Rev. David Holwick
First Baptist Church
West Lafayette, Ohio
January 18, 1987
Who Will Pass It On?
2 Timothy 1:15 - 2:7, NIV
One of the most exciting experiences for Christians is seeing new people accept the gospel and become part of the fellowship. When I was a young Christian in high school we had an on-going revival. One by one, each of my friends became born-again. We stared our own bible studies and prayer groups, all without much help from adults. We witnessed boldly so that even the teachers began to ask us what we believed. The result of all this was more and more young people being brought to Christ.
It was a very exciting time in my spiritual life. But over the years I have seen the other side of the coin as well - times when people drifted away. They went from being committed Christians, to saying they had just been putting on a show. If several people did this, the whole group got depressed. You begin to doubt your own commitment and experience.
As the Apostle Paul wrapped up his life he was not seeing vast numbers getting saved. Instead, he was seeing them drop away. As he writes in verse 15, "everyone in the province of Asia has deserted me."
Why do some people stay committed only a short time? The Bible tells us to expect it. Jesus himself said most people would not last as believers, even if they strung along for a while. This is the message behind the parable of the seeds - some people are sun-baked soil, others are filled with rocks and are shallow (Matthew 13:3-33). According to Jesus, only a small number will keep at it and they are the only ones who produce genuine fruit.
But this does not answer the question - why do some people drop away? I think some become Christians because they want to share in the excitement. These are the kind who bounce from church to church. One church gets boring so they move on.
Others become Christians to solve a problem. They have been ill, or their finances were at rock bottom. Maybe they had a habit that was literally destroying their life. In desperation they turn to God. As the problem is solved, they show a lot of zeal. But if their commitment is only because they need a quick fix, they will not last. Once their problems are behind them their spiritual commitment will be unnecessary.
Some people come to church just out of a sense of habit. They have no great problems. They do not want any excitement. Church-going just seems like the decent thing to do. After all, grandma did it. We think of these people as the strong, quiet type, but they may be no more committed than the others.
The real test of spiritual commitment comes in times of trouble. That is when you find out who is in it for they can gain, and who is in it for God. In Paul's situation it appears that a specific event (aorist tense - "has deserted") triggered the mass defection. It could have been Paul's arrest because his chains seem to have been a real stumbling block to the others.
One person in particular stood firm in the gospel and he proved it by supporting Paul in spite of real danger. His name was Onesiphorus. Verse 16 tells us Onesiphorus had a habit of taking Paul in when the apostle visited. He proved his friendship by searching throughout Rome for Paul's dungeon. Paul's prayer for this man is that God will be merciful to him on the Judgment Day. In short, that he will be proved to be saved, just like Paul knows he is.
How many people in our church would be this faithful? Are you one of them? When things get rough, are you going to stick to it, or find excuses to fall by the wayside? We all know which group we want to be in. The person next to you may not think you have got it in you, but you can give yourself the benefit of the doubt. Paul certainly had these hopes for Timothy. In verse one of chapter two he encourages Timothy to be strong with the strength Jesus alone can give. And then Paul offers a blueprint for successful Christian ministry:
"And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others."
The Navigator Bible ministry is founded on this verse. It represents the most effective way to spread the gospel, and it is a four-step transmission:
1. There is the transmission of the gospel from Jesus to Paul. (Paul credits God, not humans, for this.)
2. Paul has transmitted it to Timothy.
3. Timothy must pass it on to reliable people, people who will stick to it like Onesiphorus.
4. Finally, these people will pass it on to still others.
The gospel does not really spread through massive crusades or telethons. It spreads when one person tells another about Jesus. And you cannot just tell them - you have to teach and encourage them. The whole process is what discipleship is all about.
Our church is American Baptist. That does not mean a whole lot to most of you but American Baptists have their own way of doing some things, and we do them well. We do foreign missions differently than most other denominations. 2 Timothy 2:2 is a big part of our success. When American Baptists go into an area they preach the gospel and take care of human needs. In time, enough converts are gathered to start a church. Immediately our missionaries train the local believers so they can take over, as pastor, teachers or even missionaries. We expect them to run their own church and spread the gospel to their neighbors. Eventually the whole mission is turned over to the local Christians.
Our way of conducting missions has had tremendous results. Our area minister just wen ton a long tour of China. He did not take the expensive deluxe tour most Americans do. Instead, he and his wife traveled with a small group. He had a special interest in southern China because American Baptists establish many churches there before the communists took over. The area is poor, dirt poor. He saw Chinese-style highway construction where men with hammers whacked away at rocks to make gravel. They found their way to one of the former mission churches and saw 1,400 Chinese inside worshipping. About thirty came forward during the altar call. Afterwards he visited with them (most had never seen an American before) and met their pastor. This pastor had spent one and a half years in prison merely because he was a Christian. But someone had passed the faith to him, and he was determined to keep doing the same. There was joy on all their faces.
How did Christianity get to southern China? Our missionaries went to Burma. Burmese took it to Thailand. Chinese who lived in Thailand responded and converted to Christianity. Converts took the gospel to relatives who lived in China. And our missionaries built upon that.
2 Timothy 2:2 is key to church growth in Russia. Back in the 1920's the communists closed all the seminaries. In the 1950's they jailed most of the pastors. To the great frustration of the KGB (secret police), for each pastor they arrested, another believer took over. They were factory workers, farmers and clerks, but they were faithful men.
Who best represents this in our church? My wife. Each time she starts something new, she promises someone else will be in charge in six months. It does not always work out that way, but as evangelist D. L. Moody put it, it is better to train ten men to do the work, than to do the work of ten men, but it is a lot harder!
The pastor is not the key to church growth. If anything, he just gets in the way. Lay people are the key. Have you ever personally led someone to Christ? Have you spiritually reproduced even once? Will someone else be able to pass the torch because of you?
It takes dedication and decisive action. Paul underlines this with three brief illustrations. Christians should be like soldiers. They have a mission to do, and should single-mindedly accomplish it even if the going gets tough. We should be like athletes - literally, one who competes. Finally, there is the farmer, who has to work hard or they will starve. Each of these vocations require concentrated effort. And each one has its reward. But what is their reward compared to the one that is offered to us - heaven?
Copyright © 2024 by Rev. David Holwick
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