Timothy’s father didn’t teach him the ways of God, Paul did. God uses his own family to father the fatherless!
2 Tim 1:2 To Timothy, my dear son…
Paul wrote to Timothy from a prison cell. The great fire of Rome in 64 AD burned half the city. With residents in an uproar, Christians became a convenient target for Nero. Paul was one of those caught up in this and was beheaded by Roman officials soon after writing this letter.
Paul had given his life to the work of Jesus establishing and expanding the church in the earth. Devoting ourselves together congregationally as a family produces a legacy that will proclaim Christ that will outlive and outlast us all.
We must develop a culture that inspires and empowers next generation church perpetually. Reproduction and multiplication involves a seed. Seeds take root, grow strong, produce fruit releasing more seeds to do the same.
2 Tim 2:8 Remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel. NKJV
The life is always in the seed. Every apple you’ve ever eaten resulted from the death of a seed before it.
John 12:24 I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. NIV
Apple won’t give us any harvest BEYOND it’s life if something in it doesn’t die! Jesus makes it clear in John 12 that it is not a question of if there is life in seed. The question is will it die? IF it dies...
Almost every significant thing God births He allows to die before the vision is fulfilled His way. Abraham received the promise of being a father to many nations. The vision seemed to die as Sarai was barren. Then God brings the dream to pass. Joseph received the promise of rulership and leadership. He finds himself sold into slavery and ultimately imprisoned. The vision seemed to die when suddenly Pharaoh raises him up and appoints him to rulership. The disciples celebrated that their Messiah had come only to watch him be crucified right before their very eyes. Three days later Jesus came to life releasing God’s Kingdom in the earth.
The Gospel spreads through those who are willing to follow Jesus’ example of dying to self. In our own personal lives we must make sacrifices and be willing to explore what’s BEYOND our own personal interests. God has mobilized his army in the communities of the world. When our assignment is awakened in our hearts our cities will be transformed.
When God wants to transform a person’s life he does so by reaching that person’s heart. When God wants to transform a city he does so by reaching that city’s heart. Every city has three main arteries in the heart: government, education and business. When God’s people are released to their God-given assignment in these areas of the community the heart of the community begins to be transformed.
Gathering to worship and embrace the impartation of heaven positions us to effectively carry out this work in our city!
2 Tim 1:5-6 I am 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. 6 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. NIV
Devoting ourselves together congregationally as a family produces a legacy that proclaims Christ that will outlive and outlast us all.
GP4RL: Get involved in mentoring the next generation.
DISCUSSION GUIDE FOR COMMUNITY GROUP LEADERS
Click here for a downloadable pdf file of this guide.
OVERVIEW SUMMARY FOR THE LEADERS: Just for reference. Not necessarily to be read to group.
1 Timothy, 2 Timothy and Titus are recognized as the 3 Pastoral letters in Scripture. The first few verses introduce us to the two main characters in the book. Paul, an apostle who has an amazing heart for the ministry of Jesus expressed through the church, is writing here in his 60’s. Paul is writing to Timothy (probably 40 years old) who Paul references as his son having developed an intimate father son spiritual mentoring relationship.
Paul’s writings here address the importance of healthy church leadership as he exposes erroneous teaching and communicates helpful guidelines. Our goal in our groups this week is to get an overview of the book of 1 Timothy and to understand the importance of having lives that are shaped by the Gospel. This requires us to have some understanding of false doctrines that can easily confuse believers, especially those who neglect reading their Bibles.
2 Tim 1:2 To Timothy, my dear son…
Paul is clearly fathering Timothy in his faith referencing him as his son. There was a very pronounced father son spiritual mentoring relationship.
DISCUSSION ICE BREAKER:
1. What were two of the greatest challenges your parents had when they were raising you?
2. What are the two greatest challenges your spiritual leaders encounter when trying to mentor you now?
2 Tim 1:5-7 I am 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. 6 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. 7 For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.
In both letters Paul wrote to Timothy he referenced this “sincere faith” using a word, which literally means “inability to act.” Paul’s encouragement to young Timothy was a fatherly encouragement to be true to himself rather than feeling the need to make some kind of religious presentation in efforts to be respected as a young leader.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
3. What keeps us from relaxing and being ourselves around others, especially when called upon to lead in some way?
4. How do timidity and low self-esteem relate to each other?
Clearly Timothy’s father was not providing spiritual guidance and leadership in Timothy’s life. This leads us to believe he was absent or disconnected from Timothy’s life. It is possible that the absence of a true father impacted Timothy’s confidence and self-esteem.
Timidity is not from God (2 Timothy 1:7) so when it shows up it reveals some areas of your life where the enemy may be robbing you of biblical truth. This hinders you from completing God’s work for you life.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
5. What is an area you struggle with in regard to timidity or insecurity and how might that area hinder you from what God wants in your life?
The book of Second Timothy contains the final recorded words of the apostle Paul. He was writing from a Roman prison, where he was awaiting his execution. Although Paul was not Timothy’s biological father, he was his father in Christ. Timothy was a young pastor into whom Paul had poured his life. This letter has the tone of a father who knows he may be speaking to his son for the final time. He doesn’t waste any words.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
6. If you were to come to the end of your life having only one shot to leave a final bit of wisdom to the people who are most important to you. What would you say to them and why?
Consider how your final wisdom compares to Paul’s:
1. Paul explains that the Reality that in a sinful world the righteous will experience suffering. Perhaps Paul was working to ensure Timothy would not grow disillusioned when problems came his way.
2. The second truth of which Paul reminds Timothy is the reliability of Scripture. The Bible is utterly truthful and sufficient to give us the strength that we need to persevere to the end.
3. The final truth of which Paul reminds Timothy is the responsibility of the saints. As Christians, we have been a commission to make disciples of all nations, and we need to keep this mission always in the forefront of our minds.
This week let’s pray for those we work with and look for ways to serve them to demonstrate the heart of Jesus in our lives.
GOING DEEPER:
MESSAGE INTRO: 1st & 2nd TIMOTHY AND TITUS:
Christians are quite serious in believing that when they gather together for worship and work, God is present and sovereign, really present and absolutely sovereign. God creates and guides, God saves and heals, God corrects and blesses, God calls and judges. With such comprehensive and personal leadership from God, what is the place of human leadership?
Quite obviously, it has to be second place. It must not elbow its way to the front, it must not bossily take over. Ego-centered, ego-prominent leadership betrays the Master.
The best leadership in spiritual communities formed in the name of Jesus, the Messiah, is inconspicuous, not calling attention to itself but not sacrificing anything in the way of conviction and firmness either.
In his letters to two young associates—Timothy in Ephesus and Titus in Crete—we see Paul encouraging and guiding the development of just such leadership. What he had learned so thoroughly himself, he was now passing on, and showing them, in turn, how to develop a similar leadership in local congregations.
This is essential reading because ill-directed and badly formed spiritual leadership causes much damage in souls. Paul in both his life and his letters shows us how to do it right.
Who wrote the book?
By the time Paul wrote his second letter to Timothy, the young pastor had been ministering to the church at Ephesus for four years, and it had been almost that long since he had received his first letter from Paul. Timothy had been a faithful servant to Paul since he had left home with the apostle more than a decade earlier. Since then, Timothy had ministered alongside Paul for the duration of both the second and third missionary journeys, in places such as Troas, Philippi, and Corinth. Timothy was not unfamiliar to the Ephesians when he settled in Ephesus to minister, having served there alongside Paul for a period of close to three years on Paul’s third missionary journey. Paul wrote again to this young leader in the church at Ephesus to provide him encouragement and fortitude in the face of difficulties and trials.
Where are we?
Paul wrote 2 Timothy from a dark and damp Roman prison cell, just before his death in AD 67. The Roman emperor Nero had been slowly descending into madness since his ascent to the throne in AD 54, a process exacerbated by the great fire of Rome in AD 64 that burned half the city. With the residents of Rome in an uproar, Christians became a convenient target for Nero, who used believers as scapegoats for his city’s own lack of preparedness. Paul was one of those caught up in this persecution and was beheaded by Roman officials soon after writing this letter.
Why is Second Timothy so important?
The second letter to Timothy offers a picture of Paul at the end of his ministry, just before his death. Certain personal details in the letter reveal a man settling his accounts and preparing for the inevitable. At the close of the letter, Paul mentioned a significant number of people—some who had wronged him and others who had served faithfully alongside him (2 Timothy 4:9–21). It is as if Paul were giving Timothy a “state of the church” address, updating Timothy on the current state of their acquaintances and friends so that the young pastor could carry on after Paul’s departure.
What's the big idea?
Paul understood that the ministry would only become more difficult for Timothy with the apostle’s impending death. (Indeed, at some point after this letter from Paul, Timothy was imprisoned for his faith [Hebrews 13:23]). Paul knew that Timothy’s task of keeping the church within the bounds of sound doctrine while encouraging believers to live their lives well for the sake of Christ would be an often thankless and difficult task. Though hardship would come, Paul wanted Timothy to continue in those things he had learned, drawing on the rich heritage of faith that had been passed down to the young pastor, not just from Paul but also from his mother and grandmother (2 Timothy 1:5–6; 3:14–15).
The most striking feature of Paul’s encouragement comes when the aging apostle used a phrase that showed up prominently in his letter to Timothy four years prior. In that earlier letter, Paul exhorted Timothy to “fight the good fight” (1 Timothy 1:18; 6:12). But in this letter, Paul turned that phrase on himself, writing that he had “fought the good fight . . . finished the course . . . [and] kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7). What a great encouragement it must have been to the young pastor of the church at Ephesus to know that his mentor boldly modeled his perseverance in the faith, even to the point of death.
How do I apply this?
Second Timothy brings us to the brink of death, forcing us to consider its reality and how we might react when faced with it. Paul’s response instructs us still today. His mind was not on himself, dwelling on the injustice that had befallen him. Instead, trusting that God had him right where He wanted him, the aging apostle turned his attention to others, specifically to the church and to his young protégé, Timothy.
Where do you hope your thoughts linger as you come to the end of your days?
The book of Second Timothy contains the final recorded words of the apostle Paul. He was writing from a Roman prison, where he was awaiting his execution. Although Paul was not Timothy’s biological father, he was his father in Christ. Timothy was a young pastor into whom Paul had poured his life. This letter has the tone of a father who knows he may be speaking to his son for the final time. He doesn’t waste any words.
Paul wrote 2 Timothy from a dark and damp Roman prison cell, just before his death in AD 67. The Roman emperor Nero had been slowly descending into madness since his ascent to the throne in AD 54, a process exacerbated by the great fire of Rome in AD 64 that burned half the city. With the residents of Rome in an uproar, Christians became a convenient target for Nero, who used believers as scapegoats for his city’s own lack of preparedness. Paul was one of those caught up in this persecution and was beheaded by Roman officials soon after writing this letter.
Timothy had been a faithful servant to Paul since he had left home with the apostle more than a decade earlier. Since then, Timothy had ministered alongside Paul for the duration of both the second and third missionary journeys, in places such as Troas, Philippi, and Corinth.
You can’t give what you don’t have – but - He is a father to the fatherless so no need to let deficiency create dysfunction. Timothy’s father didn’t teach him the ways of God. It was Paul who circumcised him. God uses his own family to father the fatherless!
Paul is clearly fathering Timothy in his faith referencing him as his son. There was a very pronounced father son spiritual mentoring relationship. Clearly Timothy’s father was not providing spiritual guidance and leadership in Timothy’s life. This leads us to believe he was absent or disconnected from Timothy’s life. It is possible that the absence of a true father impacted Timothy’s confidence and self-esteem.
Timidity is not from God (2 Timothy 1:7) so when it shows up it reveals some areas of your life where the enemy may be robbing you of biblical truth. This hinders you from completing God’s work for you life.
God is a generational God and we must seek to understand the various perspectives that are produced as a result of the various times when people were born. When we were born shapes our overall perspectives and affects our relationship with God. Each generation is shaped by different experiences and as a result we answer the same questions differently.
- Born before 1946 = Traditionalists or Builders.
- Born 1946-1964 = Boomers
- Born 1965 – 1980 = Gen X
- Born 1980-2001 = Millenials
There are generational patterns to the doctrines we argue over. Gen X that saw a lot more divorce and the breakdown of community structure will be a lot more interested in and devoted to community than the hyper individualism that marks the Baby Boomers.
When the Gen X and Millennials experience dysfunction in their family they migrate toward redefining the community they will identify with. In a sense they redefine who their family will be.
Traditionalists were influenced by experts telling while boomers were influenced by entertainers compelling. Experts telling long theological sermons. Entertainers polished the music and made the messages a lot more like movies. Many Gen X, a very hyper-individualist generation, want the polished service with the boomers.
Millennials are trying to make sense of it all in a meaningful way that applies to them.