A Note from Hixon Frank
Hey Church!
My beloved Red Raiders lost a heartbreaking football game to TCU last weekend! They were up by 13 points with less than 10 minutes left, but they gave up two unanswered touchdowns and lost by a point! Ugh! I know I shouldn’t love things that can love me back but man that one was tough!
It has been well said that …
“Football games are won or lost in the fourth quarter. We have all seen it. It can be heartbreaking or exhilarating. But football is just a game. Life isn’t. There is a lot more at stake.” – Matthew Kelly.
To be clear, I am not old … seasoned, experienced, and possibly a classic … but not old! Like some of you reading this, I, in fact, probably have fewer years ahead of me than I do behind me. I am likely in my own 4th quarter… very early in the 4th quarter… but still.
Matthew 24:13
“But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”
It is a bit sobering. It seems like “just last week” I was 40 years old, young kids in the house, striving for recognition at work, advancement, and attention from my superiors. I remember that those days were long … but looking back the years were short.
But there are a few things about being older that I like: cheap coffee at McDonalds, the bewildered expression on our young staff’s faces when I show any athletic ability at all, and something that only comes with some mileage … PERSPECTIVE.
I’ve seen once “mighty churches” shrink in both size and impact (not the same thing), so I know it can happen here. … I’ve watched “superstar staff members” burn up under the heat of ministry, so I push for balance … I’ve lived through half a dozen of America’s “most important election ever” … I’ve, get this, rented movies from Blockbuster after taking my wife to dinner at Bennigan’s … I remember when the Southeastern Conference (SEC) was mediocre, and the Cowboys were good … I’ve seen marriages that were doomed to fail, rise-up and be restored … I’ve watched “prodigals” come home and relationships that were cold for years become warm again. All of those things, good and bad, serve to give perspective on what is really important.
It allows for stepping back…zooming out … seeing the bigger picture.
I’ve grown … not yet arrived for sure … but these days what I really want is Kingdom impact! I want to escort people from death to life … from unhealth to health … from separation to restoration… and from condemnation to forgiveness. The grudges and frustrations of my younger days have given way to forgiveness, grace, and a much bigger view of God’s Mercies(again, when I am at my best).
My Point:
While enjoying Pastor Michael’s current sermon series in Philippians, I got stuck on one passage. In fact, it is more like one verse. You may not have noticed it at all but for me, it echoed like a gunshot in a metal building.
Paul is talking to the church at Philippi and says these words…Philippians 2:19-22
19 Now I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon so that I too may be encouraged by news about you. 20 For I have no one else like-minded who will genuinely care about your interests; 21 all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. 22 But you know his proven character because he has served with me in the gospel ministry like a son with a father.
By this time, Paul must’ve known hundreds of Christians. He had, after all, been sharing the gospel and planting churches for several years. Likely, Timothy, his mother Eunice, and his grandmother Lois, all came to faith in Jesus under Paul’s ministry only a short time before these words were written. And yet he says something that should grab our attention. He says, when talking about young Timothy, that “I have no one else, like-minded who will genuinely be concerned for your welfare.”
C’mon, Paul! No one? Really? But that’s what he says.
In my mind’s eye, I imagine Paul confined to that dirty Roman (or Ephesian) prison cell, reviewing all of the people he had met on his journeys. Almost like a Rolodex in his mind. Eyes furrowed and intense, dismissing one after the other until he came to young Timothy. Then, upon recalling Timothy’s faithfulness and sincerity, a wide grin forms on his entire face as he knows he found the person who would be perfect for the task!
What a huge compliment to Timothy! Out of everyone Paul knew and could deploy to Philippi, Timothy was the only one who would minister and serve from a place of authenticity. These statements, if taken at face value, imply that Timothy would want nothing in return… no position, no control, no reward, no credit … just the welfare of those he was sent to serve. Good for Timothy!
But if we continue to think about this it implies something about the early church! Was self-promotion and manipulation rampant in the body of believers? Was Paul aware of the push for control amongst the brethren? We know that Paul addressed a lot of this in his letters, so it is probably safe to say the early church was a lot like us today. Some squabbling, some gossip, some slander…. and very few who were genuinely concerned about the welfare of others, expecting nothing, wanting nothing except to honor the Lord in their service!
Church family, only two things will last forever, God’s Word and people. Not our buildings, accomplishments, or even our reputations.
Want to make a kingdom impact? Want to stand out from the crowd in church? Want to really serve in a way that makes an eternal difference?
Live in a way that if the Apostle Paul was around today and needed a group of people shepherded, loved, encouraged, and authentically served, he would scan the crowd and stop when he saw YOU! Slowly a grin would cover his face, and he would know that YOU were the one to send.
You are loved,
Hixon