Category: Bruce’s Blogs

The April 2017 issue of Christian Standard focused on the question, “Why are we so afraid?” Throughout the issue there are articles about living in a culture of fear and how to resist it. One article was written by a couple who have been missionaries in England for the past twenty some years. Having returned to the United States recently, they observed how our culture has become overwhelmingly fearful. They noted how news broadcasts seem to inspire fear and how our last election cycle seems to have been driven by fear, from all sides. While they also made it clear that such fear is not purely an American phenomenon, they expressed their concern for Christians who seem to be overwhelmed by this rampant culture of fear.

I share that concern. While I understand the misgivings that many people have regarding the secularization of our culture, I don’t understand responding to it in fear, especially among Christians. I especially do not understand it when such fears extend to the church itself; that is, I don’t get it when people are afraid for the future of the church, as if it may someday disappear from our country, if not from the earth altogether.

Jesus himself gave the definitive statement regarding the resilience of the church in Matthew 16:18, saying, “The gates of Hades will not overcome it.” So, in light of such an emphatic statement, I have to wonder, Church, “What are you afraid of?”

Granted, this congregation has seen trouble throughout its history (what church hasn’t?), and there are days when it seems that those troubles continue to simmer beneath the surface. When it comes to looking at attendance numbers and giving statements, yes, that can be discouraging, but it should not inspire fear. Regardless of the struggles within the church and the attacks against the church, we should not fear the demise of the church because Jesus himself said it just can’t happen.

With that in mind, we ought to live differently from the world around us. While the world lives in fear – of war, of economic failure, of “others,” of whatever – we must live differently.

Timothy was a young preacher who lived in a world that was hostile to the church and, it seems, within a church that might have been hostile to himself, perhaps because of his age. In his first letter to Timothy, Paul encouraged him to keep at it, regardless of the opposition:

This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance (and for this we labor and strive), that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe. Command and teach these things. Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. (1 Timothy 4:9-13, NIV)

Paul reminds Timothy of what we must remember; first: “We have put our hope in the living God.” Second: keep at it; keep preaching and teaching the Scriptures. Our hope is not in this world; so we must keep at the work that God has given us. We all know that is not an easy thing; so Paul wrote to encourage Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:7, “God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.” Regardless of the opposition he faced and the great task he was called to do, Timothy could not be cowed by fear.

We must take encouragement and direction from Paul and Timothy. Regardless of the changes in our country, our culture, and our world; regardless of the opposition against the church; and regardless of the struggles within the church, do not be afraid. Our hope is in God; so we must not fear. Our hope is in God; so we must keep on preaching and teaching the Scriptures. Our hope is in God; so we must trust the power of the Holy Spirit in us. Our hope is in God; so we must love others and discipline ourselves. And when the world sees that we are not afraid, we can lead them to the One who takes away our fears.

If you were to ask our financial secretary, he might tell you that he has a full-time job answering calls from the gas and electric companies offering to save us money on our utilities. With all the calls we receive, it’s pretty obvious that power is big business. And we would certainly notice if our heat and lights were suddenly turned off. Clearly, we need power to keep the church going.

But the church isn’t just a building. So what powers the church, the body of Christ that meets in the building? It’s the resurrection of Jesus. Throughout the New Testament, we read about the power of the church that was found in the resurrection of Jesus. In Acts 4:33, we read, “With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all.” The early church had a powerful message – that Jesus died on the cross to forgive our sins and rose again to give us eternal life – and they shared it powerfully.

The early church grew in faith and in numbers because of that powerful message. Acts 4:32 describes their transformation, “All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had.” The power of Jesus’ resurrection changed their beliefs, their thinking, and their actions. And by that power, the church continued to grow.

But how was that power transmitted? Acts 6:4 says that the apostles focused on the preaching and teaching of the Word of God and through prayer. It’s interesting that the context of Acts 6 is trouble in the early church; a certain group of widows within the church was being ignored in the daily distribution of food. This simple conflict had the potential to derail the church, but the apostles kept their focus on the primary purpose and tasks of the church: to make disciples. They didn’t get distracted by secondary concerns; as important as feeding the widows of the church was, it was not the primary task of the apostles. Acts 6:2 says, “So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, ‘It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables.’”

The power of the early church was not in the way the Christians fed the widows. It was not in the way they shared their possessions among themselves (Acts 2:45; 4:32). It was not in special programs or events. It was not in beautiful church buildings. It was not even in powerful preachers and teachers. It was in the resurrection of Jesus. Paul himself testified to his need for this power in his own life, writing in Philippians 3:10-12:

I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.

Even this powerful apostle, preacher, teacher did not believe he had it all figured out, but he depended upon the power of the resurrection to be the sole foundation of his work, proclaiming the Gospel message. This is why Paul boldly states in Romans 1:16, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.”

So when we start to wonder or even worry about the power and the effectiveness of the church, we must not be distracted from the primary task of making disciples by preaching and teaching the Gospel from the Word of God. Others may tell us what we have to do to attract people to the church – change our style of music; change the preacher’s style of preaching; change the color of the walls, pews, and carpet; change the brand of our coffee – but those things are secondary to our purpose to make disciples. Jesus said, in John 12:32, “When I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.”

As we approach the day we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, let us remember the power of his resurrection. Let us use that power to do what Jesus sent us to do, to make disciples; then the church will grow.

I recently heard an anecdote about a college professor in a life sciences course who often asked this “stumper” question on a test: Of the six nutrients that are essential to building and maintaining a healthy life, which is the most important? While the students were usually able to name the six nutrients – carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, and water – they often struggled to identify the most important. The professor answered the question: “The one that’s missing.” While each nutrient is essential, none is more essential than the others until it is missing. Nutritionists might argue about the specific balance among these nutrients, but they would all agree that the absence of any one of these elements can become a matter of life or death.

It’s not much different with a church. It’s pretty easy to search the Scriptures to identify elements of a healthy church. Acts 2:42 calls attention to fact that the early church “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” Some would point to The Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15) and The Great Commandments (Matthew 22:37-39; Mark 12:29-31). From last month’s sermon series in Titus, we could say that leaders who hold on to the Bible are essential (Titus 1:5, 9). We might consider reducing a long series of lists to fit into more manageable categories, as Rick Warren did in his book The Purpose Driven Church: worship, discipleship, fellowship, ministry, and evangelism; and that would likely cover everything. But among all those lists – and I am sure I am missing some elements – which is most important? Again, I think we would have to agree: the one that’s missing.

Now, don’t misunderstand me. I’m not saying that if we discover the “one thing” that’s missing and focus on that, we will solve all of our problems in the church. I don’t believe that there are any “silver bullets” in ministry, but I do think there’s value in trying to figure out what’s missing.

Unfortunately, trying to figure out what’s missing from the church usually requires more self-examination than anything else. Consider Paul’s words in Romans 12:1-3

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God–this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will. For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.

When you think about what’s missing from the church, think about what could be missing in your own relationship with God. Do you think of the worship service as a time for you to be “filled” or as a time to offer yourself to God? Do you expect the church to meet your expectations or has your mind been transformed to think of others? Do you focus on what you want or on God’s will for you and for the church?

Does that kind of “sober judgment” make you praise God for his mercy? Does it make you think that the missing element is something you have to offer? Maybe that measure of faith that God has given you has grown a bit.

As I write this note, it’s 50 degrees and raining. That’s not what we’d expect for a mid-winter day, but I’m not complaining. Typically, we would expect to be nestled away in our homes, hopefully insulated against the cold. As winter progresses, I would be surprised if we didn’t find ourselves dealing with snow and ice, but as that happens, I wouldn’t be surprised if we started isolating ourselves from one another.

It’s natural to avoid getting out and about when the weather makes it difficult and the season makes it uncomfortable, but we shouldn’t do it intentionally. While I wouldn’t want anyone to risk their health or safety to go to church or Bible study, I also wouldn’t downplay the importance of making the effort when we are able. It’s not a simple matter of keeping up attendance numbers; it’s a matter of maintaining spiritual health.

We’ve heard of Cabin Fever, that mental condition that forms when you just can’t get out of the house because of the weather. You get stir crazy looking at your own four walls day after day after day. You find that you have to get out just to get some fresh air or a change of scenery; otherwise, you just might lose it!

The same thing happens when we isolate ourselves from the church, and I don’t mean the building. The Bible gives us good evidence that people are better off together; Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 tell us:

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

While we often use those verses in the context of marriage and typically point to the inclusion of God as the third strand, there’s no denying that God intends for us to share life together and to help each other, especially when we’re tied together with God.

The writer of Hebrews gives us specific ways in which our shared faith helps us live in shared lives:

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:23-25)

Instead of being pushed around by life while we’re on our own, we hold on to our solid faith and our God who is faithful. We encourage each other to love one another. We push each other to do good deeds. We help each other to develop good spiritual habits and to grow in our faith as we look forward to Jesus’ return. As we encourage one another within the church, we begin to find the strength we need to struggle through everyday life together.

Don’t struggle through the cold and dark of life alone. Share your life – and your struggles – with your brothers and sisters in Christ and discover the strength God intended us to have together.

As we approach the new year, we are planning our annual congregational meeting for Sunday, January 8, immediately following the worship service. In this meeting we will be approving the candidates for elders, deacons, and trustees who have been identified by the nominating committee and approving the budget proposed for 2017. According to our bylaws, voting on these candidates and the budget is restricted to members of the Athens Church of Christ, that is, immersed believers who are at least sixteen years old and regular attenders.

Church membership is a weird thing. It’s weird because, while there is no biblical command for anyone to “join” a church, there is certainly a lot of evidence in the New Testament for joining. First, there’s an obvious call to join the church, as in the universal church or the body of Christ, which Paul describes in Romans 12:5 and 1 Corinthians 12:12, 27. It’s this kind of membership in the body of Christ that led the early Christians to meet together daily in the temple courts, to meet in their homes, and to take care of each other (Acts 2:42-47; 4:32-35; 5:12; 6:1-7).

Second, it is clear that our membership in the body of Christ means we are joined together in the work of the church. In Romans 15:30 and 2 Timothy 1:8, Paul calls others to join him in his struggles and suffering for the gospel. In Ephesians 2:21 and 4:16, Paul describes the church as being members being joined together in Christ. Perhaps the closest we can get to a command is in Philippians 3:17 where Paul writes, “Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you.”

Last, it seems that being part of the local church is a matter of submitting to the leaders of the local church, which is a command that we find in Hebrews 13:17, “Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.” It seems, then, that membership within the local church body not only has expectations – submission to the leaders – but also benefits – the oversight and care by godly leaders.

So while there is no biblical command to join the church, it seems that the biblical example is that Christians, as members of the universal Body of Christ, ought to join themselves to a local body of believers as members under the leadership of local leaders. While there are no specific guidelines of how to make that connection, the biblical guidelines clearly show us that members of the local body are those who are members of the Body of Christ – that is, immersed believers in Christ – who participate in the work of the church and who submit to the leaders of the local church. For these reasons, while we welcome everyone to worship with us and while we welcome others to serve with us, we restrict “membership” to those who have joined themselves to Jesus Christ in faith through baptism by immersion, who will submit to the leadership of our elders, and who will join with the rest of our body of believers by participating in the life and ministry of this body. This is also why we restrict the privilege of voting in congregational meetings and some of the roles of service and leadership to members of the Athens Church of Christ.

If you have any questions about what it means to be or become a member of the Body of Christ – to become a Christian – or to become a member of the Athens Church of Christ, please let me know. I would be glad to chat with you.

Beginning January 1, 2017, we will launch a year of biblical literacy. Throughout this next year, we will focus on reading the Bible on our own as individuals and studying the Bible together through the Sunday morning sermon, through Sunday school lessons, in small group studies here in the church building and in our homes.

According to the most recent studies done by the Barna Research Group (2010), biblical literacy in America is at an all-time low. While that may not come as a shock, considering the dramatic changes in our culture and country over the last couple of generations, what is shocking is the fact that biblical literacy within the church is not much better than outside the church. Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY, shocks us more with the stark reality, “This scandalous problem is our own, and it’s up to us to fix it.” In the same January 20, 2016, article Dr. Mohler continues, “We will not believe more than we know, and we will not live higher than our beliefs.” Dr. Mohler’s assessment is right on target; the less we know the Bible, the less we believe and the less we act like we believe.

This year we’re going to get into the Bible together as a church. To do this, I’m asking everyone to focus on three tasks: (1) bring your Bible to church; (2) read your Bible at home; (3) participate in at least one Bible study beyond the Sunday morning worship service.

To help us all get into reading and studying the Bible on our own and together, the church will provide a year-long Bible reading guide at the welcome center. The reading guide will prescribe a couple chapters and suggest a Psalm every day. If you need a new Bible or want to try a new translation in this new year, contact the office for guidance.

There are several weekly opportunities to study the Bible at the church. Sunday school is at 9:00 a.m. There is a study for ladies on Tuesdays at 1:00 p.m. Wednesday evening Bible study, at 6:00, is a follow-up to the Sunday morning sermon; take notes in your bulletin and bring them with you. We will also host a weekly Bible study, every Sunday at 6:00 p.m.; this new study will focus on giving an overview of the whole Bible, one book at a time from Genesis to Revelation, and will feature a short video introduction, a visual overview handout, and group discussion. Individuals and families who are interested in hosting a Bible study in their home should contact the office for more information about materials that are available and for other assistance.

Unfortunately, it seems that Thanksgiving has become become the starting point of a season of self-indulgence. It begins with a meal that is often characterized by an abundance of food, generous portions, and multiple servings – and then pie. Thanksgiving Day and “Black Friday” then launch a nationwide shopping spree that won’t take a break until Christmas Eve and that won’t really end until the After Christmas Sales are over. And then everyone seems to come to their senses with resolutions for a new year of healthy eating and fiscal responsibility – until next time.

While I wouldn’t endorse this mindset, there’s value in the excess of thanksgiving. Certainly, it’s not healthy the way people – myself included – over-indulge in the stereotypical holiday consumption of food and things. However, it is a mark of spiritual growth and maturity to be marked by excessive thanksgiving. Paul wrote in Colossians 2:6, 7, “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.”

On the other hand, it’s a mark of spiritual immaturity and rebellion not to give thanks, which is how Paul describes sinful people in Romans 1:21, “For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.” In fact, Paul warned that a lack of thanksgiving would characterize people in the “last days” in 2 Timothy 3:1, 2, “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy.”

So while the world might be known for its excessive consumption and a lack of gratitude, Christians ought to be marked by their excessive thanksgiving. As Paul wrote, we ought to be “overflowing with thankfulness.” But do we really overflow with thanksgiving? Sure, our worship services and prayers are full of songs and words of thanks to God for all he has done – from providing for our daily needs to forgiving our sins and giving us salvation through Jesus – but does thanksgiving overflow, out of our lives and out of the church?

It’s easy to over-indulge in the church, too. You can fill up on Bible studies, sermons, and all kinds of Christian books, music, and movies and thank God for all of it, just like we do at Thanksgiving. But with all that good stuff going in, does it make you sleepy, longing for a good nap, or does it energize you to share your faith with others? Since you have received Jesus as Lord, how do you continue to live in him? Are you filling up or growing up? As you grow in your faith and knowledge of Jesus, let it overflow into the rest of your life and even into the lives of the people around you. Be thankful for what God has done for you and in you, and let him keep flowing through you.

Have you seen that video of the grandfather who received a gift of adult-sized, light-up sneakers? As he opened the shoebox, he seemed rather underwhelmed by the lime green shoes. But when the soles started flashing, he jumped in his seat and then he jumped out of his seat. “Oh! Get out of town!” he yelled. Obviously excited about the gift, he showed the blinking shoes around the room, swatting a few of his family members to get them to flash again. “A dream come true!” he told them.

Such a reaction to such a little thing. New shoes. Big deal.

Where do you find your excitement? I would hope that it’s in something bigger, better, more important than shoes or sports or politics. I would hope that you might find that kind of excitement in your faith, in your relationship with God, in your salvation through Jesus. Sure, you’d expect that from a preacher, but don’t you think we ought to have some kind of excitement or enthusiasm in our lives simply because we know God?

In our Sunday evening Bible study, we’ve been following a video series about Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi. When we got to Philippians 3, the preacher in the video, Matt Chandler, pointed out the excitement and enthusiasm different people have expressed because of their relationship with God. He described it as a passion or a desire to have more of God. He reminded us of David’s desire for God in Psalms 63:1, “O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.” He referred to several Christian writers, from the first century and into modern times, who wrote about their passion and desire for God, including John Owen, a Puritan theologian in the 1600s who wrote in The Glory of Christ:

“On Christ’s glory I would fix all my thoughts and desires, and the more I see of the glory of Christ, the more the painted beauties of this world will wither in my eyes and I will be more and more crucified to this world. It will become to me like something dead and putrid, impossible for me to enjoy.”

Chandler referred to these thoughts about desiring God, both from the Scriptures and from Christians throughout the history of the church, to set the tone for our study of Philippians 3. We can see this same passion in verses 8-11 where Paul wrote:

What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him…. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Then Chandler asked, “Who talks like that?” Who describes the good things in their life as being “dead and putrid” in comparison to God? Who looks at the best this world has to offer and thinks of it as “rubbish” when compared to knowing Christ? Why don’t we hear that kind of language today? Perhaps we don’t talk about our passion for Christ because we don’t live passionately for Christ.

Living passionately for Jesus isn’t a matter of singing with enthusiasm in the worship service or wearing T-shirts with Christian slogans or flooding our Facebook pages with inspirational quotes. It’s a matter of being transformed in the way we think, speak, and act because we have received the most amazing gift of all: Jesus. When you get Jesus, don’t you want more and more of Jesus? What do you do to get more of Jesus? You pursue Jesus, and the more you pursue him, the more you tell others about Jesus. That’s a life of passion and excitement.

Do you think Grandpa put his new light-up sneakers back in the box and only took them out once a week? No; he probably put them on and went out for a walk and showed them off to everyone he met.

Where’s your excitement? Where’s your passion? How would you describe your desire to know God more and more? Is that your desire? How would we know? Would you look like Grandpa and his new light-up sneakers?

I don’t know when this distinction was first made, but for some reason, many Christians draw a line between being a Christian and being a disciple. It seems that the distinction is more a matter of degree, that being a Christian is a kind of “entry level” faith and that being a disciple is more advanced.

The Bible doesn’t make such a distinction. In fact, it seems that the early church were called “disciples” long before they were called Christians. Acts 11:26 tells us that “The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.” The prevailing characteristic of the early church was that they were disciples of Jesus; they were followers of Christ. To be honest, even the name Christian ought to reflect that characteristic; to be a Christian is to be like Jesus Christ, to speak and act in the manner of Christ. Jesus himself told his first disciples to go and make more disciples in Matthew 28:19, 20; that ought to tell us the importance of being disciples of Christ.

Yet today, many Christians seem to be content to be called “Christians” without much thought about following Jesus, much less making more followers of Jesus. For many it’s more than enough just to “get saved,” to claim the name of Jesus and sit tight waiting for Jesus to return and take them to heaven. And that seems to be the key to the distinction: getting saved so you can go to heaven. For many Christians, all it means to be a Christian is to have a ticket to heaven. So living as a Christian goes only as far as professing certain beliefs and doing certain actions, but only what it takes to get saved and get into heaven.

Being a Christian is more than being saved, and salvation is more than going to heaven. Certainly, at the heart of the gospel is the Good News that God sent Jesus to forgive our sins and raised Jesus from the dead to rescue us from this present evil age (Galatians 1:1, 4), but that rescue is more than forgiveness and a future in heaven. There’s also freedom and righteousness in this life, and that comes through the gospel message and following Jesus to the point of dying to ourselves and being raised to live like Jesus in the here and now (Galatians 2:20, 21).

Unfortunately, living like Jesus, even today, can be difficult, if not outright painful. That being true, many people give up on living like Jesus, even though they wear the name of Christ. But 1 Peter 4:16, 17 warns us, “However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God?” Peter tells those who wear the name of Jesus – Christians – that if times are tough for those who wear Christ’s name, imagine what it will be like for those who do not obey the gospel.

Don’t give up on living as a disciple of Christ just because it might lead to suffering as Christ suffered. Instead, praise God when the world recognizes you as a disciple of Jesus and then continue to live as a disciple who makes more disciples who make more disciples.

Having been out of school for only a short while… I still find myself thinking of the calendar in terms of school years. Sure, I still have kids in school, but there’s something about the fall and the beginning of the school year that seems to be more of a “new year” than the first of January.

I think the appeal comes from the built-in expectations and structures for continued growth. The idea of going to school brings with it an expectation that you’re going to learn something. Going back to school keeps that expectation alive and keeps building on it; not only are you going to school to learn more, but you’re going back to build upon what you’ve already learned. It’s a natural environment built on past, present, and future.

Just as we start our formal education in school as children, we also start training ourselves to grow spiritually as children. Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” Those of us who grew up in a Christian home or going to church as children likely remember the Bible stories and verses that we learned through lessons, activities, and songs, and it’s remarkable how we usually remember them when we need them.

This is how God’s people began a lifelong journey of growing in their faith and knowledge of God and of God’s Word and, in the church of the New Testament, of Jesus Christ. Paul recognized that habit and pattern in the life of his protege Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:5, 6:

I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.

Timothy’s faith began in his grandmother and was passed on to his mother and then to Timothy. Then Paul encouraged him to keep growing. In 2 Timothy 3:14-17 Paul told Timothy how to keep growing:

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Paul referred back to Timothy’s past, when he was being raised by his mother and grandmother to know the Scriptures. He referred to Timothy’s present knowledge, which has led him to his faith in Jesus and, therefore, his salvation. Paul also looks forward to Timothy’s continued growth in his faith and knowledge of Jesus and God’s Word so that he might be “thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

It seems that Paul’s expectations for Timothy were for him to stay in God’s Word not just for his own sake but for the sake of others. That’s why he refers to “teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness.” Paul expects Timothy to continue what his mother and grandmother began, what Paul began, in Timothy’s life: to know the Scriptures, to be wise, to have faith, to find salvation, and to pass on those things to others.

What’s interesting, to me, is that there doesn’t seem to be any indication that this expectation for on-going growth and training ever ends. It seems that Timothy’s grandmother Lois wasn’t finished with her growth in her faith when she raised her daughter Eunice in the faith; she continued by helping her grandson Timothy to grow in his faith.

Certainly there’s something there for us to learn. Our efforts to grow in our faith and knowledge of Jesus don’t stop when we get older, and neither does God’s expectation for us to train others in learning God’s Word and growing in their faith and knowledge of Jesus. As we continue to learn more about what it means for each of us to grow in our own faith, let us “fan into flame” our own gifts and continue “teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness” so that all of us might be prepared to do the work that God has called us to do in this community.