Thoughts From 1 Timothy - Day 10

 Those who have served well gain an excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus. Although I hope to come to you soon, I am writing you these instructions so that, if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth. 1 Timothy 3:13-15

            In this passage we get some ideas of what the Church should be. First of all, it's a household. It makes me think of a family. As Christians, the church is a place where the family gets together and does the "one anothers"

     POSITIVE COMMANDS Love one another (John 13:34 - This command occurs at least 16 times) Be devoted to one another (Romans 12:10) Honor one another above yourselves (Romans 12:10) Live in harmony with one another (Romans 12:16) Build up one another (Romans 14:19; 1 Thessalonians 5:11) Be likeminded towards one another (Romans 15:5) Accept one another (Romans 15:7) Admonish one another (Romans 15:14; Colossians 3:16) Greet one another (Romans 16:16) Care for one another (1 Corinthians 12:25) Serve one another (Galatians 5:13) Bear one another's burdens (Galatians 6:2) Forgive one another (Ephesians 4:2, 32; Colossians 3:13) Be patient with one another (Ephesians 4:2; Colossians 3:13) Speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15, 25) Be kind and compassionate to one another (Ephesians 4:32) Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs (Ephesians 5:19) Submit to one another (Ephesians 5:21, 1 Peter 5:5) Consider others better than yourselves (Philippians 2:3) Look to the interests of one another (Philippians 2:4) Bear with one another (Colossians 3:13) Teach one another (Colossians 3:16) Comfort one another (1 Thessalonians 4:18) Encourage one another (1 Thessalonians 5:11) Exhort one another (Hebrews 3:13) Stir up [provoke, stimulate] one another to love and good works (Hebrews 10:24) Show hospitality to one another (1 Peter 4:9) Employ the gifts that God has given us for the benefit of one another (1 Peter 4:10) Clothe yourselves with humility towards one another (1 Peter 5:5) Pray for one another (James 5:16) Confess your faults to one another (James 5:16)

      NEGATIVE COMMANDS (how not to treat one another) Do not lie to one another (Colossians 3:9) Stop passing judgment on one another (Romans 14:13) If you keep on biting and devouring each other...you'll be destroyed by each other (Galatians 5:15) Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other (Galatians 5:26) Do not slander one another (James 4:11) Don't grumble against each other (James 5:9) 

       When Paul says, "Those who serve well get an excellent standing...", maybe he is referring to their role in the family of God. When my family gets together for Thanksgiving, I get to be the one that sits at the head of the table, blesses the food and the people, and oversees the day. The elders and deacons get to be in charge of the one anothering.

       Secondly, it's called "The church of the living God." In other words, the church is a place where God shows up. Do we go to church with the expectation of His presence? When we do corporate singing and prayer are we focusing in our minds that He is there and we are talking to Him, adoring Him, praising Him, magnifying Him, glorifying Him, or are our minds elsewhere? Are we honoring God with our lips but our hearts are far from Him? I think so many people focus on the preaching but the first part is like an intro or a prelude to the message. The church is half full when the singing starts and people trickle in during the worship. We should be there early in eager anticipation of the Living God being in our midst!

           Lastly, the church is "the pillar and foundation of the truth". In other words the Church is a place where we learn the truth. The elder who has shown himself to be in excellent standing has the privilege and responsibility of opening God's word, which is truth, and sharing its' depths. When we leave the church service, we should have been challenged by the truth that we are in the world but not of it and live accordingly. We should be convicted of how far we fall short of the Holiness of God yet with a growing appreciation of His grace and mercy and a stronger desire to please Him flowing from that not from guilt. And it should encourage us to privately grow in our relationship with God and not selfishly withhold the cure for all mankind.

           This is the purpose of the church from 1 Timothy 3. So vital! Are you in one?

Thoughts From 1 Timothy - Day 9

  In the same way, deacons are to be worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain. They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience. They must first be tested; and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons. In the same way, the women are to be worthy of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything. A deacon must be faithful to his wife and must manage his children and his household well. Those who have served well gain an excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus.   1 Timothy 3:9-13

           Deacons, who according to Acts, carry on the mercy ministries in the church while elders do the preaching, praying, and discipling ministries, have very similar qualifications to elders. While there are so many directions to go with this passage, the one that jumps out at me is that Paul addresses alcohol in both. Is there a correlation between drinking alcohol and having a good marriage? How about raising Godly well behaved Children who honor you? 

          The Bible doesn't say that drinking alcohol is a sin and in both these passages the emphasis is on excessive drinking and drunkenness, just like temperance and self-control is emphasized. The question isn't is it wrong to drink, the question is, is it wise? Is it wise to have a wine cabinet in your house? Is it wise for you to have beer or coolers in your refrigerator? How do you present this to your kids? When your kids ask, "Daddy, what's in that can? Is it soda? Can I have some?" What's your answer? "No, not until you are older." "Why?", asks the child. How do you answer that? Having grown up in a family that didn't drink, I legitimately don't have an answer. The only answers I can come up with suggest "do as I say, not as I do". "This is OK for me but not for you". And then when they get old enough, aren't they going to want to try? Who knows if they will be able to control it like you can? When you want your kids to follow you in every way except this one thing, doesn't it scream hypocrisy? And let me assure you, kids pick up on every area of hypocrisy in parents' lives.

           Paul says in Romans 14 and 1Corinthians 8 that if there is a potential to make a young believer stumble in an area, he would gladly give it up for this blink of an eye called life on this earth, then assist in the damnation of a soul for all eternity. How much more for the children you brought into this world? Am I being a bit dramatic? Am I going too far? Maybe, but if it was me, I wouldn't drink in view of my children. I just don't think it's wise and anecdotally, I've seen the results.

Thoughts From 1 Timothy - Day 8

 Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task. Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.

                                                                                    1 Timothy 3:1-7

              "I don't care what anyone thinks of me. God is my judge and I live for an audience of one." Have you ever said that or the like? I know I have. I think I can even sing some songs that have those lyrics. On the surface it seems good and Biblical but yet, when you look at 1 Timothy 3, so much of spiritual maturity has to do what others think about you. Certainly my opening statement has some merit and can't be discarded. Paul said to the Corinthians in effect, "It doesn't matter what you think, my conscience is clear." Jesus said things like," all men will hate you because of me", and" woe unto you when all men speak well of you", and the prophets of old were hated to the point of being sawed in two and thrown in wells.

              I think of Daniel. When his adversaries - and when I say adversaries, I mean people who hated him due to jealousy and ambition - came against him to destroy him on a personal level, he was blameless. They could have run down the list of elder qualifications and it would have been like, "check, check, check, check, double check.... they found nothing except he was too in love with God. He was too obedient to God! Paul says in Romans, "As far as it is possible, live at peace with all men." Peter says, "Live such good lives among the pagans that though they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your good deeds and glorify God." Jesus said, "Let your light so shine before men that they will see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven." And the aforementioned Daniel said, "Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of heavens and lead many to righteousness."

           So I guess what I am saying is if you stand for truth and righteousness in society and preach that Jesus is the only way, you will offend people. It happened to John the Baptist who though he was imprisoned for speaking against adultery and incest, yet his accuser was grieved when his hand was forced to execute him. Felix, Festus, and Agrippa all agreed that Paul was blameless and didn't deserve imprisonment, and his only crime was that he was a Jesus freak. Like the qualifications for an elder, we should be above reproach, a faithful spouse, good father or mother, hard working, not greedy, respectable, not hot tempered and argumentative, but humble gentle and kind, and a good neighbor. If anyone has anything bad to say about you is that you are too in love with Jesus.

          Does that describe you?

Thoughts From 1Timothy - Day 7

 A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner.  But women will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety.   1 timothy 2:11-15

         There are a number of different passages in the Bible that deal with gender roles both in the family and in the Church. I leave out society because I don't think the Bible restricts roles in society. Any discussion on egalitarianism (everyone is equal in regard to roles) versus complementarianism (men and women are equal in worth but not in roles), to be intellectually and biblically honest must deal with these verses. My hero, Mike Winger from "Think Biblically" has recorded close to 40 hours on this topic, and to be perfectly honest, I tried but can't listen to it all, but the bottom line is that complementarianism is the proper interpretation of scripture.

       The first thing we see is that there was an order in creation. If you know anything about birth order especially as it correlates to first born and authority in scripture, the fact that he was first is a big deal. The Bible states woman was made for man as a help meet. My study of this leads me to picture something that's leaning and the help meet steadies it or rectifies it. In otherwards, man left to his own frailties will get off balance and needs a woman to stabilize him. Women are essential in the family and the Church to keep it on course. Their advice should not be ignored but it looks to me like it shouldn't be a flagrant public undermining of authority but a more behind the scenes advisory capacity in the family and church. This thinking is certainly contrary to modern sensibilities, but just the fact that sin entered the world through Adam when Eve was the one to do it, demonstrates an authority, headship, responsibility role of men. I believe that families and churches that violate this headship rule will be dysfunctional and anecdotally, I think it bears out.

       The second thing I see is the great gift God gave women, that He didn't give to men and that is to be able to bear children. If it was dependent on men, a savior couldn't have come and we'd be lost in our sin. Actually we wouldn't even be here because MANkind would have lasted one generation. It's interesting in our society that instead of this unique ability to have children being celebrated, it is rather a point of contention in the struggle for having the autonomy that men have. The argument might be that man has total freedom with his body while a woman can be told by the government that she has to carry a baby and therefore is not really free. This beautiful gift that God has given women, to have children and raise them in Godliness to keep the faith going into the next generation, has been turned into a battle for equality and a desire quite often to forfeit this gift.

        I understand that as a man, discussing women I have a ton of blindspots, but my conclusion is that the Bible and Christianity, and especially here with Paul and 1Timothy lifts up women. These passages tell us that without women, the family and church would be messed up and the whole human race along with our opportunity at salvation would be lost. I think Complementarianism has a tremendously high view of women.

Thoughts From 1Timothy - Day 6

  For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time. And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle—I am telling the truth, I am not lying—and a true and faithful teacher of the Gentiles. Therefore I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing. I also want the women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, adorning themselves, not with elaborate hairstyles or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God.

                                                                                          1 Timothy 2:5-11

        If you could summarize the Bible, these verses do it. There is a God and there is only one. Anything else is not God but a decoy put there by someone who hates God and doesn't want Him to be worshipped. 

       There is mankind who is at odds with God and needs someone to mediate for them and that mediator is Jesus who is man and God at the same time. He can both relate to us and bear our guilt because He is a man yet be in the presence of God the Father because He is God and holy. That's why Jesus is the only option available to mankind because no one else could bring us into the presence of the Father. He is uniquely qualified. We were kidnapped by sin and Jesus paid the ransom which was His blood and death on the cross.

          Why did this happen when it did? It was the proper time. There was a common language, there was a time of peace where the gospel could go into all nations, there were roads to take it to the nations, Israel was centrally located, and all prophecy had to be fulfilled which made it happen at this date.

        So what should be our response to this good news that our relationship with our Maker can be restored.

1. Fall into the arms of Jesus! Let Him bring you to the Father.

2. Be a herald. What's that? Announce the good news. Tell people by word or even put up signs like you see them doing in medieval movies. Heralds come and nail signs to things and blow trumpets and say "Hear ye, hear ye!"

3. Pray. the one who made decoys isn't going to just stand by and let people be told the truth. Recognize that you are entering into spiritual battles.

4. Put on a united front. Look past superficial differences and join with other believers in this endeavor to win souls. This is truly the thing that matters most.

5. Lift Holy hands - live a life of worship. Yes witnessing is extremely important but how can you be a true witness telling people that they need a relationship with God when you are neglecting yours?

6. Live a life consistent with the truth. What's the truth? We are aliens here. We are only here for a short time. If our eyes are focused on the things of this world and we are living like everyone else, we haven't let the truth of the gospel change us. Live as ambassadors of another kingdom.

Thoughts From 1 Timothy - Day 5

  I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.  1Tim 2:1-4

            It's 2024 and we are having a presidential election. Funny how that happens every 4 years. As usual there is the vitriol from the right and left saying each other's candidate is the worst thing for America. It's so easy to see the other side as enemies and spend our time praying that our candidate, God's clear choice, gets in. On a side note, I've often encouraged people to rethink their religion on the basis of do you believe because your parents raised you in that faith or do you believe it because you have examined it to be true? Most people blindly accept their family's faith, but I'm pretty convinced more people accept their family's politics blindly.

        This passage tells us that we should not be praying against the other side but for

   #1. Their salvation - I actually think Trump is more hardened to salvation than Kamala. He was just at a prayer rally with over 50,000 people praying for him to get elected and he was there and posted a video on Twitter. He continues to be in the presence of Christians yet refuses to commit his life to the Lord and evidence it by his behavior. But then again, how many times did it take Nebuchadnezzar to finally humble himself before the Lord. Kamala has been rejected by Christians and probably has rejected the gospel less times. We were just in the mountains fishing and the guide told us the more remote you go the easier it is to catch the trout because they don't reject the lure as easily as they have never seen it before. Do you get my fishers of men analogy? Pray for our leaders' salvations. God is not willing that any should perish.

  #2. That they might keep us at peace - War is horrendous and although I'm not a pacifist, killing fellow creations of God should be a last resort. I don't want my grandkids to be drafted. I was one year from being drafted for Viet Nam. Also for peace in our streets and communities that the leaders would restrain evil and violence from within our nation. Pray for a strong yet humble and moral police force. I have one, Nate Wyrick, in my Sunday School class and if all the police were like him, you would never hear a call for defunding.

   #3. That they might restore quietness - I hate to say it but if Trump gets in we will have 4 more years of attempted impeachments ... basically he will bring anger out from the left and  will be the center of everything news. If Harris gets in, pray that the right might honor her and submit to her authority unless it violates the Bible. But I look forward to the election being over and hopefully more quiet. I can't call my family without hearing political rhetoric and I just long to live a peaceful quiet life.

Review of Netlix's Nobody Wants This

 

        #1 on Netflix for several weeks was a rom com 10 episode series called "Nobody Wants This". Each episode is 30 minutes so binging it is possible and my wife can usually stay awake for 30 minutes. The worst is setting aside a romantic evening to watch a romantic movie and 20 minutes into it she is asleep, and I end up watching a movie I really didn't want to watch instead of say "Extraction 2".

        Episodes 1 and 2 were great. His breakup seemed to be sort of ill defined especially as we see the beauty and depth of his ex in later episodes. It does seem like she is the better catch and Joanne is just the "forbidden fruit".

       Which leads me to the problem I have with this series, which actually is somewhat fixed at the end where he decides to leave "the ministry". The rabbi is not a good spiritual leader. Being a Christian, I am understandably bothered by this with all the hypocritical leaders in our ranks. From Catholic priests abusing thousands of young boys, to Camp Kannacuck, to Ravi Zacharias, the Southern Baptist scandal of abuse, to Steven Lawson in the last few months, Bill Gothard, and dozens more, hypocrisy is despised by us. Noah (the rabbi) goes for the forbidden fruit and by episode 3 is having sex which according to the Torah is wrong. He even brings her to a Jewish youth camp where he is going to teach about the Torah to these youth while having premarital sex in his cabin. I googled to see if Jews were bothered by this and it seems the only thing they are bothered by is the stereotypical portrayal of Jewish women as being bossy. Along with this he uses the Lord's name in vain and has a love relationship with a gentile which is forbidden in the Torah multiple times.

          This isn't to say Noah is a bad person. He is just a bad rabbi. If love is considering other's needs above our own, he puts everyone first including leaving his job for Joanne. Joanne's mom is hurt by her ex-husband's new relationship and he comforts her. Instead of burning Rebecca's things he takes them to her and doesn't avoid the hard conversations. He refuses to gossip, won't eat unclean food, and forgives Joanne easily for lying to him. Also he understands the female mind and gets to core issues in a way that only Hollywood script writers could fabricate.

          Don't get me wrong, I'm not bothered by these people having premarital sex. If I were, I couldn't watch any movies. I have problems with a speaker and leader of people, on God's behalf, having premarital sex and like I said before, now that he has quit his job, they are two people following their own morality having sex.

         Will he leave his Jewishness? No, that is his culture. Will he be troubled by his decision? Yes. Will they find out that chemistry, sex, lust, passion, and the thrill of scandalous behavior wears off only to leave two people who have nothing in common who have given up everything to be together trying to pick up the pieces of their life? If it is a true story, yes. What would be great is if he goes back to Rebecca and she won't have him. We will see in upcoming seasons.

        We see young boys and girls in the Church Youth Group who get enamored with someone who isn't a follower of Jesus. If they pursue this relationship, the first thing you will hear is, "I don't believe the Bible anymore; it's outdated." (Code for I want to have sex) They will gradually disappear from the fellowship but their cultural Christianity will someday marginally bring them back to raise their kids in Church because they have fond memories of those days. It's so sad because God had great plans for their life and they gave it up for lust. I guess this along with being a hypocritical leader representing God is the crux of the objection to this show in my review.