Only One Choice

I sometimes think that shopping is too complicated. There are too many choices!

 

Take toothpaste, for example. I can get it to whiten teeth, or to freshen my breath. They sell it for sensitive teeth and for soft enamels. Too many choices! I just need toothpaste!

 

Paper towel is another example. Some are the strongest, some the most absorbent. Still others come with soap already in them. Too many choices! I just need a disposable towel!

 

Today’s reading is 1Timothy 1:18-2:7. St. Paul, on a mission trip, was giving instructions to Timothy, the delegate leader of the Church at Ephesus.

 

Specifically, Paul is providing instructions regarding worship. As part of his instructions on prayers, Paul reminds Timothy, “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom …” To the point, the only reason Timothy can pray to God is because he has faith in Jesus, who enables believers to approach God directly with requests.

 

In Paul’s day there were many religions claiming to have a path to God. Of course, there were numerous pagan religions, with priests encouraging people to worship creation, such as an alligator, a river or the Sun, instead of the creator. There also were Gnostics who claimed knowledge (the Greek word gnosis means knowledge) was necessary to reach God, not Christ’s crucifixion. Finally, Judaism had become a religion of Good Works.

 

Guess what? Things have not changed much in 2000 years. Pagan religions and Devil Worship exist today. The New Age Movement tells us we have what it takes to save ourselves. And there are many, many other religions that teach Good Works are required to reach God.

 

The only way to Heaven is through Jesus. The only reason we can approach God is because of Jesus.

 

What a blessing it is to approach God through prayer. He hears them all and answers them all. Of course, he does not always grant our request, but he does provide an answer.

 

Jesus is our mediator! Unlike shopping, Jesus is the only choice!

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.

Training and Equipping

2 Timothy 3:16-17

"All scripture is God -breathed, and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."

As we conclude our Sunday Study of The Word for September, I was reflecting on what the other writers I am privileged to share this blog with, had to say. Though we live miles apart and do not collaborate regarding what we will author, and have written from many different Books of the Bible, including Psalms, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Proverbs, Revelation, Hebrews, etc., a common theme surfaces. Below are a few excerpts from the September Blog writings I feel compelled to share. This BOOK is a true gift from our Father! 

"But the Bible is present. The Holy Spirit is alive and active within the pages of scripture! Faith is created when we spend time in the Word, faith is strengthened when we spend time in the Word, and God often speaks to us through His word." 

"When we apply Scripture to our daily tasks and concerns our Faith is ignited. Discernment comes into play as we seek to understand the words which lay open at our fingertips."

"God has given parents a tremendous responsibility when he entrusts them with one of his souls. A key part of that responsibility is to teach their children God’s Word, and train them to be disciples."

 "We have a God given training manual at our fingertips we call the Bible; His Holy Word."

"Still, instruction is clearly the smoother route and we do well to travel it as much as we can.  So to that end, Solomon hands us his atlas of proverbs and bids us farewell on our trip to Wisdom with this sage advice: Travel the freeway of instruction ... you’ll know it when you see it ... it’s the path that begins with the fear of the Lord." 

"Reading scripture on a regular basis and delving into His Word attempting to learn how to apply it to our lives, will keep us clear thinking." 

"What better tool to use than God’s Word." 

"The Life Application Bible Notes puts it this way - The Bible is like medicine: It goes to work only when we apply it to the affected areas. As you read the Bible, be alert for lessons, commands, or examples that you can put into practice."

Amen!

2 Timothy 3:16-17

Teaching

"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." 

Envision the Holy breath of God, exhaling His own words through the air into the heads and hearts of the scripture writers. Through them the Lords message was placed onto common scrolls transforming simple parchment into sacred documents from Heaven. What an honor to have been chosen by God as a vehicle for expressing His love.

Those writers were common folk, as are you and I. They became teachers as they discovered God’s design for themselves. Throughout the ages, their writings have impacted and changed the course of history.

We do not have to be teachers by profession to be instructors in the way of an honorable life. Others learn from us by our every word and action.

Romans 12:5 speaks of those in Christ belonging to each other. Our spiritual gifts are expressions of the Holy Spirit. I recall being stirred to reality a couple years ago when one of our young Pastors delivered a message on spiritual gifts, he summarized them as follows:

Prophecy         bringing the message of God to his people

Service            always seeking needs

Teaching         helping people understand biblical truth

Exhortation     an encourager-build people up

Giving             give freely to others to bring glory to God without recognition

Leader             get people organized and focused on God’s plan

Mercy             compassion, kindness, empathy-drawn to the hurting

Though I AM a teacher by vocation, I see that teaching is not necessarily my spiritual gift. Perhaps I am teaching in order to use my spiritual gifts to reach others who may not have otherwise been reachable. What are your spiritual gifts, and how are you using them to reach and teach; to change the course of history for yourself, and for others?

2 Timothy 3: 16-17

                 Looking for inspiration? “Google It!”

I did. As I read through the hundreds of inspirational quotes, it occurred to me that though not stated, a good portion of them were bible based whether the author of the message intended it to be or not. It is true that many quotes people think came from the bible,  have no biblical base, such as “God helps those who help themselves,” but to an extent it is good to know that God’s name is being referenced in the life of those who may not be truly committed. There are also verses spoken by preachers and teachers of the word that may not be directly taken from the bible yet reference how we are to live our lives based on biblical principles, like one of my favorites from Chuck Swindoll. 

In 2 Timothy 3:16-17 we are reminded: "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." 

If we are familiar with God's word, we can make reference to his teachings and help others make connections to the bible; our training manual for life, when we have the opportunity. Everyone loves to be inspired, so let's use our daily circumstances and interactions to direct others to His Word. What does the bible say?

1 Chronicles 28:20                    James 1:23-25
Deuteronomy 31:6                    1 John 3:18
Joshua 1:9                                Colossians 3:23-24
Psalm 27:14                              1 Peter 1:13
1 John 1:9                                  Hebrews 6:11-12
Philippians 4:13                         Daniel 11:32
Proverbs 28:13                          Luke 11:9
James 4:10                               James 2: 14-17
...and many more                      ...and many more

            2 Corinthians 5:17

            James 1:12
            Romans 5: 3-5
            Matthew 24:13
            Hebrews 10:36
            Acts 2:38
            Matthew 18: 21-22
            Psalm 32:5
            Luke 23:43
            ...and many more