Acts 16:1 Then came he to Derbe and Lystra: and, behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timotheus, the son of a certain woman, which was a Jewess, and believed; but his father was a Greek.
Almost every book in the Bible has a familiar verse that most people who are familiar with the Bible are acquainted with. Even the minor prophets have verses you might put in your kitchen or in calligraphy on your wall. The book of Acts is a book with many such verses. One such verse is Acts 16:31 where Paul said to the Philippian jailer, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.” That is a really important verse because the next three verses hammer home the same point, if this man would trust Christ, his family would do the same. It is not a package deal, that if you are saved everyone in your family will be on their way to Heaven and have peace with God. That is not the point. But there is a working assumption, not just here but in other places in the Bible, that if I as a parent come to Christ, my family can and should as well. So, the Philippian jailer and his family believed and were baptized right away. This man who had thrown Paul and Silas into jail believed on Jesus and became a brother in the faith.
The same is found in Acts 18:8. We read of a man named Crispus who was the chief ruler of the synagogue. The Bible says he believed the Lord “with all his house.” I’m glad he led the synagogue, but it is even better that he was a leader in his own home. In Acts 16:15 the Bible talks about Lydia, “When she was baptized, and her household.” So, these are parents who had influence on their children.
Now, we are all responsible for the chain of transmitting the truth from one generation to the next. It does not happen automatically. There needs to be those who gladly and humbly receive the truth and those who gladly and humbly teach or transmit the truth. I would say three things about this transmitting of the truth.
First, if you are a parent, then be the parent. Be the dad or the mom. There is a Jewish man named Hazony who says the transmission of things that are important keeps alive his own community. In his community there are multiple generations that often live together, so parents can learn from their parents and grandkids can learn from their grandparents and sometimes even their great grandparents. One of the reasons I believe the Jewish nation has remained a nation even after centuries of being blown like seeds to the wind across the world is because they had commonly held traditions and celebrations. So, the truth is, if we are going to transmit what is important, it means that dad and mom have to teach that to their children.
Most people don’t have parents and grandparents all living together, however the benefit of that way of thinking is that there are people of various ages who can teach and others who can learn. If you are dad and mom, then explain, convince, lead. Who is adapting in your life? Are you adapting to your kids or are your kids adapting to you? I’m not suggesting you be an inflexible tyrant. I am suggesting that you lead. If you won’t, your children will. Be the parent.
Second, if you don’t have a strong family, then find a dad or mom. To be sure, we need to respect and honor the parents from which we came. It is not honoring to God to have an attitude of superiority or disrespect towards our parents. All of us need others and none of us come from a perfect home. If you are lacking a strong home, you need to honor your parents, but find a dad and a mom. It’s a community and not merely my peers that can help me learn what I need to learn. The church is an important place where I can learn from people who know more than I know. I can learn from their experience that the Bible is true and it works. No matter what age you are, find a family who can help you.
In Acts 16:1 Paul met Timotheus who was “the son of a certain woman.” She is not even named here, but the Bible indicates she was the influential one in his life. She was a believing Jewess, but Timothy’s father was a Greek. His father doesn’t seem to be influential in his life, and later Paul would say that Timothy was his “son in the faith.” So, if you don’t have a strong family, find a dad and a mom and honor the parents from which you came.
Third, if you are a parent, find a child in the faith. Your family is your family no matter who your fellow church members or coworkers might be, but don’t just lock the gates on your family castle and keep everyone else out. Adopt someone. If someone doesn’t have a strong family from which to learn, adopt them and be a friend and mentor. Teach life to them.
So, if you are a parent, be the dad or the mom, find a dad and mom if you don’t have one, and if you are a parent, adopt someone. Regardless of your age or family status, all of us are responsible for the chain of transmitting the truth. May God help us to do that!