Re: Verse reading–1 Timothy 3:1-13 (day two)
Above reproach, good reputation, worthy of respect, sincere, tested, trustworthy…Paul states from the beginning that a desire to lead the church is a noble task. It is one that not all of us will be called to do. Don’t you wish we used similar criteria for how we choose our civic leaders? No where in this passage does Paul say anything about their ideology, except to say they must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith. That doesn’t read “believes exactly like I do” or “subscribes to the party to which I always support”. Paul has faith that if we appoint men of sound faith, they will be guided by the spirit and use the mind that God has given them to discern the best path forward. Is this the litmus test you use in selecting your leaders? Should it be?
Tag: God
The good fight
Re: Verse reading – 1 Timothy 1:1-19 (day seven)
“This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son. . .that. . .you fight the good fight.”–v 18.
No one knew better than Paul the cost of ministry to the God-called man. Both command to be obeyed and treasure to be guarded, ministry is always a privilege, and always a fight. “Until you know that life is war, you cannot know what prayer is for” says John Piper. (Thanks, Doug Sewell.) And lay servants of Christ are not exempted from the battle stress. Earlier in his life, and to the residents of this same city, Paul wrote these words, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.”—Ephesians 6:10-11. None of us should be surprised when life is difficult, disappointing and draining. We knew all along. It’s gonna be a fight!
“Stay people”
Re: Verse reading – 1 Timothy 1:1-19 (day six)
“As I urged you when I went to Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain men not to teach false doctrines”–v 3.
I wonder how Timothy felt when Paul told him? “I need to go, but I want you to stay.” Ephesus had never been an easy church to pastor. The task must have sounded IMPOSSIBLE to young Timothy without Paul. But God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called. Over the next years Timothy would learn much about pastoring, and about the perseverance that is required. He would deepen and develop as a leader. Some people come and then go from our lives. We are thankful for them, even for the brief moments of their influence and encouragement. Others leave when things get difficult, when it isn’t fun anymore. Not much help there. Other people come and STAY! We are MOST thankful for them. “Stay people” God sends.
NextGen
Re: Verse reading – 1 Timothy 1:1-19 (day five)
2 To Timothy, my true child in the faith:, 15 It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance,
A new strategy we began last year was to partner teenagers in a “leadership track” with mentors, and have them meet regularly over the course of a year. The marked difference in their faith, perspective, and emotional stability was noticeable. As we read 1 & 2 Timothy, we catch glimpses of a phenomenal mentoring relationship. One of the primary desires in the NextGen Ministry is to “Partner with Parents” in the faith development of their kids. I’m wondering if mentoring (both to kids/teenagers and parents) might be a good picture of how a church can invest and grow the “Next Generation” of believers and leaders in God’s Kingdom. Let’s look for ways to teach and encourage “trustworthy statements” of our faith, and the life lessons learned through our own mentoring or personal experience.
Come to Save Sinners
Re: Verse reading – 1 Timothy 1:1-19 (day four)
“It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners,” Who was Jesus? Why did He come? What do I have to do with Him? These are the questions that each one of us must ask…and answer. It is so easy to just ignore the questions. If we never ask the questions, then we don’t have to face the answer. Timothy was in Ephesus to help the church answer these questions. Already, the church was straying from the Gospel taught by Paul. They were justifying things that were contrary to righteousness. When you reject God’s law, you can come up with excuses to justify behavior that has long been contrary to the standards of righteousness. The more a culture turns away from the Word of God, the more darkness encroaches on the mores of society so that what has always been considered evil is now considered good. Remember…Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners!
Submission, Spirit
Re: Verse reading–Ephesians 5:21-33, 6:1-9 (day seven)
“Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ”-v 21. Submission is a Spiritual ethic. Impossible without Him. It is one (and only one) of the indicators of Spirit-filled life that Paul lists in Ephesians 5:18-21. Speaking to one another with songs. . .giving thanks for all things. . .being subject to one another–these are the outward proofs that the Spirit of God has entered and filled your heart. Does your life evidence these things? They do not come by force of will or application of effort! Only the Spirit can produce such outcomes. “The mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile to God; for it does not subject (same word) itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so.”–Romans 8:6-7. Those who ignore the basic step of being filled with the Spirit will find submission to be undesirable and impossible.
Spirit-filled, ego-freed
Re: Verse reading–Ephesians 5:21-33, 6:1-9 (day six)
“be subject to one another in the fear of Christ”–v. 21. Submission is a lightning-rod issue in this age. People (all of us, not just women) resist the loss of autonomy and self-determination that it implies. Demanding our rights (and feeling entitled to do so) blinds us to the wisdom of this eg0-displacing step. Those who submit to Christ and are subsequently filled with His Spirit (rather than self–see v. 18) find freedom. NO PRISON is worse than self! “There is nothing so pathetic as a person determined to be crucified on the cross of personal grievance”–Abraham Lincoln. And, NO FREEDOM is sweeter than to serve God and others without competition or anxiety. When Paul speaks about family (wives submit to your husbands, husbands love your wives, children obey your parents) he assumes we already have some experience of this “more excellent way”. Ego is not my savior. It is, very often, a trouble causing tyrant.
Leave, and Cleave
Re: Verse reading–Ephesians 5:21-33, 6:1-9 (day four)
In Genesis 2:24, it says “For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.” Sounds like God is talking about the marriage relationship, doesn’t it? He is actually talking about Christ and the Church. The role of Christ in the Church is a great mystery. During the time of the old covenant, God’s people knew nothing of the church…they knew nothing of the relationship of love, respect, protection, and leadership between Christ and the Church. With the new covenant, God revealed His plan for the Church and for drawing all men to Him. Everything changed. Not only did the Church change, but so did marriages. We began to see how the relationship should look like. Husbands should love their wives as they loved themselves and wives should respect their husbands. From the beginning, God has had a plan. Are we honoring God with our marriage?
Hear
Re: Verse reading—Ephesians 5:21-6:9 (day three)
“Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord.”
“Household codes” were a common feature of ancient writings on society. Paul simply re-frames the code in a Christian context, grounding it in Christ’s person. So he wasn’t writing provocatively. Any controversy comes from the ink spilled and breath spent attempting to excuse Paul, or to re-interpret him for modern ears, or to save him from himself, or to give up on him altogether. But in our rush to defend our hard-won enlightenment, we fail to do what is necessary: Sit quietly and listen to the word of God as penned by Paul. The harshness of the words as they fall on our ears has more to do with our resistance to the shaping power of the Bible than it does with any sophistication we think we have gained by living in these times.
Children and fathers
Re: Verse reading–Ephesians 5:21-33, 6:1-9 (day one)
Statistics say that 1/3 of American children grow up in biological father-absent homes. Similar studies connect this reality to teen suicide, homelessness, and school drop outs. Children with involved, loving fathers are significantly more likely to do well in school, exhibit empathy to others, and avoid high-risk behavior. Science! Scripture! “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger; but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord”–Ephesians 6:4. Children need fathers, depend on them for an upbringing, literally, “to nourish them up and out, from one level of maturity to the next.” No disrespect meant to single moms. But, when a society ignores God’s laws regarding sex and marriage, our children pay the penalty. “Paternity is a career that comes to you one fine morning without any inquiry as to your fitness for it. That is why there are so many fathers who have children, but so few children who have fathers.”–Adlai Stevenson.