He is helpful to me in my ministry

“Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry.” (2 Timothy 4:11)

 

Paul the apostle is one of the greatest men in Christian history, including the New Testament. He had much more dramatic life relatively to many others’ life. At first, he had been hostile to Jesus, and had extremely persecuted those believing in Jesus. Then he changed on the way to Damascus in order to kill Christians and lived as a completely different person from the past after then. After the change he risked his life to preach the gospel for Christ, which was a situation of extreme change would never be understood in general. Even for him the great apostle, the twilight period of life has come without fail. Even if the soul is intelligent, the aging of the body makes the body and life difficult and uncomfortable. And there were several people had left Paul, who had worked close with him.

 

Many people usually have a perception that a respectable person would be perfect in every way. But Paul’s life hadn’t been ordinary, nor perfect, and there was rather a flaw to him. He once confessed himself as the worst of sinners before God. Not to mention that he did wrong before he believed in Jesus, but he had also shown a very stubborn attitude when he worked for the gospel after believing in Jesus. When a trip of evangelism, there had been a bitter argument between Paul and Barnabas about whether to take together John Mark. It was a well-intentioned disagreement, but it was a case that showed Paul’s stubborn personality flaw. Regardless of high and low of position or status and knowledge, no one is complete in front of God, so anybody should have an attitude of confession looking at inner of oneself seriously.

Paul looked back on the past and thought of those who had worked with himself. The names that came to his mind were Demas, Crescens, Titus, Luke, Mark, Tychicus, Alexander. Demas had loved the world so left Paul for Thessalonica. Crescens had worked with Paul in Galatia and founded a church there. Titus a stranger, but after meeting Paul in Ephesus, he worked at Corinth, Crete, and Dalmatia as Christ’s worker. Luke was staying with Paul now. Among those persons, Demas and Alexander remained a sad memory in Paul’s mind. Anyone living in the world may change one’s own thoughts and plans in a case. Even so, it is unfortunate and sad to change mind because of ‘love for the world’ like Demas had done so. Nor should we behave anything like Alexander the metalworker that had injured to the workers of Christ. It is desirable for us to have a life that helps the gospel ministry somehow.

Paul asked to bring in Mark together to cooperate at the time Timothy comes. In the past, Paul had not tolerated Mark much that he had a bitter quarrel with Barnabas over accompanying Mark and broke up with Barnabas, but now he minded to accept him. It’s perhaps because Mark showed him a changed figure into a beneficial person. How much change within Christ is important above all. That wasn’t just in Paul’s own case, it did also to Mark. It’s not a matter about how well you did or didn’t do in the past, it’s about how much changed as a person believing in Christ at present. God wants us to live righteously for Christ’s sake by true faith at this spot now.

Even if can’t help others, He who gives damage others is a thing like a parasite really. You must not harm anyone, and nor especially refrain from doing harm to the workmen of Christ. Among Jesus’ twelve disciples, Judas Iscariot was in charge of the ark of money, but he was a thief in fact. He committed a crime stealing money out of money chest, and the worst sin selling his own teacher who had taught for three years eventually, for thirty silvers. Alexander the metalworker did a lot of harm to Paul in the past, so Paul got Timothy alert to be careful him. God judge everything by His will, but we as men need to be careful whatever.

 

All Christians must strive to be beneficial workers for the gospel. It’s not the job just given to pastor to preach Christ. It is the common mission of all believers. Pastors generally do not vocational work in society, and they devote to the church ministry. If so, others should cooperate with the pastor for Christ’s work in any means. Whatever or anyway you did in the past, from now on, try hard to join forces with prayer and financial support, to be useful people for Christ.

 

(Written by Koonoh, Pastor of JDO Presbyterian Church in Korea, on June 26th 2022)