Overcoming Obstacles to Invest the Gospel in Others
Paul writes to Timothy:
You then, my child be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also. —2 Timothy 2:1-2
As Paul’s spiritual Son — heir of his church-establishing mission — Timothy’s source of power to expand Christ’s Kingdom was nothing other than God the Father’s generous provision which he has placed exclusively in his Beloved Son. As the Son glorified the Father in his earthly ministry, the Father glorifies the Son by making him the fountain of the Father’s bountiful generosity (Matt.11:27, John 3:35-36, 5:22-23, 6:40, Rom. 8:32, Eph. 1:3-14). The joyful and happy truth then, is that anyone who is “in Christ” has permanent access to the Father’s generous provision for all circumstances — grace!
TAKING HOLD OF GRACE
How do we go about getting more provision for our ever-changing life circumstances?
Go to the Father humbly acknowledging our need and boast about our weakness (James 4:6, 2 Cor. 12: 9 — “ Father, I want to be respectful to my boss so I can be an example of your love, but she’s just so unpleasant that I find myself getting angry whenever I’m around her. I don’t have the strength to do this in my own ability but you can through me.”)
We continually trust that, united to Jesus, we have permanent access to God’s supply. (Rom. 5:1-2, Rom.6:3-11 — “Father, because of what Jesus has done for me on the cross, he shares every blessing with me and guarantees the outcome as I trustingly obey how you want me to show respect to my boss.”
OBSTACLES FOR INVESTING GOSPEL TRUTH & LIVING IN OTHERS
Paul instructs Timothy to entrust Paul’s teaching to other faithful men who will continue the process (v.2), but while most Christians became disciples as a result of someone sharing the gospel with them, many don’t have a concept that fully equipping others with the “full counsel of God” (Acts 20:27) is an expectation of ALL mature Christians ( Matt. 28:18-19, Heb. 6:11-14). Having read this, now you know! But, there are all kinds or reasons both cultural and personal that prevent us from investing in the next generation. This is precisely why we need to “Be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus”.
Here is a small sampling of obstacles to investing and some grace-fueled ways to address them:
Ignorance: I don’t know enough - Humbly seek out a “Paul” for your future “Timothys”
Incompetence: I am not yet mature myself (John 9:25, 1 Cor. 15:3-8) Share what you do know while you train.
Anxiety: What if I don’t do it “right” - Trust that as you obey, God will extract the desired results. (1 Cor. 3:6-7)
Business: I’ve got too many other important things to do. (1 Tim. 2:3-6, 1 Cor. 9:22)
Inconvenience/Hard Work: This is out of my comfort zone. (2 Timothy 2:3-6)
These are just the tip of the iceberg, but they all demonstrate why we need for power outside of ourselves to successfully pass on what we have been entrusted with. And it is so like our Heavenly Father that when we come to him, unashamed in our weakness and trusting that he will provide, we can act in faith knowing with absolute certainty that the Savior will provide understanding and the ability to accomplish his purposes through us.