Conversations with Paul: Finish the Race Sermon 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18

Lord, open our hearts and minds by the power of your Holy Spirit, that as the Scriptures are read and your Word is proclaimed, we may hear with joy what you say to us today. Amen.

Throughout this month we have looked at Paul’s second letter to Timothy. We have seen how Paul uses this last occasion to offer Timothy some encouragement and some confidence so that Timothy can continue working on what Paul began. Paul knew that his time was almost at an end. You can hear that in the words from our Scripture lesson. Paul knows that this might be the final conversation that Paul has with Timothy. So he concludes his letter with some final advice. Paul wants Timothy to follow his example of living and evangelizing. Paul wants Timothy to endure to the end, to work until it is Timothy’s time to make that final journey. Paul uses the example of an athlete, a long distance runner, to make his point of endurance. Paul tells Timothy that he has finished his race and he kept the faith until the end.

Paul wants Timothy to be like a marathon runner. A marathon is 26.2 miles long. Most of us get tired if we have to drive that distance much less run it. A marathon runner is much different than a sprinter. A sprinter runs as fast as he/she can for a short distance, 100 or 200 meters, but a marathoner has to pace him/herself and endure to the end. It is like the old saying goes, slow and steady wins the race. The same is true in the Christian life. We must make a slow and steady effort in order to endure through the trials and tribulations of this life. If we run to fast on our own or if we leave our brothers and sisters behind we might find ourselves burned out and lost on the side of the road. We must run and endure together.

Paul gives Timothy three ways of endurance to use in our Christian life. Just as a runner needs water or GatoradeÒ to replenish fluids lost in sweat, these are the necessities that one needs along the Christian journey. One is to give one’s whole self to God not begrudgingly, but with joy. Second, is to live a forgiving life and finally, to rely on God, not on ourselves, for our strength.

Paul tells Timothy that he is “poured out like a libation”. A libation is a drink offering made to a god or goddess and was done by many religions including Judaism; this is the context that Paul was most likely coming from. One would pour wine or oil on the altar or into a fire and offer it as a sacrifice to God. This observance was done in joyfully obedience, it was not an offering for penance or to remove guilt, but was a joyful sacrifice made to God who blessed the person on some way. Paul poured himself out to God, fully and completely. Paul put his entire self, his mind, body, and soul in God’s hands and followed where God’s send him. This is what Paul asked Timothy to do and this is what God asks of us today. Paul described the human body and life as a living sacrifice to God to be put to use to further God’s kingdom.

This is to be done joyfully not with reservation or reluctance. It is also not to be done out of fear of punishment. How many people work their whole lives for the Church because they are afraid of going to Hell? This kind of motivation only causes resentment and malice towards God. This is not what God wants. He wants service not out of fear, but out of love given joyfully. This is the sacrifice that Paul made. He had such an experience on the Damascus Road, such an experience of love and power that his only reaction, his only course of action was to give himself entirely to God. Have you had an experience like that, an experience so deep that you had no alternative, but to pour yourself out to God, fully and joyfully?

The work of the Church is God’s work. It is not my work or your work it is the work of God. I have told you the story of the rock singer Bono, but it is such a good story and it touched me so deeply that I want to share it again. Bono was preparing to go on tour and he was talking with his local priest. Bono felt like nothing he was doing was being blest by God and the priest told him to stop. Stop asking God to bless what you are doing; instead get into what God is doing because that is already blest. Remember that God gave of himself fully on the cross of Calvary. God stretched out his arms for us and gave everything that he had and God expects nothing less from us. A marathon runner does not wake up one morning and decide to run the race. It takes months if not years of training to prepare one’s body for the endurance it takes to run a marathon. A runner has to give 100% in order to be successful. In order to endure and be successful in the Christian life, we have to give 100% to God and put our entire selves in God’s work.

Secondly, we have to live a forgiving life. When Paul was arrested he was abandoned and betrayed by almost every person he had worked with. Paul said that no one came to his defense and he was placed in prison with no hope of being free again. Paul had every right to be angry and to hold those people accountable, but instead he demonstrates his forgiving nature, by asking God not to hold their betrayal against them. He asks God to forgive them just as he had forgiven them. Paul forgave them even though what those people had done caused him so much pain and suffering. That sounds familiar doesn’t it? Paul was following the example of Christ as he hung on the cross. Jesus asked God to forgive those people even as they drove the nails into his flesh. Paul followed that example and we should follow both their examples.

I have said this before and I will say it again now that holding a grudge is like drinking poison ourselves and waiting for someone else to die. It damages our very spirits and poisons our souls. Hold grudges hurts not only ourselves, but those around us as well. It is a selfish way of life; it puts our lives and our needs above everyone else’s. Unforgiveness destroys relationships and divides communities. There is nothing that can destroy a church faster than people with unforgiving hearts. We must realize that forgiveness brings freedom; forgiveness lifts a burden from our shoulders. A marathon runner would not run with a piano on his/her back. We cannot hope to endure through this life with the burden of unforgiveness.

Finally we must rely on God’s strength if we are to endure this life. Paul said that when everyone else had abandoned him, when he thought he was alone. God stood with him. Paul was relying on God’s strength not his own. Paul had to endure many things in his ministry and only by leaning on God could he have survived the journey. Paul relied on God to rescue him from evil attacks and the hardships of life.

We cannot rely on our own strength. We simple are not strong enough to endure the evil in this world. There are so many bad things happening in this world. I saw a reporter in California reporting on the wildfires only to see his own house, a place he had lived for 25 years go up in flames. How can a person recover from something like that or the death of a child without the strength of God? We must put our trust in God’s strength. Paul said that he could do anything with God in his corner. No matter what this world might throw at us and no matter where we might find ourselves God is with us. That is the beauty of God’s love. God’s love endures forever. It was there in the beginning of time and he will be there throughout eternity. Runner’s talk about what is called hitting the “wall”. The wall is when your body feels like it can’t go any further. Your muscles are burning, your joints are aching and you feel like you might explode. But then something strange happens, you catch your second wind, the endorphins, the pain killing chemicals in our brains, are released and you become recharged and rejuvenated and are able to continues. God’s strength is our second wind. God is always there to give us the push when we need it and sometimes God is there to carry us when we cannot go further by ourselves.

We do not endure for nothing. Our reward is coming soon. With each day that we endure we are a day closer to the kingdom of God, a place of peace, a place with no evil, with no pain, with no sadness. We are one day closer to seeing those who have gone before us. The finish line is in sight, can you see it in the distance? The finish line when all our work is ended and our rest will come. Until then we have miles to travel and a race left to run. Can we endure to the end? If we have God with us and if we have each other in communion together, I believe we can.

Let us pray…

Grant, O Lord,

that what has been said with our lips we may believe in our hearts,

and that what we believe in our hearts we may practice in our lives;

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

A Letter from Paul: Sermon 2 Timothy 4:1-5

Lord, open our hearts and minds by the power of your Holy Spirit, that as the Scriptures are read and your Word is proclaimed, we may hear with joy what you say to us today. Amen.

Something interesting happened this week. I received a letter in the mail, now that wasn’t the interesting part. The interesting part is that the letter came from Paul the Apostle. I found this most odd especially when I read the return address and it said “Heaven”, but I opened the letter and began to read. The preface to the letter urged me to read this letter to you during my sermon time because that was the custom those many years ago when a church would receive a letter from Paul; it was read during the worship time. Now it was also the custom for the reader of the letter not to simply read the letter as one would read a notice from the electric company, but to engage the letter passionately and with some gusto. So if you all will indulge me I will read this letter to you from the Apostle Paul.

To the Church of Rehoboth/Liberty of the United Methodist denomination and the Universal Body of Christ, grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord Christ Jesus, who loved so deeply that he willingly gave up his own life so that we might have life with him. I am writing to you this day on behalf of all the saints that have come before you. Not just the ones whom the Church has deemed saintly, but your saintly ancestors who founded this very church and nurtured it throughout their lives and who are still in the midst of you in a great cloud of witnesses. I write to you with the same frame of mind as I had when I wrote to Timothy those many years ago. I write to you so that you might be stirred up and recharged in the Holy Spirit. You all face so many distractions each day, distractions that I would never have dreamed of 2,000 years ago. So it is understandable that sometimes you might lose your focus and you might lose who sense of self as members of the Body of Christ. So I write to remind you of who you are, the message who have been taught these many years, and actions that must accompany your Christian life.

Those of us who are in Christ Jesus are new creations. I told this to the Church in Corinth and I remind you of it now. If Christ truly dwells in your heart then you are a changed person, a new person. Now the evidence of that change might take some time to show and we all sometimes revert to the old ways of which we are ashamed. I found myself doing this many times. Nevertheless, we are children of God because of the sacrifice and the resurrection of Christ. God came to earth in the form of a man, taught the world radical teachings of love and community. He and his teachings were rejected and they nailed him upon a Roman cross. Death, however, did not have the final victory and he is raised and with his triumph over death we have life eternal. We are people of the Resurrection.

What does in mean to be Resurrection people? For one it means that our hope is not in this world. Sometimes it is hard to find hope in such a broken world. Although technology and civilization has evolved beyond anything I could have imagined while I walked the earth. I still see the brutality engrained within human behavior. I still see the brokenness of this world. If our hope rested in this world we would have no hope, but be doomed to wander lost in this world of darkness. But, praise be to God, our hope is not in this dark world, but in the light of Christ. Our hope rests on that which is unseen. This kind of hope is called faith.

Being a Resurrection people also means that our reward is not in this world. We have work to do and a life to lead as Christians, but the reward is forthcoming. We are often mocked and ridiculed for our faith by others who feel that faith is foolishness. But we are privileged to know the truth of Christ which is the Good News. Our reward is not on this earthly life, but in the life to come when you will join with me and all those you have missed and we will feast together as God’s children. As Resurrection people we have values that seem strange to a lost world. Our values are the opposite of those in this broken world. We seek to be the greatest not by crushing our opponents and stepping on the weak, but by being a servant to all and helping those who need help. Remember what Jesus taught us, to be great you must be a servant and to be the greatest in the kingdom of God, you have to be a servant to the least of these.

Being Resurrection people also means that we are Advent people. I love the Church’s annual celebration of Advent when we remember the anticipation of the first coming of Christ and we also and most importantly remember that Christ will come again and what a glorious day that will be. Being an Advent people means that we are waiting for something greater than this life. We must always be alert and ready for you nor I know the date of that coming, but rest assured that day is something as sure as the sun will rise tomorrow.

My brothers and sisters I do not tell you all these things to teach them to you for I know that most of you have been taught these truths before. Instead I tell them to your to remind you of who you are as Children of God so that you might be stirred up by the Holy Spirit and you faith might be rekindled. You have been taught the Scriptures. Many of you here this morning first learned about God in this very church. You have faithfully attended Bible study and Sunday school for many, many years. Still there might be some who are new to the faith, those who are experienced in the ways of God are called to nurture and guide those new in the faith just as you yourselves were once nurtured. Remember the Gospel and keep your minds and faith sharp and ready by constantly immersing yourselves in the word of God. Remember I told Timothy that “All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.” You all are so privileged to have such easy access to the Scriptures. You must take advantage of such a blessing. You must take every opportunity you can to learn about God, this is your calling, to learn and to tell others what you have learned.

I have reminded you of who you are and the message that is the ground of our hope. If we are truly Resurrection people, we must act accordingly. First we must proclaim the Gospel. Jesus gave the disciples a commission and that commission included me and it includes you. We must tell the good news to all people, in all nations, at all times. No matter what the popular thing at the time might be we must proclaim the Gospel. Just as I told Timothy sometimes the times will be favorable and sometimes unfavorable, not matter what time you find yourselves in, you must proclaim the Gospel. You’re challenge is different than was mine. We risked our lives to proclaim the Word, but you are privileged to live in a place where there is freedom to proclaim God’s word. However, you do face many distractions and you must compete with many different things that I never dreamed of, like television, the Internet, sports, and the need for constant labor. You must devise plans to combat these distractions and reach people.

It is not only a proclamation of the Gospels that is needed, but also an embodiment of the Good News. You must live out those beliefs which you have learned and teach others. People will reject a teacher who teaches one way to live and lives another. You must practice what you preach and you must preach the love of God. Therefore you must live fully in the love of God. Love others as you would like to be loved. Love your neighbor as yourself and love God with all that you have. That is embodying the Gospels. Living in joy, forgiveness, and humility that is the way of Christ.

Finally, let me implore you as Resurrection people to worship like people of the resurrection. Worship God like God was there with you, because God is there with you. Worship with joy and fervor. Sing the songs of worship with a worship-filled heart, lift high your voices so that the saints and angels in heaven will hear you and rejoice with you. Worship God with passion because God loved you so much that he gave up of himself so that you will have an eternal home with him. Each Sunday worship is like a prelude to that day when all God’s people will be joined together. Every worship service is like a small slice of Heaven, remember that.

I close with one more reminder to you all. Jesus is with you always, even now in the midst of you Jesus is there, act accordingly. Imagine how your worship would be if Jesus was standing right there with you. If you worshiped every day as people of the resurrection the people would flood into your doors. Because people are desperate for that kind of joy, that kind of hope, that kind of love. If you want to lead people to your doors you have to be lights to guide them in.

May the grace and love of Christ be with you all, always and forever. I bid you all farewell until that day when we will all join together in the heavenly banquet and feast together in love and joy. Amen.

This is the letter I received and the Apostle Paul as stirred my soul, I don’t know about yours. We must follow the Apostles advice and live and worship like Resurrection people. I am ready. Are you?

Let us pray…

Grant, O Lord,

that what has been said with our lips we may believe in our hearts,

and that what we believe in our hearts we may practice in our lives;

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

Conversations with Paul: Unchained!: Sermon 2 Timothy 2:8-15

Lord, open our hearts and minds by the power of your Holy Spirit, that as the Scriptures are read and your Word is proclaimed, we may hear with joy what you say to us today.

Have you ever been trapped? Perhaps you’re trapped in your house because you are sick. Maybe you are trapped in hospital bed for a time. Maybe you have injured yourself someway and the doctor has order you strictly to “stay off your feet.” Now for some of us that would be a welcomed change for a few days. We could take some time off, sit back, watch some TV, and just relax. After a week maybe we start to get that itchy feeling, we know that there are things to be done and we have a hard time letting someone else do them. We start to get that cabin fever and we would really like to get back to our normal routine even if it is stressful. We know that we have responsibilities to fulfill and we want to get back at it. What if that condition was permanent? Despite all that we try we cannot escape to get back to our normal lives and back to our responsibilities.

Now you know what Paul was feeling sitting, chained up, in that Roman prison. Paul had things to do and people to see. He had started many churches in Asia Minor and he needed to check in on them and he had other churches he needed to start, but he couldn’t. He was stuck in jail, chained to a wall. So Paul does the next best thing he writes to the only person who remained loyal to him after he was jailed, Timothy. This week we continue to look at Paul’s final letter to Timothy. Last week, we saw how Paul tried to stir up Timothy’s connection to the Holy Spirit, his connection to God. Paul is pressing Timothy to carry on the work that Paul had begun, but could not longer do because he was chained. Paul tells Timothy not to let anything get in the way of spreading the Gospel of Christ.

Paul once again tells Timothy that working for God is not easy work. In fact it the hardships far outweigh the rewards at least in this life. Paul was right in telling Timothy this because in those days being an evangelist for the Gospel could land you in prison, look at Paul. It could also get you killed by an angry mob. The early Church was persecuted everywhere it went and by many different groups. It was not an easy life, but if those people had not made the sacrifice we would not be here this morning. We would never know the truth of Christ.

Paul was chained, literally. He was bound by the wrists and ankles and locked behind bars. He could not go out physically and spread the word himself. He was chained. Paul knew that even though he could not physically go out and do what he wanted, Timothy was able and so Paul does all he can to encourage him. Then Paul makes an incredible statement; he says that even as he is chained, the WORD of God is unchained. It is free and is unable to be bound by any human means. Even in the midst of his prison Paul knew that the Word of God, the Gospel itself could never be chained and imprisoned and the one who proclaims the word of God; even if they are in the midst of a physical prison, have the freedom and power of the Word and the Spirit.

Some of the most powerful proclamation and conversion happen within the walls of a prison. A few weeks ago we had a pastor’s meeting and they were talking about the prison ministry at the South Central Correctional Facility in Clifton, TN. They talked about how a few years ago they began Disciples Bible study there with one class and about 10 prisoners and only a few years later there are 4 classes with more than 50 prisoners wanted to begin a life with Christ. Even at our own Giles County Jail there are men and women coming to Christ. It is truly and amazing sight. So even while the people might be imprisoned, chained the word of God can never be chained.

There are other things than shackles and bars that can imprison us. There are things that chain us spiritually and mentally and prevent us from doing the task which has been entrusted to all Christians that is to lead people to Christ. I want to spend some time talking about the things that chain us and how we can break free from those things by the unchained power of God. What are the things that prevent us from evangelizing? The first thing is always fear or embarrassment. We talked about this last week. Timothy had a bad case of shyness. Paul reminded him that the power of God is bold and that Timothy must shake off the shyness and fear that was holding him back. We have to let go of our fear and embrace the power of the Spirit.

What else hinders us from spreading the Gospel? Perhaps we have physical limitations. As we get older we cannot do the things we once could. Our bodies grow weaker and we are limited physically to what we can do. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. We cannot allow our age or our physical conditions to prevent us from working for Christ. There are lots of jobs that need doing that we all can do regardless of our physical limitations. We can offer encouragement to others. We can call those who are out on the front lines and offer encouraging words and words of comfort. You can never know how a phone call or a letter can offer support. This is what Paul is doing in this letter to Timothy. He is offering encouragement to Timothy to do what Paul cannot do. There is always a job to be done that can match your gifts and physical abilities.

What is another limitation that attempts to chain us? You might say “Preacher, I’m just not a Biblical scholar. What if people ask me hard questions? I don’t want to come off like a bumbling idiot.” First, I would say you could never come off like and idiot because none of you are idiots. Secondly, I would remind you that the power is in the word itself not in the person. The power is in the Spirit which dwells within us and so you might not believe you’ve got it in you, but remember Moses and so many other leaders of God. God provided the words they speak. I have never written a sermon on my own, I always have the Spirit with me. Thirdly, remember that the truth of Christ is simple. Scholars and preachers try to make it complex sometimes but it is not. Paul reminds Timothy of the truth of Christ in our passage for today. The saying is sure:
If we have died with him, we will also live with him; ¹²if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he will also deny us; ¹³if we are faithless, he remains faithful—
for he cannot deny himself. This is part of a hymn that was sung in the early Church. Because they did not have printed Bibles or books on the subject, they would sing songs to remind them of the truth of Christ. When we were children what was the first song that we remember singing about God, the first song that taught us the truth of the Gospel. That same song is the simplicity of the truth of Christ. Do you remember it? “Jesus loves me! This I know, For the Bible tells me so. Little ones to Him belong; they are weak, but He is strong. Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me! The Bible tells me so.” That is the simplicity of the Gospel. That is all you need to know. We try to make things complicated, but when we boil everything else down. We see the simple truth that God so loved the world that he sent his son to save the world.

The next chain that prevents us from spreading the word stems from the last. There are so many denominations with so many different ways of doing things that it is a confusing mess. We spend so much time arguing with the Baptists, the Church of Christ folks, and the Catholics that we lose the simplicity of the truth. We bicker over how much water to use in baptism, how many times should we offer Communion, who should be allowed to receive communion, what day of the week should we have service. We have to remember our core beliefs and trust in the things that unite us. Christ came down to love us, he died on the cross for us, and he defeated death by rising from the grave three days later. This is what our focus should be and this is what we should be proclaiming. We will never succeed if we demonize one another.

Are we living unchained for God? Are we allowing things to binds us and prevent us from doing the work of God? Live free for God. Let us put aside all the things that chain us. Let’s live free from the worries and strife that the world would put on us. Let us live free from the limitations that we put on ourselves. Let us live free from the negativity that permeates our lives. Let us live free so that we can to the work that God has called us to do.

Let us pray…

Grant, O Lord,

That what has been said with our lips we may believe in our hearts,

And that what we believe in our hearts we may practice in our lives;

Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Conversations with Paul: You Gotta Have Faith: Sermon 2 Timothy 1:1-14

Gracious God, give us humble, teachable, and obedient hearts, that we may receive what you have revealed, and do what you have commanded. Amen.

The walls of the prison cell closed in around him. The putrid air was filled with the dank, foul odor of mold, rotting food, and rotting people. The walls dripped with water which caused sickness to be a constant. The chains that wrapped around his wrists and ankles were so tight that they dug into the skin. There was no sunlight except for a small window near the ceiling that was so high no one could look out of it. The guards were savage and often kicked or hit the prisoners just to break the monotony of the day. There was Paul, imprisoned for spreading the truth that he had found on the Damascus Road. He was utterly alone; his only companions were the Roman guards who kept watch over him night and day. Paul had been imprisoned before, but somehow he felt that this time was different and that he would not return home alive. They did allow Paul a pen and some paper so that he might write his friends on the outside. Paul wrote to some of the churches that he had helped to found and he wrote to some of his colleagues in ministry. When he wrote his second letter to Timothy, I believe he understood that this would be his last and that he must encourage his only remaining friend because his other friends and colleagues had abandoned him. This month of October we are going to look into this final letter from Paul to Timothy and we will see how Paul’s parting wisdom to Timothy can help us today almost 2,000 years later.

Paul was worried about Timothy. Paul knew that Timothy’s personal faith was strong and ran deep within him, but Paul also knew that Timothy had a tendency to be shy and found it difficult to talk to strangers. Timothy’s weakness was his willingness to move forward for the Gospel and be willing to take a risk for Christ. We all have felt that before I am sure. So Paul, in these opening lines, attempts to stir up Timothy and remind him of the strength that lies within him. In our verse this morning, Paul tells Timothy three things and these three things are as important now as they were back then. First, he tells Timothy to remember his ancestors, his family that had come before him. Remember their boldness and excitement for the gospel. He tells Timothy to rekindle his connection to the Holy Spirit and not to let his fire for Christ go out. Finally, he tells Timothy not to be ashamed of Paul and his present condition and especially not of the gospel of Christ. Don’t be ashamed to spread the truth. Let us take a closer look at these three pieces of advice that Paul gives to Timothy and to us.

Paul reminds Timothy of his faith; faith that did not come out of thin air, but was planted as a seed and nurtured by those around him, especially his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice. Paul knew that Timothy was greatly influenced by the faith he had seen working in his mother and grandmother. Paul reminds Timothy and us that faith is in part a family affair. Can some of us relate to Timothy? Were their people in our lives that nurtured our faith? It might have been a grandmother or mother; it might have been a father or an uncle. It might have been a neighbor or even a Sunday school teacher. For most of us, in some way or another, our faith was cared for by a mentor, someone whose wisdom and experience aided us in our journey.

We had examples of faithful living. We looked up to these people and now we try to live by their examples. Some of you remember coming to this very church as children. Some of you grew up here looking up to those who were older and wiser than you were. Sometimes they had to drag you kicking and screaming to church, you would have rather slept in or played outside, but they showed you that a vital part of the Christian life is being faithful in church attendance. They also showed you that Christian living does not end when we walk out of these doors, but it extends to every aspect of our lives. We remember our family members sitting, perhaps at the kitchen table, with their Bibles open reading and studying the word of God. This taught us that Bible study is an important part of the Christian life. They also showed us that helping our neighbors is more important than helping ourselves. We saw their faith in action and I am sure we can all tell stories about the faith of our ancestors. Perhaps the most important thing that they did for us was something that we could not see. They prayed for us, everyday and every night they prayed for us. They prayed that we might grow strong in our faith and that God might touch our lives in some way.

We must also understand this; we are the examples to the next generation. We are the examples of faith to our children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews. We have to be the ones to show them the way. We have to set them down on good paths and teach them how to face a harsh world with a strong faith. Fifty years from now someone else will be at this pulpit, perhaps preaching from this same Scripture and he or she will ask the question, “who influenced your faith?” Will your name be one of the ones spoken?

Paul goes on to tell Timothy to rekindle his gift from God or he could have said rekindle your connection to the Holy Spirit. Paul understood this connection is of vital importance, because this connection is our connection to God. Paul tells Timothy to guard this treasure and not to let anything destroy it. Rekindle your fire, Paul might have said, not that Timothy’s fire had gone completely out. All it takes is an ember. Those of us who have gone camping know that all it takes is one little ember and if it is nurtured and handled just right it can become a roaring fire again. How do we do this? If our fires have died down, how can we build them up again?

We must be active in our faith. Faith is like a muscle, if you want to build your muscle you go to the gym and exercise that muscle by lifting weights or by running on the treadmill and so it is with our faith. We have to exercise it in order for it to grow. Prayer is the treadmill for the soul. It keeps us fit and able to walk the long path of life. Daily Bible study is like the weight bench it builds up our faith and makes it stronger. So does being active in the church not just coming here for an hour on Sunday, but being active in the ministries of the church. We build up our faith when we take risks for the gospel. We take risks by going out and talking to people. We’ve talked about this in the last few weeks. How many of you have talked to someone about faith or about God?

Paul tells Timothy that the Spirit is one of power, love, and self-discipline. Paul could have also said boldness. We have to be bold in our faith and be willing to step, with power, out of our comfort zones. The Holy Spirit is a spirit of power and not of cowardice. Paul is telling Timothy, not to be held back by his shyness, but by the power of the Holy Spirit to step out in boldness and spread the gospel he loved so much. This is how we grow in our faith and this is how the Church grows with us.

Paul tells Timothy not to be ashamed of the Gospel or of Paul and his present condition. Paul tells Timothy that working for God is not always sunshine and daisies, it is not always a smooth ride. Paul himself is in prison awaiting his eventual execution. Most of the original disciples have already been martyred. Paul tells Timothy not be ashamed that he is prison but to join him by taking a risk. We do not always know or even understand what God has in store for us, but we do know that God is always with us. Today we do not have to worry about being executed for our faith, at least not in the United States. However, our pride might be on the line. We might become embarrassed to share our faith. We might be made fun of, called a zealot, a religious nut job, or we might just get laughed at. Paul says in another letter he wrote that he is glad to be a fool for Christ, meaning that he is willing to take that risk because there might be that one person who is willing to listen.

Has your faith waned? Has your fire died out with only embers remaining? Now if the time to fan those embers and get your fire roaring again and all it takes is that ember. Remember that Jesus said that all it takes is a seed, a small seed, to grow a faith large and strong enough to support the weight of this world. We have to be active in our faith, always moving forward. Remember those who came before us and how they were active in the church and in the community. Remember also, that we are being watched by the younger generation who look to us as an example. The Holy Spirit is full of power and strength. It is like the American Express card, don’t leave home without it. Let us be strong and grow together.

Let us pray…

Grant, O Lord,

That what has been said with our lips we may believe in our hearts,

And that what we believe in our hearts we may practice in our lives;

Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.