Making a Differencewith Pastor Phil Erickson

Dec 16th Healthy Christian Growth

Today’s Passage – 1 Timothy 4 – 2 Timothy 2 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)

(Second Milers also read – Psalms 76 – 80; Proverbs 16)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – Psalm 121

Read the “1216 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Read a previous post from this morning’s reading passage – “Where Would Our Church Be Without the Young People“

“And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.” – (2 Timothy 2:2)

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” – (2 Timothy 2:15)

“But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes.” – (2 Timothy 2:23)

There are many factors involved in the spiritual development of a Christian, but I think 2 Timothy 2 shows us three keys to Christian growth:

1.  A Christian must be steadfast in his faithfulness (v. 2). Paul entrusted truth to “faithful men” who weren’t yet fully mature but were dependable and teachable. When we refer to this verse, we often use it to teach that the church must be concerned about teaching the doctrines of the faith and training the disciples of the Lord. We would certainly not dispute that those are two very important functions of the local church. However, I would like to draw attention to the fact that the teaching and the training can only be done with faithful men (and women). When I first trusted Christ as my Saviour many years ago, I did not need anybody to beg me to come to church and get involved in the things of the Lord. I had a desire on the inside to grow and serve. I certainly was not perfect by any means, but I was faithful. Faithfulness isn’t perfection – it’s availability and reliability. I just needed somebody to show me the way and give me something to do. We often blame the church for not teaching and training as it should, but I believe that if there is a hungry soul out there in the pew, God will supply someone to train them. The bottom line to this point is that if you are going to grow in the Lord, you must stay faithful and thirsty for the things of God. Faithfulness involves more than just showing up – it’s enduring and remaining loyal even when it costs something, as Paul illustrated with the soldier (vs. 3–4), the athlete (v. 5), and the farmer (v. 6).
2.  A Christian must be studious (v. 15). Studying requires much work, and it must be done on purpose. If spiritual growth is going to take place in the life of believers, they must diligently apply themselves to being students of the Bible. Obviously, this will include faithfully attending all the services and Bible studies in the local church, but it also means that personal reading, meditation, and study be done daily. With all the resources available today (Logos, Blue Letter Bible, E-sword, etc.), there is really no excuse for not digging in deeply in your Bible study.
3.  A Christian must not get sidetracked. On the surface this may not seem too important, but I have seen more Christians go down the tubes because of this than anything else. Lack of study will cause a slow and steady decline in growth but getting sidetracked will bring about a swift demise. What do I mean by getting sidetracked? Well, it could mean getting distracted by something in the world, but it also often happens because the believer starts pursuing one issue of the faith. They become a one-issue Christian, and by doing so they lose balance, and balance is important to Christian growth. Paul said that he declared “all the counsel of God.” People who lose balance tend to major on minor issues and thereby lose sight of the bigger picture. They can become argumentative in their support of their pet issue. Be careful that you don’t get sidetracked. Instead of majoring on minors, pursue the full counsel of God (Acts 20:27), keeping Christ and the gospel central while growing in the whole range of biblical truth. In v. 14 and in vs. 24–26, Paul also warns against quarreling about words and calls us to be kind, patient teachers who correct opponents gently.

It ought to be the goal of every Christian to continue to grow spiritually until the Lord takes him or her home to Heaven. Ask yourself today: Am I faithful in gathering with God’s people and staying thirsty for Him? Am I diligently studying His Word daily? Am I keeping my focus on the whole counsel of God without being derailed by lesser things? Commit these three keys to the Lord in prayer and watch Him produce steady growth and fruitfulness in your life.