When believers of God disciple and mentor the next generation, great things happen. This is the story of Timothy, who came from a natural and spiritual family of believers. Timothy’s Jewish mother, Eunice, and grandmother, Lois, passed on to him the tradition of following Christ. As a young man, Timothy also received instruction to follow Christ from his mentor and spiritual father, Paul.

Paul wrote letters to Timothy to encourage him to assist the Ephesus church in his absence, and to be bold at a time when spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ was dangerous.

There were many problems in the Ephesus church, and Paul gave Timothy guidance on how to solve these problems. Timothy had to organize prayer meetings, dispel disagreements, and teach people how to preach sound doctrine. There were men and women of all ages in this church, and he had to correct and preach to them all.

It must have been intimidating to take over an entire church in Paul’s absence, but Timothy had to do it. Paul wrote these letters as a way of transferring courage to Timothy, and reminding him how noble it was to stand up for the gospel of Jesus. Paul knew what it was like to be persecuted and imprisoned for his faith, and he also knew that he owed Christ his life. Paul was a warrior for Christ, who humbly gave his life to the cause of spreading the gospel of Jesus. He was a perfect example of courage to Timothy.

In his letters, Paul warned Timothy that some would leave the church after being influenced by the world. He warned Timothy to not give up, even when others would. Paul told Timothy to never allow anyone to despise him for being young and preaching the gospel. He reassured Timothy that he had a God-given gift to speak and build up the church, and he reminded him that his gift was prayed over and nurtured by his mother, grandmother, and Paul himself. Paul told Timothy to combat timidity by remembering who he was and knowing he had power, love, and a sound mind. We can imagine Paul telling Timothy something like this:

Remember who you are and where you come from. You are the son of Eunice and the grandson of Lois. You have my mantle of leadership, and the spirit of God is in you. I laid my own hands on you and prayed for you. You are called by God and are empowered by the Spirit of God to do this work. You can do this. You can help this church. “Therefore, I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God has not given you a spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and sound judgment.”

All Christians are called to impact others around them for Jesus. Every believer’s mantle is to be an empathetic, unprideful light that draws people to Christ. Our goal is to live abundantly, and to pursue greater works than seen in the days of Jesus, by way of His Spirit, which lives inside of us. So, it’s time to rekindle the gift of God that is in us.

Prayer: Dear Lord, we come before you in this exciting hour. We thank You for the great deposit of the Holy Spirit in us. We thank You for every hand that was laid on us, and for every prayer aligned with Your will that was spoken over us. We stir up the gifts in this hour. We rekindle the fire of the Holy Spirit that lives in us and works through us. Holy Spirit, lead your people to bring repentance, salvation, recommitment, healing, justice, true jubilee. Holy Spirit, break every stronghold and bind every strongman. Bring every high man low, and subjected to Your power. Let us see works that are even more powerful than in the days of our ancestors, because Your word says Greater works shall we do because You are now with the Father. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Scriptures: Acts 16:1, 2 Tim. 1:5-6, 2 Tim. 4:5, 1 Tim. 4:11-14

Visit www.chontalikirk.com for more information on the new book, Unprideful Light: Winning the Battle Against Timidity.

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