The Story of Eunice and Lois

Transcription

1 The Story of Eunice and Lois in Acts 16:1-5, 2 Timothy 3:14-16 and 1Timothy 1:1-5 Day One Anticipate: to look forward to or expect What does it mean to live a life of significance? I began asking this question with intensity as a young mother. I wanted our three daughters to reflect God s character, but I observed them acquiring my habits instead. I didn t always like what I saw! About the same time several young women in our fellowship in Norfolk were diagnosed with terminal illnesses. As I visited these mothers and ministered to their families, I began to grapple with the brevity of life. I had an overwhelming sense of urgency to prioritize my time and resources. I also was being challenged in new ways to seek first the kingdom. I began reading biographies of pioneer missionaries like Lilias Trotter, Amy Carmichael, Lottie Moon and Ann Judson. Through daily choices, these women died to themselves as they followed Jesus to the ends of the earth. God s love for the world compelled them! They put the needs of the lost before their own security, comfort or reputations. They saw significance through the lens of God s Word and invested mind, soul and body in the kingdom. Key verse: Don t collect for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But collect for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don t break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:19-21 For Lilias Trotter, significance meant leaving a wealthy, privileged family in Victorian England to sail for Algeria in 1888 at her own expense. As a single, 39-year-old woman with a heart condition, no mission agency would send her. Her call to pioneer work among Muslims led her to the harvest fields of North Africa. She enrolled in the University of Algiers and studied Arabic. She spent the next 42 years using her remarkable gifts as an artist, strategist and linguist to share Jesus love. She illustrated children s Bible story books, wrote stories for women and helped translate Scripture all in colloquial Arabic. Many missionary women including Lilias Trotter, Ann Judson, Amy Carmichael and Lottie Moon have used their writing gifts to leave future generations of women a clear message of eternal significance. As I ve read their writings, I have discovered you don t have to be a biological mother to invest as a spiritual mother. Lilias, Amy and Lottie never married or had children, but they invested their lives in spiritual children by telling God s 1

2 story and nurturing the next generation of disciples. Bold and courageous, these women glorified God and advanced His kingdom in hard places. They often violated the cultural strictures of what was considered proper for young women. A common theme radiates from their writings With God all things are possible. As Western women, we have so many blessings education, freedoms and financial resources. Will we invest our blessings in eternity or will we squander God s riches on things that don t last? Jesus reminds us, For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:21) Our study this week focuses on two godly women Eunice and her mother, Lois. They raised a godly son in a home without the influence of a believing father. These women invested their lives in grounding Timothy in the Scriptures early in life. When the Apostle Paul and his mission team traveled into Asia, they recruited Timothy to join them. Eunice and Lois released Timothy to follow Jesus wherever He led even to the ends of the earth. Without modern conveniences like satellite phones or to help them stay in touch with their boy, these biological and spiritual mothers sent Timothy to plant churches in uncharted territory. 1. Read this week s selected Scriptures (below). Earlier in Acts, Paul and Barnabas had preached among the Gentiles and many churches were planted on their first missionary journey into Asia. After a strong disagreement with Barnabas, his long-time mentor and encourager, Paul strikes out on his second missionary journey with Silas and Luke as traveling companions. Before reading the story, ask the Lord to give you ears to hear what He is saying to you today. Then he [Paul] went on to Derbe and Lystra, where there was a disciple named Timothy, the son of a believing Jewish woman, but his father was a Greek. The brothers at Lystra and Iconium spoke highly of him. Paul wanted Timothy to go with him, so he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, since they all knew that his father was a Greek. As they traveled through the towns, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem for them to observe. So the churches were strengthened in the faith and were increased in number daily. (Acts 16:1-5) Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God s will, for the promise of life in Christ Jesus: To Timothy, my dearly loved child. Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. 2

3 I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience as my forefathers did, when I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day. Remembering your tears, I long to see you so that I may be filled with joy, clearly recalling your sincere faith that first lived in your grandmother Lois, then in your mother Eunice, and that I am convinced is in you also. (2 Timothy 1:1-5; The Apostle Paul writing a second letter to Timothy) But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed, knowing those from whom you learned, and that from childhood you have known the sacred Scriptures, which are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:14-16) 2. Today s study will introduce our story by concentrating on the Apostle Paul and how he met Timothy. For background, read Acts 15:36-41 and answer the questions below. Why was Paul traveling through Derbe and Lystra? Why did Barnabas and Paul disagree and part company? After choosing Silas as his mission partner, what did Paul do in Syria and Cilicia? 3. Has a conflict in ministry ever derailed you from the task of sharing Jesus? What do Paul and Barnabas teach you about staying focused? 4. Looking again at Acts 16:1-5, answer the following questions about Timothy. How is he described in the text? 3

4 What do you know about his mother? What do you learn about his father? What kind of reputation did Timothy have among the believers in Lystra and Iconium? 5. Circumcision was usually performed on Jewish boys when they were eight days old. Why do you think this rite of passage was not performed on Timothy when he was a baby? What could this suggest about his father? Why did Paul circumcise Timothy? 6. Paul wrote two letters to Timothy. The second letter was written while Paul was in prison in Rome and Timothy was pastor at the church in Ephesus. What do you learn about Paul s relationship with Timothy from the greeting in 2 Timothy 1:1-5? What did Paul do for Timothy night and day? 7. Ask the Lord to help you apply the lessons from today s study. Do you see potential in a young believer? How could you be a spiri- tual mother to someone today? 8. Close your study today by praying for your partners in ministry and for pastors and missionaries who may be struggling with broken relationships and team unity. Ask the Lord to help them to stay focused on the task God has given them. 4

5 Day Two Prepare: things done to make ready As you think and meditate on the story, you participate in the Spirit s work of teaching and applying the Word. 1. Read this week s selected Scripture passages again. Focus your attention on Eunice and Lois. 2. What did Paul recognize in Timothy s heritage? 3. How would you describe Lois? What did she pass on to Eunice? 4. What did Eunice invest in Timothy? 5. In spite of a lack of support from a godly father, what did Eunice teach Timothy? When did she start teaching Timothy the Scriptures? 6. Read Deuteronomy 6:4-7. Like other Jewish boys, Timothy would have learned this Old Testament confession. Think about the Scripture passage and about what you ve observed in your own life: When do parents transmit most life lessons to their children? Listen, Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is One. Love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. (Deuteronomy 6:4-7) 5

6 If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this: that you produce much fruit and prove to be My disciples. John 15: In Acts 16, Timothy is described as a disciple. Read the words of Jesus in John 15:7-8. What do you learn about being a disciple? How does John say our Father is glorified? 8. In 2 Timothy 1, Paul speaks of sincere faith. How do we demon- strate sincere faith in our lives? 9. As you close your study time today, reflect on how you are abiding in God s Word. Are you passing His Word on to future generations? Are you nurturing others with your sincere faith? What would others say about your life? Would they recognize you as a follower of Jesus? Write your reflections or prayer below. Day Three Prepare: things done to make ready As you think and meditate on the story, you participate in the Spirit s work of teaching and applying the Word. 1. Read our Scripture story again today. Our focus today is on priori- ties. Eunice and Lois invested in what they considered most pre- cious, instilling in Timothy a love for God, His Word and His world. 6

7 2. Timothy would have learned the stories of Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, Moses and other Old Testament heroes and heroines of faith. He also would have learned about Jesus in the oral stories passed down by Paul and Barnabas in their first journey through Derbe and Lystra. In 2 Timothy 3:14-16, what does Paul say about how God s Word works in our lives? 3. Read John 3:16. How did God demonstrate love for the world? 4. How did Eunice and Lois demonstrate their love for God? 5. Eunice and Lois invested in the kingdom by giving their best, their only son, to reach the nations. In their culture, a son gave women security in their old age and would have functioned essentially like their social security! What did Jesus teach in Matthew 6:33 that could have sustained Eunice and Lois as they released Timothy to go with Paul? 6. How might Jesus life have served as an example to the women? 7. Read Psalm 67 out loud as a prayer. How are you investing your blessings? Why does God bless us in the first place? May God be gracious to us and bless us; look on us with favor so that Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations. Let the peoples praise You, God; let all the peoples praise You. Let the nations rejoice and shout for joy Psalm 67:1-4 7

8 Day Four Prepare: things done to make ready As you think and meditate on the story, you participate in the Spirit s work of teaching and applying the Word. 1. Read the week s Scripture passage again. Then spend some time thinking about someone you know who is investing in the king- dom. What characterizes his or her life? 2. Read this story of a modern spiritual mother who is investing in the kingdom. As you read, ask yourself how others invested to make this story possible. Ahma s story It was an act of desperation. She had no choice, so she made the trip to the hospital in search of someone, anyone who might help her. She walked in shame, covered in a sin so grave in her culture that her husband was threatening to take another wife: She was unable to conceive a child. As she walked, she clung to her last hope this little hospital. In a mission clinic in South Asia, God intervened for this young Hindu woman who was married to a drunken Hindu priest. A Christian worker at the hospital received her with kindness and prayed for her in the name of Jesus Christ. The power of God touched her body with a son and her heart with His truth. For many years afterward, Ahma (which means mommy), as she is called by her family and friends, followed Jesus; she feared persecution from her husband. In her private worship, she experienced the gift of prayer and quiet communion with her Lord. Bishwa, the son who was the answer to her desperate plea, grew up cloaked in the protection of his mother s prayers. When Bishwa returned from college to tell his mother he had become a follower of Jesus Christ, Ahma responded that she knew he would because she had been praying for his salvation since his birth. 8

9 Today in her elder years, she remains a woman dedicated to prayer and its power. She never forsakes the privilege given to her to go before the Father. In fact, it is not unusual for her to spend up to six hours a day in prayer. She is a premier prayer warrior, says one IMB worker and close friend. Another friend adds, If I need prayer, I make sure Bishwa s mother knows my request. She is a praying woman. Still another friend recalls going to her home for fellowship. Mommy wouldn t let me leave until we had sat and prayed together. Bishwa and his wife are church planters determined to live out their faith with boldness and courage. They share with abandon because their work is covered in the prayers of a righteous woman. May the spiritual mothers of the world continue in their prayers for therein is the power of God. 3. What kinds of investment made it possible for Ahma to come to faith in Jesus? 4. How are these investments still bearing fruit today? 5. How does Ahma s investment in Bishwa remind you of Eunice and Lois? 6. Read 2 Corinthians 9:6-8. What principles of sowing and reaping do you learn from this passage? Remember this: the person who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the person who sows generously will also reap generously. Each person should do as he has decided in his heart not out of regret or out of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make every grace overflow to you, so that in every way, always having everything you need, you may excel in every good work. 2 Corinthians 9:6-8 9

10 7. Examine your heart in light of the study today. How are you sowing? Are you a cheerful giver? Ask the Lord to show you how to excel in every good work. Write your reflections or prayer here. Day Five Prepare: things done to make ready As you think and meditate on the story, you participate in the Spirit s work of teaching and applying the Word. 1. Read this week s Scripture story again today. As you have medi- tated on the story this week, what is God teaching you about investing in the kingdom? 2. Read the key verses for this week s study from Matthew 6: What does Jesus teach here about treasure? 3. What are some of the dangers of collecting treasure here on earth? 4. Go on and read Matthew 6: Three times in this passage (verses 25, 31 and 34), Jesus says, Don t worry. Why and how do things here on earth create anxiety? 10

11 5. Why do you think Jesus puts this command not to worry in the same context of teaching us about prayer and seeking the king- dom first? 6. Think about two things your prayer life and your checkbook. How does each of these things indicate where your heart and treasure are? 7. Think back on the women we have studied over the last five weeks. What do they have in common when it comes to investing in the kingdom? Day Six Celebrate: to commemorate an event, to publish abroad, to make famous Let the story live through you. Today s study can be done with a group or alone. 1. Review this week s study. Share some of the things the Lord taught you this week. Did the study raise questions you want to ask? 11

12 For we are His creation created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them. 2. Read Ephesians 2:10 out loud as a group. 3. The New International Version translates the first part of Ephesians 2:10, For we are God s workmanship How are we God s workmanship? How was Timothy equipped for the work God prepared for him to do with Paul? Ephesians 2:10 4. Think about your study this week. What did you learn from Eunice and Lois about being spiritual mothers and grandmothers? How did their obedience to Jesus words to seek first the kingdom impact the kingdom? 5. On your Glorify DVD, you ll find three videos with stories of women who have invested in the kingdom. They have lived lives of significance, walking in the path God has prepared for them. Some of their stories might surprise you. If you have time, watch all three videos; if not, choose one or two. VIDEO ONE: A Life of Significance What are some of the challenges the people in the video face as they follow Jesus and take the Gospel to unreached peoples? In an 1887 letter, Lottie Moon wrote, How many there are who imagine that because Jesus paid it all, they need pay nothing, forgetting that the prime object of their salvation was that they should follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ in bringing back a lost world to God. How has this been true in your own life, in subtle or obvious ways? 12

13 The video asks, How will you and I define significance? Keeping in mind the Scripture you studied this week, how would you define significance? Based on that definition, are you living a life of significance? VIDEO TWO: With God Nothing is Impossible Name some of the reasons Halie and Remi could have given not to go to Africa. Do any of the reasons sound like excuses you use in your own life not to follow God s lead? How do you think Halie and Remi define significance? What challenges do you think their parents faced in releasing these girls to follow Christ s call? VIDEO THREE: Ramona Reese How did you see God working both in Debra s life and in Ramona s life? After Ramona lost her baby, she was angry with God and questioned why God had placed her in Brazil. Until her young friend, Debra, called, she did not see the significance of how God was using her. In what situations in your own life do you not see how 13

14 God is using you? What are some ways you can be faithful to God, regardless of whether you can see Him working? If Debra had never called, Ramona might never have known the significant way God had used her. Has God used someone to encourage your own spiritual growth? If so, write her name below, committing to letting her know the significant role she s played in your life. Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be arrogant or to set their hope on the uncertainty of wealth, but on God, who richly provides us with all things to enjoy. [Instruct them] to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the age to come, so that they may take hold of life that is real. 1 Timothy 6: As American women we are blessed with more riches than most of the women in the world can imagine. Read 1 Timothy 6: As you have watched the videos this week, how have you seen women taking hold of life that is real? 7. I want to take hold of life that is real, don t you? According to this passage, what are some steps to investing in the age to come and thus taking hold of life that is real? 8. End your time today in prayer. Use the points below to help guide your prayers: Pray for the missionaries whose stories you watched today. Ask the Lord to give you a passion to invest in what lasts for eternity. Ask God what changes you need to make in your own life to live a life of significance. Praise the Lord for faithful spiritual mothers like Ahma, Lottie Moon and Ramona Reese. Ask God to send more young women like Halie and Remi into the harvest fields. Will you be a spiritual mother for a woman in the next generation? Ask God to put a younger woman on your heart. 14