UNITY IN UNIQUENESS: Standing Behind

1 Timothy 1:1–2 NIV

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope, To Timothy my true son in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

1 Timothy 1:12–17 NIV

I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service. Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

INTRODUCTION

Someone once said:

God didn't create anything without a purpose, but mosquitoes and roaches come close.

And we might add ticks, lanternflies, kidney stones, and a whole host of other things that seem like they could certainly be exceptions.

And sometimes, unfortunately, people feel that way, too...that they might be one of those exceptions. (P)

We meet this fellow, Timothy, in the book of Acts, chapter 16, at a young age. He came from a mixed family - a Jewish mother and a Gentile father. While people who knew Timothy the best spoke well of him, plenty of others might have looked down on this family because of their blended arrangement.

When he began travelling with Paul, and Silas came into the picture, Timothy spent a lot of time in the shadows of these prominent figures.

His youth seemed to hold him back from time to time...as in churches today, there’s this notion that you need to be a certain age or have a certain amount of experience to fill a role in the church. Timothy dealt with that often, and that’s why Paul had to address that later on in this letter. {CLICK}

1 Timothy 4:12 NIV

Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.

If God is the one calling you, it doesn’t matter what anyone else says.

But too often so many people, like Timothy, whether because of their youth, or because they have aged, or because they are new to a congregation, or maybe they have always felt that they are a waste of space, or that maybe they were a mistake, ask these kinds of questions:

Why am I here?

What could I possibly contribute to this planet?

What could I possibly contribute to the church?

Can I even do anything valuable for God?

Perhaps some of you have felt that way.

Perhaps some among us this morning feel that way now.

Do I have a purpose?

-OR-

Perhaps you used to feel that way, and now have what it takes to find others who are dealing with this now, and you can help them to see things differently.

Maybe you can remind them of Psalm 139 - that everyone was created with a purpose - crafted cleverly by God for the exact time and space they find themselves in.

Maybe you can point them to 1 Corinthians 12, reminding them of what we have talked about so much: that everyone here has a gift; it is an important gift, no matter how insignificant it may seem, and it is to be used to fulfill our God-Given purpose.

And maybe, just maybe, you are the one person who can help them discover that gift, mentor them in how they can use it, and how they may be able to employ that gift in one of the positions in the church.

If you find yourself interested in doing this, perhaps you have found a place for yourself behind the congregation. (P)

Remember, in this series we have talked about three different positions in the congregation - all of them critical, and everyone belongs somewhere.

You can be in front of the congregation, through teaching, preaching, or leading the music or worship experiences - you have a role that offers that direct instruction or facilitation of Christian worship or education.

You could be in the middle of the congregation, working visibly or behind the scenes in the many roles and jobs that need to be done in the church - elder, deacon, handyman or caretaker of the building or property, cook, bible study leader or attender, soundboard and tech operator, sport player, or any of the myriad roles we find at the church.

Or you can be one who takes their place behind the congregation in the supportive, mentoring, prayerful role. The specifics of that are what we talk about today. (P)

Now you can take more than one of those positions, but everyone fits in at least one of them, and all are equally important. But this idea of standing behind the congregation is one we haven’t discussed yet, and I think this opening chapter of Paul’s letter to Timothy is a good one to examine.

What Paul’s words to Timothy accomplish is creating a timeless exhibit of what God was able to accomplish through Paul’s story and what God can accomplish through our stories to be that solid, supportive mentor and example for other people.

First, Paul would say that we: {CLICK}

1. Set a Model for the Present.

While there is a place in our thinking and living for the past and the future, which we’re going to talk about, what matters most and what we have the most control over today is what we do in the present.

Paul gives us his outlook in verse 12 of our text: {CLICK}

1 Timothy 1:12 NIV

I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service.

{CLICK}

We’re going to talk about what in his past makes that so miraculous, but for today, regardless of whether or not he had a remarkable conversion experience, Paul’s attitude is one of gratitude for being able to be where he is today in a position of being able to serve God by influencing others in their upcoming ministry.

Paul had high hopes for the work the churches under his care would accomplish, but he also took time to mentor individuals, like Timothy, in their leadership roles. (P)

And by now, we all know that what is even more important than what is said to those we seek to teach, help, and mentor is how those instructions are modeled by the ones trying to teach them. (P)

Paul’s aim in what would become his second letter to Timothy was not to brag, but simply to remind Timothy of all that Paul had endured throughout his ministry.

Chapter 3 and verse 10: {CLICK}

2 Timothy 3:10–14 NIV

You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, {CLICK} persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. {CLICK} In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, {CLICK} while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. {CLICK} But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it...

Particularly from me, Paul. {CLICK}

1 Corinthians 11:1 NIV

Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.

(P)

The two conclusions Paul wanted Timothy to draw from all those words were simply this:

I was willing to go through all of this because of the love I have for Jesus Christ, and for the people He loves and also wants to come to Him.

Don’t be surprised; in fact, expect that if you love Jesus and are thankful and willing as I am to do His work, you will have to endure some of that persecution, too. (P)

And we know about that persecution part already, though thankfully it’s not usually as bad as what they had experienced back then.

But do we have the love of God and love for others that Paul had? Do we want others to succeed in faith and succeed in service, and are we willing to mentor them and help them the way Paul helped Timothy?

People don’t come pre-programmed with all the information they need to do the work of ministry or to do the work of the church. And too many people today don’t seem to realize that or lack the patience to give them the time they need to learn it.

In my time as Pastor, in every church I have served, including here, I have heard someone or some people grump at others because they weren’t doing things exactly the way they thought they should be done.

And the only thing that comes from that is the would-be future helpers getting discouraged, not wanting to even try if they are just going to get grumped at, and in some cases, not even wanting to come back to church because they don’t want to deal with those kinds of sour attitudes, and I can’t blame them.

If we don’t take the time to patiently teach and mentor our future leaders and helpers, the day will come, mark my words, where the church will be full of people who are lost and don’t really know how to keep the work of the church going. (P)

A Bits and Pieces article illustrates this potential problem in this way:

For many years, Monterey, a California coast town, was a pelican's paradise. As the99 fishermen cleaned their fish, they flung the remains to the pelicans. The birds grew fat, lazy, and contented. Eventually, however, the remains were utilized in a different way, and there were no longer snacks for the pelicans.

When the change came, the pelicans made no effort to fish for themselves. They waited around and grew gaunt and thin. Many starved to death. They had forgotten how to fish for themselves.

The problem was solved by importing new pelicans from the south, birds accustomed to foraging for themselves. They were placed among their starving cousins, and the newcomers immediately started catching fish. Before long, the hungry pelicans followed suit, and the famine was ended.

Today is the opportunity to be thankful that God has brought you to where you are, gifted you the way He has gifted you, and has given you the opportunity today to help make someone’s tomorrow brighter and more productive as they also are trying to figure out how to use their gifts to glorify God.

And one of the unique tools God has given each of us is our stories, which go a long way in showing people God’s beautiful redemptive process. (P)

Paul committed to helping Timothy find his way and used himself as a model, putting everything out in the open. Timothy was well aware of Paul’s past, as he had once told the Corinthians in chapter 15 of his first letter: {CLICK}

1 Corinthians 15:9–10 NIV

For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. {CLICK} But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.

This would be Paul’s way of saying that he, as we must, number 2: {CLICK}

2. Learn from the Past.

By now, most of us remember the kind of man Paul was. Just a portion of his morbid past was recorded in Acts 7 and 8, as the faithful apostle Stephen met the end of his life...surrounded by angry Pharisees, Paul (then Saul) included: {CLICK}

Acts 7:57–8:3 NIV

At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, {CLICK} dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. {CLICK} While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” {CLICK} Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep. {CLICK} And Saul approved of their killing him. On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. {CLICK} Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. {CLICK} But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison.

That’s the kind of man Timothy had to learn from.

But it wasn’t a horrific lesson for Timothy because of Paul’s past sins, it was a powerful one because of God’s mercy, grace, and redemption.

And that’s exactly the point Paul would make as we return to today’s text in 1 Timothy 1, looking now at verse 13: {CLICK}

1 Timothy 1:13–14 NIV

Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. {CLICK} The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

(P)

For someone to go from hating Christ so much that he would persecute His church and murder His apostles to where he is now, himself, willing to go through persecution out his love for Christ and passion to see His church flourish, is no farce. It’s the real power of a forgiving, loving God, and now Paul can use that miraculous transformation to bring others to Christ, and then train them as leaders so they can bring even more to Christ. (P)

As has been the theme that we still take hope in and see play out in Paul’s work, from 2 Corinthians 4:15: {CLICK}

2 Corinthians 4:15 NIV

All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.

...just as was the design. (P) {CLICK}

But the operative word in what Paul is discussing here is this word learn. It’s the one thing we can control. We can do nothing to earn the grace of God for past mistakes; that’s all Him and His Son, the crucified and now resurrected Christ. But we are called to learn from that past, and to make proper adjustments to our lives so that those watching us can actually see the evidence of that changed life in our actions, and not just lip service. (P)

There are so many vices in life, especially those that are rooted in addiction, that are not that easy to turn from or stay away from. And so as obvious as the notion of learning from the past may seem, it isn’t always a simple concept.

It’s why it had to be addressed a few times in scripture.

Romans 5:20 and following: {CLICK}

Romans 5:20–6:1 NIV

The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, {CLICK} so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. {CLICK} What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?

And of course the answer to that, Paul would go on to say, is By no means!

In fact, as Hebrews 10 says in verse 26: {CLICK}

Hebrews 10:26 NIV

If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left.

It’s a big deal when there is no effort to turn away from the sin we have already been shown grace and forgiveness for. That doesn’t mean we can’t ever make a mistake - but is that what it is - a mistake - or do we just use Jesus as an excuse to keep on doing those things we know we shouldn’t do, but don’t want to turn away from? (P)

How much different would Paul’s story had been if he made it as far as accepting Christ, but didn’t make any effort to adjust his life accordingly? Would Timothy have been able to trust his leadership? (P)

A pastor once told his congregation:

When I first joined the gym, I wanted to lose the excess weight I was carrying. After a month, I asked the guy next to me what he thought my favorite machine was at the gym. He looked me up and down and said, “The vending machine.”

We know how ridiculous it is to say that we can have more success at the gym by gaining more weight so we can lose more weight. The gym is for those who realize they need help and are willing to make the necessary changes.

Who wants to follow a diet plan advertised by someone who looks no different than when they started, despite how many pounds they said they lost?

Wouldn’t we rather follow the diet plan of someone who looks exactly the way we wish we could look? (P)

A life of sin is no different. If we are thankful for the fact that God has created us with a purpose, a purpose that will glorify Him in the present, despite our sinful life in the past, then we should want to showcase that in such a way to those we mentor and support and depend on for the ongoing work of the church, that they want what we have, and as we’ve said so many times, in seeing what God has done through us, they want to glorify Him themselves. (P)

The ability to accomplish this is how we can ensure the mentor standing behind the congregation can, number 3: {CLICK}

3. Pave the Way for the Future.

Paul begins to close this section of his letter to Timothy by recapping, once again, that he had a horrific past, but Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners like himself; in fact, he considered himself the worst.

But then Paul completes the explanation of how this plays out in the future in verse 16: {CLICK}

1 Timothy 1:16 NIV

But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life.

(P) {CLICK}

There were people like Timothy who benefited greatly by the work of his mentor, the Apostle Paul. And there were going to be people whose lives would be changed eternally, and who would learn how to keep the work of the church going, because of the work of Timothy. And those lives changed by Timothy would keep the process going, church after church, year after year, generation after generation, until the flip of the calendar brings us to the date of August 23, 2026, in which we at Codorus Church have the same responsibility to bring people to Christ, and mentor them, and equip them to keep the work of the church going, and it depends on you.

If every person in this room would say, no thanks, that’s not for me, Codorus Church would cease from operation in the very near future. (P)

But what I’ve seen, especially recently, is the exact opposite...people who, instead, moved by what God has done for them, want to follow Paul’s example, and Timothy’s example, and ultimately, Christ’s example, when He once told His followers: {CLICK}

Matthew 5:14–16 NIV

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. {CLICK} Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. {CLICK} In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

{CLICK}

James 5:20 NIV

Remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

That’s what it means to take your place behind the congregation. (P)

It’s interesting: I’ve spoken in each message of this series a little bit about military formation, and how the front lines can deliver a powerful blow, but can’t go very far without reinforcement from behind.

This is from what I’ve seen in the movie Patriot and a little from my interest in the Battle of Gettysburg. But I’ve not done a lot of extensive research on military strategy.

Rhonda, who I mentioned loves to take things she hears and research them further, which is good in that it helps me as my fact checker, found some more information on military formations, and what she found confirmed what I have been saying...and I’m quoting from a varied number of sources whose info came together in this research.

—The back line of a military formation is vital because it guards against surprise attacks, reinforces weak spots, and delivers the final blow to win the fight.

—It is the reserve that holds off the main clash.

—They stay fresh and advance at just the right time to break the enemy.

And as this image relates to the church, these folks in the back, or behind the congregation, are the intercessors, often older or quieter members, with life experience and church experience, who hold up the church through constant prayer and spiritual support, and I add, they help mentor and equip others to take the places perhaps they once had, so the work of the church can keep going. (P)

CONCLUSION

So what that might look like at Codorus would be this:

Prayer Shepherd - someone who volunteers to pray with our folks in the prayer room on Sunday Morning, or be available if someone needs you to pray with them throughout the week.

A Prayer Warrior - maybe you don’t pray directly with someone, but you spend a lot of time in prayer for our church and our people.

You could be someone who welcomes our new folks, and stays in contact with them so they can learn the ways of faith and Codorus

Someone who takes a young person or youth under your wing, as either an advisor, or one who contacts them from time to take them to dinner, or pray with them, or some other meaningful way to maintain contact.

Maybe you know someone is taking a position at the church you once filled, and you can offer some patient and friendly advice that can help them in their work.

What are some other ways you can think of that you can fill a prayerful, supportive, or mentoring role here at Codorus Church? (P)

And I want us to be thinking about this - the ways you can help are not always directly obvious - they’re not always going to come to us. Sometimes they require some vigilance on our part, and we need to go to them.

I’ve missed things along the way, where hindsight said, oh yeah, there was an opportunity to step up and offer a significant hand of help to someone, and it fell through the cracks

But I want us to think about this here at Codorus: look around you, get to know people, especially those who may not have been attending very long or who are new members, or who are young but starting to become of age to become serious about their faith, and/or fulfill some important roles here at the church.

We can’t let people fall through the cracks, and that has, I’m afraid, happened.

Let me close with this experience from commentator Knute Larson:

I once met a young man who had spent the summer as a lifeguard at a lake. During those months he had pulled five people to shore, saving their lives. But the interesting thing to me was his comment about something all five had in common. “Not one of them,” he said, “asked me for help or yelled for me to come.”

Caught in a struggle between life and death, these people refused to admit their dilemma.

There are probably a number of explanations for such responses—an independent nature, self-protection, selfishness, pride. Most of them are rooted in our sinfulness. They keep us from seeking direction or rescue, from finding mercy or grace.

He closes by saying that people, in general, are often slow to admit they are drowning, lost, or need help - they may not even know how to ask. (P)

How can you find those people and offer your time to model a Christ-like life, as one saved by grace by a Savior who wants this pattern to continue well into the future, until the day of His return?

What role can you fill at Codorus, if you don’t already, to ensure this model keeps going the way Christ intended, and more people come to Him and serve Him?