In
1 and 2 Timothy, we read about a great concern of the Apostle Paul, given to
his son in the ministry.
Timothy, guard
what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the
opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge. (1 Timothy 6:20, NIV)
That is why I
am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed,
and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for
that. (2 Timothy 1:12, NIV)
Guard the good
deposit that was entrusted to you — guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit
who lives in us. (2 Timothy 1:14, NIV)
Guard
the good deposit. What is the "good deposit?" It is, of course, the
apostle's doctrine of Acts 2.42. It is the gospel of grace that Paul labored
for and defended in Acts 15 and in Galatians. It is the Word of God.
Guard
this Word of God. That is my concern, and that is your concern if you are a
pastor. This concern of Paul's, and mine and yours, is given in the context
of following one who has kept it. In other words, the "good deposit"
has made it through one pastor, and is now like a distance runner handing a
baton off to another runner-being entrusted to you. What are the implications?
How is this to be done? How can we "guard the deposit" in our generation?
Lord,
show us how to guard the deposit for the glory of Your name. I pray for the
sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ, in His name. Amen.
Have
you ever seen the old Disney children's movie, Dumbo? There is a scene
in that quaint old movie when the circus parade comes to town, and you see the
elephants linked nose-to-tail, forming an unbroken chain of giants. But what
is really funny is not just to see a smaller giant named Dumbo linked up, but
at the very end of the parade of giants is a little mouse named Timothy, hanging
on to the tail of the elephant. I feel like saying, "Hello. My name is
Timothy! I am a mouse following a parade of giants, and I probably need therapy!"
I
followed one of the most extraordinary orators in the church in the twentieth
century. Ben Haden was (is) an amazing speaker with a one-of-a-kind delivery,
a worldwide television ministry, and an amazing pastoral record. He served faithfully
for over 30 years. There are stories all over town, all over the country, about
the homiletical and pastoral feats of my esteemed predecessor. Now I knew I
was following that giant, but little did I know that there had been a veritable
pastoral parade of pulpit pacaderms in Chattanooga for over a century and a
half!