A Sound Pattern - 2 Timothy 1:13

2 Timothy 1:13 What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. (NIV)

            I’ve always liked the apostle Paul. In my opinion, he’s one of the major heroes in the Bible because he suffered and endured so many different things for the sake of the Gospel. I know that a number of people these days tend to write him off as a narrow-minded religious fanatic, but I view his whole commitment as a major influence on the actual survival of our faith in its infancy. Without Paul’s strong words and complete devotion to Christ, I don’t think Christianity would have survived into the second century. His total dedication to the churches he served, as well as his boldness in preaching the Word publicly, helped solidify the foundation that Christ had already laid. And I never forget that Jesus personally chose Paul to ensure that our faith would expand and grow.

            When Paul became a prisoner in Rome, he knew that his time would soon be up and his life would be forfeited. Because of this, he wanted to ensure that the next generation of Christians held on to Christ’s teaching. He chose to write to Timothy, his protégé, in order to encourage him to take up the torch of faith that Paul would soon lay down. This is why he personally writes: ‘What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus.’

            As 21^st century Christians, I don’t think that we could do any better than to embrace and apply Paul’s words in our hearts and congregations. His teaching is still relevant and when we apply it, along with our faith and love in Jesus, we present a Christianity that is strong, supportive, and compassionate in our world today.

Point to ponder

What are my favorite words written by the Apostle Paul? How do I apply them in my life?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You personally chose Paul to represent Your ministry and mission on Earth at a time of uncertainty and anxiety for the Your Church. Thank You for the gifts of perseverance and strength, as well as his faith and commitment, which enabled him to remain loyal to You. Help us to learn from Paul’s words and life, so that we may continue this great story of faith in our congregations and communities today. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. Come along and join us for worship on Sunday mornings at 11:00 AM. You will be made most welcome 😊

Today’s image is one of John’s latest Pentecost drawings called “Spirit Fall.” If you would like to view a larger version, please click this link: Spirit.

Sports Devotion - Olympic Christians - 2 Timothy 2:5

2 Timothy 2:5  Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown except by competing according to the rules. (NIV)

            In 2016, the international sports community decided to uphold the Olympic ban on Russian track and field athletes, which came as no real surprise. A culture of doping athletes in Russia had been going on for decades. The decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sports probably had some political consequences, but under the circumstances, it was the correct thing to do. Leveling the playing field for all athletes ensured that all of the competing nations had an opportunity to gain medals. To win events by cheating dishonored the whole Olympic ideal, so, hopefully, that punitive ban of one of the major athletic countries in the world perhaps began a new phase of cleaning up all kinds of sporting events by seriously expelling the worst drug offenders.

            When Paul wrote to Timothy about passing on the Christian faith to the next generation, he emphasized the importance of following Christ’s teaching and adhering to His truth. Paul’s example of a successful athlete gaining a crown by keeping to the rules was his way of describing how important it is to live a life of faith by sustaining basic Christian standards. Paul was concerned that the younger generation of Christians might be led astray through following their own ideas and choosing their own options. As an Apostolic teacher, he wanted to ensure that Timothy would maintain the core principles of Christianity so that the faith would grow in strength and influence.

            Paul’s words to Timothy are still relevant in our lives and churches today. We have to be careful about what we believe and how we live our faith. The world needs Christ’s compassion, mercy, and love as much now as it did way back then. If we remain true to the teachings of Jesus and continue to follow His ways, we will have the opportunity to make a positive and lasting impact in our communities and across this planet.

Questions for personal reflection

What are my basic Christian beliefs? How do I express them to others?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, You are the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Enable us to follow Your Way, embrace Your Truth, and live Your Life so that we may encourage others to do the same. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to ask questions or make comments about today’s message, please send him an email to Traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is John’s latest Communion drawing called “Fruits of the Spirit.” If you would like to view a larger version, please click this link: Communion.

Faith School - 2 Timothy 1:13

2 Timothy 1:13           What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. (NIV)

            When the apostle Paul was writing to his protégé Timothy, he was trying to ensure that the next generation of believers would hold fast to the faith that Paul personally experienced and taught. This would be have been written about thirty to forty years after the Resurrection of Christ. During those 3 or 4 decades, Christianity had flourished across the Mediterranean, especially in the southern region of what we now call Turkey. However, with this wonderful growth, there also came a plethora of different teachers and preachers who all had their own personal ideas of what constituted the Gospel Truth.

            Paul’s personal appeal to Timothy in writing reveals to us that the apostle, who was imprisoned at this time, was gravely concerned about the faith of the new churches being hijacked by false teachers and greedy preachers. Paul advised to Timothy to be on his guard against such unscrupulous people who would use their charm, influence, and power to mesmerize believers, in order to lead them down the wrong path and away from Christ. Paul also knew that Timothy, who was destined to become the Bishop of Ephesus, would be very influential among his peers. If the fledgling faith was going to survive in the region, it would require Christian leaders who had been inspired by sound teaching, and who expressed their beliefs through their faith and love in Jesus.

            With the amazing amount of information available to us from the Internet, we can sometimes experience difficulty in discerning what is true or false teaching with regard to our Christian faith. New ideas, fresh perspectives, and novel opinions can sometimes attract us, but they may also detract us from following the truth. I personally go back through the four Gospels whenever I’m faced with a new approach to my faith. If I can’t find something that would corroborate the new idea, I set it aside. That may be too simple for some folk but, after almost forty years of trying to be a Christian, I have learned that it works for me.

            May God bless you as you grow in faith and enable you to share the love of Jesus.

Questions for personal reflection

Who initially taught me about the Christian faith? How have I passed on my faith experiences to the next generation?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, we thank You for the gift of faith which has influenced, shaped, and directed our lives. We praise You for Your true teaching about God. Grant us new opportunities to share our faith and love in You with others around us. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment or ask questions about today’s message, please send him an email to Traqair@aol.com. Please also feel free to share or forward this message to your own family and friends.

Today’s image is one of my Celtic Cross drawings called ‘Celtic Heart.’ If you would like to view a larger version, please click on this link: Cross.

Fake Documents - 1 Timothy 1:3-4

1 Timothy 1:3-4          As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer or to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. Such things promote controversial speculations rather than advancing God’s work—which is by faith. (NIV)

            Every now and then, some scholar publicizes a new discovery that challenges our ideas and opinions about our faith. A couple of years ago, a Harvard professor claimed that she had found a fragment of papyrus which proved that Jesus was married. She was convinced about this and sought to persuade lots of other people about her claims. It rocked the Church and created a lot of spiritual uncertainty, causing some people to doubt their traditional beliefs, while allowing others to diminish the claims that Christians have made about Christ.

            A couple of weeks ago, the same professor conceded that the piece of papyrus was a fake, so her whole idea of Christ being married was refuted. It was a public embarrassment for her and her credibility as a scholar has been tarnished; however, it was also an example of someone having an agenda to discredit traditional Christianity and who foolishly pounced on questionable sources simply because it suited her own unsubstantiated viewpoint. You can read about the professor’s retraction at this link from the Boston Globe newspaper – Fake Papyrus.

            Such things are not new. The Apostle Paul in his personal letter to Timothy advised and cautioned him to be on his guard against false teachings. Even in the Early Church, people liked to speculate about their faith. Paul’s advice to Timothy was to make him aware about these types of religious conjectures. The fact that we are still dealing with these issues today, even from scholarly people, shows us that we have to focus on what the Bible actually reveals to us about God and Jesus, rather than make up our own ideas, notions, and opinions. Perhaps if more people consistently read the Bible rather than quickly embracing fanciful ideas or fake documents, our faith and churches in the West would be growing instead of declining.

Questions for personal reflection

How have the scriptures shaped my faith in God? What do I truly believe about Jesus? What are my sources for my Christian beliefs?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, keep us focused on Who You are, by constantly reading what the New Testament reveals to us. Prevent us from being misdirected with popular misconceptions or fanciful speculations about You. Be with us and bless us this day. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment or ask questions about today’s devotional, please send him an email to Traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is one of John’s drawings based on an ancient icon which depicts Christ as a teacher of scripture. If you would like to view a larger version, please click on this link: Icon.