In 2 Timothy 2 Paul describes what an inoculator is – he is a teacher, a soldier, a contender / an athlete, a farmer/husbandman, and a workman cutting straight the word of truth. A teacher entrusts the healthy teaching to faithful men by cherishing them in the humanity of Jesus and nourishing them with the divine life. A soldier fights the good fight as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. An athlete runs with endurance according to the rules to obtain the crown! Today we enjoyed the last two qualifications – the inoculator is a farmer and a workman.
Being a farmer in the church as God’s farm
The church is God’s farm, God’s cultivated land, and we all the believers are God’s fellow workers (see 1 Cor. 3:6, 9). As God’s fellow workers and as farmers in God’s farm, we need to labor with endurance to sow the seed of the Word of God and to water the saints that Christ may grow in them.
We are working together with God by an all-fitting life to sow the seed of life into people and to water them with the Spirit of life by His healthy words (see Luke 8:11; John 7:38, 6:63; 2 Cor. 3:6). I love the last part of the footnote in 2 Cor. 6:1 about, And working together with Him…
“They worked together with God by a life (not by any gift) that was all-sufficient and all-mature, able to fit all situations, that is, able to endure any kind of treatment, to accept any kind of environment, to work in any kind of condition, and to take any kind of opportunity, for the carrying out of their ministry. “
The word of God is like a grain of wheat – it dispenses God as life into us to nourish us. Also, the Word of God is like a fire and a hammer to purify us and break down our self, our natural life, our flesh, our lusts, and even our concepts (see Jer. 23:28-29).
As laboring farmers, we diligently and patiently minister the Word of God to people for their growth in the divine life. In all our contact with the saints, we should be pure and have only one motive – ministering Christ to them so that they might grow in life in the Lord (1 Tim. 5:1-2).
Being a workman cutting straight the word of truth
2 Tim. 2:15 says, Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, an unashamed workman, cutting straight the word of the truth. What does it mean to “cut straight the word of the truth“? Some of the Brethren teachers interpreted this word as being concerning dividing the Bible into various dispensations: innocence, conscience, human government, promise, law, grace, and kingdom. These dispensations help us understand the Bible. But there’s more than this about “cutting straight the word of the truth!
To cut straight the word of the truth means to unfold the word of God in its various parts rightly and straightly without any distortion. Just as in carpentry, we are workmen who need to know the word of the truth and then rightly unfold it so that it would enlighten the darkened people, it would inoculate the saints against any poison or heresy, it will swallow up death, and it will bring the distracted ones back to the right track in the Bible (see Acts 26:18; Psa. 119:13).
We need to be those constituted with the truth who cut straight the word of the truth in such a way!
The truth is the contents of God’s New Testament economy – the healthy words of the economy of God in the New Testament. God desires that all men be saved and come to the full knowledge of the truth (1 Tim. 2:4). Also, the church is the pillar and base of the truth (1 Tim. 3:15).
As believers in Christ and inoculators together with the apostle, we need to be diligent workmen cutting straight the word of the truth by unfolding without any bias or distortion of the reality of God’s economy revealed in the New Testament.
References and Further Reading
- Sharing inspired from, the Life-study of 2 Timothy (msgs. 4-5), and the footnote on 2 Cor. 6:1, as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, The Focus of the Lord’s Recovery, week 5;
- Hymn on this topic: We work together with God by a life;
Lord Jesus, make us such inoculators today! Thank You for the word of God which is so rich and so powerful! We are Your fellow workers – the farmers in God’s farm. Lord, may we be constituted with the Word that we may minister the word to sow the seeds of life and water the plants. Lord, make us those who cut straight the word of the truth by unfolding the healthy words of God’s New Testament economy! Lord, make us such ones!
Praise the Lord that we can labour with the Lord, by His Word in His life. His life is all-sufficient, all-mature; just all-fitting life. His life able to fit all situations…, able to endure any kind of treatment…., able to accept any kind of environment…
This all fitting life able to work in any condition…, to take any kind
of opportunity… for the carrying out of our ministry.
Yes we need to forget about our own efforts and put our trust in river of water of life and let the flow carry us along.
Lord Jesus make us those who live by Your life and labour with You.
"Thank You for the word of God which is so rich and so powerful! We
are Your fellow workers – the farmers in God’s farm. Lord, may we be
constituted with the Word that we may minister the word to sow the seeds
of life and water the plants." Yes Lord make us such ones!
Praise the Lord that we can labour with the Lord, by His Word in His life. His life is all-sufficient, all-mature; such an all-fitting life. His life able to fit all situations…, able to endure any kind of treatment…., able to accept any kind of environment…
This all fitting life able to work in any condition…, to take any kind of opportunity… for the carrying out of our ministry.
Yes, we need to forget about our own efforts and put our trust in river of water of life and let the flow carry us along.
Lord Jesus make us those who live by Your life and labour with You. “Thank You for the word of God which is so rich and so powerful! We are Your fellow workers – the farmers in God’s farm. Lord, may we be constituted with the Word that we may minister the word to sow the seeds of life and water the plants.” Yes Lord make us such ones!