II Timothy Chapter 1

II Timothy Chapter 1

vs. 1-2

- This is a letter from Paul to Timothy.

- “May God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord give you grace, mercy, and peace.

vs. 3-5

- There's a couple of things in this section...

- First, Paul says that he has served God with a clear conscience just as his ancestors did.

- Paul is looking at his upcoming execution and he sees nothing to regret. His conscience is clear...

- We have all sinned. Romans 3:23-24 says that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. But God, because of Grace and Mercy, calls us righteous through Jesus Christ. So now, there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1).

- One of the footnotes in Dake's said that the word “conscience” is not used in the Old Testament. Romans 8 goes on to talk about the law of Moses and why it couldn't save us. So God did what the law couldn't do. He made a way to cleanse not only the body, but the conscience as well.

- Hebrews 9 talks about the old and new covenants. The old covenant was based on worship within the temple. Animal sacrifices for the cleansing of sin. Verses 9 and 10 says that “... for the gifts and sacrifices that the priests offer are not able to cleanse the consciences of the people who bring them. For the old system deals only with food and drink and various cleansing ceremonies—physical regulations that were in effect only until a better system could be established.”

- Further in chapter 9, verses 13 and 14 talk about the blood of goats and bulls cleansing the body from ceremonial impurity, but the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God.

- Christ broke all the boundaries. He provided a way so that we can come to the end of our lives and say beyond the shadow of a doubt that yes, my conscience is clear of sin.

- If tomorrow your life would end, is your conscience clear?

- Acts 24:10-21

- I Peter 3:13-22

- Romans 8:1-17

- John 3:16-21

- II Corinthians 4:1-18

- Titus 1:15-16

- Secondly, Paul is thanking God for Timothy because Timothy is a true friend in the faith. Paul says he prays for Timothy constantly, just as I assume Timothy also prayed for Paul.

- When last they parted, Timothy apparently cried a little... Their parting was a sad one... whether it was one of the times that Paul was arrested or if it was just when he left to go somewhere else, but because they were so close, as close as brothers, they felt sorrow at the parting.

- Paul says that he will be filled with joy when they are together again.

- When we are parted from a family member, (for Paul and Timothy very much considered themselves to be family in Christ as should we with our fellow believers), there may be sorrow in the parting, but we will all be brought together again... if not until death... we will eventually come together though in one place... and when we do, there will be great joy because we will delight in each other's company and fellowship, whether on this earth or in heaven.

- Timothy was a man of faith. “Genuine faith”. He had listened to Paul's teachings as a young man and had seen the faith of his grandmother and mother. The same faith continued on in his own life.

- Acts 16:1-5

- Proverbs says to“train up a child in the way he should go and he will never depart from it.” Timothy was an example of this. His grandmother and mother and Paul all showed him the way and directed his steps when he was young and now as he is older, he still chooses to follow Christ.

vs. 6-8

- footnote- “At the time of his ordination, Timothy had received special gifts of the Spirit to enable him to serve the church (I Timothy 4:14). In telling Timothy to “fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you, “ Paul was encouraging him to persevere. Timothy did not need new revelations or new gifts; he needed the courage and self-discipline to hang on to the truth and to use the gifts he had already received. If Timothy would step out boldly in faith and proclaim the Good News once again, the Holy Spirit would go with him and give him power. When you use the gifts God has given you, you will find that God will give you the power you need to accomplish whatever task He gives you.”

- Whatever gift you have been given, is to be used for the glory of God and for the edification of the church as a whole. We should all work to “fan” our gifts into flames.

- God has given us a spirit of power, love, and self-discipline. He has not given us a spirit of fear or timidity.

- I was thinking about this today... How many times have I sat, knowing I have a gift, knowing I can be of use to someone... and been too afraid to do anything about it? Or have been so quiet and withdrawn in my speaking or in my sharing that they don't take it into account because I'm so backward about it?

- That's not God. God says go! Be bold! Be strong in me!

- footnote- “Paul mentions three characteristics of the effective Christian leader: power, love, and self-discipline. These are available to us because the Holy Spirit lives in us. Follow His leading each day so that your life will more fully exhibit these characteristics.”

- Galatians 5:22-23

- We have a friend who got saved right in the middle of the 70's. They went to an outdoor church service soon after, and they asked if anybody could play the piano... well nobody came forward... so finally, our friend finally got up and went to go play... the only song she knew on the piano... “House of the Rising Sun”. It was the only song she knew... but she said nobody else went up...

- There were a lot of people there that day... maybe even some who could play and chose not to... My friend however decided to share what little she had. Kind of like the widow who gave her two mites. She gave all she could... even if it wasn't much.

- We should never be ashamed to tell others about God. No matter the circumstances. God gives us strength beyond ourselves. Paul said to not be ashamed of him either, even though he was in prison. No matter who our fellow Christians are... even if it's not necessarily “cool” or “popular” to hang out with or to claim a certain person as a Christian... if they are Christians like you... especially those in the same church with you... like it or not, they're all your family in Christ. I know there are still certain people in your church within your age group or within your personal family circles that you talk to more than others... but you are still all a family.

- Romans 1:8-17

- There are people in my church that are in the praise band with me that I definitely talk to every Sunday. And there are people who are either always sure to seek me out to check up on my week or vice versa. And then there are people that you see at church, say “hi, how you doing?” and move on to the next person. However, regardless of how close your relationships are with all those people, you are still family and are not to be ashamed of claiming the relationship.

- However, Paul says that if trouble and suffering come, be ready to suffer for the sake of the gospel. Again, God gives us strength. Just as Paul was in prison for serving God, so will we possibly face similar persecution.

- It might be something as “small” as just somebody not wanting to talk to you, or as “big” as martyrdom. People who are living in sin and don't want to change... get very upset when faced with the truth of their sin. There's been a lot of times that I've been talking to people... just normal conversation... but something I said set them off... And the next thing I know I'm getting blasted for being self-righteous or throwing religion in their face or trying to change who they are... and I don't have a clue what I said... lol

- Sometimes it doesn't take much... it can simply be being around you... and God does the rest if you let Him use you. Sometimes God uses your life to convict the people around you... and you don't even know it until after the fact. If you're living a life that exudes Christ, whether you like it or not, you're going to rub some people the wrong way... and they're gonna get upset with you... for seemingly no reason.

vs. 9-11

- However, God called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was the plan from the beginning.

- Even before He spoke one thing into existence, He had a plan to call each and every one of us to live a holy life for Him. “But I'm not holy.” Well none of us are. But when God takes over a heart, through Him and His power, we become righteous in His sight because we are covered with the blood of Christ.

- The beauty of Grace is that we don't deserve it... but He presented it to us anyway. His free gift to us. No strings attached.

- Ephesians 2:8-18

- Titus 3:3-8

- He revealed His plan for us through the coming of Jesus Christ to this earth to minister, and to shed His blood for us.

- Christ broke the power of death. We are all condemned men and women. We are all on death row so to speak. He has all the power. Satan is our accuser. Sin is the evidence against us. And Death is our executioner.

- I Corinthians 15:50-58

- Romans 6:1-23

- Our sin condemns us to a spiritual death. There is no way out of it... We are already dead spiritually. We have no hope.

- But Christ came and broke the power of death. He broke the power of sin over us. We no longer have to be spiritually dead. When we accept Christ into our hearts and are baptized, that baptism is a representation of what is happening in our life spiritually. When we accept Christ, we die to sin and to the flesh and are buried with Christ, and through the power of Christ are raised again to new life. Baptism is the representation of that burial and resurrection.

- Through the gospel, which is the story of Christ's life and death and resurrection, we have all been shown the way to life everlasting. And because we have been called to be children of God, we have all been chosen to be story tellers. We may not all be pastors, or teachers, but we can all be story tellers.

- You know there's this cartoon series called the “story tellers” based in Rome during the time of Nero. The characters are all Christians trying to keep the gospel alive and well during this time of great persecution. And they do so through telling the stories of the life and ministry of Christ and His eventual death and resurrection.

- We are all those story tellers. No matter what else may be our calling, we are all called to spread the gospel of Christ.

vs. 12-18

- Because he was spreading the gospel, Paul was put into prison. He said he's not ashamed of being arrested. He said he has entrusted his life to God and he is assured that God is able to guard that which has been entrusted to Him until the day of His return.

- footnote- “In spite of the suffering that might have caused Paul to despair, he affirmed his confidence in God's protection. This was not a claim to strong faith; rather, it was a trust in One so powerful that even a weak faith was sufficient. Paul based his confidence in Christ on his intimate relationship with Him. Paul's knew the One in Whom he trusted with personal knowledge; he knew Christ so well that no earthly experience could break the bond of love by which Christ held him. If your situation looks bleak, give your concerns to Christ because you know Him and love Him. Realize that He will guard all you have entrusted to Him until the day of His return.”

- footnote- “The phrase “guard what I have entrusted to Him” could mean:

1. Paul knew that God would protect the souls of those converted through his preaching.

2. Paul trusted God to guard his own soul until Christ's second coming.

3. or, Paul was confident that, though he was in prison and facing death, God would carry out the Good News ministry through others such as Timothy. Paul may have expressed his confidence to encourage Timothy, who was undoubtedly discouraged by the problems in Ephesus and fearful of persecution. Even in prison, Paul knew that God was still in control. No matter what setbacks or problems we face, we can trust fully in God.”

- Stand firm on the Word of God.

- “Hold on to the pattern of wholesome teaching you learned form me—a pattern shaped by the faith and love that you have in Christ Jesus. Through the power of the Holy Spirit who lives within us, carefully guard the precious truth that has been entrusted to you.”

- Hold fast. Let the Holy Spirit guide you and guard that which you have been entrusted with... the gospel. The Truth that Jesus is Lord and there is hope for a lost and dying world.

- When we start looking at all that we go through in life... you know... Paul's talking about everybody from the province of Asia having deserted him... That's pretty massive...

- But regardless of where we stand with those around us... even if an entire city or an entire nation or continent is against us... we are still to be guided by the Truth. The Holy Spirit is our guide.

- Where we stand with the world doesn't really matter in the end... even if you feel like you're the most hated person in the world... as long as you are in right standing with God... you'll be okay... you might die in the process... but eternity is our goal... comfort in this life is at times a nonexistent idea off in the distance... however, eternal life with God... THAT is something tangible and definite. We just have to follow Him and stay true to His Word.

- John 5:19-47

- Onesiphorus came to visit Paul. Paul asks that the Lord show special kindness to he and his family because he was never ashamed of Paul's chains. When Onesiphorus arrived in Rome, he searched high and low until he found Paul. Even though Paul was in prison, this man claimed him as brother. For his kindness, Paul asks that God show him special kindness on the day of Christ's return. This man was also apparently very helpful in Ephesus.

- Again... no matter the status of a person... if they are a fellow believer, we need to come alongside them and support them and encourage them in their faith and in their walk.

- Romans 8:18-39

- Hebrews 6:10-12

II Timothy Introduction

II Timothy Introduction

If you knew you were going to die soon, what business would you feel the need to take care of? What would you feel to say to loved ones? Would you change your will to something different? Would you go fix relationships that had been injured?

Paul has been imprisoned in Rome for the last time. His execution is imminent. Paul is alone except for Luke.

Looking at his life and what is to come... he decides to write to Timothy with his final instructions and advice as a father would to his son.

This is a letter full of love and encouragement as well as warnings and advice.

Mainly, this is Paul, staring the end of his life in the face and hoping that everyone he taught will follow him in his faith to the death.

4:6-8 “As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on the day of His return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing.”

I Timothy Chapter 6

I Timothy Chapter 6

vs. 1-2

- Slaves are to show respect to their masters... even if their masters are Christians.

- This sounds a little odd to us today. If their masters were Christian... wouldn't that mean that the Christian slave would be more likely to love and respect their master? And the master to be more kind and considerate? Why would there be a lack of respect?

- footnote- “ In Paul's culture there was a great social and legal gulf separating masters and slaves. But as Christians, masters and slaves became spiritual equals, brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28). Paul did not speak against the institution of slavery, but he gave guidelines for Christian slaves and Christian masters. His counsel for the master/slave relationship can be applied to the employer/employee relationship today. Employees should work hard, showing respect for their employers. In turn, employers should be fair. Our work should reflect our faithfulness to and love for Christ.”

- Ephesians 6:5-9

- Colossians 3:22-25, 4:1

- Titus 2:9-15

- Philemon 1:8-20

- So whether you see yourself as an equal to your boss or not... you should show him/her the respect that their position dictates from you. Even if you know them personally, or they're family, or they're Christians as well... maybe even go to your church... The same respect should be evident no matter what your relationship to/with your boss.

- My uncle used to teach science at my middle school... it was incredibly hard to remember to call him “Mr.” as opposed to “uncle”. He insisted on it though. And the same went for him when he became the assistant principal at my high school. Just because he was my uncle... didn't mean he wasn't also Mr. Murray... in charge of discipline... In some ways I think he was harder on my brother and I just because we WERE family... but at the same time... he drew a very distinct line there that wasn't to be crossed.

- Had I walked into class or around the high school joking around with him and picking on him back and forth like we do when we're home... there may not have necessarily been a loss of respect on my end, but the other students looking in on our conversations and interactions would have had a much different view of him than they did. He was kind of the enforcer at the high school... and to have me seeming very familiar with him and showing a very goofy side of him... would have undermined his authority as a principal.

- So even though he was my uncle, while we were at school... he was my principal first and foremost.

vs. 3-5

- And yet again here we are with an admonition from Paul against false teachings.

- If something is worthy of repetition... then repeat it... so here we go again...

- Paul and the disciples were spreading the teachings of Jesus. They were moral and wholesome teachings that promoted a godly life.

- If anybody comes teaching something other than a moral and wholesome way of life... then they're not in line with Jesus. Paul calls them “arrogant” and “lacking understanding” with an “unhealthy desire to quibble over the meaning of words.”

- While I was reading over this... I was thinking about talking back to God.

- I had a first grader today take my instructions and turn and twist on them until they could get what they wanted out of them... and then when I said I don't think so... these were the directions... she just flat out told me “no”. Oh boy...

- But in her twisting of the directions and things... I can see what Paul was getting at here.

- I gave instructions to promote safety and the surety of a successful end product. But this little girl took my words and made up her own rules... rules that would benefit mainly her and ones that had little or no regard for others or safety in general.

- Jesus' instructions and teachings were the same. They were crafted to promote good living. Godly lives. A clear conscience.

- But others were coming to teach things that promoted a feel good attitude. They were causing arguments and divisions among the church... and for what? So they could justify their sins or their fleshly desires in some way.

- They were using their teachings for monetary gain. They were greedy and corrupt. They had turned their backs on the truth and were seeking after personal satisfaction and comfort.

- They have in essence told God “no”, and are turning to do things the way they want to do them. And to justify telling God “no”, they are instructing all their classmates with the same twisted way of thinking so that not only do they feel justified because their sin or desire is justified in their mind... but now they also feel justified because other people are joining with them in their thinking. And if someone contradicts their way of thinking, they're going to get defensive and pull away from the person who is standing by the right teaching, thus causing a division within the believers.

- If a kid turns around after my dance instructions or project instructions and either just does something else, or does indeed turn and tell me “no”... I see that kid as being rebellious or deliberately hard-headed.

- And that all sounds a little harsh... it's just a kid! Maybe they forgot! Or maybe they just didn't understand completely!

- So I'm thinking about my classroom system...

- I have my rules posed in massively huge letters on the main wall. It's in plain view of the kids. (MUSIC- Manners, Use Your Ears, Safety, Instrument Care (book care), and Cooperation). Also in plain view are my behavior charts. Each class has a chart where I keep track of warnings and check marks and absences, etc. They know all the rules and the consequences.

- At the beginning of our first class, we go through all the rules and talk about what each one requires. Manners could be anything from making sure you raise your hand if you have a question, to not talking if someone else is talking, to just basic pleases and thank yous. So on and so forth. If they can make it 4 or 5 classes (depending on the grade level) without any check marks, then they get to pick something out of my prize box.

- I give my kids two warnings. Can be for any one of the 5 rules on the board. Once a kid has to be reminded of the rules a third time, it's a check mark on their chart which means their prize box privileges are postponed another 4 or 5 days from that time and they start losing recess time for the next time they have recess.

- However, if there is a major school rule broken like cursing, or fighting, or destruction of school property... then we forget the warnings... it's an automatic check mark, and automatic loss of recess according to their regular classroom teacher's dictation, and a trip to the principal's office with a discipline form...

- So knowing all this, when a kid deliberately goes against my authority... we have a major problem.

- God has laid everything out for us. He has given us His rules, His instructions, His expectations. If we follow all the rules, we get a prize at the end of the designated time. However, if we look at His rules and decide that they're not fun enough for us... or decide that they are restricting our freedom too much... and turn to do something a little different... then there are consequences.

- It might only be a warning at first... maybe it's just something little... you're not really turning away... you're just kind of becoming apathetic... just not really making time for God right now... maybe next week... So maybe God gives you “the look”, or a little spiritual nudge to say “hey, still here... be careful of what you're doing...”

- However, if you look God in the face and tell Him absolutely no... or turn and deliberately walk away from God... it's not going to be pretty... forget the little nudges and looks... There's going to be a trip to the principal's office... maybe not right this second... but it's coming soon...

- The teachers that Paul was talking about were preaching for money. They were looking at Jesus as a way to manipulate for personal gain. They were causing quarrels among the church by their teachings as they manipulated their way into people's pockets.

- Think of the kid who sits around on the playground inciting other kids to get into trouble... “hey, that kid was just saying they didn't like you...” “hey, you see that kid over there? He thinks your sister's ugly...”

- These people were causing arguments over word issues JUST so they could argue and then sit back and watch everybody else hash it out... or so they could be right in the thick of it because they live for confrontation...

- I've watched the men in my family do this so many times over sports... They sit and argue over play calls for 20 minutes with no resolution. They'll rewind the play to watch it again... then they'll sit and watch the ref's replay camera to see if they see anything different... and then they'll still sit and argue about something they can't really tell anything about... just so they can argue... Or politics... my uncle and my grandfather do the same thing with politics... Sometimes I think my uncle just takes a side he knows will upset Pap just so he can argue with him for a little while... what's the point in that?

- footnote- “... A person's understanding of the finer points of theology should not become the basis for lording it over others or for making money. Stay away from people who just want to argue.”

- My friend from a couple of weeks ago who got caught up in the false teaching thing? He liked to argue. He would call me to come up to meet him for lunch just so we could sit and argue... He would bring up the same topics over and over again... We rehashed SO many things... And when I finally told him that I wasn't going to argue anymore... I'd discuss, but I wasn't going to argue... he just quit talking to me. He just loved to argue.

- Paul says that these people lack understanding... I think more than anything, they lack an understanding of how this walk is supposed to work. A building up of one another, in relationship with Christ Jesus, a living growing unit.

- I was thinking about teenagers driving... It's been pouring snow here for a couple of weeks and I had to follow this guy home from work the other day... we never went above 15 miles an hour, he literally stayed in the middle of the road, and he rode his brake the entire time...

- Now if you know anything about driving on wet or slick roads... yes slow is good, but you still have to stay on your side of the road, and you don't want to hit the brakes unless you have to... gears are much better...

- Now this guy, swerved all over the place when he met somebody coming on the other side of the road, and was sliding around going down really steep hills with drop offs over the edge.

- Now if you never experience icy or wet roads... you'll never know how to drive on them. You'll never understand all the alterations you have to make to the way you drive when the road conditions change. However... it's probably smart to start driving on nice dry roads with no weather conditions throwing a wrench in the works... Beginning driving is hard enough just worrying about everybody else on the roads without worrying about weather too...

- A lack of understanding... Before you start teaching or expounding on your vast amount of knowledge on a given subject... first make sure that you understand what it is you're talking about... Discussions that delve into theology can be good... but they can also quickly turn into an argument.

- A good way of looking at discussions are as meetings to fellowship or meetings to share. They are times of sharing what God is doing in your life right now, or perhaps sharing something that God has taught you through scripture or a sermon or a book that would help your friend.

- They are not times to tear apart all the intricacies of doctrine or the date of the last days or the final coming... Those are things that do not have a solid answer. It doesn't do anybody any good to sit around and argue over the pros and cons or the possibilities of something that has no answer... it's like my men with their football games... it's over and done with... the ref called the game... and you can't do anything to change it... especially a week after the fact... so move on. Talk about things that matter right now...

- II Timothy 2:10-26, 4:1-8

- Titus 1:8-16

vs. 6-10, 17-19

- “True godliness with contentment is itself great wealth.”

- We came into the world with nothing... and that's the same way we'll leave it. “Naked we came, naked we'll leave.”

- Have you heard the saying that “whoever dies with the most toys wins?” I hate that saying... What do they win? To be remembered as a greedy, selfish, materialistic, man/woman for 5 or 10 years until everybody forgets all about them?

- I was reading up on mental illnesses a few months ago... the statistics are ridiculous... One of the major listings for causes of or as a mental illness is now listed as depression. There are a TON of people who go to psychiatrists for depression issues or who take medication for depression. Have you watched TV lately? How many depression or sleep aid commercials are there in an hour?

- Why are we such a depressed society? Well I think partly because we're told we should be. We're told that our lives are mediocre. We're not movie stars. We're not rich... in fact we're in debt. Our houses and cars are refinanced to the max. Our kids see more violence and sex on the school bus or the playground than they do on TV. They are constantly exposed to our adult world. They see us worried about bills and divorce... So they too start worrying about bills and divorce because it worries them that we're worried...

- But that's normal right? Well unfortunately it's becoming that way...

- It's normal to have bills pile up, to not trust spouses, to have kids who are angry and rebellious, to be afraid of your neighbors... who wouldn't be depressed?

- I had a kid last year at one of my schools that they were trying to diagnose as depressed... At first they wanted to diagnose as schizophrenic... and then they said well maybe bi-polar... and then they said well maybe they're just depressed... what was depressing was the home situation... the parents were always fighting... one ended up in jail... the other lost custody... so the kid was living with the grandparents... who didn't really know what to do... they were older and not really able to handle a little kid... you'd be depressed too... the answer? Not to talk to the kid... not to find something they could involve the kid in outside of school... Not to help the parent regain custody... Medication. And the stuff they put them on completely drugged them out of their minds. They couldn't function at all. Oh yeah... they were happier... because they couldn't comprehend anything that was going on around them...

- Contentment. What does it mean to be content? Dictionary.com says that it is being “satisfied with what one is or has; not wanting more or anything else.”

- If you want for nothing... how can you be depressed over not having something you think you want?

- I was talking to a friend the other day about the fact that I would like to eventually get married... sooner than later... but it doesn't do me any good to get upset or worry about it... To rush into something just to GET married... would just make the situation worse... I'd rather wait until I knew it was a God thing and something that was of design... not something just because I have moments of loneliness...

- I could sit around and think about it all the time... could sit and dream about Mr. Perfect... could sit and complain because all men are jerks and I'm never going to find a good one in the mess of humanity...

- However... if I look at it from God's view? God's plan doesn't follow a time line. God's plan follows our hearts.

- Have you ever taken a dog for a walk? Or a kid about 3-5 years old? They have to stop and look at EVERYTHING. Dogs have to stop and sniff at every bush and tree and fire hydrant and if anything moves... they have to watch it... or go off on a wild goose chase after it until they get tired...

- We're kind of like that sometimes... and if I allowed marriage to become that bush or tree or flower or bird off the path... then I'd never get where God needed me to be. God doesn't sit down and plan out that on May 21^st, 2013 you'll meet your spouse. And on April 17^th, 2014 you'll have your first kid. And so on and so forth...

- God sees souls... and they're lost and drowning in a sea of sin. They are crying out for help. God is trying to get your attention to go be a lifeguard. Go jump in and save some of them. If you'll be more effective with a partner, or if you insist on a partner, God puts that in your path...

- But if you're better off swimming on your own, He's not going to put a distraction in your path.

- “But God! I NEED a spouse!” maybe you think you do... God knows better than you what you need. He wants to be all you need and all you want... He wants to be your all in all.

- And that can be applied to anything... a new car, a new house, a new job...

- If you allow God to meet your needs; your physical spiritual, emotional... depression what???

- Contentment comes when you are satisfied with what you have in life. You aren't looking for anything and everything bright and colorful and fast along the path.

- I know that sounds hard... and it is. It's easy to look at your life and ask God a lot of questions... But the thing is... we can't take anything with us... whatever we gain in this life... is useless in the next... other than our faith.

- So if we have food... and clothing... let us be content.

- That's not a lot to go on... I mean Paul didn't even mention a house... seriously? Nor did he mention family... or kids... or spouse... or tons of friends...

- All we need is food and clothing to survive... and God Himself watching over us.

- If we can learn to be content with that... then anything we get on top of food and clothes will just seem like the greatest thing ever. We would be much more thankful and happy people.

- It's like a kid at Christmas or a birthday... on one hand... you have the kid who doesn't really get what he wants... like... books... and he's like... gee... thanks so much gramma... um... where's my race set?

- On the other hand... you have the kid that gets his presents... and the thing he's the most excited about? The box. Because he can make that box into anything he can think of...

- We need to be like the kid with the box. To be so excited about getting ANYTHING and to see the potential. To be positive about what COULD come from that box... not looking at all the stuff we get and going... gee... couldn't I have gotten something better?

- Paul says that “people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction.”

- “The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.”

- The love of money can cause a lot of issues... Everything builds one on another.

- When we start living to get money... it may just start as trying to make a little extra money for a retirement fund... or for your kid's college fund. And then you're looking at new cars and better houses... And then you're working all hours of the night to get a promotion to make a life for your kids that you never had. And then you're taking extended trips or staying at work for basically days at a time just trying to get that next raise... And the next thing you know... your spouse leaves because you never spend time with them... or you turn around and your kids are grown up and you don't even know them.

- Loving money means that we become very selfish. It may start as trying to do something for someone else... but if we're not careful... it becomes all about us. We forget that people need our interaction. We forget to reach out to the neighbors. We forget to take the time to talk to a stranger. And we forget that the people closest to us cannot be taken for granted.

- In the case of loving money more than anything else, it becomes our idol. It becomes the thing that we worship, the thing we crave, the thing we spend all of our time with or thinking about...

- People who crave money wander from the true faith. They choose to forget that God is our provider. Our sustainer. The One who we are to look to for all our needs. They choose to spend all their time and energy on something other than the things of God. (Which includes their relationships with other people because God is a God of relationship.)

- They have “pierced themselves with many sorrows.” How many times have you seen someone, whether a friend, or a neighbor, or just a character on TV, who suddenly turns around and realizes that they have all the money they could ever have wanted... but they are lonely, depressed, and bitter?

- They have pierced THEMSELVES with many sorrows... they have brought it upon themselves... all because they loved money more than anything else...

- “Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable.”

- Money in and of itself is not a bad thing... it's the LOVE of it that gets you...

- When we put our trust in something other than God... we are destined to fail. I was thinking about the Great Depression after the stock market crashed... Overnight, people lost everything material. They lost everything that they had worked for.

- Money is unreliable because anything could happen... your bank could be robbed tomorrow... and not be able to recover from the loss... or you could lose your job and suddenly have nothing... Tomorrow is never certain... we can't even put our trust in that...

- but God, we can trust. He gives us all we need for our enjoyment. He provides all we need.

- If you have money, you should do something good with it.

- I know an elderly lady who is horrible about her money. She's in her 70's or 80's... and she has worked all her life... Every cent she gets she puts away for the future. She doesn't have any kids, her husband died a long time ago, and lives away from the rest of the family. She is a bitter old woman... with nothing but her money to comfort her. She's been sick for a couple of months. They wanted to give her this medication. It would cost her a couple hundred dollars a month. However, her insurance would cover the majority... but she won't buy it... even if it would help her... because it just costs too much. It's not that she doesn't have the money for it... it's just that she's that tight with her money.

- What good will it do her? She's not young. If she doesn't take the medicine, she's probably just going to get worse. But even though it will benefit her, she won't buy it... just so she can save some more money.

- She can't take it with her when she dies! And it's not even that she's saving up to give it to the family when she dies... it's just the idea that she has to HAVE it.

- My grandmother is the same way with a lot of things... I don't know how many times mom tells her “just go buy one!”

- Mom has often said that if she had money she wouldn't know what to do with it... she'd probably end up just giving it away just because we live on so little most of the time.

- I've been saving up cash... just so I can send it to the mission field. Lol I've never been in debt. I never had to take out loans for college. God provided all the money in scholarships that we needed. I bought my car free and clear of debt. I'm not rich. I'm not living in a mansion with a ton of servants waiting on me hand and foot... but I have what I need... and then some. It's enough that I can support my church, and I can still put a little savings by to hopefully buy my own house someday. Granted... I'm still living with the parents... which has helped immensely... but you know... mom is a substitute teacher. Dad was a janitor, now he's a maintenance worker for the county... they don't make a lot between them... I'm teaching... in one of the lowest paid counties in our state. My brother's still in college. And I'm taking grad school classes... And we're fine. Living on the edge occasionally... but still okay.

- I know growing up, there were a lot of times that we were barely making it. Mom wasn't working and dad wasn't making a whole lot... we hardly ever bought new clothes. We always had hand-me-downs from the older cousins. We never bought anything extra. I remember mom walking through the store with a calculator in the shopping cart keeping track of what we had to have and trying to calculate tax and all to make sure we were going to have enough to get everything.

- But God always provided enough. And then some. We still had enough left after groceries etc. to pay tithes, and sometimes to even give some away...

- We used to do youth nights at the house, so in addition to feeding her own kids... mom also ended up feeding and taking care of about a dozen other kids on the weekends...

- I remember dad saving up money for something he wanted... and God told him to give it to a traveling evangelist... and he did. And then mom found a random $750 in our washing machine... in our house... with no other people around... definitely wasn't ours... but God left it there for us...

- What God gives you, is not always just for you.

- God has given my family a house, a kitchen, and a love of people... mom feeds so many people in our house. We have done so much ministry, just because we decided to open our doors up for visitors.

- Dad used to pick up hitch-hikers and bring them to the house to feed them before taking them on their way. Lol I think he probably scared some of them bringing them so far into the backwoods of WV...

- But by being “rich in good works and generous to those in need [and] always being ready to share with others, we will be “storing up [our] treasure as a good foundation for the future so that [we] may experience true life.”

- Philippians 4:10-20

- Hebrews 13:5-9

- Ecclesiastes 5:8-20, 6:1-12

- Job 1:21

- Proverbs 30:7-9, 23:4-8, 28:22

- I Corinthians 10:1-15

- Luke 12:13-34

vs. 11-14

- “You... are a man of God; so run from all these evil things.”

- Paul doesn't just say to stay away from it... he says to RUN from it. That says action.

- Instead “pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness.”

- Some of the fruits of the spirit. Again, he says PURSUE... not just to watch for it or to try and get there... but to actively pursue...

- “Fight the good fight for the true faith.”

- FIGHT. Don't back down. Don't avoid confrontation when it comes.

- “Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have confessed so well before many witnesses.”

- HOLD on. Don't let go. Don't stray, don't lose your grip, don't start to become apathetic.

- “And I charge you before God... that you obey this command without wavering. Then no one can find fault with you from now until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.”

- OBEY without wavering.

- These are all verbs... and strong ones. Very straight forward ones...

- To me this speaks of a very active Christianity. To RUN from evil. Not to give it even a second to take hold in your life.

- If you're in a war zone and you hear a bomb whistling down... you don't walk away... nor do you kind of look around trying to figure out where it's going to land... or stick around to see what happens.... you RUN! AWAY. Not towards it...

- We're in the middle of a huge spiritual war every day... if we see an enemy attack coming, we don't stand around waiting to see what will happen to us. You RUN.

- to PURSUE means “to follow in order to overtake, capture, kill, etc.; chase” or “to strive to gain; seek to attain or accomplish” - dictionary.com

- We can't just start this walk and expect to become more righteous or have more faith as we go. We have to actively pursue those ends. We have to get down and seek God and to strive to accomplish that which He desires in us.

- We have to FIGHT for this faith. If you can't run from evil... then you stand up and you fight against it with your last breath.

- There was a guy in WWII, Audie Murphy, he was this little short guy... He is remembered because he took it upon himself to take on a tank. Lol He fought a tank... and won... then he captured like 40 people on his own... Why? Because he was determined and he had a purpose in mind.

- Had he walked into that battlefield with the attitude of just putting in his time until his army contract was up... he wouldn't have made it off the battlefield. As it was... he went at it with all his being. He was the most decorated Allied soldier of the war... he received medals from every Allied country... not just for that one battle... but that one sticks in my mind more.

- Our battles are not against flesh and blood... but it doesn't mean that the battle is any less real. We are to step onto this daily battlefield with the attitude that we will fight to the death. That we will never give up our ground. We know TRUTH. There is no backing down or giving up. Our duty is to stand for that Truth until the end.

- HOLD on TIGHTLY. I am thinking of a lifeline. Whether dangling from a tall building or staying afloat in a raging sea... Hold on to that thing which is keeping you alive. No matter how cold the water gets or how tired your arms become... hold on. TIGHT. It might look rough, or like this is the end... but the rescue is coming. Don't give up. He's right there...

- OBEY. Without wavering. No matter what God asks of you... do it.

- Remember Abraham? First God asked him to trust Him that he and Sarah would have a son. In their old age. There were a few times that Abraham started to doubt... but eventually, Isaac arrived! A miracle! And then God said, okay... good. Now kill him.(Offer him to me). What???? But Abraham was faithful. And God blessed him for it.

- No matter how off the wall it might seem... if God says go do something, we have to obey Him. There is a purpose in all things.... even if it doesn't seem like it... (Just make sure it's God speaking—to many people are listening to “voices” without walking with God)...

- Paul uses Christ as his example for this. “Christ Jesus, who gave a good testimony before Pontius Pilate...”

- Jesus stood in front of the ruler of the land and spoke what had to seem insane. He was standing up, holding on to truth, and fighting for what He knew to be true... Obeying even though it was going to mean His life.

- And Pilate could find no fault in Him. Paul says that no one will be able to find fault in us if we obey God and fight for truth and hold tightly to the eternal life to which we have been called. Just like Pilate could find no fault in Jesus... (John 18:28-40, 19:1-16)

- I Corinthians 9:24-27

- I Thessalonians 4:1-12

vs. 15-16

- No one will be able to find fault with us from now until the day that Jesus comes back again.

- “At just the right time Christ will be revealed from heaven by the blessed and only almighty God, the King of all kings and Lord of all lords.”

- God has a plan... it's not dependent on a time line... It's dependent upon when things are in place and ready.

- I was listening to a preacher the other day. He was talking about our lives already being written down. I can't remember all the scriptures and so on, but the basic idea was that there's not just one book. We think of God having the Book of Life... but he was saying that there's a book where our lives have already been recorded. With all the things that we were supposed to do in this life pre-written.

- But we have a choice to make still... This is the plan God has for our lives... but we still have a choice whether or not that we follow it...

- He had a story about this guy in England who started this ministry... and when God came to this pastor to ask him to start this ministry... He said “you're the fourth minister I've asked to start this ministry... will you do it?” And the guy said, you won't have to look for a fifth. I'll do it.

- However, because others hesitated... God had to postpone His plan for this ministry until He could find willing workers.

- Now granted, God knows our hearts... but it's still our decision.

- I heard a thing a while ago that the Chinese church had started to look to missions in the west into the Arabic arena. Iraq, Iran, Turkey etc. Because they felt that Christianity had started in Israel... and had gone steadily west... and now it had reached them and it was their duty to take it the rest of the way home... That it would have then come full-circle.

- God's timing is God's timing... He'll come back when things are in the place they need to be in the world. And it'll be JUST the right time. Not a second too early, nor a second too late.

- It's kind of like waiting on a comet or a shooting star. They only happen so often. And you have to be out at just the right second for them to come around. They come in their own time... you can't rush them... But their timing is always perfect in the scheme of things.

- God alone can never die. He lives in a light so brilliant that no human can approach Him. No human eye has ever seen Him, nor ever will. All honor and power to Him forever!

- I can't imagine the splendor and awesomeness that is our God. I don't think that even the brightest of our lights can come close to what God must be like. To think of pure white light... to be exuded from a being of such beauty that is so totally beyond our comprehension... I mean... Moses saw the back of God and his face literally shone from the encounter. How awesome is that?

- Deuteronomy 10:17-22, 11:1-32

- Exodus 34:5-11, 29-35

- Psalm 104

- John 1:16-18, 5:19-30

- Luke 12:35-48

- Matthew 6:19-34

vs. 20-21

- “Guard what God has entrusted to you.”

- Everything we have been given is just like the master who entrusted his servants with the talents when he went away on a trip. They were to show themselves faithful with what they had been given... We are the same. Whatever God has given us whether it be simply our home and our family or a billion dollars... we are to do with it what would glorify God.

- “Avoid godless, foolish discussions with those who oppose you with their so-called knowledge. Some people have wandered from the faith by following such foolishness.”

- Paul is yet again warning us to be careful of getting too involved with false teachers and those who just want to argue. (Something worth repeating is worth paying attention to...) So be careful.

- “May God's grace be with you all!”

I Timothy Chapter 5

I Timothy Chapter 5

vs. 1-2 Family

- Paul is giving Timothy some basic advice on keeping a church family together. As a young pastor, Timothy probably was in need of some advice in dealing with a lot of different kinds of people. As Christians, this is good advice for all of us in maintaining relationships with one another.

- “Never speak harshly to an older man... Treat older women as you would your mother” Those who are older than you, as a general rule, have more life wisdom than you do. Even if you are older than they in the faith, you are still to respect your elders just as you would your parents. With their age, they have earned the right to your respect.

- “Talk to younger men as you would to your own brothers... treat younger women with all purity as you would your own sisters.” Those your own age or about your own age or younger than you should be treated as siblings.

- We as churches can avoid many improper attitudes toward each other in our churches by seeing each other as our fellow members in God's family.

- Your family members are the closest people to you. They live with you, they know you intimately, and you all have to learn to live with each other in harmony... otherwise... it's just not a fun place to be... and the same can go for the church.

- A lot of the above has to do with thinking before you speak. What are some ways that you can “train” your brain to think first?

- Some days are just plain bad days... even on those days, we need to be aware of how our words and actions effect those around us. If you're having a bad day, go find someone you love and tell them how much they mean to you.

- Leviticus 19:32

- Titus 2:1-15

- Proverbs 23:22, 24-25

- Ephesians 6:1-4

- Hebrews 13:1-3

- I Peter 1:22, 3:8-12

vs. 3-16 Widows

- Take care of widows if they have no one else to care for them. Paul says if they have children or grandchildren, that their first responsibility should be to show godliness at home and repay their parents by taking care of them.

- Both of my great-grandmothers ended up in nursing homes before they died. One because she had a severe stroke, and the other because her Alzheimer's kept getting worse. In going to visit them periodically, we met a lot of different people... and sadly... there were a lot of residents who just seemed to be kind of dropped off... there were a few whose families never came back to visit... They were there on their own...

- When Paul is talking about taking care of the widows... these are the people I think about in today's society. Those who can't care for themselves anymore or who have been forgotten... there's no one in their lives who are willing to care for them.

- And also for those who are caring for an elderly parent or grandparent... it's hard to take on the responsibility of taking care of someone else... and it's even harder to have to care for the person who raised you... sometimes as if they were a child (depending on mental state). Those people sometimes need to be given relief... a break... help of some kind to relieve some pressure...

- So even those who have someone looking after them... sometimes still need a little extra help and attention.

- It is good for children to take care of their own parents. Sometimes that means getting a full time nurse to stay with them, or putting them in a home or assisted living where they can have around the clock professional care.

- Matthew 15:3-9

- Towards the end of both of my great-grandmothers' lives... it was hard for me to go see them. They weren't themselves. The one with Alzheimer's couldn't remember us... didn't know who we were... and there were times when I wondered why we even went... until she'd light up when she was talking... she didn't have a clue who we were... but it brought joy to her to be able to tell stories and talk about things...

- footnote- “Because there were no pensions, no social security, no life insurance, and few honorable jobs for women, widows were usually unable to support themselves. The responsibility for caring for the helpless naturally falls first on their families—the people whose lives are most closely linked with theirs. Paul stresses the importance of each family caring for the needs of its widows and not leaving it for the church. The church can then care for those widows who have no families. A widow who had no other family members to support her was doomed to poverty. From the beginning, the church took care of its widows, who in turn gave valuable service to the church.”

- Paul gives a few examples of different kinds of widows: the true widow, the widow who seeks pleasure, and the young widow.

- The true widow is a woman who is truly alone in this world. Someone without a spouse or children to help her. But despite being alone, she has placed her hope in God. She prays night and day asking God for His help. She seeks His will for her life. She is a woman of God. These are the widows that Paul told Timothy to give aid to.

- Paul said that they were to be of at least 60 years of age. They were to have been faithful to their husbands. They must be well respected by everyone because of her good life—“Has she brought up her children well? Has she been kind to strangers and served other believers humbly? Has she helped those who are in trouble? Has she always been ready to do good?”

- Acts 9:36-43

- The widow who seeks pleasure is one who lives only for pleasure. She is spiritually dead. She doesn't care for the things of God. She is concerned only with herself and things that pertain to her life. These people who are of the world, Paul tells Timothy not to give any aid to.

- The young widow, Paul urges to remarry. A young widow who is still of an age to be able to marry and have children to help her in her old age has no need of church assistance. She still had the means to support herself through marriage.

- Paul says that the younger widows shouldn't be on the list because their physical desires will overpower their devotion to Christ and they will want to remarry... Then they would be guilty of breaking their previous pledge. (Which was to serve the church faithfully. The church would provide basic needs in return for service .) Paul also included the idea that if young widows were on the list, that they would learn to be lazy and instead of spending their time productively, they would end up spending their time going from house to house gossiping and meddling in things they shouldn't. Young widows needed to remarry basically to keep themselves busy and industrious so the enemy couldn't have anything to say against them.

- I Corinthians 1:8-9

- II Thessalonians 3:6-15

- I Thessalonians 5:12-22

- Paul was afraid that some had already started to stray away back to the world.

- This seems a little cold perhaps... however Paul had good reason to supply Timothy with this advice.

- footnote- “Paul wanted Christian families to be as self-supporting as possible. He insisted that children and grandchildren take care of the widows in their families; he suggested that younger widows remarry and start new families; he ordered the church not to support lazy members who refused to work (II Thessalonians 3:10). Nevertheless, when necessary, the believers pooled their resources; they gave generously to help disaster-ridden churches (I Corinthians 16:1-4); they took care of a large number of widows (Acts 6:1-6). The church has always had limited resources and has always had to balance financial responsibility with generosity. It only makes sense for members to work as hard as they can and to be as independent as possible, so they can adequately care for themselves and for less fortunate members. When church members are both responsible and generous, everyone's needs will be met.”

- Paul asked that women who were believers who had relatives who were widows, that they would take care of them instead of laying the burden on the shoulders of the church. So perhaps aunts, or cousins who didn't have any family to care for them or who didn't have believers in their family who were willing to care for them. In this way, it was still a family member caring for the widow.

- Is there an elderly person in your church who needs some help? Who maybe needs some maintenance done on their house? Or would like to have help with cooking sometime? Or who maybe just needs some company?

- Is there a nursing home in your area where you can “adopt” a “grandparent”?

- Would your youth group or bible study group be interested in taking a day a month or so to go spend some time at a nursing home?

- Is there a way that you can help out those who are caring for their parents or grandparents in your church?

- Galatians 6:8-10

- Isaiah 1:17

- James 1:22-27

vs. 17-18 Elders' job description

- If you do a job, you expect payment for the work that you've done. If you do really well, you may even be able to expect a raise or a bonus. Your production should determine your wages.

- Paul is saying that the same concept applies to elders. If they do their work well, they should be rewarded with the respect of those around them. In the Greek, the next part says that they “should be worthy of double honor.”

- Paul quotes a couple things from other places to say basically, that just because they're working for God and just because this may be their calling, doesn't mean that they shouldn't receive some kind of payment in return... even if it's simply the love and respect of their congregations.

- “Especially those who work hard at both preaching and teaching.” Aren't those the same thing? Not really...

- footnote- “Preaching and teaching are closely related. Preaching is proclaiming the Word of God and confronting listeners with the truth of Scripture. Teaching is explaining the truth in Scripture, helping learners understand difficult passages, and helping them apply God's Word to daily life. Paul says that these elders are worthy of double honor. Unfortunately, however, we often take them for granted by not providing adequately for their needs or by subjecting them to heavy criticism. Think of how you can honor your leaders who work hard at preaching and teaching.”

- If you look at the above for a second with me, there's a lot to be drawn here...

- Preaching is shouting out the Gospel. “Jesus came! He died for us! He rose again! And He is GOD! There is hope for our eternal salvation!” And it is also getting down in other's faces and saying “you're wrong, and this is what is really true, and here's why.” Brings a whole new meaning to “stepping on your toes.”

- Preaching is great. But by itself, it can get really legalistic and really annoying... if someone is constantly telling you where you're wrong and how you're wrong and that you need to change something in your life to be on track with God... you're going to eventually just tune them out.

- But coupled with teaching... oh boy...

- Teaching is explaining, understanding, and application. Teaching sits down and tears scripture apart to help you understand it. Our pastor calls it “unpacking”. Taking out each detail and looking it over... just as you would if you were dissecting something for science. Everything is important and everything has meaning... it's just knowing how to look at it and what to take from it.

- Then after you have gained knowledge and understanding about the scripture, teaching shows you how to apply it to your daily life. Without this application aspect... what good is it to know scripture? Head knowledge is great... but James 2:14, 17-19 says “What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don't show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone?... So you see, faith by itself isn't enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. Now someone may argue, “some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don't have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.” You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror.”

- It's like being on a battlefield, having a gun, knowing how it works, but never firing it at the enemy... even when they're closing in. What good does it do you to have it, to understand how it works... but never knowing how to use it?

- Paul says that elders should be respected... especially those who work hard at BOTH preaching and teaching.

- It's easy to tell someone they're wrong... not always so easy to explain how better to go about it.

- Consider yet again a soldier analogy. Consider a preacher/teacher to be a drill sergeant... He teaches you how to go to battle. Gives you all the knowledge and understanding about putting something into application. Maybe even walks you through battlefield training in scenarios as close to real battle situations as is possible. (I texted soldier friend of mine... terms for this could be: Field training exercises, situational training exercises, or practical applications... the last one I think fits my train of thought better...) He helps you overcome your fear. He helps you learn to think clearly in confusing situations... but he also tells you when you're wrong and how to fix it. It might mean a lot of work on your part, but he's always right there beside you with your best interest at heart whether you appreciate his methods at the moment or not. He knows that in the long run, your life and the lives of your comrades could depend on how well you've been trained—to understand and to apply.

- This is not to say that preacher/teachers should constantly be yelling at their students/congregations... but a pastor or an elder who is teaching or preaching, should be trying to combine the aspects of the two jobs in order to be more effective in their discipling.

- What are some ways that you can get ready to teach? How can you apply simple teaching strategies to your daily life?

- In order to be a good witness, you have to be ready to explain your faith, so how should your study time reflect that thought?

vs. 19-21 Elders continued

- “Do not listen to accusations against an elder unless it is confirmed by two or three witnesses.”

- Elders or pastors are not sin-free. They're still human and they still mess up occasionally just like the rest of us... however, if there is something major in their lives that requires correction... then it needs to be faced just like anybody else in the congregation who needs correction. However, if it is an elder or a pastor... Paul says to not even listen to the accusations unless it is confirmed by more than one witness.

- Matthew 18:15-20

- Those in leadership positions constantly run the risk of having their name slandered because of ill feelings. Somebody who holds a grudge against them for saying something or for doing something... that may have been in the process of teaching or correcting... could come up with a way to retaliate through slandering that leader.

- If the accusation can be confirmed by more than one person... then action should be taken and they should be reprimanded in front of the whole church... ouch... public humiliation much? But it will serve as a strong warning to others.

- Casting Crowns had a song called “Stained Glass Masquerade.” It talks about sitting in church and feeling like you're the only one feeling so small... because everybody around you seems so strong and so much better at this than you. So... “Are we happy plastic people, under shiny steeples, with walls around our weakness, and smiles that hide our pain, but if the invitation's open, to every heart that has been broken, maybe then we close the curtain on our stained glass masquerade.”

- Just because we're saved and we're Christians... doesn't mean that life becomes easy... or that we have no sin in our lives... James 5:16 says “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.”

- To humble yourself and be able to go to someone else... who may seem stronger or better than you... and bare your weaknesses in front of them... is hard... but without doing so... how can they know that when they are struggling (because all of us struggle... maybe not at the same time... but we all struggle...) that they can have a place to come to bare THEIR weaknesses.

- One of my friends and I have had some fun with this one... It seems like every time we sit down with a struggle that we've been having to talk to the other about... the other has either just been through almost the exact same situation, or are going through it right at the same time. And it's the same with our happy times... sometimes we even get the same scriptures or are studying in the same place at about the same time... or our pastors will preach almost the same message back to back. And we usually only get to talk about once a month anymore... and it's still the same... : )

- And it's not just her... there are other friends that that's happened with periodically... but she and I are almost ALWAYS on the same page... which I think is rare...

- But how would we have ever known that without first baring our hearts to one another? When you are struggling with something what do you do? Do you hide it all underneath a plastic exterior and hope that no one sees how weak you really are? Do you cry alone wondering why you're alone in your pain? What's holding you back from reaching out to someone? Fear of rejection? Fear of being seen as small or weak or faithless?

- If we are all one family... all in unity together... one's weakness is all of our weakness... Just as we should seek to build ourselves up in Christ, so should we seek to build EACH OTHER up in Christ. We are all working towards one goal and one purpose... the furthering of the Kingdom... If a soldier is wounded in battle... as a unit... you don't expect them to do surgery on themselves, or remove bullets from themselves... there's a medic team in place, or you as a unit try to do your best for the injury...

- As a church, this should be our response. We shouldn't look at the injured one and say “well what'd you get shot for! Don't you know you're supposed to dodge bullets!”... We can't always dodge the bullets... so be kind in your reprimands and graceful in your building back up of the injured one...

- If a leader falls, sometimes there's more condemnation than forgiveness because we expect more from them... And while it is true that “with great power comes great responsibility”, (thank you Spiderman...) we need to remember that they're not supermen. They are still human. They still mess up and they still need help in this faith just like the rest of us.

- “I solemnly command you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus and the holy angels to obey these instructions without taking sides or showing favoritism to anyone.”

- How should you respond to someone who has fallen?

- Do you know someone who needs encouragement in the faith? Do you know someone who is struggling?

- Are you struggling with something right now? Who in your life can you go to, to bare your heart and seek support?

vs. 22, 24-25 Leadership and Sin

- “Never be in a hurry about appointing a church leader.”

- When my pastor died last year, we were suddenly without that leadership position. We are a Christian and Missionary Alliance Church, so our methods of pastoral appointment may be different than yours, but I am speaking from my own experience.

- About a month after Doug's death, our district superintendent started the pastoral search process. He got a list of interviewed candidates together for our elder board to interview. If the elders approved of the candidate, then he came to speak before the church so he could meet us and get a feel for the community and so we could see if he would fit us as well.

- This process took 10 months and a whole lot of prayer before we finally had a guy come who we felt God had in mind for us and us for him. About 7 or 8 months into this process, I started to get a little anxious about it. I felt like a boat without a captain. Yeah we had interim pastors speaking and the elders were still in place... but there was no constant pastor...

- As I was working on the bible study, I stumbled across this scripture... and the more I thought about it the more it just made sense. A church is a family... and this pastoral process, was like trying to find a spouse... and at that point in time... it still felt (to me anyways) like we were trying to find a spouse for the sake of the children... Like a widower trying to find a wife to help him take care of his kids... And that's not the way it was to be...

- This pastor needed to fall in love with this church and its people in order to be accepted and useful. If we had just picked the first guy that came along and he had just decided that, yep, this seemed like an okay place... God could have used it... but it may not have gone as well as it COULD go.

- Because we prayed, and waited... God brought a man who I think is shaping up to be a great addition to this church and who I think will be a great leader for us as a whole. It truly feels like a God-appointed marriage between he and us.

- Also- footnote- “Paul says that a church should never be in a hurry about choosing its leaders, especially the pastor, because major problems or sins might be overlooked. It is a serious responsibility to choose church leaders. They must have strong faith and be morally upright, having the qualities described in 3:1-13 and Titus 1:5-9. Not everyone who wants to be a church leader is eligible. Be certain of an applicant's qualifications before asking him or her to take a leadership position.”

- Titus 1:6-16

- I Peter 5:1-11

- The last half of this verse says to not share in the sins of others but to keep yourself pure.

- Even if a sin is committed by your church leader... we are not to share in the sins of others... our walk and our relationship with Christ depends on us... not on everybody around us.

- I know when Jimmy Swaggart, a famous TV evangelist, was caught soliciting prostitutes... There were and still are a lot of people who look at that and say... well if they can fall, what hope is there for me? Or why should I try?

- Yeah Jimmy Swaggart and others have failed in very public ways... it doesn't mean that they didn't have a walk with God. You look at David, or Samson. Men who walked with God, but who failed and later repented... God still cared about them and He still honored them. He called David a man after His own heart... after murder, and adultery, and lying...

- We all fail... in much the same ways most of the time... just some are more publicized than others... more well known...

- Even if a leader is very well known... his/her sin is no excuse for us to condone our own sin...

- We are to keep ourselves pure. It's on our shoulders. Our responsibility.

- Ephesians 5:1-20

- However, we should also remember that we are to forgive just as Christ has forgiven us. When someone falls, it's not our job to judge them... but it is our job to lovingly correct them and help them back to Christ. We need to keep in mind that God said he chastises those He loves. If He didn't love us when we fall into temptations and sin, He would allow us to keep our sins hidden and maybe never repented of and then we would be judged for those sins. But because He loves us so much, He will allow us opportunity to repent and if we don't He will bring our sins out in the open so we can repent.

- Matthew 18:21-35

- Paul says that the sins of some are obvious and some that will only be revealed later.

- If we look at Jimmy Swaggart or David in their sins... and then look at the man who commits adultery... but no one ever knows... or the closet porn addict who stays up all hours of the night surfing the internet for a fix... there is no difference... it is a sexual sin born of lust... and all sin is equal in the eyes of God. Jesus in Matthew said that if you LOOK at a woman with lust then you have committed adultery with her in your heart...

- They will all be judged. Some may be judged now, on earth, by others, or by God with very obvious consequences... others, may not be judged until the Day of Judgment before the throne of God.

- Judgment still comes.

- Hebrews 12:1-13

- Proverbs 13:1

- In the same way that sin is apparent, so good deeds are also obvious. Good deeds done in secret... like secret deliveries of money or food... they will also be revealed on the Day of Judgment. And yet again we have the verse in James... show me your faith with your works... even your secret ones.

- I John 3:1-10, 14-24

- Revelation 14:13-20, 20:11-15

vs. 23- A LittleWine

- Okay this verse is highly controversial... so I read through a bunch of commentaries...

- The general thought seems to be this: To not drink ONLY water, but to add a little wine. A common Eastern medicinal practice was to mix a little wine with water for constitution sake. So if you had an upset stomach, or you couldn't sleep, or you were feeling a little under the weather, you were to drink this mixture. Even in the 1700's or so, common Western practice for a bedtime tonic was to heat up a little wine/water mixture to help you sleep if you were sick... kind of like Nyquil, a cough medicine. (It was also used to calm “hysterical” women... but that's a whole other story...)

- We don't know why Timothy was sick, or what caused his sickness, but it is supposed that it could have been caused by bad water in the area, or the job of pastoring itself was causing something akin to stomach ulcers or really bad indigestion.

- Paul was simply giving Timothy some fatherly advice. Timothy was obviously a temperate man. He apparently wasn't drinking any wine for Paul to have to tell him to drink a little...

- Paul didn't tell him to drink wine when he felt like it or drink it to be social... it was for his stomach's sake. For his health... not for his social life.

- And the little that they're talking about is a medically proven fact. Just like vinegar or yogurt, a few ounces of wine a day helps your digestive system. But it's like 4 oz. Not a half a bottle or anything. A few Tablespoons of vinegar has the same result when mixed with water... although the wine probably tastes a little better... : ) (However tests with other alcoholic drinks did not have the same effect... the sugar and caloric content in beer had no benefits for the body... it actually has enough empty calories to promote the body to store up fat cells galore... so even if you don't gain weight right that second... when you do start gaining weight... it really kicks in... producing the phenomenon of the beer gut... Whiskey had some benefit similar to that of wine, but the wine was much healthier in the long run.)

- Everything in moderation. I do not hold that wine in and of itself is a problem or is evil. However, the misuse of wine or any alcoholic drink leads to sin... like drunkenness, angry outbursts, murder, or most definitely injury to our Christian witness.

- Just as food is good and even necessary for the body... but an overindulgence leads to the sin of gluttony...

- Proverbs 23:19-21, 29-35

- Romans 14:20-23

- I Corinthians 5:9-13, 6:9-20