My Commentary on First Timothy 1
The epistles to Timothy are among my favorite books in the Bible. In fact, I do not believe enough teaching is done on them in churches perhaps due to the fact that most see them as being written to a pastor who how to conduct his ministry. However, there is a lot of doctrine in these letters. Not to mention, these instructions can be useful to all of us—after all we have a ministry whether paid or not, big or small. We are all charged with the responsibility of sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
So since I do not hear a lot of teaching on these epistles, I thought I’d do my own.
Timothy 1:1-2
Verses 1 and 2 give us both the author, Paul, and the addressee of the letter, Timothy. Paul, again reaffirming his apostleship and stating he is an apostle “by the commandment of God our Savior and the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope.” Paul called Timothy his true son in the faith. Apparently, Timothy was led to Christ by Paul and has been a faithful disciple of Paul ever since.
To his son, Paul, opened his letter with a benediction (or blessing). He pronounced “grace, mercy, and peace” to him which only comes from God our Father and Jesus Christ, our Lord. In this benediction, he reminded Timothy that his real Father was God (who would supply all he needed) and that Jesus Christ was Lord.
1 Timothy 1:3-11
Apparently while Paul was in Ephesus there were those who were preaching other doctrine, doctrine that was contrary to the doctrine Paul had taught them. As a result, when he was called away, he urged Timothy to remain and confront them and give instruction to the congregants not to receive such teaching. These false doctrines included “fables” (untrue accounts) and “endless genealogies” (disputes on lineages of people and possibly of Christ himself). This doctrines lead to disputes that are profitless. They are designed to tear down the body and not build it up. What builds up the body—trusting in God and living in that trust—just as Abraham did.
True doctrine is to unify not divide. Division comes when people attempt to put their own spin on what God has said. But when we listen to the Spirit to understand the true meaning of the word, we will be unified. Just as it is written in Ephesians: “There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all (Ephesians 4:4-6, ESV).”
So what is the purpose of the law and doctrine: love. Many don’t believe that but love is the essence of the Christian faith. Mainly because we do no demonstrate it but Jesus said that the demonstration of our love for one another will be the way we show that we are His disciples. We are to manifest love that comes from a “pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith.” When we abide in Christ, His love is manifested in and through us. Unfortunately, many church members do not demonstrate love but selfishness, self-righteousness, and jealousy. Those who manifest these behaviors are like those Paul talks about who have strayed from the faith and turned aside to things that do not edify the Body or glory Christ.
Paul said they want to be teachers of the law but they don’t understand what they teach or affirm. When I think about the churches in America, I am reminded of this statement. Many of the largest churches in America are led by people who do not teach God’s Word of repentance and salvation but a social gospel (I’m Ok, you’re OK) or a prosperity gospel (where God’s favor equals material blessings). These take scriptures out of context and do not hold the Law of God in any esteem. Instead they esteem the goodness of man and the value of worthless, earthly things. However, the Law of God was not done away with just because Christ came.
Christ came to fulfill the Law but those who are apart from Christ are still under the Law. Only those who have accepted Christ as Savior have been forgiven and are not under the Law (John 3:16-17, Romans 3:19, Galatians 4:4-5). And those who are under the Law, whether they recognize the Law or not, will be judged by the Law (Romans 2:12).
So what does Paul say about the Law and doctrine? It is good if it is properly applied. The Law is our schoolmaster. It sets the boundaries of how far we can go. To those who keep the Law, the Law means nothing. Think of a person who never drives. Does a speed limit sign mean anything to him or her? The Law is only a bully to those who refuse to keep it—the rebel, the sinner, whom Paul name: “those who kill their fathers and mothers, for murderers, for the sexually immoral and homosexuals, for kidnappers, liars, perjurers and for whatever else is contrary to the sound teaching”.
Essentials of a Church
Church Steeple
This entry is probably more opinion-based than scripture-based but I felt this needed to be said. I was thinking this morning about people who say they don’t go to church because it is full of hypocrites. I’ve addressed that issue in a previous blog entry. To sum it up, it all boils down to this: if you love Jesus and you want to obey Him, you would not let hypocrites stop you from assembling with other believers who love Jesus and who want to praise Him.
The other thing that occurs to me is that people say the church is always asking for money. For some churches, this is true. Some smaller churches ask for money because they need it to meet the church’s obligations but the people are not paying the tithes God asked them to that would support the church. Because of this, some churches have to ask for money to give a love offering to guest speakers because there is no money in the church’s coffers to do this. Then there are the prosperity preachers. They are always asking for money to increase both the church’s treasury, and their own, with the promise of a return from God down the road. Yet, there is nowhere in the Bible this is mandated or promised.
So this got me thinking: what is the make-up of a “good church”? I believe there are several things a new believer (or even an established believer) needs to look for when picking a new church. So, in no particular order:
Sound biblical teaching. I believe this is a crucial thing a God-honoring, God-endorsed church needs. The teaching must be in line with other scripture and the whole counsel of God not just what the preacher believes or wants to teach. The preacher/teacher must also encourage his congregants to search the scriptures for themselves and not just take his word for it because he, too, is fallible. This is one thing that Paul applauded the Bereans for—they didn’t take the teachings of people at face value but they tested their teachings against the revealed Word of God (Acts 17:11).
Emphasis on sin, repentance, eternal life, not just temporal living. A sound church teaches the full counsel of God. This mean they teach the pleasant things and the not-so-pleasant things. Sin and repentance are not pleasant but they are essential to salvation. {I’ll talk more about this is a later entry.} A sound church wants it members to grow more in the image of Christ and to look less like this world (Galatians 5:24). A sound church has an eternal perspective not just a temporal one (Colossians 3:1-2). What good does giving money to gain wealth do if you die the next day in a car accident? What good is it to live a good life if you die and go to hell because you had no relationship with the Author of life? This world is finite but our souls are eternal. A sound church has a biblical worldview and an eternal perspective.
Jesus is exalted. Christ is the head of the Church. A sound church exalts Him and not the world. Praise songs should be about lifting up the name of Jesus. He is the One who saved us and called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. He is the Author and the Perfecter of our faith.
Worship style. This is the most subjective of all. Everyone’s worship style is different. Some like hymns while others like contemporary. Some like a blend of both. There are churches that are for those who like country music, rap, rock, Vineyard, Celtic, Ethnic, Gospel, and Southern Gospel. The point is for the believer to find a church that worships in a way that speaks to them. God wired us all differently. There are congregations out there that any believer of any taste of music can be a part of.
Desire of believers for spiritual growth. Do the members of the church desire to grow spiritually or are they satisfied with superficial teaching? Do they desire to seek out the deep things of God? Do they desire to have a deeper walk and relationship with Him? Do they want meat or just milk? If they are happy with the milk, move on. Some churches are full of hypocrites because they are full of people who are happy with the milk and shun the meat.
Feeling of belonging. This is another crucial part of a church. If there were a list of the things that turn people off from church, at the top would be the teaching and the people. Who wants to be part of a cold church where when you walk in no one speaks to you or even acknowledges you were there. (That has happened to me.) If truly the love of Jesus is in the hearts of its members, even the most introverted person will leave feeling welcomed. Then there are the cliques. Yes, even churches have cliques. These are social groups that hang together at the church (or even outside the church) that no one else can be a part of. This is not biblical. We should welcome everyone and everyone should feel comfortable talking to anyone. If there is no feeling of connection, visitors will leave and not come back. Not only that, they will tell others about their experience. So, no matter how sound of doctrine a church has, if a person doesn’t feel they belong, they will not be there to hear it.
Shepherded. This goes hand-in-hand with a sense of belonging; however, this is about feeling more connected with the leadership. For smaller churches, do you have a connection with the pastor? Does he know you or your family? Has he reached out to you? How about the deacons or ministry leaders? Do they know your name? Have you been invited to be a part of a ministry? For larger churches where the pastor cannot possibly know everyone, does it have a cell, pod, or small group leader that you can interact with? Are they aware of your personality, gifting, and needs? Have they reached out to you to be a part of ministry or fellowship? Do you feel that you are getting the spiritual nourishment and guidance you need from leadership? Whether it is a senior pastor or small group pastor, you should not feel like a castaway Christian who has to fend for himself all alone on an island of salvation. If you do, move on.
These are just a few of the things that I believe people need to consider when picking a church. Now I know there are things that I have left off that you will remind me of, like ministries and community involvement, but I felt these are the essentials. If a church has these things, there shouldn’t be too many hypocrites in it for long.
Being a Disciple
It is said that a wise person is a lifelong learner. If there is an area that this is true, it is in the Christian life. We are to be lifelong learners of the Word. We should always be prepared to hear what our Heavenly Father has to say to us. How does He speak to us? Primarily, He speaks to us through His Word—the Holy Bible.
For many the Holy Bible is a book gathering dust on a shelf. What a treasure God has given us that we often neglect! God is living and His Word is living that is one reason why every time we read it, we get something new from it. When we approach God’s Word, we should come with the attitude that we are about to have an encounter with our Father, the living God.
When we open us the pages of that Book, God speaks to us. As we read and meditate on what we read, the Holy Spirit gives us understanding. As Jesus said, “[The Spirit] will guide you into all truth (John 16:13).” Once we have an understanding of the Word, we are to put it into practice. This is living righteously.
As we learn and apply the Word of God, our minds begin to change. This is because our minds are being renewed according to knowledge (Romans 12:2, Ephesians 4:23, Colossians 3:10).A change of heart leads to a change of mind. A change of mind leads to a change of behavior.
The problem with self-help and motivational media is that they seek to change only the mind, thus changing the behavior. However, unless there is a heart change, any behavioral change is temporary at best. Now, this is not say that some self-help media do intend to change the heart leading to behavioral change, but only God can change the heart. Once the heart is changed, the behavior changes.
When we study the word and allows the Holy Spirit to put the Word in our hearts, it then become a part of us, inseparable. When this happens, we cannot help but to do it.
Reception is hearing the Word, reading the Word—what does it say.
Comprehension is understanding the Word—what does it mean.
Application is doing the Word—how do I live it.
A God of Our Own Making
They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served something created instead of the Creator, who is praised forever. Amen.—Romans 1:18
When we hear of idolatry, we often thing of bowing down and worshiping things made of stone or wood. We have even come to understand that worshiping anything other than God can be considered idolatry, whether it is work, people, hobbies, success, or things. But can attempting to worship the right God, but not the God described in the Bible, be considered idolatry?
The Bible describes God as holy. It says that He cannot be in the presence of sin. Yet, we believe that people can go to heaven without repentance and without being cleansed by the blood of Jesus. We even believe that we can enter into His presence or that He will hear our prayers when there is no recognition or repentance of sin in our lives.
The Bible says that we are not to forsake the assembly of ourselves (going to church). There are a number of times I’ve heard people say “they can worship God anywhere” or that they and God have an ‘understanding’. God does understand that you are being disobedient to His word.
Jesus asked, “Why do you call me Lord and yet do not do what I command you?” How many times do the people of God conspicuously disobey God’s word? They sleep around with those to whom they are not married. They use profanity. They steal from their employers. They rob God in tithes and offerings. They only sit in the pew instead of working in the ministry of their church exercising their Spiritual gifts.
God is a God of prosperity and healing but just because one does not have them in abundance does not mean that one does not have God’s favor. God is not so much concerned with our pleasure in this world but in the next (Matthew 6:19-20, John 14:1-3). This world is temporary; the next is eternal. We are spiritual; this world is physical. In this world we will have tribulation; in the next we will have joy everlasting. Eternal life does begin now but it is life in Christ, not life on earth (James 4:4, 1 John 2:16-17).
God is indeed a God of love, grace, mercy, and faithfulness. He is also a God of justice and wrath. God does not ignore sin or tolerate sin but abhors sin to the point that He came Himself to redeem us from its power and punishment.
Do you worship the God of the Bible or a god of your own making? If you worship a god of your own making, then who is really god?
True Hidden Treasure
God’s Word
“Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.”– Psalm 119-11
These words, penned by King David, give great evidence why he was called a man after God’s own heart. This is exactly what God wants. He wants us to treasure His Word, His Law. This was what He was trying to tell the Israelites in the Book of Exodus when He told them to bind it around your forehead and to put it on your doorposts. Though the Israelites took it literally, they missed the spiritual implications of the instruction.
What does it mean to “hide” His Word in [y]our heart? Usually when we think of hiding something, we think of putting it away for safety reasons or to protect it from prying eyes. Yet, when David said that he had hidden God’s Word in his heart, he was meaning just the opposite. He hid God Word in order that people may see that he possessed it!
Perhaps a better phrasing would be, “Your Word I have stored in my heart that I might not sin against You.” God does not want us to hide His word under or behind something. He wants us to live it so it will everyone will see. Psalm 1:2 says that the righteous person delights in the Word of God and meditates on it day and night. Why? To memorize it? No. Teachers will tell you that people who memorize things just for the purpose of memorizing them, do not really learn them and soon forgets what he memorized. On the contrary, we meditate not to memorize but internalize.
When David said he had hidden God word in his heart, he was saying that he had internalized it. He had digested it. He had made it a part of himself. It could be considered that he was saying that he had made God’s Word so much a part of him (his heart) that you could not tell it from him; thus it was ‘hidden’. They were so much alike that they were essentially blended together. One could not tell where the Word ended and David’s heart began.
Could this be said about you and God’s Word? Have you made it so much a part of your life that you no longer have to think to do it, it becomes nature? An analogy I often use is that of a cupcake. I love Hostess cupcakes (though the sugar doesn’t love me). In the middle of the cupcake is the cream filling. In the cupcake is sugar, flour, eggs, chocolate, and a host of other things. You can separate out the cream filling and still have the cupcake. You cannot separate out the sugar from the cupcake. To those of memorize the Word of God, the Word is the cream filling. To those who internalize it, the Word is the sugar.
In your life, is the Word cream filling or sugar? If it isn’t sugar, ask God to help you change that. Develop a plan to read and study God’s Word regularly. Don’t just read it; understand what it says and why it says it. Once you understand the purpose for it, applying it becomes easier.
Be transformed!
EVERY KNEE WILL BOW
One day, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord. Those who denied that Jesus was real will bow. Everyone who denied that Jesus was the Son of God will bow. Everyone who has denied that Jesus was God will bow. Everyone who has denied that Jesus was the Messiah will bow. Everyone who has denied that Jesus was the only way will bow. That means that Mormons will bow, Muslims will bow, Jehovah’s Witnesses will bow, Satanists will bow, and atheists will bow. Even Hitler will bow. Pharaoh will bow. Hussein will bow. Satan will bow. Everyone will bow and confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father.
Will you bow now by choice?
Praise God from whom all blessing flow, praise Him all creatures here below; praise Him above ye heavenly hosts. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Amen
The Old and the New, Part 2
A new nature? A new mindset? What’s that all about? Perhaps you may have said to yourself, “Why do I need this new nature? Aren’t I good enough for Heaven the way I am? After all, I’m not a thief or a murderer or a pedophile.” Getting into Heaven is not about being ‘good enough’. That is a lie from the devil. No one is good enough for Heaven (save Jesus Christ).
No it is not about being good enough. It is about being perfect. Only Jesus was perfect. In order for us to qualify for Heaven we must not only trust in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior but we must be changed. We must be transformed. The Greek word metamorphosed is the word translated changed. It is the same root of the word used by the narrator of the old Incredible Hulk series when he would describe the transformation of David Banner into the Hulk—“a startling metamorphosis”. When Banner was the Hulk he didn’t look like Banner and when Banner was himself he did not look like the Hulk. When a person is transformed by God, they should not look like their old self because they are, in essence, a different person.
Why does a person have to be changed before they can enter Heaven? If God let people who were not transformed into Heaven, Heaven would become like earth full of liars, thieves, blasphemers, and lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. Jesus said that unless a person is transformed or regenerated, they cannot even comprehend God and His Kingdom. A person who has not committed themselves to Christ has no real desire to go to Heaven, especially when they find out what Heaven really will be like—worshipping God throughout all eternity. They don’t even know if there is a Heaven. They just desire not to go to Hell.
Perfection is required to get into Heaven. Though we are not perfect now, we are being perfected through a process called sanctification. Sanctification can best be described using the words of John the Baptist—“I must decrease and He must increase.” It is being conformed more and more into the spiritual image of Christ.
How does this transformation process work? As we immerse ourselves in the Word, our minds are transformed and our thought process is changed through the work of the Holy Spirit. He opens our spiritual eyes and gives us a new understanding. He reveals God’s truths to us (Matthew 13:11). As we apply those truths to our lives, our lives begin to take on a new definition, a new purpose, and a new look.
If you have trusted in Christ as your Lord and Savior, does your life look different than it did when you first believed? Have you abandoned some bad habits? Some unsupportive friends? Some old haunts? Some sins? Have you found yourself doing something for the Kingdom that you thought you’d never be doing. If so, then that is the new nature at work in your life.
The Old and the New, Part 1
In relation to how my sin relates to Adam’s sin, I would hear preachers say that Adam sinned and that because of his sin, we are all born sinners. I would hear how we are not sinners because we sin but we sin because we are sinners. Yet, at the same time, I hear that we are each responsible for our own sin. Hearing this made me ponder: , how can we be held accountable if we are, in fact, sinners because Adam sinned?
Perhaps, I can restate the question using a question many people ask in relation to Jesus: How can one man’s actions many years ago have an effect on my life today?
I took this question to the Lord and this is the answer He gave me. When Adam was created, he was created sinless and holy, without defect, for a relationship with God. But, because he made a bad decision and disobeyed God, his nature (his essence, his mindset) changed. He was no longer holy but rebellious. He was no longer sinless but corrupt. He was no longer in communion with God but separated from Him. It was this nature that was transferred down through the generations to us. His children were born spiritually dead and separated from God with a heart bent on disobedience and selfishness. This is what David meant when he wrote, “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me (Psalms 51:5).”
It is from this nature that Jesus came to deliver us. This is why Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3 that we had to be born again. We need a new nature, a new mindset. We need a nature that is not bent on disobedience and selfishness, but one that is governed by love and righteousness. When we put our trust in Christ for the forgiveness of our sin, the Holy Spirit comes to live in us and regenerates us. Our spirits are made alive and we are given a new nature.
Paul stressed the importance of living by the new nature and not the old. First, to the Corinthians, he explained that if anyone belongs to Christ, that person is a new creation (has received a new birth/new nature); the old (nature/mindset) is gone and a new one has come (2 Corinthians 5:17). He goes on to tell the Colossians that since they belong to Christ, they are to put off the old man (nature/mindset) with his ways and to put on the new man whose mind is being renewed by Christ (Colossians 3:9-10).
In Part 2, I will explain how this new nature relates to our salvation.
LESSONS FROM THE BUTTERFLY
This is from my book, “For Such a Time as This: The Darkness Cometh” available from Friesen Press. It is also available at Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.com.
One of the lessons we studied in my Christian Education class was on spiritual transformation. The lesson spoke abo
ut how we as Christians need to be transformed from the people we are into the image of Christ. In the lesson, the author used the analogy of a butterfly. He spoke about how the caterpillar would crawl up the tree and create the cocoon. When he emerged, he was a beautiful butterfly. “The idea,” my class teacher, Jerry, eloquently put it,”is that the caterpillar had the DNA of a butterfly in him all along, but he had to go through that transformation or morphing stage in order to become all he was created to be.”
I remember, over 10 years ago, I used the same analogy to illustrate a different truth. In the mid 90’s, I was doing a study on Heaven. I had just finished listening to John McArthur doing a study on heaven on his Grace to You radio program. Next, Woodrow Kroll of Back to the Bible started a study on Heaven. I’d also purchased John McArthur’s book, the Glory of Heaven, and later, Joni Eareckson Tada’s, Heaven: Your Real Home. From that came the sermon I preached at the sites where I ministered. Since this was pre-seminary, it didn’t have a title, but it went something like this:
Colossians 3:1-2 say, “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.” Of all the verses I read on Heaven, those two verses are the ones that stayed with me. A more accurate translation would be “Since you were raised with Christ…” This is not our home. We are, as they used to say, pilgrims passing through a barren land. Hebrews 11:13-16 say, “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them,[c] embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 14 For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. 15 And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.”
{One of the places I ministered to was a rehabilitation center. I would ask, “How many of you when you came here brought your furniture, your dishes, and all your clothes? When no one would raise their hand, I would ask why not? It’s because when you came here, none of you intended to stay. Therefore, you didn’t bring the things that would make you comfortable here. Likewise, as Christians we are not to be comfortable in this world. Just as many of you are looking forward to going home, we are to be concentrating on and looking forward to going to our heavenly home.}
2 Peter 3:10:13 tells us “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.[c] 11Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness,12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? 13 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.” Since we are not of this world and but in it, we should be more concerned about heaven than earth. We are ambassadors (2 Cor. 5:20) of Heaven. We speak for Christ. We should live like Christ. We should influence this world and not let this world influence us.
The time is coming when we will be released to go home. Either the Lord will call or the Death Angel, but we will go home. Therefore, let us set our minds on that place. What will that place be like? It will be a place where we will have new bodies, new minds, no more pain, no more suffering, no more tears, no more sorrows, no more good-byes, no more death, for the old things have passed away. Just as Jesus said the old heaven and earth passed away and there was found no place for them, so will all the bad things of this world.
With our new bodies, we will be able to move at the speed of light. We will be able to walk the solid objects. We will be able to defy gravity. I know this may all sound like science fiction, but Jesus was able to do all these things with His glorified body. Read Luke 24. We will be able to fall from great heights and not get hurt. We will be able to swim in the ocean and not drown. Why? We can do this because there is no more death.
Right now, we are made of dust; therefore, we are subject to the laws of physics. But soon, that will change. Take the caterpillar, for example. As a caterpillar, it is a creature of the dust. But when it crawls into a cocoon, it essentially dies and is reborn a butterfly. Because it is now a creature of the heavens, it can defy the laws of gravity. Likewise, we are creatures of the dust. We are of the offspring of Adam. But when we die in Christ, we are transformed into creatures of Heaven. 2 Cor. 5:17 says, “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation…” We are transformed inwardly and outwardly. Inward transformation is called sanctification. The outward transformation we are looking forward to is called glorification.
1 Corinthians 15:20-22: “20 But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.” Right now we in the image of the man of dust (Adam), but soon we will bear the image of the Man of Heaven (1 John 3:2). Now we are subject to the laws of the earth, but soon the laws of the earth will be subject to us.
Cyber-Discipleship 