Welcome to this week’s episode, a special rerun from our Speaking of Life archive. We hope you find its timeless message as meaningful today as it was when it was first shared.
Watch video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZR555fl3TN8
Program Transcript
Speaking of Life 4045 | Our Inadequacy
Cara Garrity
Have you ever felt like you were not equal to a task you were given? You try your best, but it seems like you come up short? It is especially tough when you feel inadequate in ministry. Perhaps you tried to do a community event and very few people showed up? Or, maybe you tried to facilitate a connect group and nothing went as you wanted? Or maybe you are too intimidated to even attempt to participate in Jesus’ ministry. When you feel inadequate it is natural to wonder why God would invite you to participate in his ministry in the first place.
The apostle Paul’s protégé, Timothy, was familiar with the feeling of inadequacy. The young man led a congregation in Ephesus, and he felt like he was not equal to the task. In particular, Timothy wondered if he was too young to meet the ministry needs of Christ-followers far older than himself. In his 2nd letter to him, Paul wrote to encourage Timothy and to provide some guidance. He said:
3 I thank God, whom I serve, as my ancestors did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. 4 Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. 5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. 6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love
and self-discipline.
2 Timothy 1:3-7
Notice the first thing Paul did was to confirm Timothy’s giftedness, reminding him of the faithfulness of his mother and grandmother. This, no doubt, brought to Timothy’s mind the ways in which God faithfully worked through his two ancestors. Next, Paul encouraged Timothy to use his gifts, reminding him that God is the one truly working through him. Paul made it clear that Timothy’s ministry was accomplished by the Spirit, and the young minister did not need to trust in his own adequacy but in the God who gifted and called him.
The same is true for us. Participating in Jesus’ ministry can be challenging, and it is easy to feel inadequate. It is important to remember that it is Jesus’ ministry and not our own, and the weight of his ministry is not ours to carry. Jesus is the true minister, and he will accomplish the work that he sets out to do.
The Spirit gives us gifts enabling us to participate in the ministry of Jesus Christ. Again, however, we are not ultimately responsible for the results of that participation – Jesus is. This should free us to use the gifts God has given us without the burden of perfection. We will make mistakes in ministry and things will not always go as planned. However, we are already assured that the ultimate victory has already been won in Christ. While we may feel inadequate sometimes, Jesus is always more than enough.
I’m Cara Garrity, Speaking of Life.
Program Transcript
Speaking of Life 4045 | Our Inadequacy
Cara Garrity
Have you ever felt like you were not equal to a task you were given? You try your best, but it seems like you come up short? It is especially tough when you feel inadequate in ministry. Perhaps you tried to do a community event and very few people showed up? Or, maybe you tried to facilitate a connect group and nothing went as you wanted? Or maybe you are too intimidated to even attempt to participate in Jesus’ ministry. When you feel inadequate it is natural to wonder why God would invite you to participate in his ministry in the first place.
The apostle Paul’s protégé, Timothy, was familiar with the feeling of inadequacy. The young man led a congregation in Ephesus, and he felt like he was not equal to the task. In particular, Timothy wondered if he was too young to meet the ministry needs of Christ-followers far older than himself. In his 2nd letter to him, Paul wrote to encourage Timothy and to provide some guidance. He said:
3 I thank God, whom I serve, as my ancestors did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. 4 Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. 5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. 6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love
and self-discipline.
2 Timothy 1:3-7
Notice the first thing Paul did was to confirm Timothy’s giftedness, reminding him of the faithfulness of his mother and grandmother. This, no doubt, brought to Timothy’s mind the ways in which God faithfully worked through his two ancestors. Next, Paul encouraged Timothy to use his gifts, reminding him that God is the one truly working through him. Paul made it clear that Timothy’s ministry was accomplished by the Spirit, and the young minister did not need to trust in his own adequacy but in the God who gifted and called him.
The same is true for us. Participating in Jesus’ ministry can be challenging, and it is easy to feel inadequate. It is important to remember that it is Jesus’ ministry and not our own, and the weight of his ministry is not ours to carry. Jesus is the true minister, and he will accomplish the work that he sets out to do.
The Spirit gives us gifts enabling us to participate in the ministry of Jesus Christ. Again, however, we are not ultimately responsible for the results of that participation – Jesus is. This should free us to use the gifts God has given us without the burden of perfection. We will make mistakes in ministry and things will not always go as planned. However, we are already assured that the ultimate victory has already been won in Christ. While we may feel inadequate sometimes, Jesus is always more than enough.
I’m Cara Garrity, Speaking of Life.
Psalm 137:1–9 • Lamentations 1:1–22 • 2 Timothy 1:1–14 • Luke 17:5–10
Our theme for this week is trusting while lamenting. We read in our call to worship, Psalm 137, of the injustices suffered by God’s people in ancient times and their very human, very violent lament. Psalm 137 illustrates that hope can still be sparked during suffering by remembering past blessings and being grateful. The reading in Lamentations 1 continues to express grief as a prayer, lifting the community’s grief to God. It implicitly acknowledges God who can help us hold and process it. We may think that faith comes before its expression through works, and that’s true. But it’s also true that loving others (works) feeds our faith. In Luke 17, Jesus seems to indicate it might happen either concurrently or because of participating in God’s work. In Luke 17:5–10, the disciples ask for more faith, and Jesus tells them not to worry about the quantity of faith. They should be concerned with doing what he does, loving people the way he loves them. For Jesus, faith is more of an expression of duty between two or more people rather than a precursor to loving action, and it’s like multi-player sport. Our sermon text also talks about suffering, this time with Timothy and the letter’s author. We’re invited not to fear suffering but to understand it and then remember that the Holy Spirit provides power and courage to do what is right when we need to.
Reminder: This introductory paragraph is intended to show how the four RCL selections for this week are connected and to assist the preacher prepare the sermon. It is not intended to be included in the sermon.
How to use this sermon resource.
When Courage Calls
2 Timothy 1:1–14 NRSVUE
On December 1, 1955, in Montgomery, Alabama, a seamstress named Rosa Parks boarded a bus after a long day of work. The law said she had to give up her seat to a white passenger if the bus became too full. That day, it did. And she refused and was arrested.
It’s a familiar story. But what many forget is that Rosa Parks wasn’t the first to refuse. Others before her had taken similar stands, but they were often dismissed or forgotten. Rosa Parks wasn’t a loud voice or a natural activist. She was soft-spoken, polite, and deeply rooted in her Christian faith. Her courage didn’t look like shouting. Instead, it looked like stillness. Her defiance wasn’t reckless. When asked why she didn’t stand up that day, she said something simple but powerful: “I had no idea history was being made. I was just tired of giving in.” At that moment, her personal resistance made a bigger difference than she realized.
Her simple act of refusing to move sparked the year-long Montgomery Bus Boycott and ignited a movement that would change the world. She stood for the dignity of all people, for justice, for the image of God imprinted on every person, regardless of race or gender. Rosa Parks stood up for the gospel by sitting down.
As Christians, we are followers of Jesus. This means that we must consider the way Jesus advocated for those who were marginalized in the world of his day: women, children, slaves, those outside the Jewish culture, the sick, and the poor. Jesus challenged those in power; he confronted the high priests and temple authorities (Matthew 21:12–13) when they treated other human beings with contempt and judgment. When interrogated by Herod Antipas (who was hoping to see a miracle performed), Jesus remained silent. When Pilate questioned him, Jesus refused to directly confirm who he was. Jesus resisted empire and power because God’s kingdom has no place in human-made systems which are designed to oppress some and grant power to others.
We are not the first Christians to be challenged to stand up for God’s kingdom where we love God and others . Paul, as we read in our sermon text for today, Paul encourages Timothy to stay true to this calling. As stated in verse 14, “Guard the good deposit entrusted to you, with the help of the Holy Spirit living in us.” Let’s read 2 Timothy 1:1–14.
Context of 2 Timothy 1:1–14
As mentioned in previous sermons, the authorship of the Pastoral Letters 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy is debated, although Paul is typically credited. .
The writer of 1 Timothy warned Timothy not to let other people disrespect him because he was young (1 Timothy 4:12), and 2 Timothy furthers this point by explaining that he hasn’t been given a spirit of fear but the Holy Spirit. Theologian N.T. Wright asserts that Timothy was called to act with power, love, and prudence (v. 7). But these three qualities can easily be skewed, according to Wright: “Power divorced from love quickly becomes destructive, if not demonic. Love without power can degenerate into wishy-washy sentimentality” (p. 84).
What makes 2 Timothy even more powerful is that Paul was writing to his protégé from prison. He is in chains for preaching the gospel, and he knows the end is near. Instead of giving in to fear, the letter encourages Timothy to “stand strong,” to “not be ashamed,” and to “rekindle the gift” that God has placed inside him.
It’s a message for Timothy, but it’s also a message for us, especially in a time when standing for the gospel of Jesus includes standing against injustice, discrimination, and the marginalization of people because of their age, race, ethnicity, or gender. We are called to be courageous, and it may not be comfortable. We’re called to love boldly not fearful silence.
The Call to Courage
Timothy is reminded that courage isn’t something he has to go looking for; it’s inside him. The word “rekindle” literally means to “fan into flame.” It implies that the fire is there, but it may need to be stirred:
For this reason I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands. 2 Timothy 1:6 NRSVUE
Many of us may feel like we’re not brave enough. We see injustice in the world like racism, injustice, misogyny, and exploitation, and we shrink back. “I’m not like those bold activists,” we think. “I’m not brave like Rosa Parks or Martin Luther King Jr.” But Paul would say, “You already have what you need.”
God has already placed a fire inside you. It might be smoldering right now. It might look like compassion, anger at injustice, or a vision for a better world. The Spirit of God doesn’t make cowards:
For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7 NRSVUE
Let this truth settle in your heart: you have everything you need to be brave.
The Call to Speak Up
The Roman Empire was hostile to Christians, and the gospel was seen as foolishness. Timothy’s mentor Paul was in jail, so he might have felt embarrassed or fearful. But the gospel message is not about shame; it is powerful:
But it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. 2 Timothy 1:10 NRSVUE
Today, shame takes different forms. Sometimes it looks like silence in the face of racism. It could look like complicity in the systems that oppress women and the poor while granting power to the wealthy. It might be avoiding hard conversations because we’re afraid of how people might react. We have mistakenly valued “niceness” over honest and heartfelt discussion about our responsibility as Christians to the poor, the hungry, the sick, and the stranger in our land. Jesus brought the good news for all people, not just the rich and powerful. His ministry often served those marginalized by the powerful. Jesus was not ashamed of the oppressed and the hurting.
Let’s think of some examples of Jesus’ interaction with women. Jesus asked for a drink of water from the Samaritan woman, a woman of mixed race and questionable reputation (John 4:1–42). He defended the woman caught in adultery (John 8:3–11). He healed the bleeding woman others cast aside (Luke 8:43–48). He honored the faith of a Gentile woman who wouldn’t take no for an answer when it came to healing her daughter (Matthew 15:22–29). The gospel is full of women, full of outcasts, full of the marginalized who were valued and cared for by Jesus. When we serve those the world has pushed down, we are not going off script. We are walking in the footsteps of Jesus.
The Call to Be Uncomfortable
Courage will cost us something. There is suffering involved in living out the gospel because God’s kingdom of love conflicts with human-made systems and governments.
Do not be ashamed, then, of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel, in the power of God … For this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher, and for this reason I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know the one in whom I have put my trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard until that day the deposit I have entrusted to him. 2 Timothy 1:8, 11–12 NRSVUE
The gospel life opposes the evil systems that oppress. In this way, following Jesus and the gospel may bring trouble and conflict for us. But the author of Timothy is very persuasive that the gospel is worth our suffering.
It’s not easy standing up for justice, confronting racism in the church, or advocating for women’s voices in male-dominated spaces. Niceness is often more highly valued than standing up for what Jesus modeled in his time on earth. With the high value placed on “niceness,” you may be misunderstood. You may be rejected. You may lose friends, opportunities, or reputation. At those moments, you need to ask where your courage is rooted: in others’ opinions or in Christ? Based on your answer to that question, you’ll know whether your courage will be able to endure. When you know who you belong to, you can endure what others can’t. Jesus never promised comfort and ease. He talked about taking up your cross and following him (Matthew 16:24). But resurrection follows the cross, and life in Christ is true freedom.
The Call to Real Community
We can’t be brave by ourselves. Timothy was encouraged to remember the faith of his grandmother Lois and mother Eunice (2 Timothy 1:5), as well as others who mentored his faith:
Hold to the standard of sound teaching that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 2 Timothy 1:13 NRSVUE
It gets lonely resisting human-made systems and cultural practices that oppress certain people groups. We need the support of others, elders in the faith and co-laborers, who can encourage us and help us stay the course of following Jesus’ way of loving people. Faith is a gift from God. The Body of Christ is also a gift. Members of his Body belong to one another, and we can encourage one another’s faith. Through the Body, faith is communal. One reason for weekly worship is the opportunity to encourage one another’s faith.
The encouragement given to Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:1–14 is relevant to us today:
For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7 NRSVUE
The world needs courageous Christians, not comfortable ones, and not silent, “nice” ones. Our world cries out for Spirit-filled, justice-loving, gospel-proclaiming believers who are not afraid to advocate for the least of these. Rosa Parks didn’t know she would change the world. She just refused to give in.
You don’t need to be a great speaker or educator. You just need to be tired of watching worldly systems hurt people, your fellow image-bearers of God. You just need courage to speak up and be uncomfortable, secure in your community of fellow believers who are tired of power wielded over and against those who need help the most. So, stir up the flame, speak up for those who can’t speak or won’t be heard, and don’t be ashamed to stand up for the gospel, life, and love of Jesus.
Call to Action: Ask God to stir up “the gift of God that is within” us through the Holy Spirit and bravely reach out to others to support them as they courageously follow His lead.
For Reference:
Wright, N.T. Paul for Everyone: The Pastoral Letters, 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus. Westminster John Knox Press, 2003.
https://www.workingpreacher.org/dear-working-preacher/faith
https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/dsb/2-timothy-1.html
Rev. Dr. Eun Strawser—Year C Proper 22
Listen to audio: https://cloud.gci.org/dl/GReverb/GR068-Strawser-YearC-Proper22.mp3
October 5, 2025 — Proper 22 in Ordinary Time
2 Timothy 1:1-14 NRSVUE
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Program Transcript
Rev. Dr. Eun Strawser—Year C Proper 22
Anthony: All right, let’s do this. Let’s dive into the lectionary text that we’ll be discussing for this month. Our first pericope is 2 Timothy 1:1–14. I’m going be reading from the New Revised Standard Version, the updated edition. It is a Revised Common Lectionary passage for Proper 22 in Ordinary Time, October 5.
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, for the sake of the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus, 2 To Timothy, my beloved child: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. 3 I am grateful to God—whom I worship with a clear conscience, as my ancestors did—when I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. 4 Recalling your tears, I long to see you so that I may be filled with joy. 5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, lives in you. 6 For this reason I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands, 7 for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline. 8 Do not be ashamed, then, of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel, in the power of God, 9 who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace, and this grace was given to us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, 10 but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. 11 For this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher, 12 and for this reason I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know the one in whom I have put my trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard until that day the deposit I have entrusted to him. 13 Hold to the standard of sound teaching that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 14 Guard the good deposit entrusted to you, with the help of the Holy Spirit living in us.
I’m curious, Eun, what role does family have in faith? Because Paul points out how Timothy’s grandmother and mother, were instrumental in his faith. And feel free to make this personal.
Eun: Oh man, even just from that reading, I need to go sit in a corner, have a good cry. It was so beautiful, Anthony. Oh, it feels so convicting, right? Hearing those words — such a personal letter from the Apostle Paul to someone, a young man that he’s invested so much of his life and work and leadership into.
So, it’s just beautiful that he talks about, what is your origin story, right? He’s trying to make it really clear to Timothy that one, that his life is not his own, that there is a whole line, a trainload of people who have come before him to get him to this point now.
So, I think family is probably a pivotal for two different reasons, especially as imitators of Jesus. I think one is, it really makes a note for us to have to remember, what are the previous sacrifices and sufferings that other people have put in to get us to our point now? I know from my own story I’m one of the first in my family line to become a Christian.
But when I go back — and as a young person, I resented the fact that I was one of the first Christians in my family and how can my parents do this? And yet when I sit down and ask them stories and stories about what happened in their own life, I just can’t help but see all of God’s hands caring for them, leading them to the point where they got to know Jesus, even though it was after me, but in the way that it cared for me.
One particular example is when I was in my mother’s womb, my parents are really impoverished. I was the last child of many numbers of children and my mom hadn’t told my father that she was pregnant. And she wanted to go and get a secret abortion. At that time in South Korea, it was very shameful, so, nobody talked about it.
And, lo and behold, she’s in the cover of night and a person happened to stop her and it happened to be the local village pastor. She wasn’t a Christian back then. It was the first time that she ever even entered the building of a church, and he asked her to come so he could pray for her.
And she was very, very nervous and he prayed that this child would, that God would use his child to help his name be known to her family. And this is my mother telling me as an adult and I just think that, oh, all this time God honored, not just me, and saved me and rescued me.
But he’s been holding my mom’s hand whether she knew him at the moment or not. He was holding my father’s hand, my grandparents and all of those things. So, I love that Paul reminds Timothy of his, both his mother and his grandmother’s faith, and how much he has gained honor and all the gifts that he has because of that.
I think the second point about family is I think that God really emphasizes the fact how we view family. If we don’t begin to, as Jesus-imitators, see family the way that God does, then we will probably contribute to a lot of bias, a lot of competition, a lot of us-versus-them mentality that honestly, that is overdone in the world today.
I think the kingdom of God is trying to offer that. If we begin to see family the way that God does, that there’s an open adoption constantly at the ready, God’s constantly welcoming a new family member, a new kid, a new brother, a sister into the fold, I think that we would think about our own families a little bit differently as well.
Anthony: Yeah, I was just sharing with a friend yesterday that thanks be to God that the Holy Spirit opens our eyes to see the family resemblance in others. And once you see that family resemblance, it changes. It changes relationships, it changes the way that you interact with people on social media, right?
This is a brother, this is a sister, this is the beloved of God. How dare I not treat them with dignity and respect? And also, I thank God for the brothers and sisters in the faith that God has given us this family. And I just in this moment, Eun, I’m just so grateful for that village pastor and your mom’s receiving of that, willingness to go into an unknown territory so that God could minister to her. Praise God for that. We’re so glad you’re here.
What do you think it means to not be ashamed of our testimony of the Lord? It’s stated in verse 8, and I’m just thinking about the times in Scripture where it tells us that God is never going put us to shame. He’s never going leave us at the altar. So, what does it mean to flip that around and not be ashamed of our testimony?
Eun: Yeah, I think testimony is everything, especially in a culture now where storytelling and the narrative is king. I think whatever part of culture that best tells the best story about humanity, about what love is, about what, let’s say, leadership is, or what family is, I think that constantly tells the rest of the world, the rest of culture, how they’re supposed to behave and act and what kinds of decisions they’re supposed to make.
And so, testimony which is storytelling, which is storytelling that witnesses the faithfulness and love and kindness and mercy of God — that is king. If there’s anything that any of us as Jesus followers should be really honing in our gifts and strengths and work in, it’s really fine tuning and working on, what is the testimony? Would we be able to give it at a drop of a hat, right?
I know in our community being able to give our own testimony or a witness or storytelling, we always say it’s do you know your own story as part of God’s big story? That’s the equipping we do for all of our disciples. And it’s because we really want to prepare and equip all of the Jesus followers in our local community that their story is important, but also that their story is embedded within God’s beautiful story for us and for the world.
So, if our testimony is something that we’re afraid of sharing because we think we’re terrible storytellers or we’re not good communicators, what a loss of story, what a loss of narrative — that Christians should be able to be telling the best story, the best narrative about humanity to the world today.
Anthony: It reminds me of Maya Angelou’s quote that one of the great sadness in human existence is an untold story living inside you. That story needs to be told, and like you said, it’s embedded in God’s story. That’s why when I think of the grand narrative of holy scripture, like when we preach and proclaim the gospel how dare us make it boring, because it’s such a fascinating story, right? It is beautiful and it’s fascinating and it’s glorious and I know some of us are maybe not as charismatic as others, but it’s such a magnificent story. Let’s tell it well. Amen. Amen.
Eun: Yeah, and I think it’s also that it shouldn’t just be a small group of people who are professional storytellers who should be equipped to tell God’s story. The whole point is that the full gospel is meant to be shared by everybody, with everybody, right? I can’t do this by myself. I need to equip my local church to know God’s full story, that they practice articulating it, communicating it, not just training and equipping Jesus followers to be good hearers of God’s story. They should be excellent sharers of God’s story.
Anthony: Ooh, yes and amen. The priesthood of all believers, right?
Program Transcript
Rev. Dr. Eun Strawser—Year C Proper 22
Anthony: All right, let’s do this. Let’s dive into the lectionary text that we’ll be discussing for this month. Our first pericope is 2 Timothy 1:1–14. I’m going be reading from the New Revised Standard Version, the updated edition. It is a Revised Common Lectionary passage for Proper 22 in Ordinary Time, October 5.
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, for the sake of the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus, 2 To Timothy, my beloved child: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. 3 I am grateful to God—whom I worship with a clear conscience, as my ancestors did—when I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. 4 Recalling your tears, I long to see you so that I may be filled with joy. 5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, lives in you. 6 For this reason I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands, 7 for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline. 8 Do not be ashamed, then, of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel, in the power of God, 9 who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace, and this grace was given to us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, 10 but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. 11 For this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher, 12 and for this reason I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know the one in whom I have put my trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard until that day the deposit I have entrusted to him. 13 Hold to the standard of sound teaching that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 14 Guard the good deposit entrusted to you, with the help of the Holy Spirit living in us.
I’m curious, Eun, what role does family have in faith? Because Paul points out how Timothy’s grandmother and mother, were instrumental in his faith. And feel free to make this personal.
Eun: Oh man, even just from that reading, I need to go sit in a corner, have a good cry. It was so beautiful, Anthony. Oh, it feels so convicting, right? Hearing those words — such a personal letter from the Apostle Paul to someone, a young man that he’s invested so much of his life and work and leadership into.
So, it’s just beautiful that he talks about, what is your origin story, right? He’s trying to make it really clear to Timothy that one, that his life is not his own, that there is a whole line, a trainload of people who have come before him to get him to this point now.
So, I think family is probably a pivotal for two different reasons, especially as imitators of Jesus. I think one is, it really makes a note for us to have to remember, what are the previous sacrifices and sufferings that other people have put in to get us to our point now? I know from my own story I’m one of the first in my family line to become a Christian.
But when I go back — and as a young person, I resented the fact that I was one of the first Christians in my family and how can my parents do this? And yet when I sit down and ask them stories and stories about what happened in their own life, I just can’t help but see all of God’s hands caring for them, leading them to the point where they got to know Jesus, even though it was after me, but in the way that it cared for me.
One particular example is when I was in my mother’s womb, my parents are really impoverished. I was the last child of many numbers of children and my mom hadn’t told my father that she was pregnant. And she wanted to go and get a secret abortion. At that time in South Korea, it was very shameful, so, nobody talked about it.
And, lo and behold, she’s in the cover of night and a person happened to stop her and it happened to be the local village pastor. She wasn’t a Christian back then. It was the first time that she ever even entered the building of a church, and he asked her to come so he could pray for her.
And she was very, very nervous and he prayed that this child would, that God would use his child to help his name be known to her family. And this is my mother telling me as an adult and I just think that, oh, all this time God honored, not just me, and saved me and rescued me.
But he’s been holding my mom’s hand whether she knew him at the moment or not. He was holding my father’s hand, my grandparents and all of those things. So, I love that Paul reminds Timothy of his, both his mother and his grandmother’s faith, and how much he has gained honor and all the gifts that he has because of that.
I think the second point about family is I think that God really emphasizes the fact how we view family. If we don’t begin to, as Jesus-imitators, see family the way that God does, then we will probably contribute to a lot of bias, a lot of competition, a lot of us-versus-them mentality that honestly, that is overdone in the world today.
I think the kingdom of God is trying to offer that. If we begin to see family the way that God does, that there’s an open adoption constantly at the ready, God’s constantly welcoming a new family member, a new kid, a new brother, a sister into the fold, I think that we would think about our own families a little bit differently as well.
Anthony: Yeah, I was just sharing with a friend yesterday that thanks be to God that the Holy Spirit opens our eyes to see the family resemblance in others. And once you see that family resemblance, it changes. It changes relationships, it changes the way that you interact with people on social media, right?
This is a brother, this is a sister, this is the beloved of God. How dare I not treat them with dignity and respect? And also, I thank God for the brothers and sisters in the faith that God has given us this family. And I just in this moment, Eun, I’m just so grateful for that village pastor and your mom’s receiving of that, willingness to go into an unknown territory so that God could minister to her. Praise God for that. We’re so glad you’re here.
What do you think it means to not be ashamed of our testimony of the Lord? It’s stated in verse 8, and I’m just thinking about the times in Scripture where it tells us that God is never going put us to shame. He’s never going leave us at the altar. So, what does it mean to flip that around and not be ashamed of our testimony?
Eun: Yeah, I think testimony is everything, especially in a culture now where storytelling and the narrative is king. I think whatever part of culture that best tells the best story about humanity, about what love is, about what, let’s say, leadership is, or what family is, I think that constantly tells the rest of the world, the rest of culture, how they’re supposed to behave and act and what kinds of decisions they’re supposed to make.
And so, testimony which is storytelling, which is storytelling that witnesses the faithfulness and love and kindness and mercy of God — that is king. If there’s anything that any of us as Jesus followers should be really honing in our gifts and strengths and work in, it’s really fine tuning and working on, what is the testimony? Would we be able to give it at a drop of a hat, right?
I know in our community being able to give our own testimony or a witness or storytelling, we always say it’s do you know your own story as part of God’s big story? That’s the equipping we do for all of our disciples. And it’s because we really want to prepare and equip all of the Jesus followers in our local community that their story is important, but also that their story is embedded within God’s beautiful story for us and for the world.
So, if our testimony is something that we’re afraid of sharing because we think we’re terrible storytellers or we’re not good communicators, what a loss of story, what a loss of narrative — that Christians should be able to be telling the best story, the best narrative about humanity to the world today.
Anthony: It reminds me of Maya Angelou’s quote that one of the great sadness in human existence is an untold story living inside you. That story needs to be told, and like you said, it’s embedded in God’s story. That’s why when I think of the grand narrative of holy scripture, like when we preach and proclaim the gospel how dare us make it boring, because it’s such a fascinating story, right? It is beautiful and it’s fascinating and it’s glorious and I know some of us are maybe not as charismatic as others, but it’s such a magnificent story. Let’s tell it well. Amen. Amen.
Eun: Yeah, and I think it’s also that it shouldn’t just be a small group of people who are professional storytellers who should be equipped to tell God’s story. The whole point is that the full gospel is meant to be shared by everybody, with everybody, right? I can’t do this by myself. I need to equip my local church to know God’s full story, that they practice articulating it, communicating it, not just training and equipping Jesus followers to be good hearers of God’s story. They should be excellent sharers of God’s story.
Anthony: Ooh, yes and amen. The priesthood of all believers, right?
Small Group Discussion Questions
- What keeps us from remembering and being true to “the gift of God that is within” us?
- What causes us to be “ashamed … of the testimony about our Lord” and our calling, … not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace, … this grace” that “was given to us in Jesus Christ before the ages began” (vs. 6 and 9)?
- What keeps us from having courage to resist worldly systems of oppression?
- How does overvaluing “niceness” keep us from speaking up for the oppressed? Is it possible to disagree and speak up while maintaining a pleasant and calm demeanor? If so, how have you managed to do that?
- The sermon suggests that not wanting to be uncomfortable makes Christians reluctant to resist practices, either within the church or in society, that promote inequality among people. For example, some denominations today do not allow women to preach. How can we become more comfortable with being uncomfortable and discussing controversial issues in a loving way?
