Standing Up and Standing Out for Christ ( 1 Tim 2)

Introduction

As we continue in our brands new series called “Sent” I want to recap last week a bit, remember the book we are reading through was a letter written by the apostle Paul, to the young pastor Timothy as he entered into a this massive mission field.

Paul encouraged him to engage in the spiritual battle and trust in Christ as he goes through that intense mission field full of people with different views and teachings than the ones that come from Christ.

As we keep reading today in Chapter 2, I want you to ask yourselves a simple question:

Am I ready for the spiritual battle that starts tomorrow?

When you go back to school tomorrow your gonna be around tons of different people with tons of different beliefs.

They may look at you funny for following Jesus, they may ignore you, but listen regardless of how they respond in our schools today, there is a presence of darkness. A ton of brokeness.

As we read on today, I want you to pick up on probably one of the simplest, yet most effective ways that you can take a stand in spiritual warfare tomorrow and notice how Paul encourages Timothy to take up this trait.

As we go back to school, we are gonna be surrounded by spiritual warfare, theres gonna be a battle within ourselves and within other students each day, that will either pull us closer to God or push us further from him and closer to the enemy, to the devil.

Read with today and learn the simplest, but most effective way to take a stand for Christ this year at school.

Prayer is a way to stand up for Christ

1 Timothy 2:1–7 CSB

1 First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, 2 for kings and all those who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. 3 This is good, and it pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, a testimony at the proper time. 7 For this I was appointed a herald, an apostle (I am telling the truth; I am not lying), and a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

As we go back to school tomorrow, I want you to be encouraged by this, that Prayer, while seemingly irrelevant is actually one of the most effective ways that we can take a stand for the truth of God.

#1 We trust God’s strength and his ability to answer

As a Christian our true strength is found in Christ, Jesus died on the cross and brought us back into relationship with God.

Jesus is our armor and our hope, we have no strength without him.

everyone knows the popular verse, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, but do we really live that? That verse isn’t saying I can do anything, Kaylene is never going to be able to dunk.

That verse, if you read it in the context of the scripture around it is saying that in the good times or in the bad, I have joy in my heart because I know that Christ’s will will be done.

Jesus answers the door

Will you knock? Will you reach out to him in prayer?

#2 Witness of our relationship with him

Another massive reason we pray whether that be in public or in private is simply to let the world know who we are dependent on, now don’t look at that as a bad thing. People are dependent on all sorts of things. Drugs, friends, money, so I think showing the world that we are dependent on Christ is a really good thing.

I had a friend in college named Caleb, who would pray and read his bible in public often.

Caleb, from the met him, showed me that he was dependent on Christ.

Caleb’s witness was effective even without words. Caleb found that having is bible out in public or praying, was a great way to start the conversation about God with people who needed to hear it.

Caleb was genuine with how he prayed. He didn’t pray in public so that he could be glorified, but rather so that Christ could be.

I want to encourage you here with this, I know deep down that public displays of faith can and often are looked at as weird in our culture today, our culture is twisted so backwards and is living in so much darkness, that it is unheard of in the outside world to think about God in your everyday life.

But it is a conversation starter. It opens the door for you to live out the calling of every believer and to share the good news that Jesus came to save in your everyday life.

The bible is clear, we never should pray or read the bible in public for the wrong reasons, but done properly with the sole aim of glorifying Jesus and starting Gospel conversations, you’ll see the kingdom of God expand.

When you start to do the little things right You’ll see people become saved and get active in the local church.

When you take a stand for Christ you’ll see big and positive changes in your school, community, and church.

I want to continue to build off of standing up for Christ and I want to continue to read and talk about standing out for Christ

The way we present ourselves is a golden opportunity to stand out for Christ.

1 Timothy 2:8–15 CSB

8 Therefore, I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or argument. 9 Also, the women are to dress themselves in modest clothing, with decency and good sense, not with elaborate hairstyles, gold, pearls, or expensive apparel, 10 but with good works, as is proper for women who profess to worship God. 11 A woman is to learn quietly with full submission. 12 I do not allow a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; instead, she is to remain quiet. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve. 14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and transgressed. 15 But she will be saved through childbearing, if they continue in faith, love, and holiness, with good sense.

I want to try to shed a little light on the darkness that was going through Ephesus, the place that Paul was telling Timothy to go minister at.

Women in the church were wearing extravagant wordly clothing that glorified self and made themselves appear as all that and a bag of chips. They were trying to look high class and like they were better than those who couldn’t afford stuff like they wore.

They also were causing drama to spark up throughout the church and were teaching false doctrines throughout Ephesus.

I want you to see Paul’s language here toward the women in Ephesus and see that Paul’s language here wasn’t necessarily saying Women aren’t allowed to talk. Paul was saying sometimes you gotta be quiet, sometimes you gotta take off those flashy things, sometimes you gotta let go of your own ego and put first the mission of God.

Paul was trying to bring order to a church that was living so in the dark that you couldn’t tell the difference between the Ephesians in the church and outside of the church.

Clothing represents our identity.