Stack the Kindling

“I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well” (2Tim 1:5).

When you want to build a fire, you’ve got to start small. You don’t begin with a few big logs and then strike a match. You need kindling. You need the smallest pieces of wood that will ignite easily. Then as the fire builds, you stoke it with bigger and bigger sticks and limbs. Eventually it’s time for those logs. Before you know it, the fire is crackling and popping. But you have to start small. You have to stack the kindling. 

(This is where I could insert a story about the time I really didn’t have any small pieces of wood to get our fire pit going. I figured a little gasoline would do the trick. I splashed a little from the gas can and tossed a match. WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH! Let’s just say it I’ll never forget the smell of scorched eyebrows. From now on, I’ll stack the kindling.)

In many ways, faith in Jesus is a lot like that. I first heard this idea from Matt Chandler While each person much have an individual trust in our Savior, other people in their life can get them ready. Paul reminds his buddy Timothy of how his family got his faith fire ready. “I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well” (v5). A methodist missionary named E. Stanley Jones is famous for saying, “God doesn’t have any grandchildren.” But that doesn’t stop mom, dad, memaw, and pawpaw from prepping kids for the day Jesus lights them up.

As Paul looks back on the blaze burning brightly in Tim’s life, he knows his fire is about to be extinguished. He writes to his spiritual son from the slammer. Specifically, Rome’s Death Row. Alcatraz, Folsom, and Shawshank got nothing on the Mamertine Prison. It’s where enemies of the empire go to die. The apostle is a dead man walking and he knows it. “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2Tim 4:6-7). In the last letter of his life, the apostle does what he can to fan Tim’s flames.

Paul starts by telling Timothy just how much he’s encouraged by his legit love of the Lord. “I remember your sincere faith” (v5). He describes the young gun’s trust in Christ with the Greek word anupokritos. It means genuine, undisguised, or transparent. The term comes from the same root word as hypocrisy (Gr. hupokrisis) which means putting up a front or wearing a mask or impersonating someone you’re not. Tim’s faith is legit. The real deal. Not fake. Not phony. Not a front. 

What a powerful reminder that we’re not supposed to be cookie cutter Christ followers. God has wired each one of us very differently. He’s given every believer varying combinations of spiritual gifts. He’s placed each of us in different places and different times. While we all trust in the same Jesus, we don’t all look and act exactly alike. And that’s a good thing. There’s tremendous freedom knowing I don’t have to put on a front and pretend to be somebody I’m not. Paul tells the Corinthians how God’s grace allows him to be exactly who God made him to be. “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain” (1Cor 15:10). What a relief to know that we can all be sincere and transparent in our faith. 

Tim’s faith may not be phony but what exactly is Paul talking about. Belief in the Bible is a lot more than just a simple acknowledgement of a fact. A whole LOT more! “Faith” (Gr. pistis) is an active trust, confidence, total reliance, and complete conviction in someone or something. In this case, the apostle is talking about Jesus. Andy Stanley says the best way to understand faith is to picture a stool. I may think the stool will hold me when I look at it. I may think the stool will support me when I lean against it. But the only time I’m REALLY trusting in the stool is when I put all of my weight on it.

Tim has placed the entire weight his life onto Jesus. He trusts in who Jesus is and what He has done that Tim could never do for himself. Christ lived the perfect life of obedience to God’s commands that he could never live. He died the death for sin that Tim should have died. He rose to an awesome new life that Tim doesn’t deserve. As a result, Timothy submits himself to our Lord’s leadership. That’s the Gospel. That’s the Good News. It’s not about the strength of your faith. It’s about the strength of the object of our faith. No matter what comes your way, keep your eyes locked on Jesus, the Starter and Finisher of our faith (Heb 12:2). He’ll NEVER let go of you.

Paul reminds his young friend that following Jesus is a family tradition. Tim has “a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice” (v5). John MacArthur is pretty sure the apostle knew these ladies personally. There’s a good chance that they came to place their faith in Jesus during Paul and Barnabas’ first tour through Lystra and the surrounding region (Acts 13:13-14:21). Lois and her daughter Eunice were Jewish. Dr. Luke tells us Tim is “the son of  Jewish woman who was a believer” (Acts 16:1). 

These two women were apparently strong believers in God’s promises made in the Jewish Scriptures called the Torah. It’s what we know as today as the Old Testament. Tim’s memaw and mom trusted in God’s promise to send a Messiah to the rescue (Gen 3:15; 12:1-3; 17:1-8; 2Sam 7:9-16). Their faith was fully realized when they heard that Jesus was indeed the fulfillment of God’s promise and the ultimate Good News. Imagine finding out the long-awaited Savior of the entire world is a resurrected Rabbi/Carpenter from the boondocks of Galilee! 

It seems clear that Grandma Lois and Momma Eunice invested into the spiritual growth of Timothy. They took the time to tell young Timmy all about God’s incredible faithfulness, goodness, and grace as told in His Word. That’s exactly what Paul says later in his letter.  “From childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2Tim 3:15). These women wanted the boy they loved to know the God they loved. So they stacked the kindling.

Parents, grandparents, and other friends do this by telling the little ones about all the amazing things God has done in their own lives. Teach them stories from the Bible. Help them memorize Scripture. Sing worship songs with them. Pray with them, around them, and over them. It’s what my Grandmothers Ethel and Clarabelle as well as my own mom Elma did for me. It’s what my wife Deb and I tried to do with our own kids as well as our grandchildren. While God is the only one who sets someone on fire in the faith, we can certainly stack the kindling.

What can we take away from Paul’s words to Timothy? First of all, we don’t have to be phony when it comes to our faith in Jesus. We don’t have to dress like a TV evangelist, use enough hairspray to make a personal dent in the ozone layer or wear so much makeup it looks like we lost a paintball fight. You and I are free to be the person God made us to be in Christ. I don’t know about you, but that’s a HUGE weight off my shoulders.

Second, think back on the people who gently and consistently invested in your spiritual growth as a child. Was it a grandparent? Your mom? Your dad? A neighbor? A teacher? A coach? Reach out and thank them for fanning the flames of your faith. And don’t forget to let God know how much you appreciate how He placed these people in your path to stack your kindling.

Third, let’s stoke the spiritual fires of the young people in our lives. Parents and grandparents have a very powerful position of influence in children as they grow. Don’t miss any opportunity God gives you to tell them just how good the Lord has been to you. Read the Bible with them. Pray with them. Sing with them. Do I need to warn you not to ram it down their throats? Do NOT be heavy handed.

Find those flammable materials. Spiritual sticks. Gospel branches. Place them all around those you love. You can’t set them on fire yourself but you can do everything possible to get them ready. Stack the kindling. And then you might want to step back. Take it from me, you’re really gonna want those eyebrows.

How to BE Rich

“They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share” (1Tim 6:18).

God wants you to be rich. So much so that He commands it through the Apostle Paul. Sweet! Who couldn’t use a little more jingle in their pocket? Well, pump your brakes before you believe the man from Tarsus is all about the so-called prosperity gospel. Not even close. Nope, instead of turning Almighty God into supernatural vending machine, He wants us to realize He’s ALREADY blessed us. God wants us to be rich. NOT get rich. BE rich. So since we’re ALREADY rich, what are we supposed to do with our wealth? 

In a letter to his protege Timothy, Paul passes along God’s rules for the rich over in chapter six. Specifically verses 17-18. He begins by warning against getting cocky because of cash. Don’t get duped by the money mirage. Realize that our incredibly generous God wants us to enjoy all that He gives. Here in verse 18, the apostle tells us what to do now that we’ve been on the receiving end of supernatural blessing. “They are to be do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share” (v18). God wants you to be rich.

Before we go any further, I need to give credit where credit is due. And that credit goes to Andy Stanley. He literally wrote the book on this topic. Okay, God inspired Paul to write the verse that inspired Andy to write the book. But back in 2013, Andy wrote “How to Be Rich: It’s Not What You Have but What You Do with What You Have.” Each year he preaches a message on generosity he calls “Be Rich.” A huge chunk of what I’m writing has Andy’s very talented (and generous!) fingerprints all over it.

Before we dig into more of God’s rules for the rich, it’s probably a good idea to understand what’s going on in this letter. Paul is writing to Tim, the young pastor he’s left in charge as the servant/leader of the Ephesian church (1Tim 1:1-3). The apostle has hit the road to Macedonia, probably to help churches there in places like Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea. These were all stops on Paul’s second Mediterranean tour (Acts 16:11-17:15). While he’s gone, Paul makes Tim the lead pastor in Ephesus.

But the Ephesian church is a shadow of her former self. Paul had spent three years in the city telling everyone who would listen about Jesus through blood, sweat, and tears (Acts 20:31). But not long after he left, a team of spiritual hucksters weaseled their way into the congregation and distracted folks from following Jesus (1Tim 1:3-7; 4:1-3). The sad part is that Paul could see it coming and warned the Ephesian leaders (Acts 20:29-30).

These false teachers completely corrupted God’s teaching about money. They saw religion as a get-rich-quick scheme (1Tim 6:5). In their mind, there’s no business like God’s business. Paul reminds Pastor Tim of the dangers of greed and how it results in a fatal case of human root rot (1Tim 6:9-10). With that in mind, this church desperately needs to correct the wealthy members of the congregation about what God expects from those who are “rich in this present age” (1Tim 6:17). 

Maybe you think you’re off the hook on this one. You certainly don’t feel “rich in this present age.” Paul MUST be talking to people Donald Trump and Warren Buffett, right? Yes, but I’ve got a sneaking suspicion he’s talking to you too. I KNOW he’s talking to me. Here are the numbers. If you make $40,000 each year, you’re in the top four percent of wage earners in the world. Increase that to $48,000 annually, and you’re in the top ONE percent of money makers on the planet. I’m no statistician, but I’m pretty sure that makes most of us “rich in this present age.”

So if that’s you (and it most certainly is me), the apostle tells us “to do good” (v18). This is actually one word in the original language: agathoergeo. It’s a compound word meaning “excellent (agatho-) work (-ergeo).” It means to show kindness, provide benefits, be generous with your possessions, or act rightly. God is calling us to do what people desperately need, not what they necessarily want. There’s an importance difference between the two. In the words of a Spike Lee joint, “Do the Right Thing.”

Paul then tells us “to be rich in good works” (v18). The Greek verb here (Gr. plouteo) paints a picture having in abundance, being richly supplied, and affluent. This is the fourth time the former Pharisee uses a variation on the word “rich” in these two verses. “As for the rich (Gr. plousios)” (1Tim 6:17). We shouldn’t put our trust “on the uncertainty of riches (Gr. ploutos)” (1Tim 6:17). Instead put our hope in “God, who richly (Gr. plousios) us with everything to enjoy” (1Tim 6:17). Last but not least, he commands us “to be rich (Gr. plouteo) in good works” (v18).

Each one of these words comes from a root word that means to be filled and overflowing. Picture someone filling a glass of beer from the tap and the excess brew is spilling over the sides. It’s having so much that it’s more than a bit sloppy. Are you so generous that your blessing is just a little messy? Jesus even commanded us to be sloppy givers so that our Heavenly Dad will overwhelm us in His blessing, “good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put in your lap” (Lk 9:38). Running over. In your lap. Sure sounds like a messy blessing to me!

Since I AM rich, how am I supposed to BE rich? Specifically, Paul commands us to overflow “in good works” (v18). If I’m wealthy, let me make the Forbes 400 of helping others. As a matter of fact, we can do that no matter what kind of 401k we have socked away. I can bless without a stack of Benjamins. I can help. I can pray. I can sit with a friend who’s hurting. To “be rich in good works” is shine God’s light and spread His salt wherever we go. Make sure the light is bright and you’re not stingy with the salt. That’s what it means to be rich.

Make no mistake about why we do do good works. It’s not to pile up enough brownie points so God will save us. Helping others isn’t like building up frequent flyer miles. It doesn’t work that way. We’re not saved BY our good works but to DO good works. That’s exactly Paul’s point in one of the most famous passages on grace (Eph 2:8-10). Jesus worked to save us so that we could respond with good works as an act of worship. In other words, Christ did the ultimate good work that we could never do for ourselves. 

Paul goes on to give us a couple of ways we can be rich. We’re “to be generous and ready to share” (v18). I can tell you that after an in-depth word study of the Greek here, the original language means…wait for it…“to be generous and ready to share!” Instead of being a tightfisted miser, God calls His people to be extravagant givers. Openhanded. Unselfish. 

Here are a couple of words that are going to make a few of us uncomfortable. Liberal. Promiscuous. Yeah, you read that right. If the church was truly liberal in her giving, we wouldn’t need to “Feel the Bern” in an election year. What would our communities, towns, and cities look like if God’s people were recklessly promiscuous with our resources to those marginalized by society? That’s exactly why Jesus said, “Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required” (Lk 12:48). Be liberal. Be promiscuous. With your resources, that is. That’s what it means to be rich.

Here’s the big idea. God overflows to us so that we can overflow to others. Jesus is liberal and lavish to me so that I can be liberal and lavish to others. The lyrics of John Mark McMillan’s song “How He Loves” makes me wonderfully uncomfortable. He describes the grace of Jesus as “heaven meets earth with a sloppy wet kiss.” A few thousand years before that, King David’s wrote what many believe is his best song ever. He sings about how God is so unbelievably generous toward him that “my cup overflows” and “surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life” (Ps 23:5-6). Jesus is incredibly messing in His blessing to you and me. Why shouldn’t we be the same?

God has created us in His image (Gen 1:26-27) and is conforming us into the image of His Son (Rom 8:29). A big part of His image is as the ultimate Giver. God the Father gave His Son. God the Son gave His life. God is ridiculously generous to you and me. Sloppy. Messy. Liberal. Promiscuous. He’s calling us to do the same. He’s calling us to BE rich.

Taking One Game at a Time

“We take it one game at a time.” It’s one of the classic pieces of folks call “coach speak.” It’s the way leaders in sports remind their players how they can’t play more than one opponent at a time. You can’t mope around after your last loss. You can’t keep celebrating your last victory. You need to move on and move forward. Here in Nehemiah 7:1-4, we see the governor moving forward after completing the massive project of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem in just 52 days. Immediately after they lay the last stone and hang the last gate, Nehemiah finds out some of the most influential families are still playing footsie with the enemy, Tobiah the Ammonite (Neh 6:17). Come to find out, this outlaw is one of their in-laws (Neh 6:18). The walls may be up but the city is still in great danger. Nehemiah keeps Jerusalem at DEFCON 1. He maintains a Homeland Security Threat Level Red. He does this not because of his lack of faith but because it is so deep. Because he trusts God, he takes the next step. He moves forward. Nehemiah’s a man who puts his deep faith into quick action.

Once again, the governor reminds us that the city’s defenses are back in a position the people haven’t seen for 140 years. “The wall had been built and I had set up the doors” (v2). God has used Nehemiah and the people to pull off the miraculous reconstruction project in just 52 days (Neh 6:15)! For you Trekkies out there, this is when Spock reassures Captain Kirk that the shields are back up on the Starship Enterprise. The people of Jerusalem are in a position to defend themselves once again. But this involves so much more than simply sitting behind the brand new walls and kicking back with a cold one. Nehemiah appoints “the gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levites” (v1). Gatekeepers. That makes sense. But what do they have to do with the singers and Levites? How is the security detail related to the worship team? As they sing on Sesame Street, “One of these things is not like the others.” Flip back over to the roster Ezra lists and you’ll see they are part of the same department (Ez 2:40-42). This is actually a typical grouping of personnel. Keeping the city and God’s people safe are a big part of reestablishing worship of God in His temple.

Okay, the walls are up. The doors are in place. The guards and worship team are ready to go. Nehemiah’s next step is handpicking two men who will essentially act as the new co-mayors of the newly walled city. “I gave my brother Hanani and Hananiah the governor of the castle charge over Jerusalem” (v2). Just last year, Nehemiah’s brother first brought him the news about the Jerusalem crisis (Neh 1:2). We see that his bro has made the trip back from Susa to play a major role in the city’s renewal. Nehemiah names Hananiah as his brother’s partner. Hananiah has proved he’s a legit leader as “the governor of the castle” (v2). This is the fortress right around the corner from the temple. As the governor of Judah (Neh 5:14), As a humble servant leader, Nehemiah knows he can’t do it all himself. He shares the load of leadership by passing off the critical role of watching over the newly-walled Jerusalem to Hanani and Hananiah.

While the governor knows his brother is the real deal, he goes out of his way to describe just what a quality leader Hananiah is. “He was a more faithful and God-fearing man than many” (v2). In describing his dependability, Nehemiah drops the Hebrew term ‘emeth. It means firm, stable, reliable, true, and sure. He’s a lot like similar the dudes Nehemiah places in positions of responsibility for the storehouse “for they were considered reliable” (Neh 13:13). But it also lets us know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Hananiah swims in the deep end of the pool when it comes to his faith in God. Nehemiah doubles down on that idea when he writes that Hananiah’s a “God-fearing man” (v2). That does NOT mean that he’s cowering in fear that God will zap him with a lightning bolt the next time he messes up. It’s the Bible’s way of painting the portrait of a worshiper. Hananiah loves and worships the LORD more than he’s concerned about pleasing people. We’ve already seen the fear of Yahweh play a big part in Nehemiah’s leadership. When the governor puts a stop to the mortgage, he encourages folks “to walk in the fear of God” (Neh 5:9). And he opens up his home and invites 150 people over for dinner every night “because of the fear of God” (Neh 5:15).

Hananiah’s reliability on the job and faith in God are in contrast to the nobles of Judah who were passing notes back and forth with Tobiah, one of the key thugs trying to bully God’s people (Neh 6:17). Hanani and Hananiah could be replacing the the rulers listed in back in chapter 3. “Rephaiah the son of Hur, ruler of half the district of Jerusalem” (Neh 3:9) and “Shallum the son of Hallohesh, ruler of half the district of Jerusalem” (Neh 3:12). With the walls and gates in place, the situation in the city has changed. Nehemiah may well see the need for a new season of leadership and a new kind of leader. Rephaniah and Shallum have apparently been faithful leaders during a very difficult time. They hand over the stewardship of the city to the team of Hanani and Hananiah. It’s a reminder that our role or position may not be for a lifetime. It may simply be for season. Since God gives it to us, He has every right to reassign it. As Andy Stanley says, “Leadership is stewardship.”

Meanwhile, Nehemiah gives his new co-mayors specific instructions in guarding the city and using the walls and gates to their greatest advantage. First of all, “let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun is hot” (v3). The threat level is incredibly high. Just because the walls are up doesn’t mean danger has disappeared. Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem, and the rest of Jewish enemies are still out there. Just because the walls are up, don’t let your guard down. Normally the gates are opened at sunrise. Nehemiah wants them to take a little extra caution. Let’s wait just a little bit longer. Let’s wait until a little later in the day. Let’s wait until everybody is up and at ’em. Let’s avoid a sneak attack at sunrise. Secondly, he tells the co-mayors to “appoint guards from among the inhabitants of Jerusalem” (v3). Those people living in the city will be the most committed to protecting it. The citizens of Jerusalem have skin in the game. Their families, homes, and businesses are on the line. 

The author then gives us an overview of the situation inside the newly built walls of Jerusalem. “The city was wide and large, but the people within it were few, and no houses had been rebuilt” (v4). This is a very big city with a very small population. There are a handful of folks living there but it’s basically still a ghost town. Most of the Jewish people who have returned to the Promised Land under the leadership of Zerubbabel, Ezra, and Nehemiah are living in the suburbs and surrounding towns. One reason is that there are few places to live. The rebuilding of the wall took priority over reconstructing homes within the city. The focus of all the resources was on rebuilding the barrier. That’s going to change soon. But for right now, Jerusalem is all but deserted. 

Nehemiah took his leadership one game at a time. It’s not like he didn’t celebrate the completion of the wall project. But the governor of Judah knew that would all get flushed down the toilet if he didn’t take the next steps to protect the city. Jerusalem needed new leadership. The city needed a security detail. The people needed to remain on high alert. The walls are up but they couldn’t let down. Godly leaders keep their eyes on the next objective. They take it one game at a time.