Multiply Through Demonstrating Endurance | August 30, 2026

Ishmael LaBiosa: Well, last week we started a message series simply entitled Multiply. And ⁓ I try to be balanced here at Liberty and make sure that we're keeping our eye on the ball in many areas. It's important for a church to do well not just in one place, but in many places. And so we're cranking up a lot of programs and well programs are important. For example, our Sunday night Iwana is very important to minister to children, along with many other things that we're doing that do real intentional ministry. And we're doing that, and to God be the glory. We try to keep our eye on the community and how we can serve there. We also want to keep our mercy ministry strong. And every day people are calling us and through our children's nutrition ministry, we're going to them and we're trying to do a lot of things well. But this message series wants to highlight one area that can get lost in the shuffle. And the key to growth in Christ, if you listen to most people's stories, is not found in a big program, as good as they are. It's not found necessarily in a community outreach. Most people will tell you they deepen their faith in Jesus Christ. And became a disciple of his because one person poured into their life in a very intentional way. Discipleship is personal. It is personalized. And so you need to be the type of person, and I need to be the type of person that stands ready to pour into somebody else. The beauty also of liberty is that we are a multi generational church. You say, Rusty, I'm young. Great. We have people here who are not young. And they can help you. They can pour into you. And use this time to your advantage. Pair up with somebody. Find someone that you want to model their life and shadow them. Follow them and let them pour into you. In the midst of all that we're doing, we don't want to miss this moment. Now, if you're gonna be a good mentor to someone, you have to have certain characteristics. And today, when I read these few verses, Second Timothy chapter one, verse six through fourteen, I really feel this truth that a good mentor has been through the fire. You do need to go through the fire. There's something about life and refining and difficulties and obstacles. That we really don't know what you're made of until we know what you're made of. And yet today the Apostle Paul is not just somebody who's been through the fire. What we will hear today is that he's been through the fire and he's kept the fire. You see, sometimes going through the fire makes some people's fire burn out. Some will tell me, rusty passion is for the young. Zeal is for the young. Enthusiasm is for the young. That's not what the Bible says. I can point out several situations in the Bible where God rewards someone in their old age for keeping going through the fire and still keeping the fire of endurance alive. I think about Joshua and Caleb, the book of Joshua. It is old Joshua at eighty-five who Has always believed that God said, if He's given us the land, we'll take the land. The whole generation dies, and the two old guys, Joshua and Caleb, they come out and say, God said, This is what would be, and it will now be. I preached through the life of Moses. Moses was ready to go, maybe, at 30 or 40 or 50 or 60 or 70. And when he had that big 80th birthday, he probably thought. Now is the time for retirement, and God says, You're hired at 80 and gave Moses his ministry late in life. You say, Well, that's the Old Testament. Well, we have a New Testament. You open the New Testament, and there is an old Anna. She is still at the temple worshiping. She, while many in Israel have lost the faith, Anna is there worshiping the Lord and waiting for the Messiah to come, and then you pick up Second Timothy. Second Timothy is not a young upstart pastor. Second Timothy is written by a worn-out prisoner and apostle, and yet the letter burns white hot. I wonder today, are you the type of person as life has continued that you still have passion? I remember being a bit discouraged, although I got over it, ⁓ when I was young in the ministry and I found some ministers in the community here. in Appomattox and I said, Tell me about the ministry, tell me how it is to serve God. Tell me how to be trained. I'll never forget I took one of these guys, or rather he took me to Dairy Queen. Decent place to go. And back then they had like one dollar hot dogs. With the glory days. You know, I mean really, you could eat like a whole meal and you had didn't break five bucks. It was unbelievable. Mustard chili and slaw in three bites it was gone for me. You know. So nevertheless I I remember it was me and this old minister and we're sitting at Dairy Queen. And I say, Tell me how to be a minister. Tell me how to serve God. I'll never forget. He just looked at his hot dog. I don't know what to tell you. The ministry's been so hard. I'm like, talk to me, not the hot dog man. You know, I am here. I thought, I don't know what I want to become, but I don't want to become you. ⁓ you know, because this is not good. You're sitting here, you got a young guy, he's ready to go, and your gas has run out. The apostle Paul is not that. And here's the thing, I still remember that moment. And honestly, that calls me to pause. It calls me to stutter step. It calls me to think, Can I make it? If he can't make it. And the type of mentors we need are those that encourage us, that have demonstrated endurance. And I do ask you today, if somebody sets you down and say, tell me what it has been to live a Christian life, is the first thing out of your mouth, well, it's been hard. It's been hard, difficult, difficult and hard. You're not helping anybody. You gotta figure this out. Listen today to a mentor who does it right, who speaks to young Timothy with conviction. And if you're not here yet. Let this message series get you there so not only you can be ready, but you can pass it on to others. Second Timothy chapter one, verses six through fourteen, three big ideas today. We want to really take in the words here that are said. The first big idea is to multiply. We must encourage others to stay passionate about their ministry. Verse six says, Therefore. I remind you to keep ablaze the gift of God that is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God has not given us a spirit of fearfulness, but one of power, love, and sound judgment. One of the things we ought to know as a Christian, and you ought to tell anybody you mentor who is a Christian that they have a spiritual gift. I preached a message on this a few weeks back. What are spiritual gifts? How are they used? I went through the biblical text on spiritual gifts and gave you some ad advice, some instruction. If you've forgotten that or didn't make it, it's available on YouTube. You can watch it. But here's the reality: every Christian has a spiritual gift. And if you say, Rusty, I don't how to find one, I don't know how to find mine, well, first of all, it's just noticing how God has uniquely gifted you. And we can give you resources. We have a spiritual gift assessment that is available in the main office. You request it. We'll give it to you. And then Pastor Ishmael or I will be happy to meet with you or somebody else to just help you discover your gift. But that is not the main idea here in the text. Because Paul is not telling young Timothy to find his gift. That's assumed. Paul is giving him additional instruction. about how his spiritual gift is to be used, and he says to keep ablaze the gift of God that is in you. It's not enough to say, ⁓ look at this. God has gifted me in this way. You have to tend the flame. You have to keep the passion alive. I do believe and I think this has been confirmed. That God, in his grace, ⁓ has given me the gift of teaching. But here's the reality: I have to not just teach, I've got to keep the gift alive. I've got to go to the study every Monday morning when I am worn out and keep the gift alive. I have to stay in love with Jesus and His Word. I have to work through seasons of dryness. I have to push through times where. I'm not as excited as other times. And Paul is telling Timothy, keep the gift alive, keep it ablaze. I do wonder today, A, do you know your spiritual gift? And if somebody noticed your using of your spiritual gift, is it burning hot? You know, nobody wants to listen to you if they don't see you on fire or what you're doing. Nobody wants to follow you if you're Humdrumming along, you're burning out and smoldering, and Paul tells young Timothy, Look, I'm old, you're young. I've kept the gift alive in me, and he says, I want to remind you to keep ablaze the gift of God that is in you. But then there's this little phrase at the end where it says that this particular particular spiritual gift, which we don't know what it is, for Timothy, it says that is in you in Timothy. Through the laying on of my hands, of Paul's hands. Now I'll give you a preview of coming attractions. The elders have been after Pastor Ishmael for a while because he has said, I got a lot going on. Pastor Rusty's got me doing a lot. He says this, and I said, Ishmael, it is time to be ordained. You know, like, yes, it is. Good. Okay. Yeah, right. So ⁓ on Harvest Day, Sunday afternoon, which is the first Sunday of October, we will, the elders, lay our hands on Ishmael and affirm him as I don't know if he'll want to be called Reverend Ishmael. Then you'll have to ask him about all of those terminologies. But nevertheless, we will provide an external confirmation of his call. Now, why do I bring that up? A, to let you know about Pastor Ish Miles or a nation, but B, my other point, it's very important, is that oftentimes the reason our gift is not kept ablaze is because it's just something that we saw in ourselves. ⁓ I think I have a particular gift. But then when we start to doubt it or we start to have a dry season, we go, well, since I'm the only one who saw it. I guess if I stop, nobody will notice. What has driven me on in the ministry, what has driven me on to stay passionate, is not merely because I had a sense that God was calling me to do something, but that others had a sense that God was calling me to do something. There have been times of dryness where I've said, you know, I'm discouraged. I think I'll slow down. And I've heard the voices in my head. ⁓ from other people of the past saying you were called into ministry this is no time to slow down and it is the apostle paul who tells young Timothy keep the gift ablaze because this isn't something you just saw it's something that we all saw and when you don't feel it just remember we felt it I can thank the apostle Paul in his own mind you know when you're old you were once young the apostle Paul was once young And when he was converted and called into ministry, he got involved in a church. We actually know who whose Paul mentor was, at least initially, was a man by the name of Barnabas. Barnabas was the old guy, Paul was the young guy. And they were in this church called the Church at Antioch. And they were wondering who do we send out on the first missionary journey? It wasn't the Jerusalem church doing it. It was the church at Antioch. And there in Acts 13, it says the elders of the church there are ministering to the Lord and fasting. And the Holy Spirit said, Set apart from me Paul or Saul and Barnabas. And I could imagine as Paul and Barnabas set out on the first missionary journey and persecution fell, they were probably thinking, Is this the right thing to do? And they might have had a doubt in their own heart if it was just them, but it wasn't just them. It was the church and the Spirit of God who the church heard that sent them. We should not negate the external call that we get along with the internal one. Hearing that people have seen the gift in us helps us keep it ablaze. Now, this next verse is so often quoted, and we quote about Half of it. By the way, there is no indication in Second Timothy that Timothy is timid. I know that has been said a thousand times, but there's no clear indication that Timothy is is weak willed or ha has difficulty. Paul is suffering. Timothy will suffer. And so Paul is making a general statement, it seems ⁓ seems In 2 Timothy chapter 1, verse 7, which says, In the face of difficulty, in the face of suffering, God has not given us a spirit of fearfulness. But we are to replace. Now, this is what we quote half of it. So today you can leave here in a moment and quote all of it. God has not given us a spirit of fearfulness in light of difficulty. And what here's the half of it. We used to say, but God's given us a spirit of power. That's right. But Paul does not say replace fearfulness with one thing. Paul says replace fearfulness with three things. Three things that are held together. It says, God has not given us the spirit of fearfulness. Here are the three things that replace it. Yes, power. In power, in fear, you can shrink back. And so divine power helps you stand up. But sometimes people can stand up and they can be powerful and quite obnoxious. And so we are, God has not given us a spirit of fearfulness, but of power, of love. To make sure that we don't overdo it. That we're standing up, but we're not over our skis. We're steady, but we're still loving people. We're still. Doing it out of the right motivation. We're not just tough for tough sake. We say, God, by your divine aid, may you insteady me and help me to continue to love and serve. And sometimes, and then we need to notice the third thing sometimes when people are powerful and courageous, they can be reckless. And that's what Paul says don't do that. He says that we we should have power, we should have love. And we should have, don't forget the third one, sound judgment. That is the way to be steady and fearless. To say, I will be steadied in this situation to God's glory. I will demonstrate love to those around me even in difficulty, and I will not lose my head. I will stay sound in my judgment. Now that's the type of mentor that we want. To follow. want you to see how Paul talks now. Paul doesn't just give instruction, he demonstrates it. And the best thing you can do is demonstrate what you want your mentee to learn more than teach them. Because more is caught than taught. you that. And Paul says, look at my life. The second big idea is to multiply. We must demonstrate and and encourage others to endure suffering. Notice verse eight. It says, Don't be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, or of me his prisoner. Instead share in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God, 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. This has now been made evident through the appearing of our Saviour Christ Jesus, who has abolished death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. For this gospel I was appointed a herald, apostle, and teacher, and this is why I suffer these things, but I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able to guard. What has been entrusted to me until that day. I couldn't help but notice that when ⁓ Dave Daniels gave his testimony in the Baptistry, he quoted a gospel song. Did you hear it? ⁓ maybe not. ⁓ maybe I'm showing my age. I can never read verse twelve without remembering a gospel song myself in which it says, I know whom I believe in and am persuaded that he is able to keep that. Which I've committed unto him against that day. That song resonates with me, which clearly is Second Timothy two, verse twelve. Now I want you to notice this. No matter what you do in life, you're gonna have some suffering mixed in with it. You say, I know what I'll do, I'll be a parent. I'm sure that will be easy. Gonna be some suffering in it. You say, I'm going to get a job and I'm going to work and provide for my family. Gonna be some suffering in it. You say, I'm gonna go out and serve my community. There'll be some suffering in it. And the the the question in life is not whether or not will you suffer. The question in life is will you actually suffer for things that are worthy of your suffering? You know, parenting hasn't been too hard yet for me. It could get harder. ⁓ but it's worthy of my suffering because I have two boys. It'd be worthy of it, serving the community. It's worthy of my suffering because of what it can do positively. But when I suffer for the cause of the gospel, which I haven't been called to suffer like Paul suffered, I've suffered some to some degree for the gospel's sake. Paul does not say, I suffer for no reason. Paul says, I am willing to suffer Timothy even to the point of imprisonment, and Paul is willing to suffer to the point of death, because he knows who he has believed and is persuaded that he is able to keep that which he has committed unto him against that day. I mean, you see here in this this is. This is nothing more but Paul being deepened. He knows where he stands and he understands what Jesus has done, and that's enough. You know, I go to seminars every now and then now. Not too many seminars. I get time for a seminar. ⁓ but I go and I I look at the titles of some of these things, and and I'm not anti seminar, by the way. But it they'll say, well, you we're gonna have a little seminar over here over church hurt. I'm like for a bunch of pastors. We need a seminar on church. And my I've been hurt. I've been hurt in the ministry. I've been hurt in life. I'm not standing up here going, well, nothing's ever happened to me. But, you know, it's there is there is a point to say, I'm sorry, this is very difficult. Yes and amen. Okay? But there's another hand to say. If what I have given my life to has caused me suffering, and I know whom I've believed and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I've committed unto him against that day, I'm just gonna keep on going. Like toughen up buttercup. Like let's keep marching. Let's keep moving. I mean life isn't ⁓ I remember ⁓ it's not my not my bad examples, my good examples said, you know, Rusty, you don't have time to. I mean, with a name like ⁓ he says, you know, you just say, you know, we we wanna we wanna burn out not rust out. With a name like rustic, you know what I'm saying? I'm a little concerned about rusting out, you know. ⁓ so but that's what keeps Paul motivated. And when you're discouraged, when you're down and out. Everything in life that's worth doing's gonna cause you some grief. But the suffering for doing the right thing for serving Jesus, that's w way worth it. I want you to notice one other thing here. Because Paul does tell Timothy, if your next assignment causes you suffering, keep with it. But then Paul's not actually as concerned, it doesn't seem about Timothy falling out in suffering. The first line that he tells Timothy in verse eight, he says, Don't be ashamed. I I I can't ever forget this when I was very young at the church. And and one of the first things, this is free advice if anybody wants to go into ministry, one of the first things you ought to do when you get to a church is get to know the people. That's so I mean that's some good free advice there. and and so they said why don't you go visit all the shut ins I said, great, no problem. So I went around to visit the shut ins. I have no idea what this lady's name is, it's been a long time ago. And so I remember I went into her living room. I sat down on her sofa. She was sitting over in the chair. And I said, Why don't you tell me about yourself? And she began to tell me about herself. And then she said, I had like six kids. She had a lot of kids. And she says, And they've all turned out well and not one of them has been in jail. And I thought Okay, well that's not exactly what I thought. Okay, I mean if that's a litmus test, like they all got a college degree or they all have a job. She's like they all did well and not one of them has been in jail. And I I I remember I I started not a good move as a young guy. I kind of chuckled. She was dead serious about like we kept them out of the clanker and that was a big success for me. So you say, Why do you bring that up? Well, she was almost a window into a different era. Because in the first century world, they l they lived in a world called honor-shame culture. And if you went to jail, it was a shame. I mean it's a shame to your family. In some Asian cultures, even to this day, that's still there. I mean, like one person gets locked up, and the whole family is like anathema. That's still the case in some cultures around the world. And so Paul was actually concerned about this for Timothy. that when Timothy goes to Ephesus and they say, Hey Timothy, nice to see you. So who's your mentor? And you're like, ⁓ yeah, Paul, where is he? He's in jail. I just want to say this that ⁓ you shouldn't be embarrassed about being a Christian. ⁓ you one of the things I'll just tell you, I do it, but it changes the moment. I'll be talking to somebody who doesn't know who I am. And I feel it coming every time it's coming. And we'll be talking and we'll be having a good conversation, and then guess what they say? What do you do? And they'll say, you know, I'm a good old Southern Baptist preacher. They go, ⁓ They go. And I can just say then they have I cursed? They say I said yeah a few times. God heard it, you know. And then you can just tell. They're just like, you don't know what to do with me. They're like, ⁓ you're one of these. You know, and then so it's it's a total and and honestly, in those moments, I'll just tell you, sometimes I don't even want to say. And you here's the truth. I need to stand up tall, then you need to stand up tall, and you don't need to be ashamed. And just say, look. This who I am, this who God made me to be. And it is no longer in vogue, if you haven't noticed, to embrace evangelical Christian beliefs in this culture. You looked around. I'm not saying everybody doesn't I'm not saying everybody's quit believing them, but I'm saying Christianity is no longer an assumed cool kid on the block. And the apostle Paul says not only should you share in suffering, You need to learn how to stand up tall and not be ashamed. You need to say, Look, this is who I am. Some of the things that is that have so ⁓ impacted me that because my trajectory in life sent me into a more education than I thought I would ever get, and I have gotten I've been in the room with some very smart people who didn't believe in Christianity. And I have also been trained by some very smart men, and it wasn't their intellect that would often, even though they were super smart, in biblical studies and other areas It wasn't that that affected me as much. It's when they would get in a situation with somebody who didn't disagre who didn't agree with them on the nature of the Bible or something else, you could tell they had not one ounce. They say, Well, this is what I believe and this is what I think the Bible says and they could go toe to toe with the particular arguments and and they were totally unflustered. And when I would watch that happen, that affected me. And I just want to say not only do you have to suffer well, you have to not be ashamed, especially in situations where people put a little pressure on you. You don't really believe that, do you? You don't really do that, do you? You don't really actually act like that, do you? And the answer is, well sure I do. And sometimes I can change the whole movement of a moment. I just want to give this final point. I'm basically done. I'll flesh this out more next week. But it isn't just enough to say keep the gift white hot. It's not enough to say don't be embarrassed and suffer well. Listen, you are not being a Christian mentor if you're not passing on Christian teaching. And notice this third and final idea: to multiply, we must stay faithful to Christian teaching. I want you to notice two words here: the first word, hold, and the second word, guard. Says in verse 13: Hold on to the pattern of sound teaching. That you have heard from me in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. So hold it, and then notice guard through the Holy Spirit who lives in you the good thing entrusted to you. Here's the deal we get little windows of time to pass on the truthfulness of Christianity to the next generation, and we need to pass it on to the degree that we know they are able to grasp it, so that they can hold it. And then once they hold it, that they are able to guard it for the next generation so that it can be passed down. In an age in which innovation and something new is always in vogue, let me say this truth is precious. It is rare. It is it is it is not just laying around every corner. And when The tested truth of the gospel and the tested truth of the Bible is there. It is something that must be diligently handed, held, and guarded so that future generations can live in its blessing. Because Jesus has come to give us life and to give it to us in the full, and it's our responsibility not only to live in that life, but to Pass it down to the next generation. Here's my two questions for you today. Number one, do you know whom you've believed? Are you a Christian? And are you persuaded that he, Jesus, is able? Able to save you? Have you admitted your sin and turned to Jesus in faith? Some of you see these baptisms and go, ⁓ I'd like to be baptized. Well, that's great. But before you get baptized, you need to be a Christian. And if there's never been a time, there's never been a place where you say, God, I admit I'm a sinner, and God by faith I trust in Jesus, that needs to happen first. Baptism shows that you've done that. It's not the moment where that happens. And so this altar is open. If you say, Rusty, I'm not a Christian. I need to come today and put my faith in Jesus. And then let me ask you, Christian. If somebody sat down with you, Would they look at you and see a person where the fire has smoldered out? Or would they sit down with you and the first words out of your mouth are Keep the gift ablaze that God has given you. Follow me as I suffer. Don't be ashamed of Jesus. Hold on to his teaching because I'm going to be out soon and you're going to be up, and I want to run it well, and I want you to run it well too. If that's not what you are giving off, may I say you are multiplying something. It might not be the right thing. And so why don't you ask the Spirit of God, God, do whatever you need to in my heart that I can faithfully multiply people that look like you? Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we ask you. God, we ask you that you would help us to be the type of person That people want to follow because the flame of faith is ablaze. God, we pray that when we come to moments where fear grips us, may we lean into divine power, may we put on Christ-like love, and may we have sound judgment. And God, if you call us to suffer for the gospel, may we See how worthy it is. May we not be embarrassed of you in a culture that is embarrassed of you in moments. And God, may we pass on faithful teaching to the next generation. May we demonstrate in our lives and in our teaching that which others can hold on to and build their life. In Jesus' name. Amen.

2 Timothy 1:7