Communicable Faith

One of our ushers will bring you one. We are in the New Testament, the last third of your Bible, in the book of Second Timothy. If you open to the very last book of the Bible and turn to the left, you will find First and Second Timothy. We are in chapter 2, and we will pick it up today at verse 1.

In Second Timothy chapter 2, verse 1, the Apostle Paul writes, "You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also."

You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. Also, if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. The hard-working farmer must be first to partake of the crops.

Consider what I say, and may the Lord give you understanding in all things.

Father, that is my prayer this morning: that you would give us understanding in all things as we open the Scriptures. Lord, you who inspired this living Word, inspire us to understand and make application from the text. Use your Word, which is living and powerful, to be effective in our lives, transforming us by the renewing of our minds so that we would be able to show forth what is your good and perfect will in our day-to-day lives.

Every single one of us here this morning, God, you have a unique calling and placement in our lives. You have placed us maybe at home as a stay-at-home mom or in an office building or on a construction site. Lord, wherever we are throughout this county, you have placed us there to be witnesses of you. I pray, God, that you would prepare us for the good works that you have made ready for us in our lives this week. So, God, do work in us.

We ask this in Jesus' name, and all those that agreed said, "Amen." You can be seated.

On March 30th, 1961, an up-and-coming politician, a former actor by the name of Ronald Reagan, gave a speech before the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce. Near the very end of his speech, the words he spoke have become somewhat famous. He said, "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it on to our children in the bloodstream. The only way that they can inherit the freedom that we

To the working of Jesus at that time, and even after Jesus died on the cross, rose from the dead, and ascended into heaven, Paul was in opposition to those who were moving forward with the mission that Jesus had given to His disciples. Ultimately, by direct revelation, Paul had an encounter with the Risen Jesus. The story is described in the ninth chapter of the Book of Acts.

Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Acts—that's how the New Testament opens, and Acts serves as the history book of the New Testament. In Acts chapter 9, we see that Paul, who was formerly named Saul, had an encounter with the Risen Jesus, and Jesus called him to be about this work, this mission that Jesus had given to His disciples. Paul and the other disciples took this commission very seriously.

What was the commission, the mission that Jesus gave to them? We see it boiled down into three major statements of Jesus regarding that commission. The first one is found at the end of the Gospel of Matthew, in the last chapter, chapter 28. It has been called the Great Commission, where Jesus, with His disciples, said, "Go into all the world and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you. And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

So that's the first major commissioning statement that Jesus gave to His disciples: go make disciples. Another one is recorded for us in Mark's Gospel, a little bit more succinct but still powerful: "Go and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15).

Does that mean we preach the gospel to beavers and bears? Well, maybe. I don't know, but I do know we need to preach the gospel to understanding individuals so that they would hear it and know it. Why? In Luke's Gospel, Luke records it like this in chapter 24, verse 46: "Thus it was written, and thus it was necessary for Christ to suffer and to die and to raise again the third day, so that repentance and forgiveness or remission of sins would be preached in His name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem."

This is the commission of Christ: go preach the gospel to every creature. What is the gospel that Christ...

Jesus died on the cross, was buried, and rose again on the third day. You are to preach repentance and forgiveness of sins in His name to all nations. After having preached the gospel, you are to make disciples—learners and followers of Jesus—baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded. This is the commission that Jesus gives to Paul and to the other disciples, and it is very clear. The fact that we are sitting here today shows that they took that very seriously.

Paul, in the first century nearly 2,000 years ago, traveled throughout the entire known world of his day, doing just that: preaching the gospel to every creature, preaching repentance and remission of sins, beginning at Jerusalem and going out from there to the uttermost parts, and making disciples of every nation he could reach. He spent every waking moment of his life, from the time he saw the Risen Jesus in Acts chapter 9, making Jesus known and fulfilling that mission. Paul saw this work as a race, a race that he was running in such a way that he would obtain the prize. He looked forward to a reward at the end of the race and ran in such a way that he would be able to lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus had laid hold of him.

As he comes to the end of the race, he very clearly understands that he is nearing the finish line. In Second Timothy, just turn a couple of pages to the right and look at chapter 4, verse 6. He says, "For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." At this moment when Paul writes this letter, around the year 66 AD, he knows he is coming to the end of the race. Metaphorically, he can see the tape in front of him, but he understands that the end of his race is not the end of the race as a whole. He realizes that there is something real in this metaphor of a race.

I didn't run track and field ever; in fact, when I was in high school, I thought running was probably the worst possible thing on the planet. I changed my mind about that as time went by, but I do know enough about relay races.

The race is pretty much won or lost in the handoff. Paul understood this as he approached the end of his race; the time of his departure was at hand. He knew that he had to hand this thing off, and he recognized that the faith and the church are never more than one generation away from extinction. Therefore, Paul wrote this letter of exhortation to one of the next runners. I won't say the next runner, because Paul had done such a good job in his life as a minister of the Gospel, raising up many different groups of Christians, churches, and leaders who were moving forward in the faith of Christ.

Individuals like Luke, the author of the Book of Luke and the author of Acts, and Titus, who was at that time ministering the Gospel on the island of Crete in the Mediterranean, were among those he had influenced. There were also individuals like Gaius, Timothy, Priscilla, and Aquila. At the end of many of Paul's letters, you can see lists of these people to whom Paul had imparted the faith. However, chief among all of those individuals was probably Timothy. Paul dedicated the last decade and a half of his life to mentoring Timothy, who was one of the lead runners in this race. Paul was trying to encourage him as he prepared to take the baton and run the race.

Of course, there was a problem. This race that Paul was in, the race that Timothy was in, and the race that every Christian has been in for the last 20 centuries is not without opposition. This becomes very clear when you start reading from the very first book of the Bible, Genesis, through to the last book, Revelation. In all 66 books of the Bible, you begin to discover that there is opposition against the work of God in this world. It shows up distinctly in Genesis chapter 3 in the form of the serpent that deceived Eve. God had given a commission to Adam and Eve in this world, and the enemy opposes that work. This has always been the case, and we see it beginning in Genesis chapter 3 and continuing in every successive chapter of the Bible.

Paul and Timothy were committed to the work of God and the mission of God in this world, but there was opposition. At that point in time, 2,000 years ago, and even still today, the opposition manifested in the form of violence and harm.

Persecution and suffering are what Paul is experiencing. He is in prison, not for any real crime other than being a witness of Jesus Christ. He knows that the time of his departure is at hand. He understands that the next significant event on the timeline of his life will be a trial, and probably a trial that will not go well, leading to his execution. By this time, some of the other disciples had already been executed; Peter had likely been crucified in the city of Rome around the year 64 or 65 AD. Paul knows that the next big point on the timeline is execution, and he would be beheaded at the end of the year 66 AD, probably not long after he wrote this letter.

There is opposition, and that opposition, along with the suffering, weighs very heavily upon the church. It also weighs heavily upon a guy like Timothy, who is the next runner in the race. He is the next person to take the baton and run with it. Like many of us, I don't think Timothy wanted to suffer. I do a lot in my life to try to avoid suffering. Amen? Anyone else? Don't leave me hanging! Come on, church! We don't like to suffer, and if given the opportunity to escape suffering, we will take it.

In 2nd Timothy chapter 1, we see a couple of individuals mentioned by name who opted to say no to suffering: Hermogenes and Phygelus. These two men are mentioned at the end of 2nd Timothy 1 as having chosen not to support Paul. Timothy, on the other hand, was given to timidity; he was prone to fear of suffering. He did not seem to have strong confidence or courage in the face of this, and that becomes clear in the way Paul writes to him.

Paul wrote two letters to Timothy. We studied 1st Timothy last year, and now we are in 2nd Timothy. In the ten chapters that make up 1st and 2nd Timothy, Paul encourages Timothy to be strong at least 25 times. He uses different words, but the ultimate exhortation is the same. We have already seen it several times in Chapter 1. In 2nd Timothy 1, verse 6, he says, "Therefore I remind you, Timothy, stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Therefore, do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me, His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel."

The power of God is evident in the life of Paul as he faces significant trials. Timothy, who is supposed to carry on the next leg of the race, is facing the potential of suffering violence for being a witness of Christ. Paul reminds him that God has not given us a spirit of fear. Timothy, do not be ashamed; God will empower you to face these trials.

In chapter 1, verse 13, Paul instructs Timothy to hold fast to the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. He emphasizes that the good thing which has been committed to you should be kept by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. Then, in chapter 2, verse 1, Paul writes, "You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus."

Timothy, God has called you. Not only has God called you to run this race, but He has also gifted you. Stir up the gift of God that is within you, which was given to you by the laying on of hands. I prayed for you; I laid hands on you, and there was a group of other leaders and elders around you who prayed for you. God has gifted you, called you, and He is strengthening you. He has not given you a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind. Be strong by the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

Paul is giving these repeated exhortations to Timothy, and I believe that it is not just an exhortation for Timothy alone. It is an exhortation by God through Paul for the church in general, for all of us. God has called, gifted, and empowered us for His mission in the world, just as He called Timothy, gifted him, and empowered him for the mission. The same is true for Peter, Paul, Bartholomew, Thomas, and all the great forefathers of our faith. God has called you and me, gifted us, and will empower us for His mission in the world.

So often, when we are presented with this truth, I find it important to reiterate. I shared a similar message last week, and I will continue to emphasize this because I believe it is the consistent message of Paul in his final words, in the last book that he ever wrote, here in 2nd Timothy. In this call that God has placed upon all of us corporately, we...

We are often tempted to feel feeble, inadequate, or foolish. This manifests in different ways, such as fear, feebleness, and foolishness. One way this manifests is when you find yourself in a gathering with people, whether at work or during a family event. As we approach the holiday season, you may be gathered with family members, and perhaps you have that brother, aunt, or grandparent who is antagonistic toward the things of faith. You might feel tied up even before you attend that family event.

It could also be a co-worker in the cubicle down the hall who frequently brings up the perceived stupidity of faith and Christians. In these moments, you may feel tempted to close your mouth because you feel foolish, weak, or feeble. This feeling is normal. As I mentioned last week, it is important to highlight 1 Corinthians 1:26-27, which states that God has chosen the foolish things of the world—like us—to put to shame the wise. He has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things that are mighty. The base things of the world and the things which are despised, God has chosen, along with the things that are not, to bring to nothing the things that are.

Why does God choose the foolish, the weak, the base, and the despised? He does this so that no flesh would glory in His presence, ensuring that He receives the glory and that all eyes are ultimately on Him. So, if you feel foolish, feeble, or fearful, that is good. It is more likely that God will get the glory for anything good that happens in your life for the cause of Christ.

The Apostle Paul fully understood this. In 1 Corinthians 15, he states, "I am the least of the apostles." In one of his other letters, he refers to himself as "the chief of sinners." He recognized that, in and of himself, he was nothing, and that is the right place to be. When we feel weak, Paul discovered—and he shares this in his second letter to the Corinthians, 2 Corinthians 12:9—that God's strength is perfected in our weakness. I have discovered this to be true as well, and I am absolutely convinced of it.

Certainly! As you walk by faith with Christ, you will experience the same. His strength is perfected in our weakness. When we feel incompetent or insufficient, I am always brought back to the first verses I memorized in Scripture: 2 Corinthians 3:5-6. It states, "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as being of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God." He enables us to be ministers of the New Covenant of the gospel. He gives us the power and the enabling to serve Him in the gospel.

Not only does He provide us with the sufficient competency to serve Him, but He also empowers us by His Spirit. The last words of Jesus before He ascended into heaven are recorded in Acts 1:8: "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be witnesses of Me in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth." God gifts us, calls us, and empowers us supernaturally by His Spirit to do this work.

Additionally, God places us within the church, the body of Christ, under leaders for a very specific purpose. This is spoken of by Paul in the book of Ephesians. If you are in 2 Timothy, I want you to see this. Turn to the left, and you will pass 1 Timothy, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, and then Colossians and Philippians until you reach Ephesians.

In Ephesians chapter 4, God places you into a church body and provides leaders, which are a gift that God gives to His church. This text states a very distinct purpose. Many pastors, myself included, look at this as one of the calling passages that God has placed upon our lives. Ephesians 4:11 says, "And He gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers." God gave to the church a group of leaders: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. Why? For the equipping of the saints, which is the church, for the work of the ministry, and for the building up of the body of Christ.

One of the misunderstandings that I often find, which is somewhat understandable given the last 12 to 1500 years of church history, is that most Christians in most churches assume that the work of the ministry is...

The work of the ministry is done by the ministerial class, which includes apostles, prophets, evangelists, and some teachers—those who are trained and called. These individuals are the ones who do the work of the ministry. However, the text states that God has given apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers to equip the church, the saints, to do the work of the ministry. So, who does the work in the ministry? The church does.

The faith and the church are always just one generation away from extinction, and it is more likely that it will fail if the leaders of the church do not equip the saints to do the work of the ministry. Even though you might feel that you are not up to the task, God has called you and gifts you by His Spirit. He supernaturally empowers you and places you in a church to equip you to do the work of the ministry. Therefore, Paul says in 2 Timothy 2:1, "Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus." Another English translation states, "By the grace that is in Christ Jesus." So, God, by His grace, strengthens us.

All of that leads us to 2 Timothy 2:2, which is the focus of our study. I know I said last week that we would get further than one verse, but as I started studying the passage, I realized we are not going to get further than one verse. It may take us about 12 years to get through 2 Timothy 2:2. The verse states, "And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men and women—individuals who will be able to teach others also."

2 Timothy 2:2 serves as the church's marching orders for how God plans to see the continuance and furtherance of the work of the church in the ministry. This is how God intends for the church to move forward, and this has been the case for the last 20 centuries. The faith of Christ and the church is never more than one generation away from extinction. So, how does it continue, and how does it spread? It spreads by 2 Timothy 2:2; it is passed down from generation to generation.

Now, it behooves us to think back to the beginning. Jesus was...

Crucified, He was laid in a tomb. He rose from the dead three days later, and after His resurrection, He walked upon the earth for forty days. At the end of those forty days, Jesus ascended into heaven. When He did, He told His disciples, His followers, His learners, which numbered about one hundred and twenty people, "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be witnesses to fulfill that commission." This is recorded in Matthew 28, Mark 16, and Luke 24. They were going to fulfill that commission when the Spirit came upon them.

So, ten days later, there was a group of one hundred and twenty people, described in Acts chapter two, gathered together, if you will, in an upper room somewhere in Jerusalem. The Holy Spirit of God was poured out upon them. They heard a sound like a rushing mighty wind, and immediately they were empowered with supernatural power. They began to speak forth the glories of God. On the day of Pentecost, that one hundred and twenty in Jerusalem multiplied to three thousand. Shortly after that, the three thousand became five thousand. Now, fast forward two thousand years, and there are 2.1 billion people on the face of this planet who identify as Christians, followers of Jesus Christ. That's phenomenal! How does that happen? I mean, that's absolutely amazing.

Well, point number two: our faith must become our witness. Our faith—what we believe about Jesus—what do we believe about Jesus? We believe that two thousand years ago, God came in the flesh in the man Jesus Christ. He lived a perfect life, performed miracles, and preached a message of repentance for salvation. To prove that what He said was true, He died on a cross just as He prophesied that He would. Three days later, He rose from the dead just as He prophesied that He would, and He was seen by witnesses. That's the message that you and I have. That's what we believe. We speak forth creeds, catechisms, and we sing forth hymnology about these things as we gather together as Christians.

However, that faith must become a witness; it has to be spoken. Now, we are being told by our culture, in 21st century Western culture, that your faith is a very private thing.

Your faith is for your heart. Your faith is for your home. Your faith is for when you gather in the church. There are even some antagonists who say that for you to hand your faith to your kids is child abuse. Richard Dawkins says that, so we're told that your faith is to be private and quiet. That's not what Jesus says, and that is in conflict with what Christ teaches. So, shall we believe and follow man or God?

The disciples told us the answer to that easy question. It's like the answers are in the back of the book sort of question. We know the answer. Jesus said, "Go into all the world." That's kind of public. "Make disciples of all nations." Well, that's pretty public. Our faith, what we believe, must become our witness because there is no spontaneous generation of salvation.

So, how is this transmitted? Turning your Bibles to the book of Romans in the New Testament, after Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Acts, we find Romans chapter 10. Romans chapter 10 talks about this. We'll pick it up at verse 9, a very famous passage. If you've been around church, you've likely heard this before. Romans 10:9 states, "If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."

That's a really good time for an amen! If you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart, you will be saved. Amen! For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame." Amen!

For there is no distinction between Jew or Greek. God is not ethnocentric; He doesn't have one group of people that He only likes. No, God loves all the world. John 3:16 tells us there is no distinction between Jew or Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Now, how then shall they call on Him whom they have not believed? We live in a culture that is increasingly identifying as non-believers.

Religiously affiliated individuals are classified by sociologists and researchers as the "nuns." Not nuns in the sense of wearing a little habit, but the "nones," referring to those with no religious affiliation. It's likely that you have a lot of people you know who are counted among the nuns, the non-believers.

How then shall they call on Him whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things." But they have not all obeyed the gospel, for Isaiah says, "Who has believed our report?"

Note this verse: "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God." It is a requirement that our faith must become our witness. The gospel does not spread unless we speak. I know people love to quote Aquinas, saying, "Preach the gospel at all times, and when necessary, use words." It is always necessary to use words.

It is the hope that your faith is evidenced in your life so that people see that your words align with your works. However, the gospel has to be spoken; it must be spoken. Jesus knew this, and so He called, gifted, equipped, empowered, and commissioned a group of His followers to declare the good news of the gospel. Peter, James, John, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew—if you go down the list, you find Paul. He called these individuals, empowered and gifted them, and sent them forth on a spiritual mission.

They ran the race faithfully in their generation, and now, at this moment in 66 AD, those guys are starting to die. It’s a sad reality of life in a fallen world: ten out of ten people die. Hate to break it to you, but you're going to die. That was a really joyful message for a Sunday! We all will; it's just a reality.

Paul knew this, and all these individuals understood their time here was short. Jesus's time was very short, and they recognized the need to pass this on to another generation. So, Timothy, I am passing the baton on to you. It’s your responsibility.

Gone to carry this on, therefore be strong by the grace that is in Christ Jesus. The things which you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful individuals, men and women who will be able to teach others also. This is how the church has gone from 120 in an upper room in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost to 2.1 billion, and it needs to continue to move forward today.

There are still unreached peoples, people who don't know the name of Christ or don't understand or comprehend the gospel. Everywhere, every newborn baby that is born is an unreached person. We are surrounded by people who don't know the truth of the gospel, and there are others throughout the world who also lack this knowledge. We have been given a mission by God to fulfill. We are on a mission for God. Jim Bellucci or whoever it was, they didn't even know anything about this stuff. You can buy some Ray-Bans and some black clothes if you want to, but you are on a mission from God to fulfill this commission.

In 2 Timothy 2:2, there are five generations. You may only see four, but the first is implied. The first is God. God delivered the message to the disciples. Jesus delivered the message to Paul, and so God delivered the message to Paul, who delivered the message to many witnesses, including Timothy. Those many witnesses and Timothy are to deliver the message to faithful individuals who will deliver the message to others also. This is how the church moves forward; this is how our church continues to move forward.

We showed a picture today of Pastor Pat Kinney, who was basically the founding pastor of this church and pastored it for 27 years. The fact that I am here is because he delivered the message to faithful individuals who will be able to teach others also. There is probably some kid in the fourth grade right now who is going to take my job someday. Praise God, because I will die someday—hopefully a long way away, amen?

But it needs to be passed on to other individuals. Paul says, "The things that you have heard from me." What things did Timothy hear from Paul? If we look back just a little bit, we will see what was delivered to Paul that he delivered to others. In 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, Paul says, "For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures."

He was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. Then he was seen by witnesses. This is the gospel, the core of the gospel we believe and witness. We profess that the man Jesus Christ, who performed miracles and ministered teachings 2,000 years ago, was crucified, was buried, was dead, and rose again. He was seen by more than 500 witnesses who saw him alive.

So, Paul says, "The things which you have received from me." What did Paul give to Timothy? What did Timothy receive from Paul? For one, he received the gospel. He received the doctrines of the apostles, the doctrines of Jesus. The teaching is to go into all the world, make disciples of all nations, teaching them whatever I have commanded you. This is the teaching of Jesus. I believe that Timothy also received from Paul an imitatable way of life, a pattern of life. Paul would say routinely, "Imitate me as I imitate Christ." So, at least those three things Timothy received from Paul: the gospel, the doctrines, and an imitatable way of life.

Point number three: we must become witnesses of the message and the power of the gospel. The message of the gospel is clear: Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, was buried, and rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. That's the core message of the gospel.

What is the demonstrable power of the gospel? It is how that message has transformed my life and your life. Here we have a room filled with people who have been transformed by the power of the gospel to the point that people who knew you 5, 10, or 30 years ago look at you now and say, "You're not the same person." They can't put their finger on it. Did you go to a class? Are you doing yoga? What is it? You're not the same person because the power of the gospel is being demonstrated in your life. That's good news.

So, we must become witnesses of the message and the power of the gospel. Paul said, "These things which you have heard from me, commit these to faithful individuals." These things had been committed to Paul. In 2 Timothy, chapter 1, verse 13, it says, "Hold fast the..."

Pattern the way of life, the pattern of sound words which you've heard from me, in faith and in love which were in Christ Jesus. The good thing that was committed to you, Timothy, keep it by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.

Now take that which was committed to you and commit it to faithful individuals—faithful men and women. The word "anthropos" refers to man, but it can speak of both men and women. This little simple statement, "commit this to faithful individuals," is an important truth for us. The chief qualification for service is faithfulness. Mark this down and note it very clearly: the chief qualification for the servants of God is faithfulness.

It's not ability; it's availability and dependability. We need to be those who are faithful. Service is required of stewards, as stated in 1 Corinthians 4:2. It is required of stewards that one be found faithful. Jesus, in His teaching in Matthew 25, says that there will be a reward in eternity for faithfulness: "Come now, you faithful servant, and enter into the joy of the Lord."

God desires dependability and faithfulness. It's the number one thing I look for in servants: do they show up? That does not negate ability, because looking at what He says, He instructs us to commit these to faithful men who will be able. Ability is important too, but the chief ability is the ability to show up.

Now, He says they will be able to teach others also. This is the part that seems to trip people up—being able to teach. When we say to commit this to faithful individuals who will be able to teach others also, about ninety-six point seven percent of you might think, "That's not me; I'm out. I don't have it. I don't have to worry about this promise age because this call is not for me; I'm not one of the teachers."

Not so fast. I think that God has called you.

By the very fact that He is called, you are under the gospel. He has called you to be His witness, to share the good news of what Christ has done in you by the power of the gospel, and to share the good news of the gospel.

You may say, "Well, I can't teach." I certainly said that. I remember when I was in high school, I had this inkling because I had a really good youth pastor. There he is, right there, Tony. I had this inkling that maybe someday God might ask me to teach the Bible. I was a sophomore in high school, so I signed up for speech class. That was a joke. You know what I learned in speech class? I'm not a public speaker. That's what a lot of people learn in speech class: they are not public speakers by nature.

I was convinced, when I was done with speech class, that it was a one-semester class. By God's grace, it was a one-semester class. I barely made it out of that class, and I was grateful to be done with it. I thought, "I'm never doing that again." Well, God has a sense of humor. I think the only reason God had me do that was to show me, "You can't do this."

I was 19 years old; it will be 20 years ago in February. I stood about 60 feet that way before a group of junior high students. Some of them are still attending this church as adults, and some of them serve on our staff. I stood up to teach and said, "Open your Bibles with me to the book of Galatians." I still have the notes from that message. I actually looked them back up on my computer; I have everything saved on my computer. I looked at them last night, and they were terrible—with a capital T, like capital letters straight across: terrible. By God's grace, that message was not recorded. I hope it was horrible. I was sweating profusely, and my voice was shaky. At the end of that, I thought, "This is not for me."

Yet God says, "I'm the one who determines what's for you and what's not." So, point number four on our outline: I want you to write it down just like this: God is calling me. Don't say, "God is calling you." God is calling me, because I want you to look at this later and go, "Oh darn, that's for me." God is calling me to step out in faith to serve Him as a witness because the church is never more than one generation away from extinction.

The awesome thing about that is Jesus said, "I will build my church, and the gates of Hell will not prevail against her." The Lord is going to sustain the work of His church, and He has continued to do that for the last 2,000 years. God sovereignly elects to use the responsibility of individuals to fulfill His mission, as foolish as that might sound. But that's what He chooses.

God is calling me, you, and us to step out in faith to serve Him as witnesses and to share the good news of who He is. This is the point of this message very clearly. I also think it brings to us an important exhortation for where we sit at this very moment. As we come to the end of October 2018, I believe that God is calling many of you to step out by faith, trusting.

Here's the amazing thing that I have discovered: every time I step out by faith, God steps forward to give me the empowering to do what He is calling me to do. It is not by might nor by power, but by His Spirit, says the Lord. We can do all things through Him who gives us strength, and He will work in us to will and to do His good pleasure.

Fast forward years later, and I can't think of anything I'd rather do than stand up and be able to speak forth the Word of God. That is a transformation of the gospel. But God is calling some of you, and you may feel fearful, feeble, weak, and afraid. Despite all of those feelings, God has given you a spirit of power, love, and a sound mind. He is calling you to take a step of faith.

That step of faith might be to serve in one of the children's ministry classes. You might think, "Good God, I could never do that!" In and of yourself, you can't do that, but God is calling you to do it, and we need your help.

We had a discussion in our board meeting a couple of weeks ago. Sixty-five percent of those who are serving in our children's ministry are 44 years old or older. It needs to be handed to the next generation. We need some people my age and younger to step up and teach. I can go up there and teach, but I can't do this and that at the same time.

I can tell you right now, having taught younger kids, they don't like my teaching quite as much as they will like yours. I tend to teach a little too high above their heads. Seven-year-olds just don't get what I'm talking about. For some reason, I can't understand why, but our faith must become communicable. So, God's calling you to step up.

Take a step of faith, and as you take that step, He will meet you there. I am putting this out because we showed a video about needing people to serve. We need people to serve in every area of ministry here at the church, especially in the children's ministry. We have a whole group of kids up there that need the gospel. They are your kids, your grandkids, your nieces, and your nephews, and you want them to know the gospel. The church is never more than one generation away from being extinct, and we need people to step up and say, "I can communicate this."

I don't know how very well, but if you make yourself available, God will give you the ability. I am going to ask you to stand, and we are going to pray. I pray that God would challenge you with that point. This week, I pray that you wouldn't be able to forget that God is calling you to step out.

Father, we thank You for the calling that You give. It is absolutely amazing because You call people who are foolish, feeble, afraid, beggarly, untrained, and unlearned. You call them forth so that You can show Yourself mighty on their behalf, and we can experience Your strength being made perfect in our weakness.

God, I pray right now for the men and women standing here. You are moving in their hearts to serve, and I pray that You would move from their hearts to their feet to step forward by faith and say, "I want to help. I don't know how, I don't know where, but I want to help." Lord, would You draw people to do just that?

With that calling, give Your empowering and strengthening so that we would be able to share the good news of who You are, the glories of the gospel, with those we come in contact with. It may not be that You are calling us specifically to a ministry here, like the children's ministry, but You are calling every one of us this week to interact with people we go to work with, go to school with, or live in our neighborhood. We are to share with our children, whatever it may be, the good news of who You are.

As much as we would like it to be, our faith is not just going to be some contagion, some pathogen that gets passed by contact in the air. God, help us to be those who speak forth the good news of who You are. Enable Your people, we pray. We ask this in Jesus' name.

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