⏱ 6 min read

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God our Savior and the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope, To Timothy, a true son in the faith:
Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. ~ 1 Tim 1:1-2

• Paul introduces himself as an apostle by the commandment of God.
• Which simply means he was in his God-given purpose or assignment. We pray that we will all be in God’s will and purpose for our lives.
• Then Paul introduces Timothy: to Timothy, my true son in the faith. Not a biological son, but a spiritual son.

A True Son in the faith:

First, this teaches us that Christians must win souls and disciple them. This was the command Jesus gave us when He was leaving to Heaven.

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

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Tell me, can somebody call you their father or mother in the Lord? A father/mother is anyone who causes you to exist; gave birth to you; gave you opportunity to exist in the capacity you do now; or helped with who and/or where you are now.

You can define them also as people who introduce you to a particular life. Example: Our biological parents caused us to exist physically on earth and they introduced us to this world. They gave us the opportunity to exist as human beings. It had nothing to do with their age or experience.

Can someone say about you: [_insert your name_] is the person who led me to Christ? He/she caused me to exist in Christ or introduced me to Christ. Or their seed (of God’s word) led to me being born-again?

Paul could point to Timothy and say, “This is my son.” Is there anyone you can point to and say, “This is my son/daughter; I led him/her to Christ?” If you can’t point to anybody, we want to encourage you to begin to witness from today.

• 1 Timothy 1:15 says, Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners (souls)… This is what Jesus can to do and He wants us to do same. We want to encourage you today: begin to save souls.
• You can start by using your social media to share the Gospel; you can speak with others about what God has done in your life; you can tell your story etc.
• And after witnessing, nurture and disciple them. Be a spiritual father/mother to them in terms of ministry (someone through whom they find themselves involved in the work of the Gospel).

Secondly, Paul blesses his son Timothy. When you have a father/mother who is happy with you and you have a good relationship with them, it is easy for them to bless you from their heart. Of the 10 commandments, it is the one about honouring fathers and mothers that has blessings attached. 

“Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise: “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.” ~ Ephesians 6:3

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Paul was blessing Timothy because he was fond of him and considered him a true son. Which just means there can be false sons or pretending sons… mercy! (May you not be a false or pretending son/daughter). And here Paul blesses Timothy with three things:

1. Grace:

Ephesians 2:8-9 defines Grace: "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." 

When you have the grace of God, you experience the help of God, the kindness of God, and you receive gifts of and from God. When you have grace, God gives you things you didn’t earn, deserve, or work for.

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One day, I was travelling to Europe on a trip. And one of my mother's in the faith called me to meet her at the airport and said she wanted to give me a gift. So she sent someone to give me an envelope.

When I opened it on the way, it was 200 euros. Woow! I was so grateful and felt so blessed; and I thanked her over and over again. The truth is, I didn't do anything to earn it. It was her decision alone to show me kindness. 

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That is grace! Receive grace (undeserved kindness, gifts, and help) in Jesus’ name! We will continue with the two other blessings tomorrow.

But this is a good time to pray for the grace of God, the gift from God, the unmerited or undeserved kindness of God, the marvelous help from God, as a result of you being in Christ Jesus. May the Lord bless you with great grace!

Hey, you're blessed and highly favoured and dearly loved!
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Disclaimer: this post contains portions of messages and text originally shared by Prophet Kakra Baiden (who is one of my mentors in the faith).