Timothy must have felt a bit apprehensive about assuming a role of leadership when Paul his mentor encouraged him to do so. After all, it wasn't long ago that Timothy was a timid new believer who needed the encouragement of someone like Paul just to stay faithful.

We have more teaching regarding affairs of the church in Paul's writing to Timothy than in any other book in the Bible. In his instruction, Paul left us many guidelines that make it clear how we, the church should behave. In verse twenty-two, Paul described the foundation of a strong and effective church: good leadership, ordained by God and not men, with a congregation of believers who are free of sinful entanglements and strive to be holy, or pure. Looking around the ecclesiastical landscape today, one can only wonder when we as the church started coloring outside God's boundary line.

With the new demands of a growing church, Paul knew what it meant to be tempted to make rash decisions when it came to delegation. Timothy was one whom he chose to set up and watch the formation of new churches in his own absence. Paul also expected Timothy to help the leaders of those churches select their leadership. When a leader was selected, the elders of the church should lay their hands on him as a symbol of God's blessing on him. But evidently, some of them demonstrated their anointing may have been man's doing and not that God.

What's the danger of having a leader ordained by men whose own ordination might well be called into question? Could it be that after many failed attempts at finding God's man of the hour, a church goes too far outside God's boundary? We know it's possible because Revelation tells us so. The members living in the last church standing when Jesus returns will be offered an opportunity to escape the coming wrath. In Rev 3:20, Jesus says he is at the door knocking for any who will come out of that wicked system and answer his invitation to repent. Yes, there's hope, but it's a faint glimmer we see when we ignore God's conviction of sin.

Maybe you're a member of local church where the glory of God is something you've read about in the Bible but have never really seen in person. If so, Jesus is standing at your heart's door knocking for you to answer and come out so you can avoid adopting the sin of those who lead you astray. You may find Paul's words unsettling, but maybe the image of the unsuspecting frog will shed a little light on how sin works within the family of God.

After trying unsuccessfully to place a frog in pan of boiling water, the chef placed a cold pan of water on a cold stove heating element and placed the frog in it. The frog relaxed as if he realized his life was no longer in danger. Then, little by little, the cook turned the heat up. The frog was a little uncomfortable and confused but never tried to jump out of the water, even when it reached boiling point and he was cooked.

There is more than one way to fall prey to sin. But when we, as the church of Christ, refuse to regard subtle sin as perilous, we become like the frog who didn't see the need to get out of the hot water. He stayed in his questionable and perilous surroundings until the heat of the stove took what little life he had left.

Friend, if you can hear a quiet knock on your heart's door, don't expect it to be there tomorrow. That's because everyday you procrastinate turning to God and confessing sin, you lose a little hearing. If you continue down that road, one day you'll find your desire to respond to the Spirit's prompting just a faint memory. The boiling water that cooked you was complacency and apathy under the leadership of a hastily anointed leader. Be careful! The next sound you hear may be that of a fork and knife being rubbed together at the devil's dinner table.

1 Developed from Read the Bible Thru (Jr. 35:1-36:32 1 Tm. 5:1-25 Ps. 89:14-37 Pr. 25:25-27 )
2. Scripture comes from the Holy Bible, New International Version; (c)1978 by New York International Bible Society

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