Training to be Godly

Watching my grandchildren a few months ago reminded me of an important lesson I learned many years ago when Brenda and I raised our kids. If you tell kids not to do something, they most likely will stop, but inevitably, they will find something else to do that you don’t want them doing. On the other hand, giving them something fun to do almost always keeps them from doing something they shouldn’t.

Providing coloring books is surely better than having them pull the pots and pans out of the cupboards!

Today’s reading is once again 1 Timothy 4. St. Paul is giving advice to Timothy, interim pastor of the church at Ephesus.  Let’s focus on verses 7b and 8, “rather, train yourself to be Godly. For physical training is of some value, but Godliness has value for all things.”

Paul is telling Timothy to be Godly, and that this takes discipline. Athletes train for their respective sport, but how does one train to be Godly?

An obvious answer is “Word and Sacraments.” A football player studies the playbook and eats the right foods to strengthen his body. Likewise, studying God’s Word tells us what it means to be Godly and taking Communion strengthens us spiritually.

Another answer is to keep the 10 Commandments, an impossibility. We can try, but for the most part, these tell us what not to do, not what to do. In football, there is a list of penalties that tell the players what not to do. A team can have no penalties and still lose the game. Players must also focus on what they are “to do.” So must we.

Jesus is our role model for living. Like a good parent,  God gives us things “to do.” We are to care for each other, worship God and share the Gospel. These are better than coloring books, and they sure keep us from making a mess out of the pots and pans!

Training to be Godly requires discipline. We must know what it means to be Godly.  There are things we are not to do. Perhaps most importantly, there are things we are to do.

How do you train to be Godly?

Are You Using Your Gifts?

Just about everybody likes a gift.

 

On Christmas Day, kids wake up and bolt to the tree to see what Santa Clause has brought. When mom and dad wake up, the kids can’t wait to open the remaining presents.

 

Birthday gifts are always appreciated, but perhaps best gifts are those that somebody gives for no apparent reason at all.

 

Today’s reading is 1 Timothy 4. Paul is writing to Timothy, the leader of the Ephesus church, filling in for Paul who is on a missionary journey. Let’s focus on verse 14, “Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you.”

 

The church has several Christ given tasks. The Holy Spirit gives each church member a spiritual gift so that the church can complete its tasks.

 

As interim Pastor, Timothy was given the gift of proclaiming the Gospel.  While this is critical, it takes the use of many more gifts for a congregation to be successful. Paul lists some of the spiritual gifts in Corinthians and Romans. Among them are wisdom, knowledge, healing, prophecy, serving, teaching, encouraging, giving, leadership and showing mercy.

 

Unlike Christmas gifts, I sometimes do not want to know what my spiritual gifts are. Perhaps a better way of looking at it is that I would rather do what I want to do, not what the Holy Spirit has gifted me to do. If I ignore my gifts, then I can rationalize to myself that there are good reasons for not doing more in Christ’s church.

 

And of course, understanding my gifts and utilizing them can put me outside my comfort zone. Changing jobs also puts me outside my comfort zone at first, yet I gladly accept those challenges. The feeling of discomfort does not last long.

 

Today’s reading is something I needed to hear, “Do not neglect your gift.”

 

Perhaps there are others like me in this regard. The church can only be effective if its members utilize their gifts. The Holy Spirit did not give us gifts for no apparent reason at all.

 

Do you know what your gifts are? Are you using them?

 

 

Doctrine Matters, Jesus Matters

I did not like Symphony for the Devil, by the Rolling Stones, when it first came out. However, I have come to appreciate how accurate this song is. In it, Satan takes credit for bringing Communism to Russia and for the atrocities of World War II, among other things.  

 

The devil is doing his best to mess up God’s civil world, sometimes referred to, “God’s left hand.”

 

Today’s reading is 1Timothy 4. Paul, on a mission trip, is advising Timothy. Timothy was filling in for Paul and leading the church at Ephesus. Paul wants Timothy to be an effective leader.

Let’s focus on two passages, 4:1 and 4:16a. “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits …. Watch  ...  your doctrine closely …”

 

Paul describes Gnosticism to Timothy. Gnostics believed that material things were bad and spiritual things were good. They also believed that special knowledge was necessary for eternal life, not faith. That is, Jesus’ life, death and resurrection mean nothing – it is knowledge that saves.

 

False doctrine exists today. It is in the civil world, and sometimes even within the church.  The devil has been trying to mess up God’s spiritual world, sometimes referred to as, “God’s right hand,” for a long time.

 

In Symphony for the Devil, Satan is also espousing false doctrine.  He says, “all the sinners are saints.” The actual theology is, “all the saints are sinners.”


Is this an honest mistake done by a dyslexic devil? Hardly. It is an intentional statement meant to discredit Christ!

 

This subtle error, if left unchecked, has ripple effects throughout the church. If all the sinners were saints, then there would be no need for the church to spread the Gospel. There would be no mission for the church. The need for God-given faith disappears. Our sins would not matter. And if our sins do not matter then Jesus' life, death and resurrection do not matter.

 

False doctrine takes us away from Jesus. It often makes us feel like we control our own destiny. It ultimately leads us to the devil, who wants to “lay your soul to waste.”

 

Doctrine matters. Jesus matters.