Legacy of Faith: Influencing Generations Through Prayer

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Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God in keeping with the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus to Timothy, my dear son. Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. I thank God whom I serve as my ancestors did with a clear conscience as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers recalling your tears I long to see you so that I may be filled with joy. [00:33:22]

I'm reminded of your sincere faith which first lived in your mother or your grandmother Lois and in your mother Ununice and I'm persuaded now lives in you also. For this reason, I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. [00:33:57]

For the spirit of God gave us for the spirit God gave us does not make us timid but gives us power, love and self-discipline. So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me as his prisoner. remember or rather join with me in suffering for the gospel by the power of God. [00:34:17]

He has saved us and called us to a holy life not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time. But it has now been revealed through the appearing of our savior Christ Jesus who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. [00:34:41]

But Paul is writing to encourage Timothy and to remind him just at the beginning of his letter where he comes from and how he has been influenced. You remember in the first five verses at the fifth verse I think it was he said I am reminded of your sincere faith which first lived in your grandmother Lois in your mother Ununice and I am persuaded now lives in you also. [00:35:50]

All of us have been influenced uniquely by the mother figures in our lives, whether it be a cousin, an older cousin that we look up to or um a friend, an aunt, someone who has fulfilled that role for us. All of you have been influenced by your mother or by a female figure in your life. [00:36:51]

Susanna was determined not to forsake communion with the Lord. Her children later recalled that this daily habit left a profound impression on them. They learned that prayer wasn't confined to a church or a quiet room. It could be cultivated anywhere. Her son John would get up at 4 in the morning and and have prayers for nearly an hour. [00:43:20]

This discipline, non-negotiable prayer life really affected him in a deep way. He learned it first watching his mother cover her head with her apron. What a unique thing, right? Now, I know some of you probably felt like doing that at times, maybe not for prayer, maybe just to be left alone, but anyway, she also had a habit of of taking an appointed time for each of her children. [00:43:41]

Once a week for a whole hour or maybe even an hour and a half, she would spend targeted time with one of her children. It was uh something that one-on-one time she thought would be very important for their development. Wasn't just a time to chitchat. It was a time to talk about what was really going on in their hearts and in their minds, to encourage them, to pray for them, um to even talk about things maybe that they had done wrong, hold them accountable. [00:44:27]

This weekly rhythm shaped their view of God as personal and present. John Wesley later adopted a similar practice in Methodism. Small accountability groups who meet personally to talk and to share in an intimate way in a way that you can share and like you wouldn't in here but that you can trust the folks who are with you. [00:45:21]

Susanna believed that spiritual and intellectual training of her children was her sacred duty, not something outsourced. They didn't have strong schools where Wesley was. So, she had to teach her children in the home if they were to have uh really a good solid future. When her children reached the age of five, that's what it was, they began their formal education under her direction. [00:46:15]

She taught them Genesis at age six and had them memorize it. I don't know if I could do that even as a seminarian even today as your pastor. Um for Susanna, academic rigor, scriptural faith, and truth were intertwined. She trained not just minds but hearts, grounding her children in both grammar and grace. [00:46:47]

Her gatherings prefigured the Wesleyan Revival's emphasis on home groups, lay preaching and spiritual empowerment outside traditional structures, which we still have today. Susanna was also a hidden theologian. Like I said, she read Greek. She studied the New Testament in Greek. She wrote extensively to her husband. [00:50:16]

Her resilience was rooted in deep trust in God's sovereignty and goodness. She maintained rhythms of prayer, scripture, teaching, and reflection, anchoring her family in Christ even when everything else around them was falling apart. Susanna wasn't perfect, okay? But she had an influence on her children, didn't she? [00:51:44]

As disciples of Jesus, all of us have a very powerful gift and we don't use it nearly enough. It is the influence that we have as people to influence people toward a relationship with Christ to show them the way to help them understand who Jesus was. It's a special responsibility. [00:52:19]

Christ calls us to make disciples. He commissioned us to do that great work to teach the world about him to influence the world for him. Susanna is a great example of this. What I want you to consider, we've talked about the fruit of Susanna's household, right? What I want to invite you to consider is the generational fruit that is going to be born from you generations from now. [00:54:19]

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