2 Timothy 3:14-17
PRAY: Dear Lord, you are my rock and salvation. You, O Lord, are my confidence. Help me to lean the weight of my trust and dependency fully upon you and the power of your Word. Open my eyes to see the incomparable power available to me and the people of God through your Spirit and your Word.
A great source of encouragement to pastors and church leaders is found in two New Testament books in particular, 1st and 2nd Timothy. There is such a need for more mentoring and discipling of leaders (and followers) in today’s church. We all need a “Paul” (i.e., an older mentor to speak into our life). We all need a “Timothy” (i.e., a younger protégé to pour into from our own lives and experiences). The church needs to be generationally linked in this age of collaboration. But what was Paul’s primary focus in his directives to the young pastor of the Church at Ephesus, Timothy? Arguably it is the paramount area of teaching and preaching the Word of God. Over 30 times in his short letters, Paul uses the words “preach,” “teaching,” “train,” “Scripture” and “Word of God.” Clearly Paul is using his affirmations and directives in these two letters not only to guide this disciple-pastor, but to build his confidence in the Word of God.
If you could sit across from Paul at a table and have him instruct you as growing pastors in the art of gaining confidence in the Word of God, here are a few things he would likely say with urgency:
_“GROW IN IT PERSONALLY!”_ – Our confidence in God’s Word as followers (and as leaders) comes from our consistent exposure to it. Clearly, Timothy was taught the Scripture “since childhood” (v. 15a). His home was full of God’s Word. It is difficult to imagine a more important goal to have as a pastor than filling your life, your home and your church with the Bible, and training your congregation to do the same.
_“UNDERSTAND IT DEEPLY!”_ – Our confidence in God’s Word increases as we recognize its authority. Paul was unequivocal about his conviction that the Scripture is thoroughly authoritative. “Everything in the Scriptures is God’s Word” (v. 16). He wanted to ensure that the leader who was tending to the congregation he planted in the influential city of Ephesus had a clear respect for the authority of Scripture. In your congregation, the church will be as certain of the Word of God as is their leader.
_“COMMUNICATE IT BOLDLY!”_ – Our confidence in God’s Word is strengthened when we find that it is so useful. It isn’t just words we read, but directives that we follow, obey and relay that prove so potent. For Paul, ministry flowed out of God’s Word. Ministry was simply doing what God says we are to do. At one point Paul says plainly and simply to Timothy: “Preach God’s message” (2 Tim. 4:2).
_“WATCH IT WORK IN PEOPLE’S LIVES!”_ – Our confidence in God’s Word is enhanced every time we observe the work it accomplishes in people’s lives. Paul said: “The Scriptures train God’s servants to do all kinds of good deeds” (v. 17). Paul was speaking from experience, of course. He had by now traveled extensively to spread the Word. From town to town, he had watched the Word of God work wonders – miracles, healings, life-change, transformations of all kinds. In fact, Paul was now writing not only about how the Scripture could train people to “do all kinds of good deeds”; he was writing to someone who was living proof of this – Timothy! Paul’s preaching was more than notes on papyrus; it was becoming life in the form of a developing young leader.
When it comes to training and discipleship, an old saying comes to mind: “I hear – I forget; I see – I remember; I do – I understand.” The principle is clear: words merely heard are soon forgotten, but words lived out and practiced change us forever. That quote is not a passage from Scripture, but it does contain a truth that is essentially biblical. Sometimes our Christianity can be so platform or podium oriented that we miss the purpose of getting the Word of God into the practical lives of our hearers. Discipleship requires that we not only see the Bible as something to read, but as God’s Word to experience, live and obey. In fact, the first chapter of Acts says, “I … wrote to you about all that Jesus did and taught …” (Acts 1:1) According to Paul, as ministers, the Scripture is not just something we read but something we use to affect the lives of people (v. 16). He lists at least four ways in which this impact occurs: