One morning in 1986 I was all alone on a 4-wheeler with 50 acres to myself.
I was off-work that day, so I decided to drive from Spring to Centerville to surprise my mom with a visit.
I got there, she wasn’t there, but the 4-wheeler was.
That day, I rode that 4-wheeler for all it was worth.
Just me and that 4-wheeler, or so I thought.
I rode for about an hour, waiting for mom to show up, just anytime.
In that hour, I got in this incredible zone.
I pushed out everything.
I was intensely aware of the race track I was on. No other thoughts!
I was 26 years old and racing time!
Suddenly, I was overcome with a shuddering feeling within myself that something was not right.
I immediately stopped the 4-wheeler, got off shaking.
After riding the 4-wheeler back to the barn, I went home, having not seen or heard from my mom that day.
Early morning around 2am, 2 days later, I’m awakened by a ringing phone.
It was my aunt and she said “your mom has been in a terrible car wreck, you need to get to the hospital right away.”
Remember, I said I felt like I was racing time that day?
This week, I thought about the apostle Paul as he wrote 2nd Timothy. I realized he had to have felt as though he were racing time.
I can imagine Paul was pushing out everything that didn’t pertain to his letter to Timothy, just as I pushed everything out that day, as I rode the 4-wheeler.
Paul had an urgency. Read 2nd Timothy and you will feel that sense of urgency, as I am certain Timothy did.
Church, now is our time of urgency, as we too are racing time.
I’m 63. Those of you in your 20’s and 30’s may not feel it so intensely, but the urgency is there.
As the world is being swallowed up in sin, we are the called out ones-the EKKLESIA!
Today our key passage is 2nd Timothy chapter 1.
If you haven’t figured it out already the title of the message is RACING TIME.
We’ll take a slightly different look @ the 1st chapter of 2nd Timothy.
When I was growing up, my grandfather would say “every year goes by faster than the year before”. In my youth, I thought “you don’t know what you are talking about, you old codger.”
But like most times when he spoke, he did know what he was talking about!
Each passing year, I realize the knew EXACTLY what he was talking about.
Scientist believe there is a physiological explanation of this perception of time as we age.
So, here’s the massively abbreviated version, not the dissertation version.
As we age, the memories of our life experiences grow denser-there’s more of them.
Therefore, it takes longer for one neuron to connect to another neuron, as it moves through our memories.
Ironically, this slowing down of synapses of neurons, speeds up our perception of time.
Also, as we age our perception of life-span intensifies as we realize such statistics like:
Average lifespan of American male is 80 years.
For my son Tristan, that is literally a life-time away.
For me, that average is less than a generation away.
When I was 26, I was racing time differently than I am @ 63.
Here’s my point, we’re all racing time!
We just got in the race at different times!
Let’s look @ 2nd Timothy chapter 1.
Stand with me as we read Gods word.
2nd Timothy Chapter 1:1-9
Although Paul doesn’t use the word “urge” as he did in Romans 12:1, there is a sense of urgency in his writing to Timothy.
v.1-2 from and to, of the letter
v.3-4 very personal and intense (anyone have the NLT version)
v.6 stir up the gift of God/fan into flames
campfire scene- burning embers, add wood, fan into flames. When we seek lost souls, we are adding wood to the fire and fanning them into flames!
Do you recall the experience when you were first saved?
Reflect on that for just a moment.
Has that time in your life, turned into a burning ember?
Have you gotten over that feeling of first being saved?
Do you need to fan the flames?
As a body of Christ, have we come to a place of complacency in America? A place of complacency instead of expectancy?
How do we break the strong-hold of being in a rut?
One way is to get fired up about finding lost souls!!!
We need to get fired up about souls saved and baptisms having right here @ CPC!
This week I watched a documentary on Bobby Kennedy.
Although I have watched hours of documentaries on JFK, this was my first on Bobby.
This documentary gave a portrayal of Bobby before his brothers assassination, and after his assassination.
His brothers’ assassination changed him.
I got the feeling that Bobby Kennedy was on his way to becoming a world-changer.
The assassination of JFK changed Bobby forever.
I believe it changed America as well.
Paul was a change-maker.
His road to Damascus changed him forever.
What about you?
Obviously, we don’t want a loved one to be assassinated, or for us to go blind in order to see Jesus, but we can be change-makers in the world around us.
Mordecai Ham was born in 1877.
It is reported that his ministry helped bring about 300k people to Christ.
During a revival in 1934, one of those people was Billy Graham.
Just for a moment, forget about the other 300k souls that accepted Christ as a result of Mordecai Hams’ ministry, and that it were only BG that got saved.
Would MH still be considered a world-changer?
Of course he would!
How about the other way around?
Of course he would!
Story of starfish.
In our witness and testimony we must have a spirit of expectancy, not a spirit of fear.
Mordecai Ham said there are 3 reasons men (mankind) run from Christ
Love of gain
Love of sin
Fear of what others will say (listen to what Paul tells Timothy in v.8…)
Read v.8
Never really picked up on “nor of me His prisoner”.
Imprisonment is a worldy sign of failure, but Paul is telling Timothy “don’t have a fear of what others will say about me”, but rather “share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God.”
Read v9 say “the ekklesia”.
Church, consider how time influences our urgency.
Interesting that Paul says “don’t be ashamed of the Gospel” in 2nd Timothy, but in 1st Timothy4:12 Paul says “let no on despise your youth”.
When I said “in my youth” I didn’t think my grandfather knew what he was talking about when he said time goes by faster each year, I was a young teenager.
By all accounts, Timothy was at least 30, perhaps closer to 40, and Paul was estimated to have been about 60 when he penned 2nd Timothy.
Again, I say, consider how time influences our urgency.
In our men's breakfast (btw ty Robbie) yesterday, someone said “you have all the time in the world”, and I understood what he meant in the context of what he was saying, but the truth of the matter is this:
“you have all the time in the world” is a lie straight from the pit of hell!
We have to be intentionally urgent, church!
Now is the time to:
Fan the flame
Use our gifts- Yesterday, I thought about this:
Peter only denied Christ 3 times.
How many times have we denied Christ by not using our gifts for His glory
Break out of rut and routine of complacency and replace with a spirit of expectancy!
Oh and BTW-my mom is alive and doing well. One day you might hear “the rest of the story”
To our online viewers: Be a blessing to someone this week!
Call Dan and Joy up.
We’ve been streaming up the mountain of God for a few years together haven’t we?
One day y’all will hear “well done, good and faithful servants” from the One whom it matters most, but for today, hearing it from me, will have to do!
Well done, good and faithful servants!
