There Is More by Brian Houston

Author:Brian Houston
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: The Crown Publishing Group
Published: 2018-03-20T04:00:00+00:00

I don’t think it would be amiss to also mention that Timothy was chosen by God and picked by Paul likely because of his servant heart and willing character. Service and sacrifice rarely go unnoticed.

A Genuine Faith

What does it mean to have a genuine faith? Have you ever heard someone described as a “real Christian”? I long to be a real Christian. I want people who might see me as “that Hillsong pastor” to also know me to be generous, kind, patient, loving, and Christlike off the platform: in my local coffee shop, at the gas station, or stuck in traffic. I’m afraid that sometimes I fail the fruit-of-the-Spirit test. What about you?

Paul came to the town of Lystra looking for young Timothy. The verses we’ve explored tell us that Timothy was well spoken of in his hometown. Both the book of Acts and the letters of Timothy paint a picture of this young disciple as a loyal follower, a wide-eyed learner, a young (but not novice) leader, and a trustworthy son with a credible platform. Additionally, Timothy would eventually become the pastor of the church in Ephesus—not a small platform either! We don’t know the exact number of people he reached, but many would say that the Ephesian church attracted thousands and produced all manner of ministries.

Without a doubt, Timothy’s success was directly linked to his character. Paul sought out this young disciple because of his integrity. In fact, the very first words recorded in Paul’s first letter to Timothy are these: “To Timothy, a true son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Timothy 1:2). Paul was no doubt referring to Timothy’s character as the real thing, genuine and unblemished. I believe that it is the will of God for you and me to also live true—true to ourselves, true in our relationships, true to our leadership and calling.

Matthew 7:15–20 in The Message says this: “Be wary of false preachers who smile a lot, dripping with practiced sincerity. Chances are they are out to rip you off some way or other. Don’t be impressed with charisma; look for character. Who preachers are is the main thing, not what they say.” In this passage, Jesus was pointing to the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. Throughout the Gospels, we see that these men of religion were not true to whom they were. More often than not, they would say one thing and do another.

Have you ever been hurt by someone like that? Hypocrisy hurts the church. It damages the bride of Christ and disillusions genuine followers of Jesus. And we are all guilty of it at some level or another. But the life of Timothy is an example to follow. His authenticity is what attracted Paul to him, and it opened doors of opportunity for him.

As an aside, let me caution you not to put pastors, teachers, and leaders on a pedestal. The Bible says in James 3:1 that teachers

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