Myths and Passions
In 2 Timothy 4:3-4 Paul tells Timothy how people will be spiritually misled. He says "For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths." He is telling Timothy that people will be mislead in regards to Biblical teaching. People will believe "myths" because they aren't listening to the right teaching because they want to fulfill their own "passions." In other words if I want to financially prosper then I will fall prey to teaching that contradicts scripture but presents itself as true gospel and subtly will encourage financial hoarding for the sake of self, not to help others. We all need to be careful of the sources and teachers that we use. We also need to read the Bible and seek to understand it as it was presented, not as we want to utilize it.
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Continue With the Learning
Paul makes a great point in 2 Timothy 3:14. He says to Timothy "But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it." In verses 10-13, Paul is commending Timothy for following his example as a mentor and then tells him that Christ followers will be persecuted and that evil people will continue doing what they do being deceived and deceiving others. I think that is (while it is very specific to Timothy) great encouragement to continue in the faith while others will not and try to persuade you not to. I know far too many people who have a problem with me having the faith that I have in an "invisible God." They lack faith and do not understand Jesus's life as I do. But I will continue in my learning of who God is, who Christ is and who I am with the holy spirit.
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With Gentleness
2 Timothy 2:24 gives us a great example of how servant's of the Lord should be with everyone, not just those we choose, but everyone. In it Paul writes, "And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness." Whether they are believers or non-believers, we are to correct people with gentleness. This verse may be specifically in reference to teaching the Word, but does that mean that the only way it applies is in church. It applies all the time. There is no excuse for disrespecting and insulting others that disagree. Correct the opponents with gentleness.
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Why Are You Saved?
We can forget from time to time and get haughty (prideful) about our salvation thinking that we deserve it, but in all honesty, we do not deserve salvation, i don't think there is any Bible reading believer that can honestly say scripture backs up the belief that we earned our salvation. The truth is, as we have seen through the life of Christ and the words of Paul, our salvation is a gift. You cannot brag to someone about something that someone gave you. A gift is given, while a prize is earned. So, did you earn Jesus through all of your hard work? Or was Jesus's blood shed due to God's grace? That salvation was a gift that you didn't earn. In 2 Timothy 1:9, Paul writes to Timothy about Jesus "who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began..." If that is the one thing I can teach you today, then I am satisfied in that, because in this time many of us have forgotten our gift from God.
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It Is Time for Something Better
Some relationships are a mess. There is constant bickering and long droughts of bitterness. You want to be supported and they want to be right. You love them too much and they don't love you enough. There just doesn't seem to be a future. But I can almost guarantee you there is a disconnect. Staying disconnecting from God is like not recharging your smartphone after using it all day. It will DIE!!! You have to plug back in to reading the word (2 Timothy 3:16-17), yes the Bible. Start with a chapter a day. Read Proverbs. There are 31 chapters. you can read one chapter per day for a month.
We also need to submit to God's will (Psalm 143:10). How do we know what God's will is? If you don't read God's word and let that marinate and you think on it and apply what you read, then it would be hard to know what God wants from us. We are making decisions that are not conducive to our spiritual growth which is affecting our relationships. Before you check everyone else, check yourself. What else could you be doing on your side in the effort of change and relational growth with God in order to have better relationships with others?
Don't forget about prayer. When things go wrong we can find ourselves trying to fix everything and everyone. We feel like we are shaped to help, which can be true, but it is not your responsibility to fix. Our responsibility is to pray and include God (Philippians 4:6). Isn't that part of the reason why there is an issue any way? We try to fix things separate from God. We need to include Him and let Him do his work.
And also there is accountability (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12). How can we grow spiritually all by ourselves. If there isn't someone that you can confide in and have walk with you through your life, it makes things that much harder. We need to be able to check in with people and have them check in with us and keep us accountable for what we want to be different in our lives according to God's will. That accountability with another Christ follower and you allows God to be present in the relationship in order to help the other parts of life benefit as well. It isn't easy, but it can be be done.
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Sharing the Word
I used to be afraid to talk to people about Jesus. I wouldn't even talk to other Christians about Jesus. I just didn't know a whole lot. I only knew that he died for my sins (and yours), was the Son of God and was a carpenter. I didn't know much more. I only had some basic information and facts. I had no in depth understanding about Jesus and his life.
The more I understood (through reading and studying) the more likely I was to share my story and how God was working through me and guiding me. The more I saw how God was using me for His purposes the more I was falling in line with wanting to and executing His will to the best of my abilities. The pressure to have every answer to every question decreased.
I know we have covered one of Christ's commands to go and make disciple of all nations, but I haven't covered the fear that can prohibit the sharing. But we must know that just like in 2 Timothy 1:7, God did not give us a "spirit of fear..." Paul is telling Timothy not to be fearful about the gift God entrusted to him. So, why would Jesus give us a command and then not equip us with what we need to carry out that command?
Max Lucado has a great quote on faith and fear.
Just hitting share on Google+ and twitter and texting weekly does a lot for sharing the word. This site allows me to look at the stats of each post and see how many (not who) people look at each post each day. I noticed that the views were down for yesterday's post when usually by the time I looked (around 5pm) they would have reach their maximum for the day. Then I realized that I never "shared" the post. Ha!! Here I am sharing The Word and I didn't even "share" The Word. After a few hours after sharing the post on two Gmail accounts and Twitter, the views went up 41%. I don't do this for the stats, I do this to aid in teaching scripture to those who need reminders, to water an already planted seed and to share with those that do not know Jesus yet.
Isn't time you told someone about Jesus? Here is an article I read with more support in your sharing- http://www.unlockingthebible.org/afraid-to-share-your-faith/
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