Pass It On!
Many of us who are a bit older in years reflect on what we have achieved and what really matters. What legacy will we leave? Paul is writing from prison, perhaps feeling he is very near the end of his life. This is no mere business letter with guidance to a young pastor on how to live. This is a passionate outpouring heart to heart.
Timothy is not a relative but his “beloved child” - the connections in God’s family are at least as strong as in a natural family. Paul has spent years with Timothy travelling with him as part of the team. Working together, resting, eating, preaching - all done together. So Paul was not just sharing words but living as an example. This is training in the fullest sense. So Timothy would not only know what Paul said and thought but be able to live with the same love for God and people, speak with the same clarity and insight, even suffer with the same joy and perseverance.
In our Western society, teaching can be reduced to using words to impart ideas. It is all in the mind. But true Biblical teaching is training for life. That is why Paul could dare to say in Philippians 4:9, “Do what you have seen me do and the God of peace will be with you!”
Are we able to say the same? Is my life worth copying? Do I live with fear or false humility (which is a form of pride!) so I say “Don’t look to me look to Jesus?” We all need to be able to say “Do what I do and God will be with you!” Even a new Christian can share with a friend or family member what they have experienced and learned from God.
The results are explosive if each disciple shares what they have heard with faithful people (people who want to follow Jesus even if it means suffering) who can teach others who teach others.
Disciples who make disciples form churches that plant churches! In Acts 19:9-10 and Romans 15:19, we see how the gospel was spread by Paul. He did not preach directly to everyone in the province of Asia Minor (estimated at 2 million at the time), still less the population of the Eastern Mediterranean. But he did reach them indirectly through the churches he planted and churches that were planted out of those churches.
Paul is speaking like a father to encourage his spiritual son as they both face difficulties and pressures. But it is not new information or teaching. It is a reminder of what Timothy has seen in Paul’s life. It is challenging but also intimate and loving. It is inspiring for us to listen in on part of their conversation.
- Chris Horton
Timothy is not a relative but his “beloved child” - the connections in God’s family are at least as strong as in a natural family. Paul has spent years with Timothy travelling with him as part of the team. Working together, resting, eating, preaching - all done together. So Paul was not just sharing words but living as an example. This is training in the fullest sense. So Timothy would not only know what Paul said and thought but be able to live with the same love for God and people, speak with the same clarity and insight, even suffer with the same joy and perseverance.
In our Western society, teaching can be reduced to using words to impart ideas. It is all in the mind. But true Biblical teaching is training for life. That is why Paul could dare to say in Philippians 4:9, “Do what you have seen me do and the God of peace will be with you!”
Are we able to say the same? Is my life worth copying? Do I live with fear or false humility (which is a form of pride!) so I say “Don’t look to me look to Jesus?” We all need to be able to say “Do what I do and God will be with you!” Even a new Christian can share with a friend or family member what they have experienced and learned from God.
The results are explosive if each disciple shares what they have heard with faithful people (people who want to follow Jesus even if it means suffering) who can teach others who teach others.
Disciples who make disciples form churches that plant churches! In Acts 19:9-10 and Romans 15:19, we see how the gospel was spread by Paul. He did not preach directly to everyone in the province of Asia Minor (estimated at 2 million at the time), still less the population of the Eastern Mediterranean. But he did reach them indirectly through the churches he planted and churches that were planted out of those churches.
Paul is speaking like a father to encourage his spiritual son as they both face difficulties and pressures. But it is not new information or teaching. It is a reminder of what Timothy has seen in Paul’s life. It is challenging but also intimate and loving. It is inspiring for us to listen in on part of their conversation.
- Chris Horton
Posted in Prayer and Fasting Sept 2021
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I receive grace to live a life worthy of emulation