Hebrews 1

“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days He has spoken to us by his Son …” (Hebrews 1:1-2a)

What a wonderful thought! The Creator God of the Universe wants to speak to me! He first spoke to His chosen people, the Israelites, through the prophets, and having preserved that prophecy from their time until now, He also speaks to me in the same way. He has, however, spoken to me in a much more powerful way, through His Son.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. … And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:1,14)

There are many parts to God’s message to me given through Jesus, but the most fundamental message, the genesis of all else, is that He loves me! “When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” (John 19:30) There is absolutely no more powerful, no more profound, declaration of love than that of Jesus, as He willingly stretched out His arms upon the cross, and died for MY sins, that I might be redeemed.

So the first lesson I’m taking home from Hebrews 1 is that God, through Jesus, is speaking to me, saying “Rod, I love you! I want to forgive you and redeem you!”. Am I listening? Can I slow down amid the hustle of a busy life to hear His voice, calling me into fellowship with Him? Can I will my busy, distracted mind to slow down, and to simply know that He is my God, and I am His child.

“in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.” (Hebrews 1:2) Second point: When God created the world, He did so through Jesus. The author of Hebrews is not alone in this claim; Paul wrote the same to the church in Colossae: “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible” (Colossians 1:16a) Not only was Jesus an active participant in the creation; He also is continuously active in sustaining the world. “He upholds the universe by the word of his power.” (Hebrews 1:3) Again, Paul agrees. “And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:17) Even as I write this, Jesus is maintaining the universe about me, while powerless me can’t even get the idiot light on my dashboard to turn off!

Beside the knowledge of Jesus’ awesome power, which is no small bit of knowledge, what shall I take home from this? I believe my lesson here is that whatever problem I may think I have, it’s no problem at all for Jesus. All I need to do with my problems is to lay them at Jesus’ feet in prayer, and trust Him to take care of me as He knows best. That may not always end up with the result I’m thinking of, but that’s where trust comes in.

So, to sum it up, I’ve learned today that God loves me, Jesus loves me enough to die for me, and that He has the power to handle ALL my problems and needs.

I can indeed rest easy tonight!

Philemon

Compared to many of Paul’s other letters, Philemon is just a “quick note” to Philemon; only 1 chapter of 25 verses. There are, however, quite a few things to learn here, not just for Philemon, but for us as well.

Who was Philemon? Scholars say that he was a wealthy resident of Colosse. In Colossians 4:9 Paul describes Onesimus as “our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you”. If Onesimus was Philemon’s slave and was from Colosse, then we can conclude that Philemon was also from Colosse. We assume he had some measure of wealth, as he (1) owned slaves, and (2) had a home sufficiently large to host a church.

Note that in Paul’s time, at least in the Roman empire, it was not at all unusual for citizens to own slaves. In most cities of the time, the slaves outnumbered the free by at least two to one! Slaves were, however, treated much more as household servants. They were property, but the were valuable property, and were rarely mistreated in the ways that American slaves were mistreated in the early 19th century.

It’s interesting here that Paul introduces himself in verse 1 as a prisoner. There are four other letters in which he refers to himself that way, but in all four, the reference is further down in the text, and he initially introduces himself as an apostle. It’s possible that, since this was a personal appeal to Philemon, Paul wanted to de-emphasis his apostolic authority and make this a personal appeal.

By addressing the letter to Apphia, Archippus, and “the church in your house”, Paul may have been calling in reinforcements, to encourage Philemon to go along with his [Paul’s] appeal.

“I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers, because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints”. (v. 4-5)

I take two lessons from this. First, we can reasonably assume this is no simple literary flourish; Paul really did pray often for Philemon, along with an extensive list of others mentioned elsewhere. For every person for whom I pray, I can later think of ten others for whom I should have prayed! I need to be following much more closely to Paul’s example.

Second, Philemon’s life was exhibiting the fruits of the Holy Spirit, through his faith and love for the Colossian believers. Not just quietly, either. Paul was in prison in Rome, yet he was hearing about Philemon’s faith and love! This leads me to a second question for myself: Is my love for my church and for my Christian friends so active in my life as to be evident and visible to all? I must remember that my love is my greatest witness to the unbelieving world around me. My words will never attract them to Christ as powerfully as my love.

“and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ.” (v. 6)

Paul’s use of the word “epignōsei” in verse 6 indicates that he prayed for Philemon to experience every good thing in Christ, moving beyond simple knowledge. This leads me to ask myself whether the message I share with others is coming from the (intellectual, head-only) knowledge of God’s Word, or is it coming from the experience of God’s Word working in my life and transforming me into His image?

Verses 8-16 of this short letter present the meat of Paul’s message, and appeal to Philemon to receive Onesimus back into his household, without punishment, as he would receive any other brother in Christ, for that is precisely what Onesimus had become! Many commentaries will point out in detail the elements of Paul’s argument; I’ll only say here that Paul really pours it on! He points out that Onesimus’ time away from his duties had resulted in his learning about Christ and being saved, so it was a net gain to Philemon anyway.

Perhaps the most powerful lesson here is found in verses 18-19: “If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it.” We cannot miss, indeed must not miss, the parallel between Paul’s offer to pay Onesimus’ debt, and Christ Jesus’ offer to pay our debt of sin on the cross! Satan, our accuser, stands before God and points at each one of us. “Remember the time he cheated! Remember the time he put that item in his pocket and walked out of the store! Remember all that nasty stuff he looked at online! Remember those angry words and arguments! Remember all the good things he could have done, but took a nap instead! Don’t condemn me; condemn HIM!!” Then Jesus steps forward, stands beside each of us, and says “I will repay it!”.

What debt has Jesus repaid for you? The debt of sin He has repaid for me is too vast to even try to count!! Is there anything that Jesus could ask of me that is too much?

Titus 3

“Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.” (Titus 3:1-2)

What does it mean to be a person of good character? Paul wants the Christians in Crete, led by Titus, to be well-respected by their community, so that they might have an opportunity to teach them about Christ Jesus. There is certainly more to being of good character than Paul’s brief comment here, but surely it must include having a clean record down at the police department!

To be “ready for every good work” must include being a person of good reputation. I’ve noticed that Paul did not say here that we must always agree with the rulers and authorities … only to obey them! I’m perfectly free to disagree with their decisions and policies, but I’m wise to disagree quietly, following Paul’s admonition to “speak evil of no one”, and to “avoid quarreling”.

We live in contentious times. In my own lifetime, I cannot recall a more politically divided populace than we see in the United States today. Paul, I believe, would ask me “What are you known for among your circle of friends? Are you known for your dedication to your politics, or are you known for your dedication to Christ, and to evangelism?” How would you answer that one? How would your friends answer that one for you?

Paul reminds us in verse 3 that we don’t have anything in our past to be proud of; nothing of which to boast. “For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.” Left on our own, we could never have saved ourselves, and would never have sought to do so.

Paul’s next reminder, in verses 4-7, pretty much summarizes the whole gospel message in just 4 verses. “But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

A few important notes we should pick up here, beginning with Paul’s description of Jesus as “the goodness and loving kindness of God”. Jesus was indeed God’s expression of love to us in physical form. Considering His ultimate sacrifice for us, how can we ever doubt His eternal love for us?

Our salvation is “not because of works done by us”. We couldn’t, and we wouldn’t even if we could. We often think that we participate in our own salvation by believing in Jesus, but even that is more than we can do on our own. It is the “washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit” that gives us the will and ability to seek Jesus and to believe.

How are we justified? It’s certainly not for anything we’ve done!! Paul says we are justified “by his grace”, and having been justified and saved, we become heirs and look forward to an inheritance of eternal life.

Having been saved, what are we to do as we wait to receive our inheritance? Paul instructs us that “those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable”. Our good works will never earn us a place in Heaven, but having been gifted a place in Heaven by God’s grace, we honor Him as we wait by our good works, seeking to always glorify Him.

Paul ends with a stern warning, which we would do well to heed in our modern-day times of strife. “As for a person who stirs up division, … such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned.” Note that Paul is talking about people in the church!! Look around you in the sanctuary next Sunday morning. Every person there may believe that he/she is going to Heaven, but Paul says they are not all Heaven-bound. In Paul’s day, the division was usually centered around the application of Jewish Law within the church. Today, politics may be more of a dividing factor. It doesn’t really matter what the disputes are about; someone will always find an issue to lift themselves up and to exclude others. Paul says to give them a couple of chances to repent, and then if they don’t, “have nothing more to do with him”.

Don’t let the dividers discourage you and rob you of your peace; and don’t join them in their division-making!

Titus 2

“But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine.” (Titus 2:1)

We really cannot fully understand Paul’s message here if we take it out of the context of the whole letter. We need to first take a look back to the end of chapter one, to understand the contrast Paul is making here. It seems that the churches in Crete were being led astray by false teachers, who may have been making the claim that one must first become a circumcised Jew before one could follow the [Jewish] Christ. “For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision party. They must be silenced …” (ch. 1, vs. 10-11a) They may have even been charging a fee to believers to discover their “hidden” truths. They were apparently “teaching for shameful gain.”

Now in chapter 2, Paul turns the corner and makes a sharp contrast between these false teachers and the teaching he expected from Titus, and from the elders whom Titus would appoint. The standard he sets is that the older men in the church (not just the appointed elders) ought to set an example of Christ-like living for the younger men, and likewise the older women for the younger women.

The first question this brings to mind for me is whether I am sufficiently involved in the lives of younger men in the church to be an influence? Is “Hello, how you doin’?” in the sanctuary aisle sufficient to guide young men to nurture and treasure their young families? I question the wisdom of dividing Bible classes by age group, putting all the seniors in one group and all the younger adults in another. If we don’t mix, how will we influence?

Paul sums it up quite well starting in verse 7: “Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech, …”. While that is equally applicable to all of us, it seems more than reasonable in this context to assume that there is a greater expectation of behavioral modeling from those of us who are older.

Paul sets a similar expectation in verses 9-10 for employees in their workplaces. There is no excuse for a Christian to be a poor, lazy or difficult employee. Jesus expects better of us, and as we have accepted Him as Savior, we have also accepted Him as Lord.

Paul began this chapter with the command “teach”. Now beginning in verse 11, he gets around to a quick summary of what we are to teach. It begins with “the grace of God”; we didn’t save ourselves! Indeed, we cannot! (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Jesus is the grace of God in human form, and He comes “bringing salvation for all people”. Sadly, that doesn’t mean that all people will be saved, but only those who have accepted the grace which Jesus brought for them.

But, Jesus does more than save us from our sins! Having saved us, He is “training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, …” (v. 12). In his letter to the Roman churches, Paul asked “Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?” (Romans 6:1) He immediately answers his own question: “By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?” (v. 2) These two aspects of discipleship are inextricably linked, as Peter declared to the assembled Jews on Pentecost. “Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” (Acts 2:36) The difference between believing in the fact that Jesus is the Son of God and trusting Jesus as one’s Savior is the difference He makes in the way that we think, feel, live and interact. If what we believe doesn’t change how we live, we must ask ourselves whether we truly believe!

Are we “live[ing] self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age”? (v. 12) Has our faith made a difference in our lives? If your answer is “yes”, then go out and “Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you.” (v. 15)

Titus 1

Paul opens this personal letter to Titus by reminding him of the mission which Paul left to him, to complete Paul’s work in Crete and to appoint elders in each local church.

Every church needs local leadership. These churches had significant problems, as Paul explains in verses 10-16. “For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers … They must be silenced …”. Just in case there was any doubt that Paul was writing about new Christians, “They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are … unfit for any good work.”. It is doubtful that any of these 1st-century problems will appear unfamiliar to 21st-century churches!

Before getting into the main point of this chapter, I’ll take one personal lesson from these verses. A true disciple of Christ must grow beyond belief in the saving work of Jesus. That belief must transform his manner of life. Without life transformation, simple belief in the fact of Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins is empty and without saving effect. James wrote “Even the demons believe—and shudder!” (James 2:19) Paul wrote to the Roman church “… be transformed by the renewal of your mind …”(Romans 12:2). At Pentecost, Peter preached to the assembled Jews “Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” (Acts 2:36) I simply cannot have Jesus as my Savior (Christ) without also accepting Him as my Lord.

So I must ask myself, daily, how am I doing? Am I really allowing Jesus to direct my steps? Does my faith transform my response to other drivers in Charlotte traffic? Does my faith transform my compassion for those in need, especially within our own community?

As we seek to grow in Christ, we need leaders to model, encourage and direct our growth. Elders model the attributes, attitudes and behaviors that we seek to develop. They are what we should all become.

So let’s take a look at the qualifications Paul spells out for elders in verses 6-9. I’ll format the text differently than we usually see it, hopefully to enhance our study and self-application.

"if anyone is …

above reproach,
the husband of one wife,
and his children are believers
and not open to the charge of debauchery
or insubordination

For an overseer, as God’s steward,

must be above reproach.
He must not be arrogant
or quick-tempered
or a drunkard
or violent
or greedy for gain,

but [must be]…

hospitable,
a lover of good,
self-controlled,
upright,
holy,
and disciplined.

He must …

hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught,

so that he may be able to …

give instruction in sound doctrine
and also to rebuke those who contradict it."

Which of those qualifications should we, as disciples of Christ, not seek to develop within ourselves? Is any faithful Christian content with being subject to reproach? Any of you men want to be the husband of three wives (with three credit cards)?

Who doesn’t earnestly want their children to be believers? Who really believes we can embrace debauchery and Christ at the same time? Who amoung us is content with being insubordinate to our leadership?

Are any of us OK with being arrogant, or quick-tempered? Does anyone believe we can arrive at Heaven’s gates drunk, or given to fits of violence? Will those gates open to the materially greedy?

Who doesn’t love a person who is hospitable, who loves the good with self-control? Who doesn’t respect someone who is upright, holy and disciplined?

Don’t we all seek to live within God’s holy will? Don’t we all seek knowledge, wisdom and understanding so that we can share what we’ve learned, both with those who also seek to know, and with those who need re-direction back upon the right path.

Yes, these are the qualifications for the most mature, most prepared among us whom God has made ready for leadership. These are the qualifications of the people whom we should seek out. But these are also the qualities which every disciple of Christ should be developing, imitating and following the leadership of men who have already grown and developed these admirable qualities.

My lesson for myself today is to ask “In which of these Christ-like qualities am I lacking? Where do I need to grow? Whom can I follow and imitate to achieve such growth?”

2 Timothy 4

“I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; …” (v. 1-2a)

We don’t know for sure, but this could have been Paul’s final communication to Timothy. Paul was imprisoned in Rome, and his prospects weren’t looking good. “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come.” (v. 6) So, with this dire situation in mind, what did he want his final admonition to Timothy to be? Preach the Word!

If it was that important to Paul, perhaps it should be that important to me as well. I look around me, and everyone I see is bound for an appointment with Jesus at the final judgement. Have I given them the opportunity they need to be prepared?

Paul knew that not everyone would listen to him, or would want to hear what he had to say. “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions.” (v. 3) That didn’t stop him from preaching the Word. He knew Timothy would encounter the same; that didn’t stop him from encouraging Timothy to preach the Word.

So what is holding me back? Is it the thought that some people simply don’t believe God exists, or don’t believe He is relevant to their lives? Paul’s response to this is “Preach the Word!”.

Perhaps it is that people do believe, but they’re busy, focused on other aspects of their lives, raising children or building their careers. They just aren’t ready yet to have a serious spiritual discussion. Paul’s response to this is “Preach the Word!”.

Maybe it’s because I’m fearful of the questions people may ask, or the objections they may raise. I fear that I don’t know the Bible well enough to respond effectively to these questions or objections. If I don’t, I have failed to “do my best to present myself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” (ch. 2, v. 15) Paul’s response to this is “Preach the Word!”.

I’m doing a lot of soul-searching and repenting, even as I’m writing these words. I pray that as you’re reading, I’m not the only one.

2 Timothy 1

If you were to be incarcerated on death row, to whom would you write a letter? What would you say? Would you seek comfort, or try to give comfort?

This is the situation Paul found himself in, as he wrote this letter to his “beloved child” Timothy. Some scholars believe this to be the very last letter written by Paul. We should pay special attention to it because, as is often the case when people are speaking or writing their “last words”, the situation strips away matters of lesser importance, and focuses our thoughts on those things the speaker or author holds most dear.

Let’s take a look at a few verses in chapter one, and see what lessons we can learn from Paul’s final letter.

“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God …” (v. 1) Paul didn’t choose to be an apostle (Acts 9); God chose him and appointed him in a most dramatic fashion! We may have none of the drama in our lives, but whatever we are, we are by the will of God. Are you a husband? You are a husband by the will of God! Are you a father? You are a father by the will of God! Are you an elder or a deacon? You are … well, you get the idea. Does this thought change our attitudes about how we accept our responsibilities in our life roles? It certainly should. To take just one example, if I think I’m a husband because I attended a church youth rally and met a cute girl there, I still may have a sense of responsibility for our marriage, but it wouldn’t be the same. If I realize I attended that event and met that girl by the will of God, however, I have the best reason in all creation to take my responsibility totally seriously, and to be totally thankful for the gift He gave me!

What are you, by the will of God? How does that make you think differently about the role into which God has placed you?

“I thank God … as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day.” (v. 3) I’m going to step on my own toes here; I don’t pray for people as I should! Yes, I do pray for people, but I’m not yet achieving “night and day”, as did Paul. The lesson I’m finding for myself in this verse is to keep on, with God’s help, striving to be consistent in doing what I know I ought to be doing: living in a constant state of prayer. For whom do you need to pray right now?

“God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” (v. 7) I’ve always had a tendency to approach the world with a timid spirit, avoiding confrontation and conflict. The biggest problem with that is when I’m avoiding a conflict that would have never happened; it was always just in my mind. I believe, for most people, the most significant hindrance to evangelism is our fear of negative reactions. I need to repent of my fear; to realize that God has given ME a spirit of power and love; to realize that someone who rejects my effort at evangelism isn’t rejecting me, they are rejecting God.

“… our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.” (v. 10) We all need a reminder of the awesome, glorious gift which God has so graciously given us. For believers, death is abolished. Yes, there may be a physical “death” yet ahead, but for us, that death is but a doorway to our resurrection into life and immortality! Now THAT is good news worth sharing!!

What lessons and life applications will you take home from 2 Timothy 1?

1 Timothy 6

Paul is wrapping up his letter to Timothy. We see him giving some final advice, and his affection for Timothy is quite evident as he closes this letter. I perceive four primary topics in this chapter, so we’ll consider them in four sections.

“Let all who are under a yoke as bondservants regard their own masters as worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and the teaching may not be reviled.” (v. 1)

Paul begins with a brief (2 verses) instruction regarding relationships between bondservants and their masters. A “bondservant” in Paul’s day may have been an employee, or may have been a slave. The term can apply to either. Today, we would read it as “employee”, although depending upon where you work, there might not be as much difference as you would like!

Although employees might work in less-than-ideal conditions, Paul encourages all to “work heartily, as for the Lord …” (Col. 3:23), so they will retain a good and honorable reputation, both for themselves and for the God they serve. For me, remembering that I’m upholding the reputation of my Savior among the unsaved is a big help to continue working for an unjust boss with a quiet and gentle spirit.

“If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing.” (v. 3-4a)

Paul again takes up the issue with false teachers, which appears to have been quite a problem in Ephesus. Why would someone knowingly teach falsehood within Christ’s church? Paul suggests a motive, that these false teachers are “… imagining that godliness is a means of gain.” (v. 5b) They seem to have been offering to teach the Ephesians “the rest of the story”, as Paul Harvey would have put it, but only when they were paid for their “special” knowledge.

Instead of temporal gain, Paul instructs that “godliness with contentment is great gain”, because “we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.” (v. 6,7) Paul would have whole-heartedly agreed with a former pastor who said he had never seen a hearse pulling a U-Haul trailer! True “wealth” is found in learning to be content with whatever God chooses to bless us with.

Paul warns that “those who desire to be rich fall into temptation” (v. 9). Please note: he’s not warning about being rich, but about desiring to be rich. Desire is an indicator that (1) you believe God’s blessings are insufficient, and (2) you deserve to have more. Neither of these ungodly ideas places you in a right relationship with God. Paul goes on to say that “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils.” (v. 10). Again, note that it’s not the money that is evil; it is the love of money which is evil. Jesus said “You cannot serve God and money.” (Matt 6:24) You can have only one Lord, one Master. Who or what will it be?

Paul circles back to the wealthy a bit later in verses 17-19, instructing them to guard their hearts against pride, and to use their wealth in God’s service, “to be generous and ready to share.”

Paul finishes up his letter to his beloved son in the faith with final encouragements to “flee these things [pride, false teachings, pursuit of wealth]. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith.” (v. 11-12, my notes). Paul betrays his deep love for Timothy when he writes “But as for you, O man of God, …”

What higher ambition can we have than to live our lives in such a manner that people close to us will refer to us as “a man of God”?

As we close our study of 1 Timothy, my take-away from the book is a renewed commitment to live a life that brings honor to the Christ Jesus who went to Calvary in my place, in daily service to the God whose grace saves me for all eternity, filled with the Holy Spirit of God, His gift to me.

How will you apply these six chapters to your life?

1 Timothy 5

This chapter might be thought of as “double instructions”, i.e., instructions for the church, but also for the church leaders whose responsibility it is to lead the church in Godly ways. As I read the chapter, it seems to break down into three sections, so that’s the way I’ll present it.

“Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity.” (v. 1-2)

We all need correction from time to time. Paul’s instruction here is to approach church members in need of correction with kindness, respect and encouragement. Mom used to tell me I’d catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. I’ve found through life that she’s right; a gentle, kind approach is usually far more successful than a confrontational approach. I’m still not sure what the flies had to do with it!

Paul’s instructions regarding charges against elders, which we’ll get to later in the post, would be equally applicable to taking up an issue with any church member. 1) Be sure of your facts. Paul says to have multiple witnesses. Don’t rebuke someone for something they haven’t done! 2) Discipline without partiality. Don’t come down harder on someone you don’t like, and don’t give your friends a break they don’t deserve. 3) Don’t pre-judge the matter. Don’t make up your mind about it until all the facts are in.

I confess here that I have a tendancy in such matters, which might not be mine alone. I have a tendancy to view the facts, then assign motives for which I have scarce evidence, motive which cast the facts in a darker light. I must not do that!! Clearly wrong actions can be the result of innocent bad judgement, rather than intentional harm. I should always assume the least-harmful motive until the evidence points elsewhere. As I wrote, I might not be the only one struggling with this; think about it.

“Let a widow be enrolled if she is not less than sixty years of age, having been the wife of one husband, …” (v. 9)

Paul spends most of this chapter discussing widows and the church’s support for them. Widowhood seemed to be of particular concern in that time and place, as there were no government or social programs which would have stepped in to offer help. While conditions have changed, we can read into this section an admonition for careful and conservative administration of church resources in giving aid, whatever may be the situation creating the need (or desire) for aid.

In verses 3-8, Paul carefully defines terms. He makes a careful distinction between widows who are truly destitute, with no family or other possible means of support, and those widows having family to help them, and/or an opportunity to re-marry and regain the support of a husband. (Different times back then!!) He ends this section with a dire warning which I know well; as a boy child, this verse was read to me quite frequently! “But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” I think Mom wanted to make sure I would remember this one!

Verse 9 introduces the concept of “enrollment”. As best I know, we don’t have the full details on what this meant, but it seems to have been some sort of semi-formal process by which widows qualified to receive the support of the church. This is where I believe we need to look beyond the narrow local time-specific issue of widows, and consider the broader concept of church support for the needy.

One cannot read this section of scripture and deny that God holds the church responsible for providing support for truly needy people, first within the church, and if resources allow, beyond the boundaries of church membership. This is a fundamental function of the local church! However, we much also discern that God holds the church responsible for judicious stewardship of limited resources, conserving such resources for those who are most in need, and have the least opportunity for external support. Family is God’s first line of support, and should always be the first to step up and help. The sin of selfishness is why family often does not help those in need, and the church should always be working in such cases to bring the family into obedience to the Lord.

“Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses.” (v. 19)

Paul’s last section in this chapter addresses the church’s relationship with its own elders, first clarifying that elders who labor for the church full-time are deserving of payment for their labor. In today’s world, we may have retired elders with considerable personal resources, who spend much of their time working with the church. These verses do not say that such elders must be paid, but rather that elders giving their full time to the church without their own source of support are deserving of the church’s help.

Paul takes up the issue of sin within the church leadership, with strong admonitions on both sides. To the accuser, he says you’d better know what you’re talking about, and have witnesses to back you up! Paul has no patience for frivolous compaints against church leadership, and neither should we. On the other hand, if charges of sinful behavior are validated, Paul instructs the church to “rebuke them in the presence of all”; if that sounds harsh, I believe Paul meant for it to be. In the previous chapter, Paul instructed Timothy to “set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.” The same goes for elders. Leading the Lord’s church is a great responsibility, and along with that responsibility comes a more strict judgement. President Harry Truman famously said “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.” That would seem to apply to church leadership as well as it does to government.

Finally, Paul encourages Timothy to “Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching.” (v. 16) This would seem to apply equally to all church leaders and teachers. James wrote “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.” (James 3:1) This is why my own choice is to leave the teaching to others much more qualified than I!!

1 Timothy 4

“Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.” (v. 1-5, ESV)

There will always be false teachers. God warns us to be watchful for such. Paul seems to have specific false teachings in view here, those of forbidding to marry and abstaining from specified foods, but he also establishes a pattern for us to look for.

False teachings will either forbid things that God has not forbidden, or allow things that God has forbidden. Either way, the goal is to establish control over people, superseding God in their lives, minds and hearts.

Either way, the remedy is the same. Know God’s Word, follow God’s Word, and always use God’s Word to judge the validity of any teaching you hear. If the teaching doesn’t align with the Bible, walk away.

“Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness;” (v. 7)

Isn’t this what temporal life is supposed to be all about … preparing oneself for eternity? Step one is, as mentioned above, knowing God’s Word. But that’s not enough! Beyond knowing God’s Word, we must incorporate His Word into our minds and hearts. It’s not enough to simply know what God wants me to do. I must actually do it. At this point, however, I question whether even that is enough! I really should be doing what God wants me to do, not simply because I know I should, but because that’s my first thought, my first instinct.

Just to take a minor, silly example to illustrate the thought, what are my instinctive reactions to other drivers in Charlotte traffic? Would I say the same things about them if Jesus was sitting in the passenger seat? I tend to forget … He is already there! I write often about applying God’s Word to my life. There are really two levels of application. Doing the right thing is only level one. Doing the right thing out of the right heart is level two, and that’s where I still need a lot of work!!!

“Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.” (v. 12)

No one is going to despise me because of my long-past youth, but the admonition remains valid; I need to continue to set an example in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity. Even more, now that youth has been replaced by sparse grey hair and creaky bones, God expects me to be an example to the world around me; within the church, the neighborhood, and the community.

To be an example in speech and conduct is to say and do as Jesus would have said and done in my present circumstances. To be an example in love, faith and purity is to say and do out of the heartfelt motivations of Jesus; to align my heart with His.

How do I do that? I don’t know … I’m not there yet! I believe, however, that living in constant prayer as Jesus did is a good start, so that’s where I will try to start.

“Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching.” (v. 16a)

Paul reminds Timothy, and me, that we must always be mindful of our speech, conduct and teaching. We won’t always get it right, but we need to recognize before we get too far off-track, and set things right again.

This might be the value in an end-of-day meditation and prayer. With whom did I interact today? How did that go? Am I satisfied with my words and actions, or wishing for a re-do? Did I know God’s Word sufficiently to share the right scripture at the right time, in the right tone, to be a blessing in someone’s life? Has someone’s thoughts been turned towards God because of my interaction with them?

Tough questions! I pray that, at the end of the day, I will have satisfactory answers. I pray that you will also.