The Ministry of Motherhood (Acts 16:1-3)

The Ministry of Motherhood
Acts 16:1-3

INTRODUCTION:
A man was fishing one day in a river. As he waded into the river, his boot hit a small sandbar. Half a dozen or so little turtles appeared on top of the water, swimming for all they were worth.

The man reflected on those little turtles - they had never seen their mother or father. The mother turtle had laid her eggs in the warm sand of the river bank and left them. Then, she went on with her life.

God is concerned about the sparrows and He is concerned about the turtles, too. Those little turtles are born with the instincts to care for themselves from birth. They never knew their mom or dad and they never felt like they needed to know. They are totally unaware that life would be any other way.

This man who was fishing was a religious man and was a judge in a juvenile court. He reflected on the fact that humans are not turtles. A woman learns that she is pregnant in a few different ways. Then she goes to the doctor or she takes a home pregnancy test. And life begins to change, slowly but drastically. From the morning sickness or even the slight nausea, your child changes your life, physically, emotionally, intellectually, socially, and spiritually.

When you start the life of motherhood, you begin a life of tremendous responsibility and joy and, sometimes, heartache. Motherhood comes also with a lot of authority.

Early in the Revolutionary War, Washington sent one of his officers to requisition horses from the local landowners. Calling at an old country mansion, the officer was received by the elderly mistress of the house. “Madam, I have come to claim your horses in the name of the government,” he began.

“On whose authority?” demanded the woman sternly. “On the orders of General George Washington, commander in chief of the American army,” replied the officer. The old lady smiled, “You go back and tell General George Washington that his mother says he cannot have her horses.”

Moms - you have a responsibility. You have a unique opportunity for a lot of joy. You have a lot of authority.

I have heard many moms, especially moms of young children, lament that their time is taken up with their children. They lament that they cannot do more for the church, that their children are frequently sick and they miss worship. One time, when the girls were little, I asked Rachel one Sunday what she thought of my sermon. She looked at me out of frustration and said, “You preached?”

But the one point I want to make this morning is this - Moms, while you are a mom, while you have children at home, under your care, your oversight, your influence, your ministry is motherhood. That’s your greatest role you can play in your service to God. Be a mom. Be the best mom you can be. That will be enough.

Let’s begin by taking a look at a famous mom in the New Testament - the mom of young Timothy, the well-known preaching and traveling companion of the apostle Paul. Let’s begin our study in Acts 16…

EUNICE - TIMOTHY’S MOM:
Acts 16 is the beginning of Paul’s second missionary journey. He has split off from his first mission team companion, Barnabas. Barnabas went one direction with John Mark and Timothy went another direction with Silas, a prophet from the church in Jerusalem.

Early in that second journey, Paul and Silas come to the cities of Derbe and Lystra. It was in Lystra where Paul had been beaten and stoned to death at the end of the first missionary journey (Acts 14:8-20). Derbe was the last city Paul and Barnabas had visited before they turned around and retraced their steps as they headed back home to Antioch.

Maybe that was when Timothy’s mom obeyed the Gospel. We do not know. But, we are told that she was a believer (16:1), which is Luke’s term for a Christian. She was a Jewish woman by race and, originally, by religion but she was honest enough and intelligent enough and humble enough to see that Christianity was the outgrowth of her own Jewish faith.

Paul will commend Eunice, along with her mother, Timothy’s grandmother, in 2 Timothy 1:5 for them teaching Timothy the word of God. So here, on the second missionary journey, Paul begins to think that this young man, Timothy, would and should be an apprentice to become a Gospel preacher.

Notice the text says that Timothy “was well spoken of by the brethren who were in Lystra and Iconium” (vs 2). Paul wanted Timothy to go with him, to preach among the Jews the unsearchable riches of Christ. Now, Timothy had not been circumcised according to the religion of his mom, the Law of Moses. He did not have to be circumcised as a Christian. But, because people in that area knew that he had grown up in the Jewish faith but he had not been circumcised, Paul convinced him to be circumcised so that this would not cause problems among the Jews while they were trying to convince them that Jesus was the fulfillment of the law.

So, almost the entirety of what we know about Eunice is that she raised Timothy to become a Christian one day. The ministry of motherhood. If, the only thing you can say on your deathbed is that you stayed faithful to Christ and you raised 1, 2, 3 children (or more!) to follow Christ, that will be enough. Do not underestimate your significance as a godly mother!

So, what is involved in this “ministry of Motherhood”? Let’s mediate further on this point.

WATCH HOW YOU TALK:
In Philippians 1:27, Paul says, “Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ.” Eunice had grown up listening to the law of Moses read and discussed in her local synagogue. In Deuteronomy 6:7, she was taught, “You shall teach them [that is, the words commanded by Moses] diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.”

Your children will get their first impressions about God and Jesus from you. From the way you talk. From what you talk about. If you are a warm, loving, strong-minded mother, your children will learn what God, the Father, is like with His love, affection, and good discipline.

It is likely that you will spend more time with your children, especially pre-school children, than any other person, even your husband (even if you work full-time). By your speech, you will teach your children wonderful examples that will stay with them the rest of their lives.

It will largely not matter one bit how much time your children spend in Bible class and worship if they do not see Christianity lived out in the life of mom and dad in the home. Live a godly example in front of them. Talk about your effort to honor Christ through your life. When you mess up, apologize.

Remember what the Bible says about our speech - put those Bible verses into practice in your life at home: “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person” (Col. 4:6). “And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving” (Eph. 5:2, 4).

Listen to this poem by Cindy Colley…

There wouldn’t be this quietness…
This sadness in my heart;
This distance in her manner…
We’re together, but apart.

If I had only thought of this
Before I said that word.
But my tongue is in a slippery place
And once it’s out, she’s heard.

Oh, I have said, “I’m sorry.”
And she said, “It’s okay.”
She even said she understands
Why I should feel that way.

But tiny words in anger
Escaping in the space between us
Can spawn huge tornado forces.
That will batter and careen us.

Before they’re done, we’re aching.
We have wounds to tend and clean
And all because that word escaped…
The one I didn’t mean.

The ministry of motherhood begins with you living a Christ-like example.

PROVIDE INSTRUCTION:
One thing I have been amazed through mine and Rachel’s twenty-five years of parenthood is that children have to be taught everything. They know almost nothing and most of that instruction comes while they are young, and frequently from mom. Children do not know that paper tears. Glass breaks. Fire burns. Flowers take time to grow. Everything has to be taught.

Moms, try not to get weary of answering questions. I have heard that a 2nd-grader can ask more questions than a college student. If you have endured a 2nd-grader, you probably can believe it. But try not to get weary of answering questions. If you want your 16-year-old daughter or 18-year-old son to have open communication with you, then never close the door to them when they are asking questions. If you don’t know the answer, find the answer. Show your child where to find the answer. You can learn together. It takes time but it keeps your relationship open and honest and “seeking” for answers.

Beyond these basics, children have to be taught manners. They have to be taught how to interact with other kids. If you have only one child, it is good to get that child together with other children so they can learn how to interact. I’ve heard some parents say, “My child does not know how to interact with other kids!” That’s why they need to be put together with other kids - to learn how to interact. It may be frustrating at first, but they need to learn. If you have a hard time teaching manners on a consistent basis, you might schedule one night a week when you all sit down at the table and you teach your children how to have proper table manners. Teach, teach, teach. Do not underestimate your power as a teacher - the ministry of motherhood.

Of course, a fundamental aspect of providing instruction is teaching your children about the Bible, about Jesus, and about prayer. Let’s start with prayer…

Moms, you have a great opportunity to teach your children to pray to their loving Father in heaven. Observe what you pray for, how you pray for it, and how your prayer comes across to your children. Let them hear you pray. Let them see your faith in the God to whom you are praying.

Years ago, a preacher’s wife was reading a book and her young son came up to her chair and leaned on its arm. “What are you reading?” “Oh, Mark,” she said, “this book I am reading is about the Bible.” Very seriously, for one so young, he asked further, “Why aren’t you reading the Bible?” That young mom decided she would be more thoughtful about when she read the Bible. She wanted her children to see her reading the Bible, not just books about the Bible.

Get a Bible-story book that is appropriate for the age of your child. There are a lot on the market. Read it to your child during the day or at bed time. And, because you are also reading your own “adult version” of the Bible, you can fill in gaps that the storybook might leave out. The Bible is full of interesting stories and you can teach your children about God, His creation, His power, His wisdom, and about Jesus. Your children can grow up with “Jesus” being a household word.

Apologetics Press has a whole series of advanced reader books for little children to teach them both how to read and learning about God’s creation at the same time.

Paul encourages parents to “bring up their children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4). That’s one of the items that Paul had commended in Timothy’s mom and grandmother. In 2 Timothy 3:15, Paul had written “from childhood Timothy has been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make him wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.”

Moms, the ministry of motherhood certainly involves you teaching your children - especially about God, Jesus, and prayer.

RESPONSIBILITY:
Another aspect of the ministry of motherhood is teaching your children to take responsibility. Every adult needs a deep sense of personal responsibility, a sense of duty, and self-discipline. If you raise a child who can accept responsibility for himself or herself and then use what they have to serve others, then you will be a successful mom.

Teaching responsibility starts at a very young age. Most little children can pick up their own toys. Moms, it is wise to make your children pick up their own toys as soon as they are finished playing with them. The rule of thumb is: Don’t do for your children what they can do for themselves. Sometimes, you have to violate that rule but it is a good rule of thumb, nevertheless. Moms, if you have a hard time remembering these things, put up a note on the refrigerator door or on the TV - no lunch, no afternoon snack, no supper, no TV until the toys are picked up.

As children get older, they should be taught to clean up their own clothes off the floor - in fact, teenagers need to be taught to wash their own clothes. I am a strong proponent of the idea that teenagers should not be allowed to believe that mom is their personal servant. Teach kids to take care of things that they have the mental ability to take care of. Making their own bed. Cleaning their own rooms. Cleaning their own bathrooms. Moms, it might be easier for you to do it yourself but you’re not helping your children learn responsibility if you keep doing it for them when they have the ability to do it themselves.

As children get older, they need to be taught how to help handle chores around the house - taking out trash, setting the table, cleaning off the table, dusting and vacuuming. Moms, you might be afraid that your children might break something. Well, teach them how to do what you need to teach them and then try not to worry about broken dishes. Remember, you are not collecting plates, you’re raising sons and daughters. Plates can be replaced. Bad sons and daughters are not so easily replaced!

Someone once wrote:

If a child lives with criticism, he learns to condemn.
If a child lives with hostility, he learns to fight.
If a child lives with fear, he learns to be apprehensive.
If a child lives with pity, he learns to feel sorry for himself.
If a child lives with jealousy, he learns to feel guilty.

If a child lives with encouragement, he learns to be confident.
If a child lives with tolerance, he learns to be patient.
If a child lives with praise, he learns to be appreciative.
If a child lives with acceptance, he learns to love.
If a child lives with approval, he learns to like himself.
If a child lives with recognition, he learns it is good to have a goal.
If a child lives with fairness, he learns what justice is.
If a child lives with honesty, he learns what truth is.
If a child lives with security, he learns to have faith in himself and those about him.
If a child lives with friendliness, he learns the world is a nice place in which to live.

CONCLUSION:
Eunice was a good mom to Timothy, despite the fact that Timothy’s dad was an unbeliever. She did that with the help of her own mom, Timothy’s grandmother. We do not know what Timothy’s dad taught him. Maybe he was very involved in Timothy’s life in teaching him how to make a living. And that’s good, as far as it goes.

But the legacy that lives on is the spiritual training that Eunice gave her son. That’s the kind of legacy that lives eternally in our children’s hearts and minds.

Take home message: Moms, your greatest ministry is your motherhood. Use it wisely.