Get Ready to Hurt

In this episode, titled "Get Ready to Hurt," the focus is on the various hardships and challenges associated with ministry. The host emphasizes the importance of transparency and acknowledges the difficulties faced by ministers, such as persecution, false teachings, and betrayal. The episode concludes with a powerful message about the necessity of embracing love, even when it leads to pain.

Key Insights:
1. **Transparency in Ministry**: The host stresses the importance of being honest about the challenges in ministry, acknowledging that it can be tempting to "turn in the keys" and step away due to the hardships involved.
   
2. **Perseverance Through Persecution**: Referencing 2 Timothy 3:12, the host highlights that living a godly life inevitably brings persecution. Ministers are encouraged to endure hardships as part of their calling.

3. **Vigilance Against False Teachings**: Citing passages from 1 and 2 Timothy, the host discusses the importance of guarding against doctrinal errors and remaining vigilant in preserving the integrity of the gospel.

4. **Endurance in Hardship**: Paul’s letters to Timothy emphasize enduring physical and emotional hardships with perseverance, as seen in 2 Timothy 2:3 and 2 Timothy 4:5.

5. **The Pain of Betrayal**: Betrayal, especially by loved ones, is highlighted as one of the most painful experiences in ministry. The host discusses how only those we love can truly betray us, referencing 2 Timothy 4:14-16 and personal insights.

6. **Love as a Commandment**: Despite the risk of pain, ministers are called to love others deeply. This love is essential for fulfilling the law and reaching others, even when it makes one vulnerable to hurt, supported by scriptures from 1 John and John 13.

7. **Embracing Vulnerability**: The host encourages listeners to open themselves up to love and hurt, as avoiding relationships out of fear is seen as cowardly. The ultimate goal is to reach and positively impact others, despite the inevitable pain.

Actionable Takeaways:
- **Embrace Honesty**: Be transparent about the struggles in ministry to build trust and authenticity in your service.
- **Prepare for Hardships**: Understand that persecution and opposition are part of the ministry journey and cultivate resilience.
- **Guard the Gospel**: Stay vigilant against false teachings and ensure the integrity of your message.
- **Endure with Perseverance**: Accept that hardships will come and face them with strength and faith.
- **Love Deeply**: Despite the risk of betrayal and pain, continue to love others as commanded by scripture, knowing that this is crucial for effective ministry.
- **Open Up to Pain**: Do not shy away from relationships out of fear of being hurt. Embrace the potential for pain as a necessary part of making a meaningful impact.

Reflection:
This episode offers a candid and heartfelt exploration of the challenges in ministry, encouraging ministers to face difficulties with courage and unwavering love. The host's personal reflections and scriptural insights provide a compelling call to embrace both the joys and pains of serving others.

Transcript

get ready to hurt
 Today's episode is titled  Get ready to hurt.  We're going to talk about various hardships and challenges associated with ministry.  And then we're going to end by focusing on one in particular. 

Let's get started.  I felt good about this lesson until I considered the trend of my titles. I mean, I've got one said this stinks, you know, I've got other things that just don't really fit in with. 

A positive message. I just recorded a podcast  yesterday. It won't,  launch until next week. And you'll hear me make a comment  about how sometimes I would love to turn in my keys and no longer be a minister.  I was, you'd have to listen to the context of it. I am not anti ministry. I love working for the Lord in whatever capacity he chooses. 

I love people and I love helping people. I love teaching people. So this works for me.  I just happened to voice things  that are real. I voice my real opinions, my real feelings. I'm always transparent. There are times  when it would be easier if I was no longer a minister. Of course it'll be easier. Life would always be easier, but that's not what,  that's not what ministry is about.

God called me to this. I'm going to do it and I'm happy to do it. I have no regrets.  And  that's the point of this podcast.  Is to say things  that you're not going to hear in your normal training pathways. You'll hear all about the fun part of ministry there. You'll, you'll, you'll get your, the, the bright and happy parts there.

You'll get your normal lessons there.  This podcast or for the lessons that I haven't found yet in launcher ministry or the UPCI licensing process.  And this is not a knock on those two resources. This is just a justification for my darker topics.  So let's talk about Get Ready to Hurt.  Churches often call ministry training a Timothy project, because Paul was training Timothy. 

Not that I'm a Paul, but I'm trying to train, so right now, you're my Timothys.  What did, what did Paul tell Timothy about hurt?  He actually told him a lot.  I'm going to quickly brush through a few of them, and then focus on the one that inspired this episode.  These that I'm brushing through are in no particular order. 

Paul warned Timothy about persecution and opposition.  Paul had frequently encountered opposition from both the Jewish and the Gentile communities in second Timothy three and 12. And all of my scriptures will be King James.  He says, yay. And all that will live godly in  Christ. Jesus shall suffer persecution. 

Boy, that was kind of  dogmatic about it. He didn't say you might. And all that will live godly in Jesus. In Christ, Jesus shall suffer persecution. There's no getting around it.  He warned Timothy about false teachers and doctrinal errors. Paul in all of his letters was concerned about the presence of false teachers and how they could lead believers astray. 

So he was, so Timothy was warned to be vigilant and to guard the integrity of the gospel. In first Timothy four, one in two says now the spirit speaketh expressly. That in the latter times, some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils, speaking lies and hypocrisy, having their conscience seared with a hot iron. 

Again in 2 Timothy 4, 3 4, For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears, and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.  Paul warned about suffering and hardships in general,  all new from his own experience, how many times he'd been beaten and shipwrecked and stoned and how many physical and emotional hardships he went through.

So he encouraged Timothy to endure those and to endure them with perseverance.  He did not teach him how to avoid them. He didn't tell him to get a lawyer, how to find a loophole, but in second, Timothy two and three, he says, thou therefore endure hardness. As a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 

He said later in second Timothy four and five, but watch now in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.  Again, he's telling them this is going to happen and you're going to have to suck it up buttercup.  He warned Timothy about spiritual warfare. 

Timothy needed to be prepared for that type of battle. Ephesians six and 12.  Although it was written to the Ephesians, it does reflect to Timothy as well. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 

Paul  taught about discouragement and loneliness.  Ministry can be a very isolating and it can be very discouraging thing, especially when you're faced with the abandonment of others or the lack of support.  Paul experienced abandonment and loneliness, and he mentions it in 2 Timothy 1 and 15. This thou knowest,  that all they which were, which are in Asia be turned away from me, of whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes. 

He mentions in 2 Timothy 4, 16 through 17, at my first answer, no man stood with me. But all men forsook me.  I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge. Notwithstanding, the Lord stood with me and strengthened me that by me, the preaching might be fully known and that all the Gentiles might hear.

And I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.  The ministry is not a social club.  You may have to stand alone for a moment.  But I promise you, just like he told Elijah, you are not alone. Ultimately  more, he, he warned about moral and ethical challenge.  He said  in first Timothy six, 11 through 12,  but thou O man of God, flee these things and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. 

Fight the good fight of faith. Lay hold on eternal life where unto thou art also called and has professed a good profession before many witnesses.  Cause he knew that if you're not careful, those moral failures could discredit your ministry and harm the church.  So he warned about all these hardships, but there's one more I want to talk about, and I'm going to spend the rest of my podcast on this one, at least this episode on this one. 

Betrayal  in second Timothy four and 14 through 16,  Alexander, the coppersmith did me much evil.  The Lord reward him according to his works of whom be thou where also. Or he hath greatly withstood our words  at my first answer. No man stood with me, but all men forsook me. I pray God that it may not be laid to their chart. 

Paul warns Timothy to beware of Alexander, the coppersmith who did him much harm.  And that indicates the direct act of betrayal. And he mentions how the other men forsook them.  And I saw something a while back and that's what inspired this episode. And the rest of that was just  research. I did to  give it credence and give it a good foundation.

And.  I wish I could remember where I saw this. It may have been Facebook, but I don't remember who, and I tried to do a search and it wouldn't come back up. So forgive me for the lack of credit to the source. I really try to do well about that. But  when I saw it, I didn't know I'd be doing a podcast on it.

I would have saved it.  It said something to this effect.  Only those you love are truly able to betray you.  Wait, there's more, but I want to explain that part. Only those you love are truly able to betray you.  A stranger cannot betray me.  I have no investment in a stranger.  I have no connection with an acquaintance.

They can attack me.  They can disappoint me,  but they cannot betray me.  They can break an agreement, but they cannot betray me.  Only my loved ones can betray me.  Now let's go back to the quote,  only those you love are truly able to betray you,  but we are called to love,  man. That touched my heart.  Paul warned Timothy about betrayal. 

Betrayal is a deep thing.  We're called to love.  I I'm in cybersecurity  and people are always  worried about the next hack or  ransomware or virus.  The most obvious way to avoid a virus or a hacker is to never connect to the internet and never connect anything to your computer,  just unplug the cable. Don't connect to wifi.

And never put anything in it. Don't put a thumb drive on it. Don't put a DVD ROM. If your computer's old enough to have that, just don't  just let it stand there.  But no, can  no connections makes a dull machine.  Same with our lives.  Some people try to avoid pain by avoiding relationships.  They keep them at an arm's distance.

If I don't get close, they can't hurt me because if I do get close, then eventually they're going to leave. Eventually they're going to say something or eventually they're going. If every time I get close to someone, they hurt me.  So I just don't get close.  You can't do that. Minister,  the world may get away with that.

And it's a, it's a sorry life. Okay. But we're not, we can't do that. We're called to love.  You cannot avoid the hurt  to try and live that way.  That's cowardly.  We need to get ready to hurt because it's coming  as you, as you minister.  Oh, the hurts coming.  If you get involved in youth ministry, you're going to fall in love with some kids. 

Who are not going to respond and you're going to watch them fail and you're going to watch them betray you and make decisions that betray what you've taught.  You can't avoid that.  You cannot avoid teaching them. You cannot avoid loving them.  If you're going to pastor, you're going to have to love someone and they're going to betray you and go to another church.

They're going to talk bad about you. They're going to speak ill of you. These things have to happen because that's what the world does.  But we're called to love them. What hope do they have if we keep them at arm's distance?  We need to embrace them  and give them a chance to embrace us back. Anything less than that is cowardly.

And that's not what God called us to do.  Just to prove that I'm not making it up. 1 John 4 and 7 through 12 says, Beloved, let us love one another. For love is of God, and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God, for God is love.  In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten son into the world, that we might live through him. 

Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins.  Beloved, if God so loved us, We ought also to love one another.  No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us  and his love is perfected in us.  Jesus said in John 13, 34 through 35, a new commandment I give unto you  that you love one another. 

Listen, as I have loved you,  that you also love one another.  If you embrace that Judas.  If you embrace that, Peter,  what's going to happen. The next verse by this shall all men know that you are my disciples. If you have love one to another,  if you can't love those who hurt you,  get out of the ministry.  Get out of my way so I can reach them. 

You're just stalling. You're just in the way. If you're too worried about your precious feelings and your precious ego,  we don't get time for that. Souls are at stake.  Love those that hurt you.  It's going to hurt.  Get ready to hurt,  but it's not all pain. There's good days.  But there are painful days.  Romans 13, he says in there that therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

It says, if you love somebody, you you're not going to steal. You're not going to murder. You're not going to do these things because you love. So therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. 

But brother Yates, they did this to my family. Leviticus 19, 18, thou shalt not avenge. Nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people,  but thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. I am the Lord.  You have no justification for anything less than love.  Yes, that makes you vulnerable to pain.  Get ready to hurt. 

There's no defense for it.  There's no strategic move, maneuver.  There's no Corona mask to avoid them.  You just got to get in there and love them 

and let God worry about the rest.  How do you get ready to hurt?  It's not as hard as it sounds.  You get on your knees,  you pray to God, Lord,  let me love like you love.  Let me see what you see in  man. I don't, that'll change your world. If you looked at people  and started seeing the opportunity that God saw,  there'd be a whole lot more love in your life. 

There'd be a whole lot more patients.  My hope with this podcast was not to. Make you feel guilty, but rather to encourage you to be more patient with people  and to encourage you to step closer to them.  Tear down your walls and your fences, open yourself up  and go ahead and let them hurt you  just for the sake of the one that's going to love you back. 

That's worth it. If you can reach one,  oh, that's worth it.  Go for it.  And oh man, if you get two,  you know what happens then there's a third one. Oh, hallelujah. And now there's a fourth one.  You don't forgot what that pain feels like,  but you've got to become vulnerable to the pain in the first place.  I hope this podcast inspired you.

I hope it helps get ready for the pain.  Love you.