Sermon (Sept. 28) “Dear Timothy - Pursue a Godly Life” by Rev. Robert McDowell

September 28, 2025

Beulah UMC & Oak Grove UMC

     Today is the 3rd part of a 6-week series on instructions Paul is giving to Timothy, who was a young pastor serving a church in the region of Ephesus. Unlike today, where becoming a pastor can be a long time of preparation that includes a Master of Divinity degree, pastor’s licensing school, and a very in-depth credentialing process, Timothy had to learn on the fly.

     Actually, Timothy had spent a lot of time with Paul during his missionary journey and now Paul is giving Timothy important tips in what it means to be a pastoral leader of a church.

     For the first Sunday of our Dear Timothy series, the pastoral tip was for Timothy to set a culture where God’s overflowing love and grace welcomes all people. Last Sunday, the pastoral tip was to emphasize the importance of prayer which includes praying for our needs, the needs of others, and offering prayers of thanksgiving. Paul wants Timothy to have a praying church.

     For today, Paul’s spiritual tip to Timothy is for him to continue to pursue a godly life. We find this in the final part of his letter to Timothy. Paul uses the word, “godliness” twice in our scripture reading for this morning. In verse 6, Paul writes that “there is great gain in godliness.” And then in verse 11, Paul writes, “pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness.”

     One of the Bible commentaries that I read said that to pursue a godly life is to pursue an alternative way of living where we are seeking to live out God’s kingdom here on earth. This is why Paul uses words like “righteousness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness, and contentment,” in what it means to pursue a godly life.

     Those are words that describe Jesus. Jesus sought righteousness in making this world a better place. He had faith in which he trusted God who was leading him. Jesus endured the many challenges that came his way. He showed gentleness with the people he encountered including his enemies and those who were marginalized. And Jesus was content and knew that what God had given him was sufficient to fulfill God’s purposes through him.

     Pursing godliness means that we live our lives in such a way where we demonstrate a Christlike approach in how we live out our lives. I like this meaning of the word, “godliness” much more than what first came to my mind when I read that word from our scripture reading.

     For many people, the word, “godliness” is associated with someone who acts holier than thou, who comes across as judgmental, and who has a very narrow way of interpreting scripture. Chances are that you have probably come across some Christians like that. And we all are susceptible to coming across that way as well.

     I like Paul’s description of what it means to be godly which is rooted in who Jesus is, a seeker of righteousness and a person of faith, love, endurance, and gentleness.

     In this scripture passage from I Timothy, Paul also emphasizes the importance of contentment in living a godly life. He mentions contentment twice. Paul knows that the love of money can lead to a lack of contentment.

     This scripture reading includes one of the most misquoted verses in the Bible. Paul writes in verse 10, “For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.” It often gets misquoted as simply, “money is the root of all kinds of evil,” but the phrase is “the love of money.”

 

     Paul wants Timothy to know that being rich in good works, being generous, and being ready to share with others is what leads to contentment and a life that really is life. That’s actually how Paul puts it in verse 19; “Taking hold of the life that really is life.”

     Paul says how focusing on money above everything else can lead people to wander from the faith and lead to pain and a lack of contentment.

     This reminds me of something my mom used to say a lot. She would tell me how she and dad were the happiest when they were poor. And then she would follow that up that with the punch line, “Which is why we’ve always been really happy.”

     To this day, I don’t know how mom and dad who didn’t make a whole lot of money were able to provide for us four children, help us go to college, take us on vacations, gave us a wonderful place to live, and were also generous in helping others and giving to the church. Well, I did have to wear my brother’s hand-me-downs so there was that, but still, to this day, I still wonder how they did it.

     My only answer is that they maximized what they had, they worked hard, they lived within their means, and they just really loved us. They certainly did what Paul writes in his letter to Timothy, “They stored up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they could take hold of the life that really is life.”

     What a life we had while growing up. Full use of exploring the farm, building dams in the creek that ran through our meadow, making hay forts in the barn, not to mention tree houses. Drinking lemonade on our front porch after a long day of mowing our large yard. Playing croquet matches in our meadow. Going to church together. Just enjoying life!

     Wow, did I have it good or what? Thank you, mom and dad. Thank you for having a faith that pursued godliness in the best sense of that word. Thank you for making the best with what you had and for being content. I know that there are many people who didn’t have that kind of love and happiness growing up which is why I will always be thankful for their pursuit of godliness.

     Beyond parents and family, God places people in our path who have lived a godly life and have taken hold of the life that is really life.  I think of people in my home church who taught Sunday School, led bible studies, and served as pastors. These are the people who have made a positive impact on my life.

     Sky McCraken is a United Methodist pastor in Jackson, Tennessee. He writes about Bette who was a member of his church and was an example of someone who lived a godly life. She lived on a very limited income and had a variety of health and mobility challenges.

     He said that she could also try his patience. Sometimes, Bette would bring him small trinkets, one of them being a cross that she had made out of clothespins.

     During the funeral for Bette, one of the church members, Nancy who helped settle her estate shared how Bette had lived a godly life. She said that she had found a spiral notebook that was Bette’s ledger. It included her contributions to the church.

     Bette had very little, but in comparison to what she had, she was a very generous giver to the church. During her eulogy, Nancy said, “I wept when I realized how generous this woman was, and how little she kept for herself.”

     He also shared about a man in his congregation named, Morris. Morris had built up a very successful business during his lifetime. He was very generous in giving to the church and supporting the community.

     Morris paid for a lot of college tuitions and funeral expenses over the years for his employees and their families who were financially challenged. Morris could have driven any car he wanted but instead drove old vehicles until they fell apart. He believed that the church and those who had been entrusted with much should live out what Jesus said to love and care for one another.

      When I think of godly people, I think of Bishop Gregory Palmer who was my Bishop for 12 years in the West Ohio Conference. When he retired from ministry last year, one of the pastor friends in West Ohio referred to him this way in which I heartily added my “Amen.”

     Here’s what she said: “Bishop Palmer's heart and passion can't help but bubble out and through. Grateful for his heart of deep and abiding gratitude and faithfulness!”

     You can just tell when someone is living a godly life, a life where they are taking hold of the life that really is life. This is why Paul is telling Timothy in this last chapter of his letter to be that kind of pastor and that kind of church where people are pursuing righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness.

     And then Paul tells Timothy to fight that good fight and to put his energy in living that kind of godly life.And we are all invited to be people who live that life, a life that can fill up a room with the love of Jesus.

    In his biography of St. Antony who inspired many through his faith during the 4th century, Athanasius wrote this rhetorical question about him where he asks, “Whoever met Antony grieving and failed to go away rejoicing?”

     When I read that, it occurred to me that this is probably the best way to describe someone who has lived a godly life. “Whoever met Antony grieving and failed to go away rejoicing?”

     May this be said about you and me as well.

Sunday (September 28) Pastoral Prayer

September 28, 2025

Beulah UMC & Oak Grove UMC

Lord Jesus, thank you for the Apostle Paul’s encouragement to us today to pursue a godly life. And whenever we forget what that means, help us to remember to pursue a life in becoming more and more like you every day. Help us to make it our life goal to pursue righteousness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness and contentment.

 

Lord Jesus, help us to be more like you in our mission as a church, in the way that we relate to others, in the way that we handle our finances, and in being content with the blessings you have given us. Take our lives and let them be consecrated, Lord to thee.

 

And just as the Apostle Paul reminded Timothy in last Sunday’s scripture reading to emphasize prayer in his church, we turn to you now in prayer. And part of our prayer this morning is for each one of us to grow in what it means to be more like Jesus, more loving, more gracious, more compassionate, more empathetic, more welcoming, and more generous with our time and our resources.

 

We also pray on behalf of those who on our church’s prayer list and others who are on our hearts and minds this day. We pray for those in need of healing, those who are going to a time of loss and grief, those who are in need of guidance and direction, and those who are facing a challenging situation in their lives. We lift all of these needs up to you.

 

As we continue to live out Paul’s instructions to Timothy to help his church set a culture of being welcoming and gracious, of being a praying church, and a church where we are all seeking to pursue a godly life, we also give you thanks for the peace and contentment that comes from being the church you call us to be.

 

Lord Jesus, take our lives and let them be consecrated Lord to thee even as we pray the prayer that you taught us to say together…

 

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Sermon (Sept. 21) “Dear Timothy - Emphasize Prayer!” by Rev. Robert McDowell

September 21, 2025

Beulah UMC & Oak Grove UMC

    Last Sunday, we began a 7-week sermon series that we are calling, “Dear Timothy.” Our appointed New Testament readings during these weeks take us through the two letters that the Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy.

     These two letters are known as “The Pastoral Letters” because in these letters Paul is offering pastoral instructions to young Timothy who is pastoring the church in Ephesus.

     Actually, I don’t know why Paul wrote these letters to Timothy. He could have saved a lot of time by simply sending Timothy this website link that says at the top of the homepage:

     “Online ordination is fast, easy, and completely free. To become a minister, start by clicking the button below!”

     And underneath that link it says that this website will also provide free training information for officiating at a wedding, a baptism, a funeral, starting your own church, and delivering a sermon.

     You might have noticed that my sermons have been a little better lately because I clicked on that link.

     I like the part from that sermon training link that says, “When speaking on controversial subjects, it is best to tread lightly.” I mean, there is some really good information in there. And a lot of it is free! No 3-year Master of Divinity degree needed! Just click whatever link you need. How easy is that??

     Well, it really isn’t that simple which is why Paul is taking the time to write these letters to Timothy. The big advantage that Paul has in instructing Timothy is that unlike these online instant clergy websites, Paul actually knows Timothy pretty well because they have already been in ministry together.

     This personal connection between Paul and Timothy goes back to Paul’s 1st of 3 missionary journeys that we can read about in the Book of Acts. During his 1st missionary journey, Paul had founded new churches in Asia Minor which included the cities of Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe.

     During Paul’s 2nd missionary journey, he revisits these new churches and meets Timothy for the first time. The other connection is that Paul knew Timothy’s grandmother and mother, Lois and Eunice because they were two of Paul’s first converts from the Jewish community in Lystra. Most likely, Timothy became a follower of Jesus in between Paul’s 1st two missionary journeys.

     Paul could see in Timothy a person who would be good to assist him in his missionary journey.

     The other reason I think that Paul saw Timothy as a future pastoral leader is because Timothy’s father was a Gentile and his mother was Jewish. Paul knew that God would be able to use him since the good news of Jesus is meant to be shared with both Jews and Gentiles.

     As Paul’s trusted missionary companion, he was able to send Timothy to check on the various churches he had founded. We know that Paul and Timothy had a close relationship in these early years of ministry together because in other letters, Paul refers to Timothy as his “co-worker,” as his “son,” as “his child,” and as “his brother.”

     Unlike getting trained to be a pastor by reading a couple of articles on the internet, Timothy already knew Paul and served in ministry with him. Timothy has already seen first-hand what is needed to help a church to grow and he also experienced the challenges and the obstacles that can keep a church from living out its faith and mission.

     And now years later, Timothy is pastoring a church in Ephesus and Paul is providing him with these two letters of instructions to continue to help him lead his churches.

     For Paul’s first instruction to Timothy which we looked at last week, the focus was on setting a culture in the church where all are welcomed and included. And Paul does this by opening his letter to Timothy by emphasizing the overflowing grace and mercy of Jesus Christ.

     Setting a culture in which God’s grace is emphasized and where everyone is loved and included is so important because there are many people who feel more judged by the church than they do accepted by the church.

     For this week here in chapter two of his letter, Paul reminds Timothy to emphasize prayer in his church. He writes, “I urge you that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone.”

     Paul concludes that sentence by adding “for kings and all who are in high positions.” I’ll come back to that specific prayer instruction a little later. For now, I want to focus on the first part of Paul’s instructions to Timothy.

     Paul urges Timothy to have a church that offers up prayers of supplication, intercession, and thanksgivings for everyone.

     Let’s focus on prayers of supplication. These are prayers in which we are asking God for something. These are probably the most popular type of prayers where we have a need; maybe it’s a need for guidance and direction, maybe we are in need of some type of healing, maybe we are in need of forgiveness for something we have done or left undone.

     There all kinds of examples of prayers of supplication.

     One of the things I have been working in my own spiritual life is to not minimize my own personal prayer needs. For example, I’m pretty good at praying for others but sometimes, I neglect to include myself in my own prayers.

     And when we neglect our own personal prayer needs, we can become spiritually empty. So, to all of you who sometimes forget your own personal prayer needs, Paul is urging us to take time for ourselves as well.

     Paul also urges Timothy to have his church offer prayers of intercessions which refer to those prayers that we lift up on behalf of others. Our weekly pastoral prayer during the worship service is an opportunity for us to lift up prayer needs both locally as well as around the world.

      We also keep updating our church’s prayer list which reminds us to pray for these persons who are in need of God’s comfort and strength in whatever they may be facing.

     Just like it’s important for a church to set a culture of being welcoming to everyone, Paul encourages Timothy to set a culture of prayer in the church as well. And when that culture of prayer is set, people will know the importance of praying for each other.

     I was having a conversation one day with a church member who attends another church when her phone started ringing. She said to me, “Sorry, I need to take this call.”

     It was an automated call from her church that asked people to pray for someone who was about to have surgery that morning. After she hung up the phone, she bowed her head for about 30 seconds praying for that person who was about to have surgery. After she prayed, we resumed our conversation. This was a great example of a prayer of intercession not just in the middle of the day, but in the middle of a conversation.

     And then Paul urges Timothy to have his church offer prayers of thanksgiving. It’s wonderful that we can pray for our own needs as well as the needs of others, but it’s also important that we offer prayers of thanksgiving for our many blessings.

     Paul excelled at this in the letters he wrote. He often begins his letters with prayers of thanksgiving. In one of his letters, he abruptly pauses and offers a short prayer of praise and thanksgiving to God and then continues on with his letter. I love how Paul was able to have prayer interrupt his daily work. What’s that hymn writer tell us to do? “Every time I feel the Spirit moving in my heart, I will pray.”

     Prayers of thanksgiving aren’t just meant for around the Thanksgiving table in November. They are meant to be prayed throughout the year! God has blessed us in so many ways and prayers of thanksgiving remind us of those blessings.

     Paul is urging Timothy to encourage his church to be a church that offers prayers of supplication, prayers of intercession, and prayers of thanksgiving.

     Paul adds specific instructions about praying for everyone including kings and all who are in high positions. You read that and you wonder why Paul mentions that specific group of people.

     Paul’s big goal was to share the good news of Jesus Christ with the entire world which was governed by the Roman Empire. Even when he was establishing several churches in Asia Minor, he also wanted to eventually share the gospel in Rome and even in Spain.  

     Paul always had this big picture in mind, this global picture in mind where the good news of Jesus would be shared throughout the world.

     In addition to being globally minded, Paul who believed that Jesus was the true king and ruler over all creation also knew that God uses earthly rulers to help hold the world together through their leadership.    

     The famous 20th century theologian Karl Barth was known to say, “Keep the bible in one hand and your newspaper in the other.”

     Barth said this because he believed that in order for God to speak to us through his Word, our faith should always be informed by the events that are taking place in our community, in our country, and throughout the world. If God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, it’s important for us to be aware of the needs of the world that God loves so much.

     Paul encourages Timothy to have a praying church, prayers of supplication, prayers of intercession, and prayers of thanksgiving.

     In a church I was serving, I was walking down one of the hallways on a weekday afternoon and noticed out of the corner of my eye two of our youth praying together just outside the chapel door.

     As I continued walking by, a smile came to my face and I remember thinking, “We must be doing something right.”