Shipwrecked Faith

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Friday, February 9, 2018

Timothy, my son, here are my instructions for you, based on the prophetic words spoken about you earlier.  May they help you fight well in the Lord’s battles.  Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear.  For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked.  Hymenaeus and Alexander are two examples.  I threw them out and handed them over to Satan so they might learn not to blaspheme God.  1 Timothy 1:18-20^(NLT)

Paul was Timothy’s mentor.  From other references in Scripture we know that Timothy was raised in a Godly household, and Paul was probably instrumental in his conversion.[2]  Timothy accompanied Paul on his missionary journeys, and at times was sent to churches by Paul when he couldn’t go personally.  Six of Paul’s letters have Timothy’s greetings to the churches, if not his influence in what Paul wrote. 

As much as Paul was a tutor and “father” in the faith to Timothy, this friendship included Timothy’s influence on Paul.  When Paul came to the end of his days on earth he called for Timothy to come to the Roman prison, and bring the Scripture scrolls ^{(2 Timothy 4:9)}.   Like any other human, at the end you want your closest friends.  For Paul it was the Word of God and his “son” in the faith.

In giving Timothy some final instructions for his life and ministry, Paul charged Timothy to live with particular attention to the meaning of his name, which is:  honoring God.

The caution to Timothy in this advice is that only an un-violated conscience can honor God.  Hymenaeus and Alexander were believers who had crossed that line intentionally.  It may have been that they were under some pressure from authorities to deny Christ, or it may have been a temptation that they just weren’t willing to fight…but it was serious enough for Paul to act with discipline – a last ditch effort to save their souls.  These men had made a shipwreck of their faith walk with Christ; Paul was throwing them a compassionate lifeline in the form of a wakeup call.  Better to get a cold splash of holy water in the face than wake up in the searing fires of hell.

The whole point is conscience – that inner voice of God’s Holy Spirit which, if we let Him, directs our daily life’s choices, and leads us into living a Godly life.  Paul strongly reminded Timothy that nothing mattered as much as clinging to that faith (in Christ) once-delivered to the saints.  Trusting Christ would help him stay clean in conscience and strong in the battle against the darkness of life in a godless world. 

This is certainly true in the life and ministry of those called to work in God’s field.  And whether pastor or lay person, we are ALL called to labor in God’s vineyard!  God calls us to do so with these clean tools: 

·       faith in Christ alone,

·       the Word of God,

·       unending prayer,

·       the daily surrender of self, and

·       a clean conscience. 

These are the tools of a follower of Jesus; we must keep those tools clean and sharp!

For You Today

Look over your toolbox today.  When you reach for help in that toolbox you don’t need to find a dull, rusted conscience!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day.

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[1] Title Image:  Courtesy of Pixabay.com

[2] Robert Dean in Holman Bible Dictionary © 1991 Holman Bible Publishers Electronic Edition STEP Files

Think About It

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Friday, October 7, 2016

Timothy, my dear son, be strong through the grace that God gives you in Christ Jesus.  You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses.  Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others.  Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.  Soldiers don’t get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them.  And athletes cannot win the prize unless they follow the rules.  And hardworking farmers should be the first to enjoy the fruit of their labor.  Think about what I am saying.  The Lord will help you understand all these things.   2 Timothy 2:1-7^(NLT)

Paul the apostle wasn’t Timothy’s biological father, but it’s hard to miss the mentor/protégé relationship.  Paul knew Timothy’s family and upbringing, and he must have seen strength in the young pastor’s character and love for Christ. 

This passage reminds me of a parent taking a deep breath just before seeing a son or daughter off on their first great adventure in life.  Scary thing to let your children fly!  Several years ago our daughter Jen invited her mother and I to watch as she and her husband jumped out of a plane to celebrate her 40^th birthday.  (Even worse, she wanted us to watch from a front row seat…to jump out of a perfectly good airplane with her).  Well, we watched the video later; even that made my stomach flip!

Paul was sending his “son in the faith” Timothy to a much more dangerous activity; he was seeing the young man venture into the uncertainty of being a pastor to Christians at Ephesus in the hostile environment of the Roman government’s persecution. 

In this sendoff Paul gave some last minute encouraging advice to Timothy.  He told him to teach others, endure whatever hardships ministry brings, focus with integrity on his task, and remember there was a reward waiting for him at the end of his course.

Eventually Paul’s deep breath proved itself well-placed.  Church tradition says that when Timothy was a bishop at 80 years of age, he tried to stop a procession through the streets of Ephesus honoring the goddess Diana by preaching the Gospel.  According to the apocryphal Acts of Timothy “…[t]he angry pagans beat him, dragged him through the streets, and stoned him to death.”

I’m no Timothy, and have not had much threat of being stoned, but I did have “a Paul“  who preached my ordination service.  His advice was:

        ·       Russell, stay close to God

        ·       Russell, stay close to people

        ·       Russell, bring the two together

I would imagine that for everyone who has a heart to know and serve God there is a Paul who has those kinds of encouraging words to share with Timothy. 

And at the end of it, like the traveling evangelist, church planter, father in the faith, Saul of Tarsus-turned Paul following Jesus, he would say…think about it.  After all, if you make a life-decision to follow Jesus Christ, it may lead you to stand in front of Diana’s parade.

For You Today

Every Christian is cautioned to count the cost of serving the LORD. 

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road…have a blessed day!

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NOTES

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[i] Title Images: By Brookie (Own work), via Wikimedia Commons