Reflections from September 17, 2010

Today we begin Paul's letters to Timothy, the man Paul called is son in the faith. Timothy became the bishop of the church at Ephesus, and one of the first things that Paul instructed Timothy was to watch out for false teachings when he said in 1 Timothy 1:5-6, "Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith, from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk,".

Ephesus was a center of pagan worship and many to the new church brought these practices with them to the church and began to teach them to others. Paul wanted Timothy to stop this and to only deal in the teachings of Christ and did so by setting standards to compare teachings and those who teach them to. These standards include:
* Does the message call for the practice of love?
* Does the teacher show ambition, and strive for esteem and acclaim?
* Does the message promote moral standards that produces good behaviors?
* Does the teacher show evidence of change due to their walk with Jesus?
* Does the teacher give glory to God for what they have received?
* Does the teacher and the message build on the wisdom from earlier church leaders?

These standards still apply today. Especially with giving glory to God for all He provides, including the message one teaches. In all things we do, we must bring glory to our Father.

Blessings to all

In 1 Timothy 2:1-2, Paul gives wonderful instructions about prayer, and who we should pray for when he writes, "Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence."

Paul kind of set off the first men's prayer breakfast movement that men should gather and pray for one another, for the country for the leaders and for church members. Today, we use this same instruction to pray for our president that God will give him the wisdom and strength to lead our country in a direction toward Him. By doing so, we would receive the answer to the other part of our prayer to live a quiet and peaceable life.

Blessings to all

Paul laid out clear standards for pastors and deacons of the church to follow and live by, and summed it up in 1 Timothy 3:15, "I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth."

It's interesting to note that the standards laid out in this chapter don't speak to someone that can teach well, is a good speaker, can raise money, or bring in people to fill the building. Paul's standards deal with character. God is more concerned with the personal integrity of church leaders than with their education, eloquence or charisma. These standards aren't just for church leaders, they are for all members of the church as well. There are no spiritual elite in God's church; however, church members should set a high standard for whom to select their leadership from. We should continue that standard in our own life as well.

Blessings to all