And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. (2 Timothy 2:2)
Paul says, “Take what you’ve learned and entrust it to faithful men who can then teach others also.” For Christianity to survive this “passing along” has to happen. We have to continue building the chain. We are actually links in a chain that stretches all the way back to Christ.
I read a great example of this from Kent Hughes commentary on 1 and 2 Timothy. He writes about how in the early 17th century Dr. Richard Sibbes wrote a little book about Christ called The Bruised Reed. A copy of that book somehow ended up in the hands of a tin peddler, who then gave it to a boy named Richard Baxter. Richard Baxter read that and was so influenced by it. He later became one of the greatest Puritan pastors in all of church history. Baxter then wrote, A Call to the Unconverted.
Philip Doddridge read that in the early 18th century, and then he wrote, The Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul. William Wilberforce read that book, and it so changed his life that he wanted to lead the fight for the abolition of slavery. And that’s what happened, Just three days before his death, Wilberforce had such an impact on British culture that slavery was outlawed. Today, Chuck Colson, the founder of Prison Fellowship, looks at Wilberforce as one of his greatest heroes and sources of inspiration.
Do you see the chain? For Christianity to survive this chain has to be maintained and added to. We have it to pass it on to others. God works through generations. I want to encourage you today to be faithful. You may never preach a sermon or write a book, but your life, your words, your actions are sending a message. You can be a part of this great chain, passing the Christian faith on to future generations.
When the apostle Paul was in prison in Rome, during his final imprisonment before being put to death, many of his close companions deserted him.
Should We Just Forget About Abortion?
The Pharaoh calls in these two Hebrew midwives. Today we would call them head nurses. Pharaoh calls them in and orders them to be on the look out for new baby boys to kill them as soon as they’re born. No more fathers, no threat of a young army. Israel would grow weak and assimilate into their culture.
These were two pretty amazing women. Remember, Pharaoh was believed to be a god. What pressure! Their lives were in danger, but they said, “No.” They willfully chose to disobey the Pharaoh’s orders. How could they have such courage? The Bible tells us they feared the Lord. Pharaoh was scary, but they feared and honored the Lord more. They knew that the safest course of action for them was to obey God.
There’s something I see in these two women. They were pro-life. They stood up for the unborn. They would not impose themselves and take another child’s life. They knew that life came from God. They dare not usurp God’s right to give and take away life.
I think about abortion in our country today. In America alone every year there are 1.37 million abortions, and everyday there are 3,700. Why are women having abortions? 1% of all abortions occur because of rape or incest; 6% of abortions occur because of potential health problems, and 93% of all abortions occur for social reasons (i.e. the child is unwanted or inconvenient). http://www.abortionno.org/Resources/fastfacts.html
The voice of reason in our day would have us be quiet about abortion. “Don’t cause a stir. Keep quiet. Don’t be divisive. Focus on other social issues that we can agree on like poverty and human rights.” Human rights? I’m not here to throw stones at anyone who’s had an abortion. God is rich in forgiving love. As followers of Jesus, this is something we should not cave in on. God forgive our nation! Let’s pray that Roe vs. Wade would be overturned so that no more innocent lives would be lost. Every life comes from God. Let’s not take the place of God.