18Timothy, my son, I give you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight, 19holding on to faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith. 20Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme.
Ahhh, here is Paul, creating paradoxes again (at least from my limited perspective). From vs 12 onward we see the clear work of Christ in strengthening us, appointing us, saving us, using us for His glory...everything is about Him and by Him. And now he tells us to fight. It is all about God, it is all by God, but we must engage. As Jeremy said, our engagement seems to be simple in the sense of focusing on faith and a good conscience. And I would agree, it does not need to be complicated, but it is not easy either (and certainly Jeremy does not say it is). Paul commands us to fight!! How often do I look at the journey of faith as one which at times needs to be faught for. And certainly there is something more than territory and cities at stake here, Paul is speaking of eternity. How I pray for God's grace to enable me to see the need and significance to fight. Gentlemen, I am thankful as well, that like Paul and Timothy, we do not fight alone, but in community. I am blessed. God bless you all!!!
Friday, January 26, 2007
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
1 Timothy 1:12-17 Unbelieveable Mercy, Unbelieveable God
12I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service. 13Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. 14The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
15Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. 16But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. 17Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.
This is amazing. Here is Paul...first of all, Paul's focus is not on himself. Anything that Paul speaks about himself is spoken in a way as to enhance his readers picture of God. This is not my tendancy. If I were Paul and had his ministry, his calling, I'm thinking that there would be times that I would be focused on me for the sake of me. However, he nails this idea in 1 Corinthians 4:7, so this is not new for Paul, this is a theme. What do we have that we have not recieved? This is especially amazing in light of the fact that it is because of mercy that we do not get what we deserve...
In Paul's life, at least at this point, everything is about the fame of Jesus Christ. Even His acts of mercy are to shine forth His beauty, his unlimited patience. This draws people to Himself, which again is about God, but great for man!! His response seems to be a spontaneous burst of praise.
I guess when I read this, one of my longings is to be more aware of who I am and more aware of who God is. Not for some morbid self-depreciation (I think that is a word) but so that I could more clearly be aware of the awesomeness of God, which really is what I was made for and really, when authentically experienced, brings me a great deal of joy.
15Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. 16But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. 17Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.
This is amazing. Here is Paul...first of all, Paul's focus is not on himself. Anything that Paul speaks about himself is spoken in a way as to enhance his readers picture of God. This is not my tendancy. If I were Paul and had his ministry, his calling, I'm thinking that there would be times that I would be focused on me for the sake of me. However, he nails this idea in 1 Corinthians 4:7, so this is not new for Paul, this is a theme. What do we have that we have not recieved? This is especially amazing in light of the fact that it is because of mercy that we do not get what we deserve...
In Paul's life, at least at this point, everything is about the fame of Jesus Christ. Even His acts of mercy are to shine forth His beauty, his unlimited patience. This draws people to Himself, which again is about God, but great for man!! His response seems to be a spontaneous burst of praise.
I guess when I read this, one of my longings is to be more aware of who I am and more aware of who God is. Not for some morbid self-depreciation (I think that is a word) but so that I could more clearly be aware of the awesomeness of God, which really is what I was made for and really, when authentically experienced, brings me a great deal of joy.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
1 Timothy 1:8-11
8We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. 9We also know that law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, 10for adulterers and perverts, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine 11that conforms to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me.
First question: What does it mean to not use the law properly? According to Romans 3:19-20, the law is used well when it points out our sin and moves us to seek forgiveness by the God's grace through faith. It seems to me, that a bad use of the law would be trying to attain salvation by observing it. We can't. And when we try, it seems to me that it leads to legalism, pride, and failure to produce people who truely worship God.
It seems to make sense to me that the "false teachers" were "false teachers" because they were looking to the law to produce salvation. My question is, in my passion to get students into the Word, am I creating a "law", or am I moving them towards sound doctrine, which is about the glorious gospel of God, who is Jesus Christ? This is where everything must point. Jesus Christ is the completion of the law. I think I need to be sure not to create legalists.
By the way, I would have to suggest that in my sinful nature, the law is for me, because Paul's definitions of sinners or those not righteous fit me...especially in light of how Jesus Christ redefines murder and adultery in Matthew 5. Therefore, the law (primarily the 10 commandments I would assume) moves me to seek forgiveness in Christ. It is valuable to me in this sense.
You guys, I am pumped about what we are doing. God bless you as you journey dudes!!!!!
First question: What does it mean to not use the law properly? According to Romans 3:19-20, the law is used well when it points out our sin and moves us to seek forgiveness by the God's grace through faith. It seems to me, that a bad use of the law would be trying to attain salvation by observing it. We can't. And when we try, it seems to me that it leads to legalism, pride, and failure to produce people who truely worship God.
It seems to make sense to me that the "false teachers" were "false teachers" because they were looking to the law to produce salvation. My question is, in my passion to get students into the Word, am I creating a "law", or am I moving them towards sound doctrine, which is about the glorious gospel of God, who is Jesus Christ? This is where everything must point. Jesus Christ is the completion of the law. I think I need to be sure not to create legalists.
By the way, I would have to suggest that in my sinful nature, the law is for me, because Paul's definitions of sinners or those not righteous fit me...especially in light of how Jesus Christ redefines murder and adultery in Matthew 5. Therefore, the law (primarily the 10 commandments I would assume) moves me to seek forgiveness in Christ. It is valuable to me in this sense.
You guys, I am pumped about what we are doing. God bless you as you journey dudes!!!!!
Friday, January 19, 2007
1 Timothy 1:3-7
Timothy 1
1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope,
2To Timothy my true son in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
Warning Against False Teachers of the Law
3As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer 4nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. These promote controversies rather than God's work—which is by faith.
1. It is hard to know exactly what these guys were teaching tht ticked Paul off so much, but here are a couple of things we do know.
- whatever they were teaching, it wasn't true. It didn't line up with what the apostles were teaching
- it did not further the Kingdom of Heaven (which by the way is what Christ came to do...this is God's work).
- it was contrary to faith, which suggests that it probably had something to do with works and legalism.
This reminds me again that one of the questions I need to ask in the ministries I am involved in is how does this further the Kingdom? How does this show the value of God? (works are about us, faith is about Him).
5The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 6Some have wandered away from these and turned to meaningless talk. 7They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm.
1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope,
2To Timothy my true son in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
Warning Against False Teachers of the Law
3As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer 4nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. These promote controversies rather than God's work—which is by faith.
1. It is hard to know exactly what these guys were teaching tht ticked Paul off so much, but here are a couple of things we do know.
- whatever they were teaching, it wasn't true. It didn't line up with what the apostles were teaching
- it did not further the Kingdom of Heaven (which by the way is what Christ came to do...this is God's work).
- it was contrary to faith, which suggests that it probably had something to do with works and legalism.
This reminds me again that one of the questions I need to ask in the ministries I am involved in is how does this further the Kingdom? How does this show the value of God? (works are about us, faith is about Him).
5The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 6Some have wandered away from these and turned to meaningless talk. 7They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm.
2. Paul's goal in all this, primarily in what he is calling Timothy to do, is love. Question: Does this drive me? Is it out of love for others that I try and motivate, encourage and instruct? Where does this come from? Paul says that it comes from 3 things...
1. a pure heart. David in Psalm 51:10 asked God to create in him a clean heart...I would guess a pure heart is similar, one that is forgiven, renewed.
2. a good conscience. One that is not wracked by guilt and shame. Instead, it has peace, courage, joy. How wicked it is to deal with sin quickly so that I can be free to engage people and God well.
3. sincere faith. Since faith is all about trusting God, my guess is that it is a faith that authentically pursues absolute trust in Christ seen in humility, submission and obedience to His Word. Paul seems to be saying that if these begin to define us, we will be loving others. If these don't define us, we will move into areas of sin and "meaningless talk", what we teach will have no value.
Lord, I pray that I will be a person who will grow in love for others. I ask that You would draw me to Yourself, that I will absolutely rely upon You so that I can be used to lead others to You. Lord, reveal to me when I am engaged in meaningless talk. I love You Lord.
Thursday, January 18, 2007
1 Timothy 1:1-3
Well, this is my first "blog devotion". I'm doing this for a couple of reasons, one, because I need to be in the Word...this seems to me to be a good way to do that. Two, because I need to be in the Word in community. This is a sweet way to do this, both with you guys, Jeremy and Scott (who are the one's I interact with on 1 Timothy) and with anyone else who chooses to read this and engage it. May we journey towards truth together!!! Here goes nothing...or something...who knows.
1 Timothy 1:1-11
1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope,
2To Timothy my true son in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
Warning Against False Teachers of the Law
3As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer 4nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. These promote controversies rather than God's work—which is by faith. 5The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 6Some have wandered away from these and turned to meaningless talk. 7They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm.
8We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. 9We also know that law[a] is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, 10for adulterers and perverts, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine 11that conforms to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me.
Here are some of my thoughts...
1. Paul's position is not somthing that he thought up or even created himself. He is there because God called him to it...even commanded him.
- Question: what I am doing right now, do I feel like this is something that God has called me to? If it is, why are there times when I act like it is about me and not him?
2. In the midst of this calling or command of God, Christ is His hope...
- Question: what am I hoping in as I engage God's call on my life? How does this hope affect me when the going gets tough?
3. Paul is writing to Timothy, who is pastoring in Ephesus. This is not the first time that Paul has talked to Timothy about this issue...I'm guessing it is a big deal, and probably not something that is easy to deal with.
By the way, Paul is a big fan of Timothy. He is journeying with him.
- Question: Do I have any "True sons in the faith?" Am I being faithful?
4. Finally, Paul's concern is people teaching false doctrine. He is commanding Timothy to engage these guys on the issues. We are living in a time where we seem to be downplaying the role of doctrine when it comes to scripture. It seems our favorite terms we like to use are "narrative" and "story". I think these terms are valuable, but I am afraid that sometimes we use them to minimize the idea of "doctrine", "sound theology", or "propositional truth". 2 thoughts...one, the idea of story and narrative is not exclusive of theology or doctrine or propositional truth. Two, this stuff is important so we need to continue to humbly interact with each other on it, and while we may not konw things absolutely, it does not mean we do not know things, and does not leave us unable to challenge and confront one another.
Dude's, these are some of my thoughts. God bless you guys as You journey with Christ in His Word.
1 Timothy 1:1-11
1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope,
2To Timothy my true son in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
Warning Against False Teachers of the Law
3As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer 4nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. These promote controversies rather than God's work—which is by faith. 5The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 6Some have wandered away from these and turned to meaningless talk. 7They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm.
8We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. 9We also know that law[a] is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, 10for adulterers and perverts, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine 11that conforms to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me.
Here are some of my thoughts...
1. Paul's position is not somthing that he thought up or even created himself. He is there because God called him to it...even commanded him.
- Question: what I am doing right now, do I feel like this is something that God has called me to? If it is, why are there times when I act like it is about me and not him?
2. In the midst of this calling or command of God, Christ is His hope...
- Question: what am I hoping in as I engage God's call on my life? How does this hope affect me when the going gets tough?
3. Paul is writing to Timothy, who is pastoring in Ephesus. This is not the first time that Paul has talked to Timothy about this issue...I'm guessing it is a big deal, and probably not something that is easy to deal with.
By the way, Paul is a big fan of Timothy. He is journeying with him.
- Question: Do I have any "True sons in the faith?" Am I being faithful?
4. Finally, Paul's concern is people teaching false doctrine. He is commanding Timothy to engage these guys on the issues. We are living in a time where we seem to be downplaying the role of doctrine when it comes to scripture. It seems our favorite terms we like to use are "narrative" and "story". I think these terms are valuable, but I am afraid that sometimes we use them to minimize the idea of "doctrine", "sound theology", or "propositional truth". 2 thoughts...one, the idea of story and narrative is not exclusive of theology or doctrine or propositional truth. Two, this stuff is important so we need to continue to humbly interact with each other on it, and while we may not konw things absolutely, it does not mean we do not know things, and does not leave us unable to challenge and confront one another.
Dude's, these are some of my thoughts. God bless you guys as You journey with Christ in His Word.
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