on the evidence as witnesses, Jesus stands with them. Christ is actually talking about church discipline, NOT the minimum requirements for a worship service.

Before making his third visit to the church in Corinth, Paul warns believers to build the proper case against anyone who needs correction. “Every charge must be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses” (2Cor 13:1). We’re not to deal with gossip, hearsay, whisper campaigns, internet rumors, and urban legends. 

Confronting a fellow follower of Jesus is a big deal. I mean a BIG hairy deal! It’s not to be taken lightly. It’s going to take a minimum of two people to testify against them before any action can be taken. Got witnesses?

Another important factor is that leaders are easy targets. As a matter of fact, Paul has just described the need to reward top shelf elders “who rule well” (1Tim 5:17). He uses a Greek word (Gr. proistemi) that means to place yourself in front. In other words, leaders put themselves out there. 

Elders are exposed. It’s just part of the package when you step into leadership. You become a punching bag of blame for anyone who doesn’t like the volume of music, the color of the carpet, the temperature in the baptismal pool, or the quality of the free coffee.

You see this petty garbage in the political system all the time. The candidate from the Not-Your-Party gets elected. They haven’t even taken their hand off the Bible at the inauguration when the opposition cranks up the impeachment machine. The U.S. Constitution may allow those sort of shenanigans but not Scripture. 

If you’re thinking about raising a stink about one of your church leaders, you’d better slow your roll. What’s the basis for your complaint? Is it really sin? Got witnesses?

A little closer look at the original language here helps us out. The word “charge” is the Greek noun kategoria, which means an accusation. The word literally describes a rumor that moves “through (kate-) the marketplace (-goria).” Dirt and gossip spread like wildfire in public settings and large gatherings. 

The Apostle John uses a very similar term when he calls Satan “the accuser (Gr. kategoreo) of the brothers” (Rev 12:10). In other words, there has to be more than a whisper campaign of people hiding behind an anonymous web profile or unsigned letter to remove an elder from office.

It’s interesting that the only other uses of kategoria in the Gospels have to do with the crooked and unrelenting investigation against our Savior. Religious bigwigs never took their eyes off Jesus so “they might find an accusation (Gr. kategoria) against Him” (Lk 6:7 NKJV). 

When they eventually trumped up charges of treason against Christ and took Him to the governor, Pilate wanted to know, “What accusation (Gr. kategoria) do you bring against this Man?” (Jn 18:29). Just in case you haven’t heard, they had nothing (Jn 18:28. 19:4, 6). Zip. Zero. Zilch.

A local church can head a lot of these problems off at the pass if it just follows the process of selecting leaders which God lays out in His Word (1Tim 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9). Let’s review that vetting process quickly. A candidate must be “above reproach” (1Tim 3:2), which means not just scandal-free but scandal-proof. 

Paul goes on to tell Titus that an elder is “not open to the charge (Gr. kategoria) of debauchery or insubordination” (Titus 1:6). Just down the page, we’ll see the apostle warn against rushing to find new leaders and “not be hasty in the laying on of hands” (1Tim 5:22).

There’s a good chance that if someone has a legit accusation against an elder, the church may not have done its due diligence in his selection. You can go a long way to avoid a messy investigation by checking out a potential leader’s marriage, family, work performance, and personal finances ahead of time. 

Is it hard work? Will it take a while? You betcha. But it sure beats one of your elders doing a perp walk or seeing your church leading the local newscast. Remember, we’re about spreading the Good News not getting bad press.

A quick but necessary note to anyone in church or ministry leadership. This principle is NOT a shield to hide behind. We’re NOT to use this as some sort of teflon coating insuring charges will never stick. (As a matter of fact, Paul gets to that in the very next verse!) 

There’s also the idea of shared servant/leadership or what theologians call the plurality of elders. That just means there’s not one dude flying solo in leadership. Just about every mention of elders in the NT describes them as a team (Acts 11:30; 14:23; 15:2-6, 22-23; 16:4; 20:17, 28; 21:18; Phil 1:1; Titus 1:5; James 5:14; 1Pet 5:1-2). Teamwork creates openness and accountability. Multiple elders help to provide checks and balances.

The bottom line here is that Paul seems to believe that charges against church leaders are going to come. It’s probably not a case of “if” but “when.” Pastors and elders are easy targets. So let’s establish a standard for investigation. 

Don’t waste your time chasing down every rumor. You need real evidence. Not opinion. Not innuendo. Are there any witnesses? There needs to be more than just one. Two is the minimum. Three is better. Got witnesses?

Full Disclosure

And also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the Gospel (Eph 6:19).

When the bailiff swears in a witness to testify in a trial, he asks them if they are willing to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.  No half truth.  No shaded truth.  The whole truth.  Nothing but the truth.  It’s absolutely necessary that the witness spill the beans.  There’s a need for full disclosure.  Paul asks the Ephesian church to pray for him.  “And also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the Gospel” (v19).  He realizes that he needs supernatural power in order to make a difference for Christ.  Paul knows the importance of full disclosure.

Paul asks for prayer.  It certainly makes sense that he wants prayer.  He’s in prison for crying out loud!  In the very next verse, he says that he’s “an ambassador in chains” (Eph 6:20).  That’s his way of saying he’s locked up in the joint.  But the apostle doesn’t ask his Ephesian friends to pray for his release.  He doesn’t ask them to pray that he’ll be moved to a better cell.  He doesn’t even ask them to pray that he’ll get better food.  He pleads with them to pray that God will give him courage in telling people about Jesus.  The man from Tarsus sees his incarceration as an opportunity to share the Good News with anyone who will listen.  So he wants boldness.  Godly boldness.  He’s going to leverage his prison bid for Christ.  He sees his stretch in the slammer as a unique privilege to tell prisoners and guards the Gospel.

Do I see every circumstance that way?  When things don’t go my way, do I understand that my situation could actually be a divine appointment?  Has Jesus placed me where I am “for such a time as this?” (Est 4:14)?  Here’s my problem.  All too often, I’m too hung up on myself and my problems to worry about anyone else.  Woe is me.  Or in the words of the great philosopher and theologian Warren Zevon, “Poor, poor, pitiful me.”  Rick Warren is right on target with the opening line of “The Purpose Driven Life.”  “It’s not about you.”  Good or bad, my situation is NOT about me.  Paul understands that.  I’m still not there yet.  I’m still obsessed with me.  It’s like what the self-absorbed dude said.  “Well, that’s enough about me.  What do you think about me?”  Well, enough about me…

Paul wants the Ephesians to ask God to give him the words to say to tell folks about Jesus.  But he’s not looking for slick techniques or clever illustrations.  He wants to be able to speak “boldly” (v19).  This is the Greek word parresia.  It’s a compound word that literally means to speak everything.   Don’t hold anything back.  It’s to speak openly, frankly and freely.  The apostle wants to speak fearlessly in the face of intimidating circumstances.  Courageously.  Confidently.  Publicly.  Without reservation.  With cheerful courage and a joyful sense of freedom.  It’s free speech.  Americans commonly call this exercising our First Amendment rights.  The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

Full disclosure.

Just as that’s not the case in most countries around the world, it was certainly not the case in the first century.  Jewish leaders intimidated people to such a point that “no one spoke openly (Gr. parresia)” about Jesus (Jn 7:13).  Later many of these same religious leaders are blown away by “the boldness (Gr. parresia) of Peter and John” as they told about the resurrected Rabbi/Carpenter (Acts 4:13).  The writer of Hebrews encourages folks to hang on tight to their courage in living for Christ and the “boldness (Gr. parresia), which has a great reward” (Heb 10:35).

The Gospel was and is a threat to culture.  In the earliest days of the church in Jerusalem, religious leaders were doing everything possible to shut up Jesus’ followers and wipe them off the face of the earth.  As authorities dropped the hammer on the church, believers prayed, “And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak Your word with all boldness Gr. parresia)” (Acts 4:29).

Full disclosure.

So what’s this whole truth that Paul so desperately wants to share?  “The mystery of the Gospel” (v19).  Here’s the problem.  We don’t really have an English word that translates the original text very well.  For us, a mystery is something that’s darn near impossible to explain or understand.  But the Greek word musterion describes something just a bit different.  This is a secret that has been revealed or something hidden that has been disclosed.  It used to be a mystery.  It used to be a secret.  Not anymore.  It’s a secret in the past tense.  We now know what’s behind door number three.  God is revealing His amazing goodness to His church.  Jesus told His crew that they were in on this divine breaking news.  “To you it has been given to know the secrets (Gr. musterion) of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given” (Mt 13:11).

Paul’s past tense mystery is the “Gospel” (v19).  The Greek word (Gr. euangelion) simply means good news.  News that makes you happy.  Info that causes you joy.  Words that bring you a smile.  Jesus uses the man from Tarsus to break into programming with the most spectacularly Good News the universe has ever heard.  God’s impossible standard has been met!  Jesus has lived the perfect life that I’ve failed to live.  He died the brutal death for my sin that I should have died.  He rose to a spectacular new life that I certainly don’t deserve.  God sees me as His spotless, sinless Son when I place my trust in Jesus.  He did for me what I could never do for myself.  That’s not just Good News.  That’s GREAT NEWS!!!

But the apostle’s divine assignment has a special focus.  Jesus has handpicked this former Pharisee to reach out to non-Jews (Acts 9:15).  The Jewish Messiah isn’t just for Hebrews anymore.  When Jesus throws open the doors of God’s kingdom to Gentiles, the fecal matter really hit the whirling device.  There were a lot of folks at the home office in Jerusalem who thought that Gentiles must convert to Judaism before they could follow Christ.  After a big confab of church leaders, they decided that if Jesus was saving them who were they to say differently (Acts 15).  

This certainly was very Good News to the folks in Ephesus.  On Paul’s second expedition, he dropped into this massive seaport for three years (Acts 20:31).  Dr. Luke spends an entire chapter of his sequel telling what went down there (Acts 19).  While he started his work there telling Jews about Jesus, synagogue leaders soon gave him the boot.  At that point, he started spreading the Gospel to everyone who would listen.  Jews AND Gentiles.  Earlier in this letter, Paul reminds his readers that Jesus drafted him to be His spokesmen to tell non-Jews the Good News (Eph 3:1-9).

For the apostle to do so took boldness.  That means full disclosure.  No half truth.  The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.  For the Good News to be good, the bad news has to be bad.  REALLY bad.  And it is bad.  REALLY bad.  We can’t meet God’s perfect standard.  Not no way.  Not no how.  Not without Jesus anyway.  To tell folks the Good News means telling them the bad news.  That takes boldness.  So Paul asks for prayer to tell folks the whole truth.  He knows that the grace of Jesus is the only real hope.  So he needs boldness.  In the opening portion of his letter to the Romans, the apostle puts his hands on his hips and writes, “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel (Gr. euangelion), for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Rom 1:16).

Full disclosure.

Am I willing to ask people to pray for my boldness to share the Gospel?