I Timothy 4:1-16

Keep a close watch on yourself…(v. 16a). I think Paul is talking here about responsibility and accountability. We are responsible to ourselves to keep that “close watch”, which is, in effect, our self-control. One way to keep that close watch on ourselves is to allow ourselves to be accountable to another individual or to a group of people. Having an accountability to others helps us in a big way with our own self-control. I have mentioned Freedom Road a number of times and my own interaction with that group. I have seen how they (we) personally hold them/ourselves accountable to each other. Each week the person leading the group that week asks for reports of “recovery threatening or recovery enhancing” issue(s) in the past week (or longer). And this is that time for members of the group to be accountable to each other. Occasionally it is a time for confessing shortcomings (as I had to acknowledge this past week); other times it is a time for offering praise for continuing down a road to recovery. Not everyone in this group is an alcoholic or drug addict. But we are all addicted to something (gambling, sex, food, work, shopping, etc.) and we need each other. Our “General Confession” in our Sunday service is a great time for personal reflection, but too often (for me anyhow) it’s just words that I speak. To really confess (again, for me, at least) is to speak to someone else as to where you are. We can take comfort in Scripture as to the truth of that statement: …confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. (James 5:16a) I don’t know any better way to heed Paul’s words to Timothy: Keep a close watch on yourself…

See also: September 22 / I Timothy 4:1-5; September 23 / I Timothy 4:6-11; September 24 / I Timothy 4:12-16

I Timothy 3:1-16

There are a couple of items that stand out for me in Paul’s qualifications for the office of overseer. First, He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive… (v. 4b) This …keeping his children submissive… I remember that when I was growing up I learned the term “preacher’s kid” – and that term seldom implied anything good of that kid! The thought was that PKs would naturally be rebellious. My sense now is that it was in the stricter denominations that these kids tended to be more rebellious – feeling hemmed in by their father’s teachings and rules, but seeing “freedom” in the outside world. And I often wonder how we raise godly children in today’s ungodly world, with so much temptation so prevalent and so near – even just fingertips away! As we chat with Mark Bruner during his stay with us he reports on some of the kids that we knew from our English Camps in Czechia, how so many of these kids have abandoned the faith that we had shared with them, being drawn away by the “glamour” of that outside world. So sad…!

The second item that I noticed was verse 7a: Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders… My sense is that most non-believers hold ministers in high esteem. I’ve heard that ministers are often grouped with teachers and coaches as people who are highly thought of for their service, in particular for their service to the younger people in our society. But there are others in the outside world who see the hypocrisy in Christians they know, and that notion becomes more verified when news stories reveal televangelists whose wrongful deeds have come to light and priests who are charged with molesting young children. Christian leaders do need to be held to a higher standard; they are more prominent as the image of Christ to the outside world.

See also: September 19 / I Timothy 3:1-7; September 20 / I Timothy 3:8-13; September 21 / I Timothy 3:14-16

I Timothy 2:1-15

Although the second paragraph in today’s reading (vv. 8-15) is mostly about women, I was struck by verse 8: I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling… I wondered what it was about Ephesus (Timothy’s church at that time) that made for anger and quarreling. You may recall from Acts 19 that Paul had spent 2-3 years preaching and teaching in Ephesus, so the church there should have had a good foundation. But Ephesus was also where a near-riot formed when Demetrius, the silversmith galvanized the people against Paul and his followers (also Acts 19). Or maybe Paul was just making a general comment about churches anywhere. I’m taken back to our own church in 2019 when we saw a number of our friends leave St. Andrew’s. Surely there was anger and quarreling back then – a really sad situation. There’s probably no getting around anger and quarreling in churches today, except for that the beginning of that same verse precedes the anger and quarreling: I desire then that in every place the men should pray…

See also: September 17 / I Timothy 2:1-7; September 18 / I Timothy 2:8-15

I Timothy 1:1-20

Paul often refers to himself (specifically or in general terms) as an “apostle to the Gentiles”. But in the following verse I see him very much as an apostle to the Jews also. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me … Jesus Christ might display His perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in Him for eternal life. (v. 16) That is, in previous verses (vv. 13-15) Paul spoke of his former life as …a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. (v. 13b) Many Jews had to have seen his reversal from persecutor to preacher. I think Paul is saying that it was his former way of life that became a major source of belief for many who turned to Jesus, both Gentiles and Jews. A few days ago I commented that Archbishop Beach has said the same thing about us on a number of occasions, especially as we face these difficult times in our nation, that we Christians must let the world see Jesus in us. We, with the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, are the only hope for the world today.

See also: September 15 / I Timothy 1:1-11; September 16 / I Timothy 1:12-20

Ephesians 6:1-24

Slaves, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling … [and] … render service, as to the Lord, and not to people, (vv. 5, 7) Kathy H. gave me a book to read a few weeks back, Jesus and the Disinherited, by Howard Thurman. The back cover notes that this book was first published in 1949 and was “an important and influential book whose message helped shape the civil rights movement and changed our nation’s history forever.” In one small section of this book Thurman recalls his grandmother (a slave at the time) telling him of their white masters occasionally holding a religious service and the minister almost always quoting these verses. Based on these few verses she swore that if she ever learned to read and write that she would never read any of Paul’s epistles. Funny how a particular context can change one’s understanding of Scripture…!

So today we end Paul’s letters to the churches. We’ll spend the next two weeks in his “pastoral epistles” – letters written to individuals, Timothy and Titus.

See also: September 13 / Ephesians 6:1-9; September 14 / Ephesians 6:10-23

Ephesians 5:1-33

…and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. (v. 10) I left this verse as a question last year and still have it as a question this year: How to discern what is pleasing to the Lord? I think we all have it as a basic question in our lives. We do what we do, hoping and praying that what we do is, in fact, pleasing to the Lord. But we also have those bigger questions in mind – what more should I be doing, or what should I be doing differently, or where does God want to take me from here (metaphorically or geographically or both!)?

Look carefully then how you walk … making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. (vv. 15-16) Two thoughts here… First, using our time wisely… Ben pointed out in his sermon yesterday how much he valued his time, especially his alone-morning time! I am no different; in fact, one of my greatest treasures in life is my time – I daresay, almost to the point of idolatry. And anytime someone suggests doing something that cuts into my time, my first reaction is often a defense or a rejection of that suggestion. Not good. Second, the days are indeed evil! Need I say more?

Finally, I added some numbers to what I posted below: “Look at what Paul says about Christ and His church: (1) He loved her; (2) He gave Himself up for her; (3) He sanctified her (set her apart); (4) He cleansed her; (5) He presented her to Himself in splendor; and (6) He made her holy and without blemish.” Adding those numbers makes each activity stand out from the rest all the more. Look again at what Jesus has done for His church. Then ask, what is our (global) church doing for Jesus? That’s a good question!

See also: September 9 / Ephesians 5:1-7; September 10 / Ephesians 5:8-14; September 11 / Ephesians 5:15-21; September 12 / Ephesians 5:22-33

Ephesians 4:17-32

Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger… (v. 26) This verse is guidance that every marriage counselor should have in his/her repertoire, especially when counseling engaged couples. It’s a verse that Carol and I have embraced since before we were married and have held onto these 38+ years. We have certainly disagreed and been angry with each other, but early on we agreed not to speak to each other in anger, but rather to delay a disagreeable conversation until cooler heads could prevail. It helped that we both had parents who did not behave in this fashion, but both argued and held on to their anger with each other for far too long. The next verse gives a clue as to why this verse 26 guidance is good: …give no opportunity to the devil. (v. 27) Satan is looking for every opportunity to destroy both civil and Christian marriages; anger provides him with probably his best shot! Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. (I Peter 5:8) Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger…

See also: September 7 / Ephesians 4:17-24; September 8 / Ephesians 4:25-32

Ephesians 4:1-16

…so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. (v. 14) This verse follows Paul’s speaking about unity and Christian maturity, then commenting on those items that can lead us astray. I imagine that back then he had the Gnostics and the Jewish leaders in mind – possibly even devoted Christians who were speaking un-truths – but in all of these he was speaking of confusions and deceptions within the body, not those from “the world”. So this verse carried me to today, how the church today is tossed to and fro by whatever is the latest thing. It’s Bible scholars finding new twists and re-interpretations of long-held truths. It’s media preachers building huge followings and amassing great wealth, even while preaching truth. It’s the outside world’s influence on the church today, telling us that killing babies is OK and that same-sex unions are just part of what it means to love one another. I feel like St. Andrew’s is something like an island, a safe haven from those confusions and deceptions where we draw strength from one another. But we’re not meant to just relax in that island life. That world with its confusions and deceptions needs the body of Christ to reach out, to speak those truths that we hold within ourselves. We are “in the world, but not of the world” (John 17:15-16). The world is hurting; we need to help.

See also: September 5 / Ephesians 4:1-6; September 6 / Ephesians 4:7-16

Ephesians 3:1-21

To me … grace was given to preach to the Gentiles … and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages … so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. (vv. 8-10) Two items stand out in these three verses, one clear and the other unclear. First, what is clear is Paul’s phrase, “through the church”. This is a strange phrase for Paul; I don’t recall anywhere else in his writings where Paul mentions “the church” in any kind of global sense. That is, in other places he suggests individual churches, as in “the church in her house” (Colossians 4:15) and his “daily care of all the Churches” (2 Cor. 11:28), but in these instances he is referring to specific, geographical gatherings. In verse 8 above he is talking about the global church – and looking forward, that’s us, folks!! It is “through the church” (US!!) that God’s message is to go forth!

Second, the unclear: “the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places”… If Paul had spoken of rulers and authorities on earth, the verse would have been clear. He, himself had already appeared before “rulers and authorities” (Festus, Felix, King Agrippa and Bernice) and the church today continues to preach to the worldly leaders. But the end of the phrase, in the heavenly places, what does Paul mean by that?? Rulers and authorities in heaven…? That’s God’s domain; Jesus has been crowned king of the universe with “all things” under his subjection (I Corinthians 15:27). So, whatever is meant by “in the heavenly places”, it’s clear that we, today, are preaching to them. An awesome responsibility…!!

See also: September 2 / Ephesians 3:1-7; September 3 / Ephesians 3:8-13; September 4 / Ephesians 3:14-21