FAITHFUL FELLOW WORKERS

FAITHFUL FELLOW WORKERS

Study Texts: Titus 1:1, 3 John 1 – 14

Intoduction:

-           The Bible is full of a faithful band of men and women who traveled the ancient world preaching and teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.

-           The most prominent person in this great commission was the apostle Paul, who worked tirelessly for the expansion of God’s Kingdom and the growth of the early church.

-           But Paul didn’t work alone. He worked with several people as a team and he referred to such people as “his partners and fellow workers.”

-           We shall consider the study under three sub-headings:

1.         The Measure of a Faithful Fellow Worker

2.         The Motives of a Faithful Fellow Worker

3.         The Models of a Faithful Fellow Workers

1.         The Measure For Faithful Fellow Worker:
i.          Steadfastness:

-       Our faith is under attack from the left and from the right by false teachers who are teaching things they ought not.

-       They would like nothing more than to take us captive to their latest doctrine and in the process uproot our faith in truth of God’s word.

-      We  need to remain steadfast in the midst of errors and falsehood, as Paul said, “My beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58).

-       James reminds us that, “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him” (James 1:12).

-      The promise is that if we will remain steadfast under trials, including trials from false teachers, then we will receive the crown of life.

ii.         Trustworthiness:
-           As brothers and sisters in Christ, we should have each other’s trust. If you can’t trust, the brethren you worship with who can you trust?

-           Every Christian should be trustworthy; we should be deserving of people’s trust. How do we do that? The first “let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one” (Matthew 5:37).

-           Simply put, just do what you say you’re going to do. There is no better way to build trust that to follow through with your promises. Remember the golden rule; “whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them” (Matthew 7:12). If your brethren know that you’re going to treat them in a kind way, the way you want to be treated, they will trust you more.

iii.        Patient: 
-           There are two things that we need to have in order to be patient with others: 
a.         Patiently Care for others:

 -          It’s hard not to be patient with someone you deeply care for. We should be patient with those who are irritating, or slow to grasp the truth, or are just generally hard to get along with. Caring for them is the key to being patient with them. 
b.         Patiently give constant reminders:

-           Paul was concerned with repetition. He instructed Titus to “affirm constantly, that those who believed in God should be careful to maintain good works” (Titus 3:8).

-           In addition that Paul said, “Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to men” (Titus 3:1-2).

-           Too often, we lose our patience with others and quit teaching them because we grow tired of repeating ourselves.

-           However, being willing to constantly remind someone is the second key to being patient with him or her.
iv.        Being Dedicated: 
-           Every believer is expected to be a dedicated worker in God’s kingdom.      We must be dedicated to saving the souls of others through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

-      Friends it’s time we got dedicated to saving souls. It’s time that we “go home to our friends and tell them what great things the Lord has done for [us], and how He has had compassion on [us]” (Mark 5:19).

v.         Submissiveness:

-      In the Christian services, we will always have leaders at various capacities and with different responsibilities.

-      It is expected of us to be submissive to godly leaders and to obey them that have rule over us.

            vi.        Honest Report:

-      A faithful worker is expected to have a honest report not only from the brethren, but even from among the unbelievers.

-      He must maintain  clean hands  and a pure heart at all time.

            vii.       Team Spirit:

-      This is the quality of working with others without competition but complementing the work in God’s Kingdom.

-      To have a team spirit, the believer must combine the grace humility and gentility with that of transparency and sincerity.

-      We must prefer others to ourselves, and avoid being boastful over the success of a team that could be traced to us.

2.         The Motives of a Faithful Fellow Worker:

i.          To Glorify God:

-           This must be the greatest and the most important motive of a faithful  fellow worker. He must be able to sincerely answer the question ‘’ who takes the glory’’ in every assignment.

-           “The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Because Christ has set us free and redeemed us by his holy precious blood, now we are free to take the lower part, to humble ourselves toward one another, even as we humble ourselves before God, knowing we are nothing on our own.

-           Everything we are and have comes from God. To him alone goes all the glory. It doesn’t matter who’s in a lead role and who’s in a supporting role.

ii.         To Expand the Kingdom of God

-      Whether you’re being persecuted or you’re just perplexed, whether you’re tied up in chains physically or tied up in knots emotionally, if  your salvation is sure, you have a resposibility of expanding the Kingdom of God.

-      Our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who saves us from our sins, saves us from ourselves, saves us from eternal death. And he is the Savior of the whole world, the only one there is, has commissioned the church to bring this message of salvation to the world in his name.

-      Nevertheless, having been freed from our sins and from our self-glorifying efforts and from the fear of the grave, now we are free to serve in this great endeavor of spreading the gospel, in whatever capacity we have open to us.

-      According to Revelation 4:11, God created man and everything else for His pleasure. Individuals are therefore accountable for their God-given physical and spiritual endowments.

-       Christians are also responsible for whatever is put in their care. The gifts and talents in our lives are to be used profitably for the expansion of the kingdom of God.

-      God has called you to play a part in the fulfillment of the Great Commission. And even though you may not be called to preach or serve as a missionary, please don't ever undervalue what you are called to do.

-      See yourself as a vital part of the work through providing the home support for those God has called to go - all with sense of being a part of a work that is infinitely worthy of the Lord.

-      The work of the Great Commission can not be done without you doing your part. In doing these things in these ways, you will prove to be a faithful "fellow worker for the truth".

            iii.        To be a Blessing to Others

-      Christians are to be wise stewards of their God-given gifts, talents and abilities. They are to serve others with humility, total submission to authority and in the fear of God.

-      They are to serve with gratitude to God and for the benefit of others. Christian workers in whatever department should not view the work of God as an opportunity to make money.

-       The work should not be done with eye-service but as unto the Lord, who will faithfully reward those who diligently serve Him.

            iv.        To Learn from, and be Challenged by Others

-           Throughout the Bible, great figures are held up for our imitation. The faith of Abraham, the wisdom of Solomon and the passion of Paul are just a few examples.

-           We are also surrounded with many faithful believers and Christian Leaders that we can learn godly virtues from, the qualities which, if we would imitate, we will become fellow workers for the truth.

            v.         To do the assignment excellently

-           A Christian worker is a born-again child of God,  a steward who has been entrusted with the careful use, control and management of kingdom resources and possessions.

-           The teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ on stewardship emphasised two things that are important: responsibility and accountability. Jesus speaking on responsibility  Luke 12:48

-           Whatever your hands find to do, do it with all your might(Ecclesiastes 9:10) and don’t be slothful in God’s business, but rather be fervent in your physical and spiritual service to God (Romans 12:11).

-           We put a lot of work into every area of our lives – we pour ourselves into our careers; we spend our spare energy making our houses look good and engaging in hobbies and leisure activities. By implication, John is asking us a question in  3 John vs. 5: what effort are you putting into being a fellow-worker for the truth?

-           In secular work, people tend to do a better and more thorough job if they know that their work will be carefully inspected by men.

-           How much more thorough our work should be when it's for the Lord! We should ask three questions of ourselves whenever we seek to fulfill our duties for the Lord:

 (1) Was the work well done?

(2) Were God's people well served?

 (3) Is the Lord Jesus well pleased?

-           Asking those three questions will motivate us to be thorough "fellow workers for the truth"

vi.        To earn the eternal rewards.

-           Our motives must never be to be seen of men, or to receive the applause or praises of men.

-           So we should never be discouraged by the responses of others or by their attitudes.

3.         The Models of  Faithful Fellow Worker 

-           There are three main characters in John's third letter:

-           One of the main characters is a man named Demetrius.

-           He was a good godly man who, apparently, was a traveling minister - perhaps a part of a traveling ministry team - that came to a specific local church that was of concern to John.

-           One of John's purposes in writing this letter was to give Demetrius and his team a personal endorsement; and to exhort that Demetrius be fully welcomed and aided in his work for the gospel..

-           A second main character in this letter is a man named Diotrephes.

-           Diotrephes was refusing to welcome good faithful teachers and ministers - even those with apostolic authority - and was forbidding the church members from providing these traveling gospel workers with needed support.

-           His motivation was not from a desire to protect the church from false teachers, but rather from a desire to have control over the church. He was someone that John said "loves to have the preeminence" (v. 9).

-           Diotrephes was even daring to speak maliciously against John and the other apostles - confiscating John's letters and refusing to allow them to be read before the church family.

-           What's more, he was kicking people out of the church who supported such outside missionaries and evangelists.

-           Diotrephes, you see, wasn't just drawing the circle of fellowship too narrowly - he was going so far as to build a fortress wall around it to keep sincere believers out! John promises in the letter that he would soon come and deal with Diotrephes' evil conduct.

-           A third main character in this letter is the recipient of it - a man named Gaius.

-           Gaius was a wonderful Christian - apparently a leader in the church. And John shines the spotlight on him and commends him highly; because, in contrast to Diotrephes, Gaius was doing things right.

-           Who exactly was this man Gaius? Whoever Gaius really was, this precious and beloved Christian has much to teach us.

-           He was demonstrating the sort of welcoming, helpful spirit that a genuine and faithful "fellow worker for the truth" should demonstrate.

-           Let us  look a little closer at this man Gaius.

-           What does the story of Gauis have to do with us today? Well; consider that the church has been given a commission from our Lord and Master Jesus Christ. Matthew 28:18-20).

-           This commission is the greatest and most honorable work anyone can be given! And it's our work to fulfill.

-           And if you are a believer in Christ, you have a very specific part in it too. You may not be able to go on the mission field, or you may not be able to be a teacher or preacher; but you are, nevertheless, obligated to do your specific part in fulfilling the Great Commission in this generation.

-           God will not hold you accountable for some role He didn't call you to fill in the task. Rather, He will hold you accountable for the specific part He equipped you to play in helping to advance the Great Commission. You and I are to be "fellow workers for the truth" in that particular, unique way that God has given us.

-           For example, Paul called Priscilla and Aquila "my fellow workers in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 16:3).

-           He also referred to Urbanus as "our fellow worker in Christ" (v. 9). He called Timothy his "fellow worker" (Rom. 16:21); as well as Titus (2 Cor. 8:23).

-           He called Epaphroditus "my brother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier" (Phil. 2:25). Eudia, Synteche and Clement were referred to as among Paul's "fellow workers" (Phil. 4:3); and so were Tychicuus, Onesimus, Aristarchus, Mark, and Jesus who is called Justus (Col. 4:7-11).

-           It's pretty clear from the Scriptures that Paul couldn't have fulfilled his God-given ministry if it weren't for the fact that God had surrounded him with so many good, godly "fellow workers" who faithfully did their part to support his work.

-           You may not have been called to the foreign mission field; but you can support those whom God did call, and who are able to go in your place.

-           They do the "going" in the Great Commission; but you make it possible for them to make disciples of every nation by doing your part as their "fellow worker for the truth." You may not have been called to preach the gospel at a great evangelistic meeting; but you make it possible for those whom God did call to preach the gospel when you do your part to support their work, or when you build relationships with lost people and bring them to those evangelistic meetings.

-           You do your part, and they do their part; and one is not considered "over" the other, but they are considered together to be "fellow workers". No one person is called to do all the work of the Great Commission; but we are called to join hands with all the other laborers as "fellow workers for the truth".

Conclusion:

-           These qualities - love for the brethren, commitment to the truth, and faithfulness in our walk - are the same ones that God wishes to see exhibited in us.

-           Gaius was characterized by these three qualities in rich abundance. No wonder John was able to greet him by saying, "I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers".

-           Would you like to grow to be the "fellow workers for the truth" God wills for you to be? Then "character development" is crucial to achieving that goal.

-           The character qualities that Gaius possessed as a Christian had a direct impact on the quality of work he did for Christ. John wrote to him and said, "Beloved, you do faithfully whatever you do for the brethren and for strangers, who have borne witness of your love before the church" (vv. 5-6a).

-           So; we see in Gaius the internal character qualities of a fellow worker for the truth - love for the brethren, commitment to the truth, and integrity in his walk.

-           What's more, we see in him the external behavioral qualities of a fellow worker - faithfulness, thoroughness and hospitableness.

-           And with respect to his own sense of obligation to the cause of the gospel, we see in him a strong sense of fulfilling God's calling. He was convinced that he had a significant part to play in the spread of the gospel.