Mission Sanyati
2 Timothy 2:1-13
September 2, 2012
This morning I’m going to give you something a little different
Than we are used to.
It’s going to be about half sermon, half testimony.
I do encourage you to come back tonight and hear the testimonies,
but there are a few things I want to share with you as a church this morning.
This morning I want to give you an account
Of how your mission team did while in Zimbabwe.
And to do that, I’m going to share with you a text
That I shared with them two Sunday nights ago,
As we were about to begin our full week of ministry.
I think we did study part of 2 Timothy a few years ago,
But let me refresh your memory as to what this letter is about.
• The author is Paul, and the recipient is the young preacher named Timothy.
• Timothy was pastoring the church at Ephesus, and Paul had taken him under
his wing.
And this is good because Timothy was facing several obstacles.
One of those obstacles was his age.
Paul actually wrote to him in the first letter:
1 Timothy 4:12 “Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe.”
Timothy did not have the luxury of age on his side as a pastor.
He was a young man and this put him at a disadvantage
when trying to be the shepherd of a congregation older than him.
But that wasn’t the only problems that Timothy faced.
Ephesus was a church misguided.
1 Timothy 1:3-4 “As I urged you upon my departure for Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus so that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines, nor to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which give rise to mere speculation rather than furthering the administration of God which is by faith.”
The leadership at Ephesus was bad.
They were teaching strange doctrines
And focusing on things that didn’t matter.
And Paul had asked this young pastor to start righting the ship.
And there are other issues as well, that we won’t elaborate on.
• They had sort of a mixed up idea of the role of men and women.
• They were unclear on the qualifications for elders and deacons.
• There was a heresy spreading about abstaining from marriage and food.
• And there was a bit of a misunderstanding as to how to handled widows.
But the point is, Timothy had been handed an enormous job of
Re-focusing the church at Ephesus.
By the time we get to the second letter,
We find that Timothy has had enough. He wants to quit.
He may even be feeling pressure to quit from other sources.
And so this letter is one that is very beneficial
To all who desire to be ministers of the gospel.
And so our first Sunday night in Sanyati, this is the passage we studied
In order to allow God to challenge us in the right way.
This morning I want to show you the passage,
But I also want to express to you as we study how well our group did
In following this direction.
There are actually 5 commands from Paul to Timothy found in these first 13 verses.
#1 BE STRONG
2 Timothy 2:1
Paul’s command here to Timothy is an obvious one.
“be strong”
But as we learned over and over in our preparations for the trip,
It is not our own strength we are interested.
Paul doesn’t tell Timothy to be strong in his own knowledge.
• Or to be strong in speaking ability.
• Or to be strong in appearance.
• Or to be strong in negotiating.
Paul is very clear when he tells Timothy “be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.”
Paul doesn’t want Timothy to be strong in himself, but strong in the Lord.
Luke 24:49 “And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
Acts 1:8 “but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
Certainly Paul understood this power.
Colossians 1:28-29 “We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ. For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.”
So we were reminded that on our own we could accomplish nothing,
And that is true, not only in Africa but in all ministry every day.
And we then looked at
One of the most amazing statements in all of Scripture.
It is a doxology written by the apostle Paul.
Ephesians 3:20-21 “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.”
We were challenged to close our eyes and
Think about what a perfect day would be in regard to ministry.
And you can do that this morning.
Go ahead and think something that it would be awesome if God did.
Now know that God “is able to do far more abundantly
beyond all that we ask or think”
HOW?
“according to His power that works within us”
And so we allowed Scripture to remind us that in order to minister
We must be strong, but not in our own strength.
AND I SAW THIS TEAM DO THAT VERY THING.
• Joe and Tommy went in God’s strength and not only taught deacons, but the whole church, and then fielded questions from the church body.
• Leo preached on Sunday morning without notes, and came away amazed at how clear his thoughts were.
• I actually saw Lance be given about 10 minutes notice before he was asked to speak to a group of men at Sanyati Baptist.
• I stood outside the window and heard Derek (who has only spoken 12 words in his whole life) give a devotion at the hospital on trusting God.
• I wasn’t around the women much, but I know nearly everyone of them shared their testimony, some taught devotions, and beyond that, they walked miles as they ministered to the women in the area.
• Peggy wasn’t sure she was physically strong enough, and yet somehow she made it.
• Carrie wasn’t sure she could leave my side, but God gave her grace.
The point is, this team went and worked and preached and ministered and loved, and they did not do it in their own strength,
They did it in the strength of God’s Spirit.
I couldn’t be prouder of them.
Be Strong
#2 ENTRUST
2 Timothy 2:2
After telling Timothy to be strong Paul encourages Timothy
To do something that is not easy for some people to do.
Paul told Timothy to share the load.
You may remember when Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt
He was literally wearing himself out shepherding God’s flock.
His father-in-law Jethro gave him some advice.
Exodus 18:17-22 “Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “The thing that you are doing is not good. “You will surely wear out, both yourself and these people who are with you, for the task is too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone. “Now listen to me: I will give you counsel, and God be with you. You be the people’s representative before God, and you bring the disputes to God, then teach them the statutes and the laws, and make known to them the way in which they are to walk and the work they are to do. “Furthermore, you shall select out of all the people able men who fear God, men of truth, those who hate dishonest gain; and you shall place these over them as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens. “Let them judge the people at all times; and let it be that every major dispute they will bring to you, but every minor dispute they themselves will judge. So it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you.”
What Jethro told Moses is the same thing Paul told Timothy.
No one ever said that any of us were a one-man show.
We are all parts of the body of Christ.
This may be one of the greatest lessons I learned on this trip.
• God has not just raised up preachers…
• God has not just raised up teachers…
• God has raised up an entire body.
And this body must function like a body.
• The eye has to let the hand do its job.
• The hand has to let the feet do its job.
• The mouth must give way to the ear.
• The ear must work side by side with the eye.
One of the reasons Timothy was discouraged
Is because he bore the burden alone.
All the burden of doctrine fell on Timothy…
All the burden of defense of truth fell on Timothy…
All the burden of correction fell on Timothy…
All the burden of pastoring fell on Timothy…
And Paul told Timothy to entrust some of these duties to others.
Don’t just let God work in you, but also let God work in others.
And I saw this team do that as well.
There were no one-man shows there.
• There were several who stood before the church to teach.
• There were several who stood before the church to share.
• There were several who stood before the church to sing.
• There were several who shared the gospel with the lost.
• There were several who showed compassion to the hurting.
• There were several who did physical labor.
You cannot look back on this team and say, “So and so did it all”.
Because that isn’t true.
They understood that God could use each and every person
And they trusted God to do that.
And that included the young members of our team.
• Derek worked like a dog on that roof and then shared in the hospital.
• Nia interacted with the kids at V.B.S. like no one could.
God didn’t just use one person on this trip, God used them all.
I couldn’t be prouder.
Be Strong, Entrust
#3 SUFFER
2 Timothy 2:3-4
“Suffer” there is a bit of a harsh word,
It is probably better to mention it as “Endure”.
2 Timothy 4:5 “But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”
Paul told Timothy to “Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.”
The idea there is that Timothy put on the mindset of a soldier
And not that of a civilian.
And then Paul told Timothy what he meant.
(4) “No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.”
Civilians have to take care of everyday things.
Soldiers only have to do what they are told.
And this is what believers are.
In fact Jesus taught us:
Matthew 6:31-33 “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ “For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
Focus on the kingdom, not your comforts.
Focus on Christ’s work, not your fleshly desires.
Paul wanted Timothy to quit focusing on everyday things
And zone in on the things that mattered.
And in that he said, “Suffer hardship with me”
Don’t continually focus on making this life more comfortable.
Put the mission before your comfort.
(You can’t shy away from things just because they are difficult)
AND I SAW THIS TEAM DO THIS ON A DAILY BASIS.
I wouldn’t say we suffered in Sanyati,
But I certainly wouldn’t say it was comfortable either.
• By Thursday the temperature was 102, and the men were on a metal
roof, with the exception of Tommy who spent a couple of days in the
attic.
• At night there were 4.2 million roosters that had no sense of sunrise and
crowed all night. (sleep was lacking)
• There is really no telling how much walking the women had to do to go
from one ministry to the next.
• Showers were taken with no hot water.
• Electricity was sporadic at best.
• Dirty hair and smelly clothes is just a way of life.
And yet I never saw a single person focus on those things
To the detriment of the mission.
Whatever obstacles they faced, they endured.
They worked
They walked
They pushed on and they pushed through
I watched this team go on mission, not vacation and they were focused.
They didn’t look for the easy way out.
They didn’t search for a more comfortable job.
They did what was necessary, and they did it daily.
I couldn’t be prouder
Be Strong, Entrust, Suffer
#4 CONSIDER
2 Timothy 2:5-7
Here Paul simply gives Timothy two things to “consider”
He just wants Timothy to shape his thinking.
There are two analogies for him to think on.
(5) “Also if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules.”
Simply going through the motions is not enough.
You have to do it the way God says to do it.
An easy example of this could be found from Paul’s first letter to Timothy
Where he told Timothy that he did not allow a woman
To teach or have authority over a man.
It was the job of the men to teach other men.
Now does that mean women are totally incapable of teaching?
No.
Look at the women that went, they are smart women who know the word.
(And we actually had a missionary tell us it was ok if we did)
But we told that missionary it wouldn’t happen.
Our ladies would not teach the men,
Our men had to step up for that task.
WHY?
Because it’s not enough just to compete,
We must compete according to the rules.
And that is what Paul told Timothy.
He also said:
(6) “The hard-working farmer ought to be the first to receive his share of the crops.”
You work according to God’s will with an expectation of reward.
We don’t go to be paid.
We don’t expect gifts or glory.
But we do expect that God will honor His word.
In short, there is a blessing on the other side of obedience.
And as Timothy faced an uphill climb,
He needed to know that if he worked hard then God would honor him.
AND I WOULD SAY THE SAME TO OUR TEAM.
We are studying Matthew’s gospel about the Pharisees who love honor
And through that we know that at times the church can pass out honor
To those who don’t deserve it.
But Jesus was clear when He said that servants were the greatest,
And that is what I saw this team do.
I never saw it be about them.
• I saw them leave every location having done everything they could to
bless those they were around.
• I saw them serve.
• I saw them work.
• I saw them sweat and ache and work and strive for the kingdom.
• Peggy was sick almost from day one, and she pushed through it.
• Lance was bruised up in the first 20 minutes and still went to work
in spite of Marcella’s orders.
• Leo’s knee was swelling and still he worked.
I watched these people give in the midst of a hospital filled with AIDS and tuberculosis and yet serve continually.
They considered what Paul said, and not only competed but did so according to the rules and all in order to be pleasing to God.
I couldn’t be prouder.
Be Strong, Entrust, Suffer, Consider
#5 REMEMBER
2 Timothy 2:8-13
And here Paul’s admonition to Timothy is clear.
He was not on a good-will mission.
He was not on a humanitarian mission.
His purpose was clear.
“Remember Jesus Christ”
• Timothy wasn’t in Ephesus to make friends.
• Timothy was in Ephesus to make disciples.
Paul had this passion so rich in his heart
That it actually caused him to be imprisoned.
(9-10) “for which I suffer hardship even to imprisonment as a criminal; but the word of God is not imprisoned. For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory.”
And you notice what Paul said.
“I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen”
Paul knew that God had His elect still in the world.
Paul didn’t know who they were,
But he knew they wouldn’t be saved apart from the gospel.
And so Paul pushed through every conceivable hardship
In order to make sure the gospel reached as many people as possible.
And Paul reminded Timothy that this was his calling as well.
(11-13) “It is a trustworthy statement: For if we died with Him, we will also live with Him; If we endure, we will also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He also will deny us; If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.”
There Paul reminded Timothy that God’s faithfulness would not fail.
God was going to save His chosen ones.
But if Timothy wanted to be a part of what God was doing
He would have to remain faithful as well.
AND THIS WAS THE ATTITUDE I SAW FROM THIS TEAM.
• I never saw one of them “check-out”
• I never saw one of them “give up”
• I never saw one of them decide to take the easy road.
Every time I looked up someone was not just being kind,
But was sharing the gospel, they knew why they were there.
They didn’t just bring love and compassion to the people of Zimbabwe, they brought the gospel of Jesus Christ.
• I heard them preach repentance.
• I heard them preach forgiveness in Christ.
• I heard them testify of Christ’s ability to change a life.
And I couldn’t be prouder of what they did.
And now church, this is NOT a sermon meant to get you to run up and pat them on the back; that is not the purpose.
I simply want you to know that you
Can be proud when you send a team on the field.
I want you to know that your financial giving and your time spent in prayer
Was not wasted, this team did what you sent them to do.
FURTHERMORE I WANT TO CHALLENGE YOU.
I don’t know of a mission trip in this church yet, where after it was over someone didn’t come and tell me, “I should have gone on that trip”.
If that was you this time, I want to encourage you
To head Paul’s commands to Timothy as this team did.
• Be strong in Christ
• Trust that God will use you as He uses others.
• Endure what seems hard like a good soldier.
• Do what Christ says the way He says to do it.
• Expect that Christ will reward you for your sacrifice.
• And Remember Jesus, what He has done for you, what He can do for others, and that He still has chosen ones scattered throughout the world who need to hear the gospel.
I saw this group faithfully respond to God’s call,
And I want to encourage everyone here to do the same.
And don’t play the “I just can’t do it” card
• I saw a 10 yr. old love the African people.
• I saw one of the shyest teenagers I know teach a hospital devotion
• I saw two 70+ women commit to minister indefinitely (one just off of a
broken pelvis)
• I saw a mother with 3 young girls move over for 6 months
YOU CAN SERVE IN GOD’S STRENGTH
That may not mean Africa, although you will certainly have more opportunities.
It may be your neighbor or family member.
But I want you to follow the example set by this team
To move beyond your comfort and dare to let God work in you
To accomplish His task of redeeming the world to Himself.
2 Timothy 2:1 “You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.”
