But His Father Was A Greek! (Parents Must Avoid Greek Behavior)

…BUT HIS FATHER WAS A GREEK! (PARENTS MUST AVOID GREEK BEHAVIOR)

1. Acts 16: 1 Paul came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was Jewish and a believer but his father was a Greek. 2 The believers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him. 3 Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.

2. 2 Timothy 1: 1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God… 2 To Timothy, my beloved son… 3 I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience, as my forefathers did, as without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day, 4 greatly desiring to see you, being mindful of your tears, that I may be filled with joy, 5 when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also. 6 Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, 9 who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.

INTRO: …BUT HIS FATHER WAS A GREEK (PARENTS MUST AVOID GREEK BEHAVIOR)

1 Timothy 4:12, Paul Speaks To Timothy’s Youthfulness: “Let no one despise or look down upon you because of your youthfulness but be an example of the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.” We picture a “youth” to be in teenage years. However, Timothy was the leader of the church in Ephesus - he was not a teenager leading that church. In Greek culture, someone could be called a “youth” until they were 40 years old. Anyway, according to tradition, Timothy as Bishop of Ephesus died in 97AD at the age of 80 while trying to stop a pagan procession of idol ceremonies with evil songs & committing blasphemous, abominable deeds. In response to his preaching, the angry pagans attacked, beat him severely, dragged him through the streets and stoned him to death. He stood his ground for the faith he believed as a young man and died for it in old age. With all of the potential and gifts he had, he would have never made such mark if not for certain blessings that God placed in his life – His grandmother, his mother and the apostle Paul.

Timothy Was Blessed For His Grandmother’s (Lois) And Mother's (Eunice) Faithfulness. Paul reminds us that even one parent or grandparent can have great influence on a family. Paul reminded Timothy: 2 Timothy 1:5 “I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also”. Notice that only these two female caregivers are praised and acknowledged for the excellent example they provided at home to young Timothy. I title this sermonette, “But His Father Was A Greek”, because God added it for a reason. His father was a gentile and not a believer in Jesus Christ (Acts 16:1-3). Yet, beginning with Timothy’s grandmother Lois, and then on to his mother Eunice, they were able to make a difference in teaching Timothy as a boy. Thus he would grow up to be one of the early ministers of the Church and a faithful companion and coworker alongside Paul. This was achieved in spite of the negative influences of living in a gentile nation and in a home with an unbeliever. The positive choices Lois, Eunice and Paul made certainly benefited this young man.

…BUT HIS FATHER WAS A GREEK

But He Had Some Drawbacks / Weaknesses In His Past. The Bible Lets Us Know:

1. He Was Timid.

2. He Felt Threatened.

3. He Lacked Courage.

4. Young And Emotional And Given To Much Tears.

5. He Was Not Making Full Use Of His Calling.

6. He Kept Himself In The Shadows.

7. His Home Was A Conflicting One.

8. The Women Went In One Direction Serving God.

9. But The Father Went In The Other Direction Serving Material Things.

Such Negative Tendencies Did Not Come From His Mother Or Grandmother because they consistently taught him the truths of the Christian faith from a child. Not until the Apostle Paul took him as a spiritual son and began to pour courage into him that he finally became someone. To understand his problem, look at his father, though mentioned in brief words. We have to go back to the “BUT” Paul talked about - But His Father Was Greek. Then we need to understand how the Greeks lived in Paul’s time. First of all, the word BUT is a prepositional word. A preposition is a part of speech that used to introduce something contrasting with what has already been mentioned.