2022-10-02 Makings of A Minister

MAKINGS OF A MINISTER (Acts 16:1-5) October 2, 2022 Read Acts 16:1-5 - Paul begins his 2nd journey by going on foot to retrace his 1st journey backwards - north and east to Derbe and Lystra first instead of last. At Lystra, he runs into Timothy. P&B took John Mark as helper on their 1st trip. On this 2nd journey he has Silas, a respected prophet from Jerusalem. Good sub for Barney. But he has no Mark - not God supplies one in Lystra where he was almost killed on the 1st journey - God's ways are not our ways! Aren't you glad? In his autobiography, Surprised by Joy, C. S. Lewis tells of a school teacher he had Kirkpatrick, an atheist who was nicknamed "The Great Knock" bc of skills in debate and logic. He taught Lewis how to build a case from reason with strong argument. So, God used an atheist to help create arguably the greatest Xn apologist of the 20th century. Isn't that just like God? In Lystra, Tim gets a special call like all believers. Eph 4 says God gives gifted leaders 12) "to equip the saints for the work of ministry." We're all called, all gifted and all ministers - equipped by experience, relationships and aptitudes for our unique mission for which we will one day report to Him. Timothy's life reflects 3 characteristics that will enable our report to be a good one. These not only enhanced Timothy's ministry, they can ours as well. I. Timothy Was Fervent in Commitment 1) "Paul came also to Derbe and to Lystra." This was no easy journey. Starting from Syrian Antioch, they walked through Cilicia (Paul's home country), crossed the Taurus range thru a pass called the Cilician Gates, into the SE region of Galatia to Derbe, Lystra, Iconium and Pisidian Antioch. There they find Tim, son of a mixed marriage - a Jewish mother and Greek father. The impf "his father was [had been] a Greek" indicates that he may have been dead by this time with no indication he was a believer. But Tim had strong maternal religious influence. II Tim 1:5: "I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well." Elsewhere Paul says: II Tim 3: "15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus." So, how could the "sacred writings" of the OT made this family "wise to salvation thru faith in CJ?" In that the OT pointed to Jesus in every way by prediction, pattern, type and sacrificial system. When seen in light of Jesus' life, the OT is Jesus everywhere! So when Paul did in Lystra on his 1st trip what he later did in Thessalonica on this 2nd journey - Acts 17:3: "explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ [Messiah] to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, "This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ" - no doubt Lois, Eunice and Tim were quick to believe in Jesus. Now, recall, Paul's first trip to Lystra did not end well. Acts 14:19: "But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. 20 But when the disciples gathered about him, he rose up and entered the city, and on the next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe." Paul nearly died by stoning. Likely Tim saw that - just as a Paul had watched as Stephen was stoned to death, which must have made an indelible impression on his mind. Now, 2 points. First, note the impact family has on kids. When kids come, everyone ooh's and aah's over this new life. Cute and cuddly, they inspire good feelings all around. Yet few parents seriously contemplate the amazing power God placed into human hands. The power to create human life is amazing in itself. But it comes with the power to create a being who will last forever!! Every parent has been party to the creation of eternity, which entails a huge responsibility! That beautiful bundle of joy will spend eternity either in heaven or hell. So, childbearing involves joy - a huge responsibility. C. S. Lewis pulled on punches when he said it this way: "It is a serious thing . . . to remember that the most uninteresting person you talk to may one day be a creature which if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree, helping each other to one or other of these destinations. . . It is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit - immortal horrors or everlasting splendors." That, dear parents, is the potential you have unleashed when you conceived an eternal, immortal being. To fail to do all in your power to lead those children to saving faith in Christ is the worst kind of irresponsibility. And don't think you don't matter; you do! Sociologist Christian Smith conducted a few years the largest study ever conducted on teens and faith. He reports; "Some suggest that American teenagers have outgrown the influence of their parents and other adults, are shaped primarily by their peers, and are best set free of adult oversight and support to find their own individual ways. Such views are badly misguided. Adults exercise immense influence in the lives of teens - positive and negative, passive and active. The [only question is], what kind of influence they exert." He goes on to show that the largest influence in the beliefs of teens is parents - over 60%. No other influence - culture, peers, church or other even reaches 20%. You matter in the life of your child. Humanly speaking their eternity depends on you. No other influence compares - not even close. Scary! SS and church can help. Other adults as well, but no influence is as great as family. Lois and Eunice did the best thing they ever could for Timothy by teaching him the Word of God. Every Xn parent owes it to the child to whom they have given eternal existence to do no less. Get them to Christ. Yet, 2nd, note Tim had to make a choice. Would it be the idols of his dad, or Mom's Yahweh, as revealed in the Christ Paul preached? There was no middle ground. The stoning of Paul made that abundantly clear. Tim chose Jesus, against his father and against his culture. He had a new spiritual father. Paul calls him "my beloved child" (II Tim 1:2); and he had a new heavenly Father. His choice was clear and fervent - so much so that Luke says, 2 "He was well spoken of by the brothers at Lystra and Iconium." Timothy was under new management and it showed. He'd made his decision: he was all in. Are you all in? I read of 1 religious man who bought a statue of Jesus for his home - put it on a table in the living room. His wife didn't think it went with the décor and removed it to the den. Later the husband moved it to yet another place prompting their 4-year-old to ask, "Can't you decide what to do with God?" That's question we must all answer. Tim chose Christ. II. Timothy Was Flexible in Conduct V. 3 illustrates another characteristic of a good minister. Flexibility - not in message -- never that - but potentially in lifestyle. 3 "Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him, and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek." Interesting, bc earlier, Paul did the opposite with another young man - Titus! In Gal 2 he speaks of a trip to Jerusalem - most likely the one to the council in Acts 15 to clarify the message of justification by faith alone. At that time, Paul says, Gal 2:3 "But even Titus, who was with me, was not forced to be circumcised, though he was a Greek." At a council to determine whether or not circumcision was required for salvation, Paul made a point of not requiring - nor allowing anyone else to require - that Titus, a Gentile believer, be circumcised. To those who insisted on this, Paul says 5 "to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you." So, by his teaching, by the council decision, and by Titus' example, circumcision was excluded for salvation! So why have Timothy circumcised? It didn't save him, so why? Lu answers: Acts 16:3b: "he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was Greek." Paul had Tim circumcised so he wouldn't be a stumbling block to Jews. Tim's mom married a Gentile. And, she allowed her husband to prevent Tim being circumcised. Some Jews wouldn't even have recognized such a marriage. Certainly, Tim's lack of circumcision would have been a barrier to some in hearing Paul's message of Christ. Having Tim circumcised removed that barrier. It neither hurt nor helped Tim, but it might help others to hear. This is the flexibility of I Cor 9:19 "For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. 20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. . . . 22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. 23 I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings." Paul says, if I need to wear a yarmulke to get a hearing, bring it on. If I have to quote philosophers to get a hearing, I'm in. If it's not immoral or diminishes the message, I'll take down any barrier, remove any obstacle to confront someone with Christ alone. That's what he and Tim are doing here. When Hudson Taylor went to China to share the gospel, he quickly realized his status as a foreigner was a deterrent to some. So he adopted Chinese ways. He put his hair in a pigtail, adopted the Chinese clothing and lived in their style. He was greatly criticized back home for a time, but he would not allow any barrier he could remove. So today, ever notice the pictures of the Losey's? In Asia, they adopted the dress and customs of their audience. They "became all things to all people that by all means [they] might save some." That doesn't mean we adopting immoral behavior, but we need to remove as much as possible barriers to our message. We can be flexible in non-essentials. III. Timothy Was Faithful in Content Tho flexible in manner, Timothy never compromised the message. 4 As they went on their way through the cities, they delivered to them for observance the decisions that had been reached by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem. He preached the gospel as delivered by Christ and confirmed by the apostles. He preached that salvation is not a result of works we do, but a result of the work Christ did on the cross. There was no compromise in his message, nothing to make it more palatable; only the straight truth that salvation is by grace through faith with no works - not even circumcision. It was shortly after this that Paul warned in Gal 1:6 "I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel- 7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed." Paul's clear. There's only 1 gospel; only one death for sin; only one sufficient Savior; only one saving faith. Look what Tim's gospel did. 5 "So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and they increased in numbers daily." The true gospel leads to growing people and growing churches. False gospels, salvation by works, lead only to death. Many have distorted the gospel for fear giving offense. They minimize sin, deny the atonement and emphasize feeling good about oneself. But sociologists Roger Finke and Rodney Stark, after their massive survey of Christianity in America draw this conclusion: "We will repeatedly suggest that as denominations have modernized their doctrines and embraced temporal values, they have gone into decline." Only one thing brings healing and salvation to broken lives - the pure, unadulterated gospel of JC. That's it. IV. Timothy Was Fearless in Character Tim knew the dangers of faithfulness to the gospel. He had seen Paul stoned for the gospel. He had to know that a similar fate might await him. In fact, it did. Tim was eventually martyred for his faith. Yet, he went and his family let him go. Would you do that? Would you go? Would you let you bless your children in their going? We need people like that - those who know greater glory comes from suffering with Christ than being as rich as Bill Gates. Tim was a bit like Moses of whom God says in Heb 11:26: "He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward." He could have lived a privileged life in a palace with untold wealth at his disposal. But he considered that second rate compared to being mocked and humiliated for the sake of his God. That's a true man of God - one who lives today in light of eternity, not just in light of tomorrow. Conc - This can be our life when we really know God - Fervent, Flexible, Faithful and Fearless. When Martin Luther was called to answer for what the church considered his heretical writings at the Diet of Worms before King Charles V, he expected to die and said to friends, "My cause shall be commended to the Lord for He lives and reigns who preserved the three children in the furnace of the Babylonian king. If He is unwilling to preserve me, my life is a small thing compared with Christ. I will not flee much less recant, so may the Lord Jesus strengthen me." He knew who he was and whose he was. Fervent, Faithful, Flexible - Fearless. We can't do this on our own - but by looking constantly to His power, we can. That's the life of a true believer and the makings of a minister. I pray it is us. Let's pray. DONE 7