God's Words

2 Timothy 3.16

Our text is actually a rather famous verse in the history of the Church. At different times in the relatively recent past and even up to today, there have debates within the Church about the nature of the Bible. Some have wanted to water things down a bit. And this verse has been one battleground in those debates. This has been a place where the truth about God's Word could be clearly established in the face of unbelief. As good as it has been to have such a verse in one's theological arsenal, this is not the reason Paul wrote it. His goal in writing it was a pastoral one. And that is my goal also in preaching it. There are some things here that will help us all on our way as we work at following Jesus. It's my hope that the Spirit will act and bless all of us as He speaks through this verse.

Here's the first thing to note. Our God speaks. 'All Scripture is breathed out by God.' The Scriptures are words from God's mouth. We imitate Him when we speak, as our breath passes over our vocal chords and out of our mouths. Our God speaks. That significance of the will be clearer when you consider the gods that others depend on. I'm betting that no one you know bows down to worship some statue. Even though that's the case, people have idols that they look to and expect to bless them. Whether it's the god of popularity or of financial security, or of hard work or even just of good luck, they all worship some idol or other. But these and every other idol are all the same. 'Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands. They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see. They have ears, but do not hear; noses, but do not smell. They have hands, but do not feel; feet, but do not walk; and they do not make a sound in their throat. Those who make them become like them; so do all who trust in them.' The idols of men are silent gods. But our God speaks.

Let's take that a bit further. If you were to ask a mystic, 'Does your god speak?', he would answer, 'Yes, my god speaks to me. He spoke in the beautiful sunset that I saw last night.' But what did that god have to say? It could be pointing to the beauty of this world or it could be saying that, like yesterday, your life will end and all will turn to utter darkness. What is your god saying? Our God speaks, and we don't need to play charades to figure out what He is saying. Our God speaks, and He uses words. His message to us is clear. We don't have to guess.

But even this is not enough. True words passed from one generation to the next can quickly enough become garbled until they are unintelligible. Have you ever played 'telephone'? Aware of this, our God has put His words in a Book. They are written down so that the message won't become garbled. God's words, the Bible.

Our God has spoken. He has told us what we need to know about living as disciples of Jesus in this very fallen world. And what He has said has been preserved in this Book. I hope, quite apart from whatever else I say this morning, that you will see even just a bit more clearly what a gift this Book is to us.

Let's take the next step. Paul writes that these words from God are profitable. And then come four words to describe their benefit to us. The first is 'teaching'. I've been reading through Mark lately, and I came upon this. 'And [Jesus] left there and went to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan, and crowds gathered to him again. And again, as was his custom, he taught them.' Have you noticed that Jesus' ministry among the people was all about teaching. He wasn't much of an activist. Even His miracles are a form of teaching. Why? Why did Jesus teach the Twelve and all the others? It is tempting to view this teaching in an academic way. For the longest time my sermons were more like lectures. There were facts that you needed to know, so I taught them to you. And why was it that you needed to know these facts? If someone had asked me that question I'm not sure how I would have answered. I think that it would have been something close to this. There are things that you need to know and agree with – you know, like Avogadro's number, the dates for the Civil War and the scientific classification of living things. So, Bible doctrines are things that you're supposed to know and agree with. But that's not why Jesus taught the people, and that's not what Paul has in mind. The point of teaching people God's words is not to fill the mind but to mold the heart. Listen to some of Jesus' teaching on this. 'For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness.' 'The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.' Jesus has come to change hearts. He does that by His Spirit who uses God's words. To be sure, these words need to be grasped by the mind. But the mind isn't the goal. That's only a means to the goal. The goal is the heart, to mold the heart – the inner you – so that it might be restored to its original beauty. God has given us His words so that that will happen to all of us. His words are profitable – but only if they are used in the kind of teaching that leads to a changed heart.

There are three other words that Paul includes here. These fill out how this kind of teaching works. The first of these is 'reproof'. Reproof is not complicated. Reproof simply says, 'This is wrong.' Now, reproof can speak rather gently or it can be quite confrontational. But either way the point is clear. Reproof tells you that something is wrong. Jesus uses the verb form of our word here: 'For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.' That's what reproof is all about. It exposes what's wrong. It exposes sin. So, you see what Paul is getting at. There is great profit in God words because they tell us where we are in the wrong. They expose what we too often hide, even from ourselves. They expose our sin. Now, no one likes to be told that he is wrong. And yet, how can a person's heart be changed, molded into something beautiful, unless what's wrong in there is identified? The first step to the solution of any problem is understanding accurately what the problem is. God's words identify the problem. They tell us where we are wrong. They reprove us. And thanks be to God that they do.

That leads to our next word in Paul's list, 'correction'. The basic idea here is plain. While 'reproof' tells you where you're wrong, 'correction' shows you how to fix that. And if you think about it, that's really helpful. What good is it to only be told where you're wrong? Our God understands us and our weakness, so He makes abundant provision for us. His words tell us how to mend what is broken in our lives. They provide reproof and correction. Last week's reading of God's Law included this. 'So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.' Something is wrong. A relationship with a brother is damaged. That's not good! What should we do to do to fix it, to correct what's wrong? What does it say? Stop everything – even worship! - and go to your brother to make things right with him. Be reconciled. It's important. Other words from God will tell you the details of what to do once you find your brother, but these words of God tell us that being reconciled is so very important, important enough to delay even worship. It's the first step to fixing what is wrong. So, reproof and correction go together. Reproof tells you that something is wrong. Correction tells you how to make it right again. The words of God are profitable.

That leaves the last word, training. And Paul is specific. It's training in what is right. The word translated 'training' is one that was used to describe rearing a child. So, while reproof and correction are all about fixing what's wrong, training is about introducing someone to something new. This is about learning a new skill. So, training is teaching a child how to toss a frisbee or write an essay or drive a car. It's entering new territory. This is what so much of what the book of Proverbs is about. Much of it is structured as a father taking his son aside to explain to him how life works. 'The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. Hear, my son, your father's instruction, and forsake not your mother's teaching, for they are a graceful garland for your head and pendants for your neck.' 'A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.' This is training in what is right.

So, our God has spoken. He has given us His words, words that will help us. And He has written His words down so that we might always have them. I've described the text. Now you're ready for the last step.

This text, like every other part of the Bible, has built in assumptions. Here's one of them. We are desperately needy people. If we were not so needy we would not require words from God. But we do. Let's go back again to the Garden. Along with the glories of His brand new creation, the Father gave Adam and Eve something else to enjoy. He gave them words. 'And God blessed them. And God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth."' What is this? It's training in what is right. Adam and Eve were just created. Now what? Well, the Father tells them. His words define life for them. They structure how they are to live. He is the Father of Proverbs talking to His children. 'This is how life works.' God blessed them with His words and these words were intended to mold their hearts. So, even if there were no sin, we would still need words from God to train us.

But, sad to say, there is sin. And it's not just out there. There is so much sin within each of us. More than ever, we need God's words. We need our sins exposed by His words of reproof. And once that happens we need His words of correction so that we can know how to make it right, once again. We need God's words.

And it is here that we need to remember how messed up things get because of sin. Sin is all about rebellion. That's what happened with the first sin and every other sin since. Sinners rebel against the God who created them. If God says right, sinners say left. If He says up, we say down. We are, by nature, rebels. We refuse to listen to God. So, how can rebels like us profit from God's words if we refuse to listen to them? And we're back to the Gospel. This is why Jesus has come. He has come to break the power of rebellion within so that we might listen to God's words, that we might just want to listen. The Spirit of Jesus renews the hearts of rebels. He makes it possible for us to listen. And s0, we listen. And thanks be to God that we do. God has given us words, His words so that we might be restored to the stunning people we were created to be. This is possible only because of what Jesus has done.

Now, when someone gets even just a little of what I've been talking about, it shows. Remember, out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. There will be fruit when a heart embraces these things. Let me mention just one. There will be a hunger for God's words. If a person understands that the Father has given us His words, words that will profit us, words that will deal with real needs that we have, then that person will long for those word. From Job: 'I have not departed from the commandment of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.' A person like this knows that words from God are a choice blessing. And so, he will give himself to those words, and he will do that even though he knows that it will hurt. His sins will be exposed. He will see the real him more clearly – and who enjoys that? And yet, the pain of exposure will lead to the joy of correction and then to wholeness in Jesus. And then, of course, there are all the realms of life about which he now knows nothing. These he will explore with excitement and wonder. And he will find himself echoing the Psalmist. 'More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.' This person will have a hunger that only grows as it is satisfied. And out of this will come teaching, not the mere filling of the mind with facts – something that can only lead to pride – but the molding of the heart that leads to hope and joy and assurance. Jesus has come so that you might enjoy words from God.

Every Christian has a hunger for God's words. You have this hunger. But, as you already know, it's still not easy satisfying it. Remember that you have an enemy who wants to keep you from enjoying those words. He has a measure of power, and he's not reluctant to use it to attack you. So, it will be a battle to enjoy God's words. But you know that. So, let me encourage you to keep at it. Progress will be measures in inches, but it will be progress nonetheless. Make this a matter of prayer. Do not give in to the weariness of the battle. And remember, 'He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.' And over time you will see the words of God growing deep roots in your soul and bearing the beautiful fruit of a changed heart. It will be hard, but it will be worth it.

Growing in Piety: The Bible

2 Timothy 3.10-17

Last week I talked to you about piety. And I did that in the context of talking about goals for our church. I said that we would not succeed unless we were a pious people. I also told you that in the following weeks we would be considering the tools that the Spirit uses so that we might grow in piety, the Spiritual disciplines. Today, we look at the first of those tools, the Bible and we do that asking a simple question. How is the Bible to be used to grow piety?

Let's start with a popular model of how to use the Bible. This is not really stated in black and white, but more assumed, especially among Reformed types. It goes something like this. You need to get to know your Bible because it has information that you really need - for the test. And so, the Bible becomes something like a textbook for that class that you're taking. As a result, you are tostudy it with some diligence. Maybe you underline important parts that you want to remember, or you take notes in the margins or maybe even fill a special notebook with thoughts and questions about what you're studying. And then there are the Cliff notes written by the experts. There is information in that Bible that you had better get. After all, the big exam is coming. And if you want to pass the test you had better know this stuff. So, get cracking. This is what we might call the education model for using the Bible.

That's a pretty popular model, especially in our circles. And it's wrong. There are some serious problems with this way of thinking about how the Bible works. For one thing, following this model is boring. 'Really, how many times do I have to read the parable of the good Samaritan or David and Goliath or about Paul's Damascus road conversion? I know what it says! Give me the test on any of these. I'll pass it with flying colors! I really don't want to have to read them again.' Ever find yourself saying something like that? Ever find yourself bored with the Bible? Then there's the flip side. There are parts of this textbook that are way too hard. Does anyone here really understand Ezekiel or how the sacrifices described in Leviticus actually work - let alone what they mean? Sometimes reading these things feels like reading something in Chinese. There are parts of the Bible that you just have no clue. Why bother reading them? One more. And I think this is the saddest of the three. This model doesn't work. Studying the Bible this way is not all that helpful. What good is it if I know that Paul was defending his apostleship in 2 Corinthians or that the Moabites were to be excluded from the worship of Israel for ten generations? How does that actually help anyone live? We have real problems to deal with; real problems that we need help with. There's that demanding job with people who just like to give you a hard time, or that depressing sense of loneliness that seems to dog your steps or the confusion of trying to sort out how to live in this very twisted world. I really don't think knowing who was king after Josiah or understanding the theological structure of Romans is going to help anyone with these things. Isn't the Bible supposed to help? But this way of using it makes the Bible seem boring, beyond the ability of normal people to understand and not all that helpful in the real world.

Using the Bible according to the education model, studying it so you're ready for the big test, doesn't work. It fails - miserably. And so, it results in people who no longer crack open their Bible - why should they? - unless they are forced to by a pesky pastor or a guilty conscience. These may do something with their Bibles, but they don't really expect it to make a difference when it comes to real living. And all too often, the education model, if it produces anything, it produces people who are proud. After all, they have studied the textbook. They have put in the time and effort. And so, they really do know the information. They know the list of all the kings of Israel. They can rattle off the outline of Romans - in their sleep. They know that they will pass the final exam with ease, and they let you know that too. Their knowledge might be impressive, but their lives are not attractive. They do not draw people to Jesus. This model of using the Bible does not work. It does not produce piety. And that, after all, is what we're interested in.

So, back to our question. How is the Bible to be used to grow piety? Listen again to what Paul wrote to Timothy. 'But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have known the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.' Now, what's this about? Let me first tell you what it's not about. Paul is not reminding Timothy about the time when he was converted. He's not saying, 'Timothy, remember how your knowledge of the Bible resulted in your salvation?' And that's clear if you notice the tense of the verb. '... the sacred writings which are able to make you wise for salvation...' Paul's not talking about what the Bible did in the past but what it does in the present. So, does this mean that Paul is now doubting Timothy's salvation? 'Timothy, you need to stick with the Bible so that you can be converted.' Is that what's going on? No. To understand what Paul is saying you need to have a clear understanding of that word, 'salvation'.

Most Christians think of salvation as a something that happened to them in the past. As a result, their sins have been forgiven and instead of ending up in hell they're on their way to heaven. They have been saved. But that is only a thin slice of what the Bible has to say about what Jesus has come to do. Consider what the angel told Joseph when Jesus was about to be born. 'You shall call His name Jesus for He shall save His people from their sins.' He doesn't talk about the part of salvation that deals with hell or being forgiven. Rather, according to the angel, Jesus has come to rescue us from the sins themselves and the evil that they create.

Think about some sin of yours. The popular - and most significant - sins of our culture are lust and fear. Lust says, 'I demand this!' And it could be pointing to anything from a sense of security and an easy life to another chance to beat the video game. Fear says, 'I could never handle that.' And it could be pointing to pain, not having enough money or not being in control of one's life. Those are the popular sins of our culture, and what goes on in our culture affects us. So, think about some sin of yours. Do you know what is so bad about that sin? Here's one way of looking at it. The problem with sin is not that you've broken some divine rule, and now God is mad at you. Rather, your sin robs you of life. It denies you the opportunity to experience the satisfaction of real life in all its wonder and beauty and joy. How do you think Peter felt when it dawned on him that he had denied his Lord three times? What did David feel when Nathan said, 'You are the man!'? Instead of enjoying more of life, they tasted more of death. So, consider that sin of yours, consider how it leads you to experience more death instead of experiencing more life. Jesus came to save you from that. And He does that now. Not in the sweet by and by. He saves you now!

Back to Paul's comments. 'Timothy, you've seen evil people and how their lives go from bad to worse. And you've watched me, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness. You've seen how I have lived, really lived. If you would be like me, continue in the sacred writings. Continue in your Bible so that you would be more and more saved from your sins. Continue in your Bible so that you can rejoice in real life just as I have.' A pious person is someone who is being freed from his sins and from the death that they bring as he grows in the favor and knowledge of Jesus. A pious person is growing in his experience of life.

This is a far cry from the fruit of the education model and its test-taking. This is being freed from your sins. It's about having life and having it more abundantly. And at the heart of all of this is walking with Jesus more and more deeply so that you understand this place in which we all live and so that being here is something that you can do with joy. The Bible makes you wise for salvation.

Let's move on. How does this work? How does your Bible do this saving from sin? Now, we're ready for the famous part of our text. 'All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness...' We have two pairs of words here. The first pair, teaching and reproof, is about how you think. This isn't about pondering abstract theological concepts. Rather, it's about how your heart thinks about your life in this place. Imagine going to your doctor because you've been feeling these odd pains. Your doctor does what doctors do, blood tests, scans and whatever else. You return when he gets the results, and he gives you the news. You have a very serious disease. Very serious. This is going to dramatically change your life - and not for the better. What will you do next? How will you respond? That all depends on how you think. Is God your loving Father who is also the Sovereign over all things, the God who brings tremendous good out of terrible evil? If your heart thinks that way, you will respond by trusting your Father. Sure, you may feel a little nervous about your immediate future, but you will respond with the same words that Mary used when someone gave her some troubling news, news that dramatically changed her life. 'Behold, the handmaiden of the Lord. Be it done unto me according to thy word.' You will trust your Father. If, on the other hand, your heart thinks that you are all alone, if it believes the lies of the lusts and fears of our culture, then you will panic. You might fall apart or you might be stoical, but either of these are just different kinds of panic. Whichever it might be, you will not do well.

Your Bible is useful, 'profitable', to teach your heart how to think. It goes through the mind but the target is always the heart. As the heart learns to think according to what is real, according to the truths of the Gospel, and not according to the lies of our world, you will act well. You will experience more of life.

Teaching the right way to think includes exposing the wrong way to think. Part of this process includes reproving the heart. Sometimes the Bible confronts your heart and points out its errors. It's not very pleasant, especially at times, but it is necessary. So, by instruction and reproof, the Bible is used to teach the heart to think about this world according to the truth. It makes you wise so that you can experience more of the salvation Jesus provides.

The other pair of words are about how to act. 'Training in righteousness' translates into: giving the needed guidance in what right living looks like. And this also has its companion, 'correction'. Our behavior needs to be corrected just as our thinking does. The first pair is about right thinking. The second pair is about right acting. The right acting flows from right thinking, and it should flow naturally, but we are so twisted up inside that we need help seeing how right thinking is supposed to show itself in our actions. But the Bible will take care of that.

So, do you see what's going on? Your Bible makes you wise to salvation. It frees you from the sins that try to destroy life. And it does this by teaching your heart how to understand God, yourself and this place, as well as how to act in light of all of that. If you would be free, if you would grow in piety, you need to use your Bible.

Well, what do we do now? Are we still stuck with some variation of the education model? Do we still need to cram for the exam by stuffing our heads full of Bible facts? No. Remember, you cannot change your heart. Cram all the Bible facts you want into that brain of yours, and you still will not be able to change your heart. Only the Spirit can change your heart. And let me tell you that the more I ponder that the more I am finding it so very freeing. So, first, relax. The pressure is off. It's the Spirit who has to do the hard work. Relax - and then enjoy your Bible. The goal is just to get to know it. So, read it on your own. Read as a family. Read it as a couple. Listen to it during worship. Relax and enjoy it. Pick a place that you would enjoy reading, and read that. Don't cram for any test. There isn't any test. Just read whatever you've chosen and then close the book, and move on to the next thing.

I know that I'm not fulfilling my expected role of the pesky pastor who is supposed to make you feel guilty so that you study the textbook. But I don't need to be like that. And that's because I know what's going to happen. As you simply read your Bible for the enjoyment of it, you're going to see more and more clearly that the Spirit really does use it to change your heart. You're going to be saved from your sins. You're going to experience more of life. Then, you'll find that you'll want to dig in a bit more. When that happens, go for it. But in the mean time, relax. Enjoy your Bible. Get to know it. And be amazed at what the Spirit does. Over time, you will see your own soul become more and more pious as you get to know Jesus and the freedom He brings.

Being Filled With the Spirit

2 Timothy 1.1-7

We find ourselves in the midst of another unplanned series. Let me remind you how we got to this point. The first sermon was about the mission of the church to spread the Gospel. We were in Acts 1 for that. That led to the second sermon where we looked at fruit-bearing as an aspect of pursuing this mission. That was from John 15. And that has led us to today's sermon which is about the role of the Spirit as we bear fruit and pursue our mission. Considering the role of the Spirit today seems appropriate since this is Pentecost Sunday, a reminder of the coming of the Spirit upon the Church. My original plan was to look at several different aspects of our relationship with the Spirit. But as the sermon developed it was clear that the Spirit was guiding me to narrow my focus. I'm expecting that I will return to the topic of the Spirit in the near future so that I can deal with some of these other aspects.

In the text that I read to you Paul exhorts his young protégé to pursue his calling. He doesn't just tell him that. He also gives him a reason to be hopeful in that pursuit. '...for God gave us a Spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.' Paul points Timothy to the Spirit. Timothy has been called to be a pastor and he is having some difficulties in fulfilling that role. So, the Apostle reminds him of what he already knows. His hope for success resides in the power of the Spirit whom God has given to him. Paul reminds him of the Spirit.

Our ability to pursue our calling to follow Jesus similarly depends on the Spirit whom God has given to His Church. He must act in us or nothing will happen. I think that we all know this. And yet, I think that it is fair to say that we are not especially familiar with the Spirit or how He does His work in our lives or how we are to respond to Him. And that has great effect on the pursuit of our calling. How can we follow Jesus well if the Spirit is something of a stranger to us? It was here that I thought we'd take a look at several aspects of the Spirit's work in our lives. But, as I said, we're only going to take a look at one, the filling of the Spirit.

Paul says in Ephesians, 'Be filled with the Spirit.' To be sure, many of you have questions about this. There may be a good number of things that are not be clear to you when it comes this being filled with the Spirit. But certainly, one thing is clear. This is a command. The Apostle Paul is not making a recommendation, nor is he offering a suggestion. Paul commanded those Ephesian Christians to do something. And the Spirit is using Paul's words to, likewise, command you to do something. Be filled with the Spirit. Here is a word from God that we all need to obey. Of course, as soon as I say this, up pop some questions. 'But what does it mean to be filled with the Spirit? And how do I do that?' Those are the right questions. And they are important questions since we have this command staring us in the face.

So, let's start with the first question: What does this mean? The best way to get at this is to look other places where the Bible uses the language of being filled with something. Here are some examples.

• And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even wind and sea obey him?"

• And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom.

• When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath.

• But the high priest rose up, and all who were with him, and filled with jealousy they arrested the apostles and put them in the public prison.

• And the disciples were filled with joy.

The point is clear. This is language about what is going on inside, in a person's soul. There are good things, like joy and awe, and bad things, like wrath and jealousy. And this is tied to something Jesus said. 'Out of the heart the mouth speaks.' The outer life is simply a reflection of the inner. The inside overflows to the outside. The point of the command to be filled with the Spirit is that you need to make sure that your 'inside' is filled with the good things of the Spirit. When that happens the inevitable result will be an outer life that overflows with much that is good, things like joy, love, awe and power. I think that answers our first question.

Now, on to the next question. 'How do I do that? How can I be filled with the Spirit?' This isn't a complicated question. It boils down to asking, 'How can my soul be filled with the good things of the Spirit? What do I need to do for that to happen?' You might answer that by saying something like, 'It's something that I need to pray about. I need to ask God for this.' That's a good answer. The only problem is that, for some, the next thought is, 'But I've done that already. And I don't see any change. I've prayed for more of the Spirit and I've seen nothing.' It's at this point that things can fall apart. But they don't need to.

To pray that God would fill you with His Spirit is important, crucial in fact. But that's not all that needs to happen. There are also some things that you need to do. There are commands that need to be obeyed. In our text, Paul pointed to the Spirit as the foundation for Timothy's pursuing his calling. '...for God gave us a Spirit not of fear but of power...' Timothy's hope for success in that calling depended on the Spirit. But listen to how Paul began that sentence, 'For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God...' Do you see what Paul is saying? 'To be sure, Timothy, the Spirit has all the power that you need. But you aren't supposed to just sit there, you know. There are things for you to do, Timothy. Fan into flame the gift that God has given you. Pray, Timothy. Pray all the time. But you also need to be sure to do the other things that you're supposed to.' So, you see, we aren't to pray and then sit around waiting for the Spirit to drop into our laps. There are things to do.

You can see this clearly in other parts of Paul's letter to Timothy. Consider how the Apostle describes this very powerful Spirit to Timothy. '...for God gave us a Spirit not of fear...' Isn't that an odd way of referring to the Spirit, the Spirit who is not of fear? But Paul wrote it that way for a reason. Timothy was timid. He was afraid of people. And so, Paul exhorts him appropriately. 'Timothy, give up your timid ways. Be fearless! Be bold!' There is something to do. In the very next verse he tells Timothy, '... share in suffering for the sake of the Gospel...' Jesus said that following Him would be costly. Paul certainly understood that as he wrote this from jail. And he reminds Timothy of this as well. There is something to do. And then there is this from later in this same letter. 'No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops.' Paul points to three kinds of people who have something in common. They work hard to get to a goal. Paul uses their example to make his point to Timothy. There is something to do. And so, I say to you, if you would be filled with the Spirit and see His power overflow from your life, just praying, though essential, is not enough. There are things to do, commands to be obeyed.

I'm guessing that I've confused a good number of you. You're probably asking yourself, 'So, we are filled with the Spirit by obedience? We earn the Spirit? That doesn't sound right.' And it isn't. The blessing of the Spirit is a matter of grace all the way. But we still need to obey those commands.

Let me share with you something from my own life that will clarify what I'm saying. As some of you know, I have joined a book discussion group at Barnes and Noble. I had been praying that I could speak something of the Gospel to my neighbors. I was praying that because I knew it is something that God expects of His saints. So, I was praying for opportunity to do that. But one day as I was praying about this, it dawned on me that I just about never see my neighbors. How could I speak something of the Gospel to them if I never see them long enough to say anything to them. As a result, it seemed right for me to go and find some non-Christian neighbors to whom I could speak the Gospel. So, God led me to this group. The first time I met with this group was last November. I had read the selected book beforehand and took part in the discussion when we met. It was time well spent. The December meeting, by tradition, was dinner together at a restaurant; a social occasion. As a result, one December night I found myself driving to some restaurant in Cranesville that I had never been to before, to get together with some people I had met only once, to chat over dinner about who-knows-what. (I was pretty sure that it wasn't going to be about the finer points of Reformed theology.) I am not, by nature, an outgoing person. If I had my druthers, I'd do what Calvin wanted to do which was to find a quiet place to read books. So, there I was sitting in my car in the parking lot of this restaurant. I was a bit early. And the all the reasons for not going in were flooding my head. 'I don't know anything about this place. What if I don't recognized these people? I've only met them once. What if I go in and make a fool of myself?' But I reminded myself why I joined this group. I wanted to establish relationships with the other folk so that my Christianity could make itself known to them. I wanted to share the Gospel with these new-found 'neighbors' of mine. And Jesus wanted me to do that, too. And so, sitting in my car, I prayed. I don't remember what I said but the basic idea was that the Spirit would fill me with the ability to do this. And after praying, I didn't wait for some rush of feelings of power. I didn't expect that or any other tangible evidence of the Spirit's presence. And there was none. I didn't suddenly become an extrovert. But, having prayed, I got out of the car and entered the restaurant, there to develop some relationships with these people whom Jesus had led me to.

Now, here's my point. I prayed. But there was more to do. It was as I decided to take the risk to obey, that the Spirit filled me with His power. I did not earn it. But I had to decide to obey before I could see its effects. So, you might say that I was filled with the Spirit as I opened my car door to enter the restaurant. That's when it was clear that I had decided to obey. It is of the utmost importance that you pray. It is also of the utmost importance that you read your Bible. How else would I have known that I'm supposed to spread the Gospel to my neighbors apart from prayer and Bible reading? But praying and reading alone isn't enough. There are some things that you need to do. You need to take the risk that is tied up in obedience. But as you do that, you will be filled with the Spirit. The power of the Spirit will be there to give you what you need.

That's what Paul was doing with Timothy. 'Timothy, you need to pursue your calling. There are things you need to do. You need to obey Jesus and work hard at being a faithful pastor. But be assured that the Spirit will give you the ability to do any of that. Be confident in Him and His power, and then obey.'

I started this series back in Acts 1 talking about the mission that Jesus has given to us as His Church. We are to spread the Gospel. I am not satisfied with the progress that we are making on that. And I hope that you aren't satisfied, either. But the solution isn't in trying harder or employing some new method. The solution starts with our giving due attention to what God is telling us in His word and then praying about it. As we do that, the Spirit will point out what we, individually and as a church, need to do. It's at that point that we'll have to take the risk that obedience always calls for. But we do that confident that the Spirit will give us whatever we need to accomplish what He has called us to. If we follow this plan, we will see the Spirit do amazing things in us and through us. As we are filled with the Spirit, we will the Gospel spread.