FBC Daily Devotions

TEACHING OUR CHILDREN

Read 2 Timothy 3:13-15. 

When were you first exposed to the Scriptures?  I still remember going to catechism classes in my pre-K years, sitting in what I remember a room with tall, concrete walls with rows of tables like one might see in an elementary school lunchroom. I think we must have been in the basement, because I vaguely recall narrow windows along the tops of the walls. In later years, I remember taking turns reading the Bible verses, frightened that I might make a fool of myself. No criticism intended, but I don’t recall ever doing crafts. What I remember most, believe it or not, is actually learning the Bible. I still remember being taught that Jesus Christ died for my sins even in first grade. In Jr. High and into High School, I lost interest in the Bible, but the teaching I had learned as a child stayed with me. To this day, I see those formative years in Bible class as crucial to my faith and salvation as an adult.

Who did Timothy learn from? No doubt Paul is referring to his mother, Eunice, and probably to Paul himself among other teachers. They opened Timothy’s mind and made him wise to the truth in later years. We must not underestimate the power of the Bible on the lives of children. It begins in the home. It is supported and reinforced in the classrooms of church. Teaching our children at an early age lays the foundation for one’s recognition and reception of Christ in time. If you are a parent or a teacher, or if you simply work with kids, your instruction of Christ through word and deed is the water of life for them.

To consider: If you are a parent, how much time are you spending with your children reading and learning from the Scriptures? If you are not a parent, consider if God is calling you to minister within the church to children who need to learn the all important word of God.

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Questions for Home Groups

1) When were you first exposed to the Bible? What impact do you think it had on your faith today?

2) Paul says in v. 14, “continue in the things you have learned… knowing from whom you have learned them.” What might this say about the relationship between a student and his or her teacher? How does that relationship affect a student’s retention and subsequent adherence to the material being taught? Can you think of examples both positive and negative that affected your faith?

OVERCOMING PERSECUTION

Read 2 Timothy 3:10-12.

Paul mentions the persecutions he received in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra – these were among the first cities Paul visited on his first missionary journey. The persecution he and Barnabas suffered and their subsequent deliverance by God are described in Acts 13-14. If you have time, it might be helpful to read those two chapters to get a sense of Paul’s conviction and his willingness to endure hardship. It is in stark contrast to the false teachers who pursued notoriety and fortune.

Paul is quick to give God credit. Paul’s deliverance was not a result of his quick wit or political skills, but because of God’s intervention. Paul was merely faithful to proclaim the gospel, and God took care of the rest. That no doubt required much faith on Paul’s part since he didn’t know how the people would react to his proclamation. In fact, initially the people reacted with great acceptance, but by the end of their time in Antioch, for example, the people were forcing Paul and Barnabas out of the city. The same thing happened in Lystra where the people initially worshipped Paul and Barnabas, but by the end of the day, poor Paul was being stoned to death. You would think Paul might be a little apprehensive as he approached a new city (and maybe he was), but that’s where faith came in. And God delivered them.

Will God always deliver His faithful servants? Read v. 12 again. Paul only mentions that those who desire to live godly lives will be persecuted (and note that godly living alone is enough to bring persecution). Paul never says that those who desire to live godly lives will be delivered, only that they will be persecuted. I don’t think that is an oversight. We are merely called to live godly and faithful lives before God, and what He chooses to do beyond that is His prerogative. That requires a great deal of faith on our part.

Overcoming the fear of persecution and suffering requires faith on our part. We must trust that God will do as He sees fit for our situation. Our inability to see God’s deliverance in a situation in which we are striving to serve the Lord is not an indication of God’s displeasure. I suppose there may be some situations in which God is not pleased with our decisions despite our heart, but even in those times, God’s deliverance will take the form of mercy and redirection because a heart that is set on Him, God will not abandon (see 2 Chron. 30:18-20 for an example).

To consider: How do you see faith and persecution intersecting in your life?  Pray that God would give you more faith as you consider His plans and directions for you in the coming days and months ahead.

THE REAL THING

Read 2 Timothy 3:10-11.

Unlike the worming counterfeits that took advantage of weak women, Paul gives Timothy encouragement. He was not like them, but rather he learned from Paul. He followed Paul’s teachings rather than the teachings of false/counterfeit teachers. He followed Paul’s conduct – he lived in the same way Paul did, and as we see in v. 11, he lived it in such a way that he was persecuted and suffered. He followed Paul’s purpose – to proclaim the gospel and bring glory to God. He followed Paul’s faith, a faith necessary to act without knowing what it might possibly produce. He followed Paul’s motivation, which was love. He had Paul’s tenacious obedience to God. These are the qualities of a real follower of Christ, not a fraud. 

So how are you doing in these areas? Whose teaching are you following? How’s your conduct… really. What’s your purpose for living? Are you walking by faith? Are you loving God and others well? Have you been sticking to it? Who are you following? As my wife says, “You gotta’ drink Coke – it’s the real thing^TM.”  

How about the harder question: Are you being persecuted and are you suffering for your faith? The times and circumstances were especially difficult for the first century church. It would perhaps be too much to expect the same for us in a religiously free country. That said, there will always be a certain amount of persecution and suffering as followers of Christ.

This is all looking at things from Timothy’s perspective. But how much harder to be like Paul to live as the example to follow! Your kids, the people around you, your friends – would you want others to follow your example? If you are a parent, then no matter how you answer that question, you will be an example. Now that really makes the matter serious! But that’s God’s way, to use parents to raise their children by modeling Christ to them. It’s not exclusive to parents, but it simply brings the matter home. But in many respects, we are all one big family in Christ, and so our example is just as important.

To consider: Your following Paul’s example (and ultimately Christ’s) is not just for our benefit, but for the benefit of others. Next time you’re around your family at home or in Christ (or both), consider the example you’re setting. And while you’re at it, consider whose example you’re following.

What are some truths you learned from Sunday’s message? How can it make a difference this week?

EVENTUALLY

Read 2 Timothy 3:8-9.

Who in the world are Jannes and Jambres? These names are so uncommon, even spell checker doesn’t know them. If anything, you would expect to find some other reference in the Bible, but there isn’t any! So who are these men who opposed Moses? One has to turn to ancient Jewish and early Christian writings to find them. Without getting technical, it would appear from early Christian writings that a work now lost contained stories about the exploits of Jannes and Jambres.[1] They are Pharaoh’s magicians in Exod. 7:11 who opposed Moses by deceiving people into believing they had the same power as Moses & Aaron. The miracles themselves recorded in the Exodus account revealed similar outcomes for both Moses and the magicians, but the source of their powers were entirely different. The magicians had a “form of godliness but denying its power” (3:4).  That is the danger of men like these. It is Satan’s way of “masquerading as an angel of light” (2 Cor. 11:14) and thus deceiving people to live in darkness. What is perhaps most disturbing is that there are people living in darkness who think they are living in the light because someone, like the magicians, has created a believable illusion. We live in a world of spiritual and material magicians.

Paul says those who propagate such lies are “rejected as far as the faith is concerned.” The term “rejected” literally means “not standing the test.” It was often used of metals and coins to denote impure or counterfeit substitutions for the real thing. These men failed to stand the test of faith because though they looked genuine, in reality they were fakes, opposing truth.  Thankfully, these particular men, according to Paul, wouldn’t get very far since their folly (or Grk. madness) would be obvious to everyone. Their absurdity would eventually catch up to them and contribute to their downfall.

By way of application, it is true of any folly that in time it will catch up to us. People may for a time display an illusion of godliness, but one cannot keep up the illusion forever. We must be careful not to hide behind a façade. That is hypocrisy.

To consider: You may not be like Jannes or Jambres (I certainly hope not!), but is there folly in your life that you’d be afraid to show it for what it really was? How might you deal with it now rather than eventually?

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Questions for Home Groups

1) Do people really hide behind a façade purposely or are they merely self-deceived? Examples?

2) What would it look like to come out from behind a façade? Does it mean merely being honest with who you are (thereby removing the hypocrisy)?

[1] Origen, Against Celsus 4.51