I Timothy 5:1-10

So what’s to discuss with today’s reading…? We have different household arrangements today than they did in the 1^st century. Widows were in an unenviable situation back then, dependent on their families and (to some extent) the larger society for their welfare. Paul saw that the church needed to step in for Christian widows – I’m guessing that for some widows their children and members of society may have regarded them as outcasts if they had turned to the Christian faith and their children had not. What a sad situation, at this point clearly dependent on the church for their welfare! Things are different today – although we have Social Security and retirement funds, children still have responsibilities for their parents. Nursing homes are no fun, but extended families are less and less common these days. Difficult situations for many families…!

But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. (v. 8) In our Men’s Group we have had many discussions about our financial wealth. Most of us have accumulated (or are accumulating) IRAs and other savings for our retirement – and often those funds can get to be quite large. Recall that the gift that the church received from Mim Stambaugh’s bequest was more than $224,000 – and we were one of a number of beneficiaries of her generosity. So those dollars can be big! We men have often asked how we are to be responsible for those (sometimes) large amounts. What is our responsibility for us to take care of our remaining years; to provide for our children as we leave this world; or to care for others in need while we are still here? Scripture does not give us a lot of guidance, except for the Gospel story of the “rich, young ruler”. Finally, this issue is not one just for men to consider today. I’m sure there are many more widows active in the church than there are widowers. More questions…!

Slava Bohu!

I Timothy 4:12-16

Let no one look down on your youthfulness… (v. 12a, NASB). I don’t think anyone reading this verse needs to apply it directly to him/herself! HOWEVER, we would do well to always give heed to the younger members of our congregation. I believe that we do that at St. Andrew’s – maybe because we are, in general, a much older crowd. Still, we are constantly looking to have our younger members attain to Vestry membership and younger folks have been asked to serve on our search committee for a new rector. So I think we have a good record in that regard.

Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you… (v. 14a, NASB). I wonder how many of us have truly considered the spiritual gifts with which we have been endowed. One online resource (http://www.kodachrome.org/spiritgift/refer.htm) lists 28 spiritual gifts (more than I would have named)! It also lists a few Bible chapters as the main places where we learn about spiritual gifts: 1 Corinthians 12-14; Romans 12; Ephesians 4. They also list a number of caveats and overlaps regarding the 28 spiritual gifts that they have listed. But back to the verse quoted… We need to take Paul’s directive seriously. He follows verse 14a with a stronger statement, Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress. (v. 15) If you are uncertain about any spiritual gifts that you may possess, you may want to take the spiritual gifts test that the online link offers: http://www.kodachrome.org/spiritgift/. I’ll be doing that myself later today.

BTW, just announced – our daughter, Nancy (in Maryland, where we are) just delivered a 6 lb, 7.3 oz. baby girl. (No name yet…)

Slava Bohu!

I Timothy 4:6-11

… for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. (v. 8) I hope and trust that I am pursuing godliness – that I have even moved somewhat along that scale to some level of godliness here on earth. And presuming that I have moved in that direction, I can lay full claim to the second half of that verse, that godliness “holds promise” for this life and the next. I have often made that argument in sharing my faith with others. It’s something that I learned a year or more prior to my own born-again experience. My friend, Jim, was a freshman at the University of Illinois when I met him; I was a sophomore and five years his senior. He began at that early age and persisted in sharing his faith with me for three and a half years before I accepted Jesus’ Lordship in my life. Somewhere along that time line I considered Jim’s life compared to mine. And long story short, while I thought (hoped??) that I would probably attain to heaven when I died, I was certain that Jim had a guaranteed entry. But more than that, Jim was extremely happy in his earthly life – without the drinking and partying that was more my life. That is, Jim was pursuing godliness and it was blessing him in this life – and he was fully prepared for the next. That comparison stuck with me and I’m sure had an impact in my eventually surrendering my life to the Lord. Yes, folks, “godliness is of value”!!

Slava Bohu!

I Timothy 4:1-5

Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared… (vv. 1-2) The words in these verses are stronger than words that I might use in applying Paul’s words to the times in which we live. Yes, I believe many have departed from the faith – so many in those liberal denominations within Christianity, including the Episcopal Church from which we have come. And yes, I believe that there are deceitful spirits – seminary professors who create, follow, and teach liberal doctrines not at all in harmony with traditional Christian beliefs. And yes, I have no doubt that Satan has had his influence in liberal seminaries and denominational hierarchies and that many clergy are led astray and take their flocks along with them. But I have trouble with Paul referring to the “insincerity of liars”. (The NASB has “hypocrisy” instead of “insincerity”.) I believe that these professors, clergy and denominational leaders honestly believe what they are teaching and preaching, that they are mostly sincere in their beliefs. But I don’t believe that these folks have made Jesus the Lord of their lives, that they are filled with the Holy Spirit. They are overly worldly, trusting in the doctrines of man instead of seeking and listening to the Spirit. I may be wrong, but I’m more than willing to take my chances with the Lord whom I am blessed to serve.

Slava Bohu!

I Timothy 3:14-16

We’ve only got three verses today – but they’re powerful!

… I am writing these things to you so that … you may know how one ought to behave in the … church of the living God… (vv. 14-15) It’s always helpful for me to edit out incidental phrases in Paul’s letters so that I can see exactly what he is saying. And here, although it’s a bit late in the letter (already the end of the third chapter) Paul finally tells Timothy the intent behind his writing to him. As I have noted before, Timothy is in Ephesus, a very pagan city, and the new converts are probably somewhat familiar with pagan worship. Naturally, Christian worship would be very different, as Paul proclaims Jesus’ majesty in the closing verse to this chapter:

He was manifested in the flesh,
    vindicated by the Spirit,
        seen by angels,
proclaimed among the nations,
    believed on in the world,
        taken up in glory. (v. 16b)

These “poetic” lines are a bit confusing – they are not chronological for Jesus’ life. They make more sense if we move the last line two lines up, since He ascended well after His resurrection (… seen by angels).

I Timothy 3:8-13

We saw in Acts 6 that the early church had appointed deacons (although they were not named as such) to serve in more mundane, “earthly” matters. The qualifications for these deacons were few in number, but no less demanding: …pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom… (Acts 6:3). A man (or woman, a deaconess) who is of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom must surely have the necessary qualities for service that Paul mentions in today’s reading!

Paul has a separate verse for deacon’s wives that he does not includes for priests (elders, overseers): Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. (v. 11) Strange that he would have that additional line for deacon’s wives!

There are a couple of other noteworthy items for deacons that Paul does not mention for priests. First, it seems that deacons had to serve a trial period before being fully “ordained”: And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless.(v. 10) Seemingly during this probationary period a candidate could be ruled unfit; Paul does not mention the same for priests. Second, although Paul mentions that priests should not be a “lover of money”, for deacons he goes one step further in that deacons should not be “greedy for dishonest gain”. The NASB has an even better phrase, “not fond of sordid gain”. I’m imagining some sort of ranking of the Ephesian men, from those who are most qualified to serve (becoming priests) on down to those who are maybe younger in their faith and possibly too nearly tainted by the Gentile world around them. Recall the riot that broke out when Demetrius, the silversmith led the Ephesian merchants in claiming that Paul was disrupting their trade! (Acts 19:23, ff.)

Slava Bohu!

I Timothy 3:1-7

In today’s reading various translations use the term “bishop” or “overseer” in verses 1 and 2. However, I think that Paul is using that term to refer to the head of a congregation, so a better understanding would be “priest”. I draw this conclusion because Paul is writing to Timothy in Ephesus, a rather large city with the possibility of a number of congregations (most likely, house-churches). Timothy himself is already the “overseer” of all the Christian converts in the area, effectively acting as our modern-day bishop. So “priest” makes more sense for today’s reading. It also follows that tomorrow’s reading about deacons would refer to the next level down from the office about which we read today, more argument for today’s office being that of priest.

He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. (v. 6, ESV) The NKJV translation uses “pride” instead of “conceit”, which I think helps me/us to relate better. Conceit seems to me to take one step stronger than pride, when someone begins to actively demonstrate his/her pride by talking him/herself up, taking on a different aura. Conceit sounds more devious. I would maintain that we all have problems with pride, but that not everyone is conceited. My thoughts.

Slava Bohu!

I Timothy 2:8-15

Taking out all the positives and negatives in verses 9 and 10, here is what we are left with: …women should adorn themselves … with good works. (vv. 9-10, edited) Thankfully, most of the women I know do these very things. We need another two verses for men, with the same ending, good works!

I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. (v. 12) Both of my Study Bibles argued against a global, for-all-time pronouncement by Paul against female leadership and teaching. Rather, they pointed to time-specific issues in Ephesus – specifically an abundance of false teaching in the Ephesus community and living within the male-dominated Roman social climate – which would lead Paul to write down these restrictions.

Slava Bohu!

I Timothy 2:1-7

Another oft-quoted verse: [God] … desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (v. 4)

A challenge for us today: I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for … kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. (vv. 1-2) …challenging, especially here in Kentucky where we get it from both sides of the political aisle. If you are a Democrat, you have problems with President Trump. If you are a Republican, you have problems with Governor Beshear. So a suggestion that we need to pray for both Trump and Beshear becomes (clearly) half-hearted for many of us – yes, we can do the supplications, prayers, and intercessions. But “thanksgivings”…!! Pretty difficult!! So read the verses again and decide for yourself!

Paul follows up these two verses with a “lynchpin” truth: For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus… (v. 5) I can’t imagine that Jesus is going to intercede for us in our prayers for Trump and ignore our prayers for Beshear. Neither would He (I’m guessing) intercede in our prayers for Beshear and ignore our prayers for Trump. He knows that both men are in power over us – He put them there: Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. (Romans 13:1-2) So, again, read the verses again and decide for yourself!

Slava Bohu!

I Timothy 1:12-20

Two verses in today’s reading are widely quoted. First, It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all. (v. 15) The last portion of that verse beginning with “among” is often left off when that verse is quoted, since it is referring to Paul specifically. And second, Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. (v. 17) This verse is occasionally used as a closing prayer. If I were to quote it from memory, I would have said “the only WISE God” – but I could not find that usage in any translation. We often sing a hymn that begins, “Immortal, invisible, God only wise…”, which is probably why I quote the verse incorrectly.

…even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief; and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant… (vv. 13-14a) These verses provide a solid argument for Paul’s being the author of this letter; I can’t imagine another writer penning these words, acting as if he were Paul! When I read these verses over and over, together with verse 15 quoted above, I hear real penitence coming from Paul. He must have been really sorry for his former life!

Slava Bohu!