Titus 3

Dear RTB’ers,

It is fairly rare for us to see the members of the Trinity mentioned in one sentence in the Bible, but here we have it: But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us … in accordance with His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He richly poured out upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior… (vv. 4-6) One Internet source cited II Corinthians 13:14 as the only Trinitarian benediction in Paul’s letters: The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. The Father, the Son, the Spirit – three in One. Reflect on that today…!

Blessings!

Titus 2

Dear RTB’ers,

SURPRISE!! Titus 2:11-14 was one of the readings at our St. Andrew’s Christmas Eve service. I love it when our RTB readings show up in our service sheet! Here is that selection: For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession who are zealous for good works.

Two items worth noting in that Christmas message: For the grace of God has appeared… That was then. This is now, … waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ…

Have a Blessed Christmas Day!

Blessings!

Titus 1

Dear RTB’ers,

Titus. Titus is another of Paul’s “pastoral” epistles, Paul writing as a pastor to a member of his “flock”. This flock member, however, is very special to Paul. He gets some dozen mentions in Paul’s letters, especially in II Corinthians which we just read recently, where Titus was called upon by Paul to be his emissary and to “put out the (Corinthian) fires”. As in I Timothy, much of the content of this letter has to do with church institutions and discipline, Titus being left behind at Crete to complete the work there (v. 5a).

My guess is that most of us are more familiar with Timothy than with Titus. Surprisingly, Titus is not mentioned in Acts while Timothy is mentioned at least five times (Acts 16:1-3; 17:14-15; 18:5; 19:22; 20:4) Timothy is also included in the greeting in a number of Paul’s letters (Philippians, Colossians, Philemon), so we tend to be more familiar with Timothy. But here’s another surprising item about Titus – although he is not mentioned at all in Acts, he is mentioned some dozen times in Paul’s epistles!!

Titus, my true son… (v. 4a) Right away we see what STS says in its introduction, that Titus was very likely led to faith by Paul, himself. What a bond that must have been. He is also mentioned several times as one of Paul’s regular traveling companions, certainly contributing to that “father-son” bond. So let’s enjoy this short letter as we celebrate this Christmas season.

Blessings!

I Timothy 6:3-21

Dear RTB’ers,

Paul shares two reflections on wealth in today’s reading.

But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils.

I Timothy 6:9-10a

As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.

I Timothy 6:18-19

Riches: If you have it, use it wisely. If you don’t have it, be careful how you seek it.

Blessings!

I Timothy 5:1-6:2

Dear RTB’ers,

I remember growing up in a small Catholic community and attending a Catholic school in a small Southern Illinois town. We had Mass every morning – all schoolchildren attended – and the only others present (as I recall) were older women who were there almost every day. Today’s fifth verse calls them to mind: She who is truly a widow, left all alone, has set her hope on God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day… (v. 5:5) I didn’t know these women and wondered if they were widows. And whatever their situation, I often wondered where any of the men in the parish were – they were never at our morning Mass. I began to see at an early age a difference in “piety” between older men and older women. Thankfully, I don’t see that at St. Andrew’s. Frankly, I’m thrilled at the number of men in our congregation who are older than I!

I am also pleased that we at St. Andrew’s have taken care of physical and monetary needs for our pastors: Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. (v. 5:17) Carol and I have seen a number of missionary pastors whose congregations offer very little support; they have to depend on their missionary giving or work as “bi-vocational” employees in other jobs.

We’re part of a good church!

Blessings!

I Timothy 4:6-16

Dear RTB’ers,

Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; 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. (vv. 7-8) I asked a question several days ago from my teen and early-20s years: “Will I get to Heaven?” That’s a question on so many hearts and minds today – is the life that I am currently living worthy of eternal life with Jesus. When I arrive at St. Peter’s Gate, will Jesus be there to welcome me in or will I be turned away into the fires of Hell? A fearful thought, certainly, but a question still abiding in probably billions of “nominal” Christians.

I no longer ask that question; I am confident of my eternal security, but that’s another item. My focus turns now to only a few words in verse 8 above: godliness is of value … as it holds promise for the present life. Too many people asking the “Heaven” question don’t realize the changes in our present lives that Jesus offers when we accept His Lordship in our lives. It was in our Men’s Group here at St. Andrew’s that I first heard of the twin concepts of “salvation and sanctification”. I knew of the concepts, but I had never seen them expressed so concisely, side-by-side. Sanctification is that promise for the present life. Our current lives are dramatically changed when we see Jesus as our Lord and not just as our Savior. I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. (Galatians 2:20) Or Paul’s famous words from Philippians, “To live is Christ, to die is gain (Philippians 1:21 – then continue for another five verses). Yes, folks, godliness … holds promise for the present life. Pursue it.

Blessings!

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See also: December 21 (2023) / I Timothy

I Timothy 3:14-4:5

Dear RTB’ers,

Only eight verses today. Before reading I wondered what content could be so “important?” as to warrant only eight verses. Only three verses in and I can see the blessing of this shortened reading – Paul’s “mystery of godliness” benediction:

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.

I Timothy 3:16

Not much to say about that verse, but the first verse in the next chapter jumped out at me: But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons… (v. 4:1) Paul says it probably more harshly than I would in speaking of our modern church, but no doubt he and Timothy were dealing with deceitful spirits and teachings of demons in that early church, forbidding marriage and requiring abstinence from certain foods… (v. 3a) We have different marriage issues today – same-sex marriages, LGBTQ+ issues, transgender controversies. Are these deceitful spirits and teachings of demons? Is there some truth is what I feel are misguided teachings? Where is God in all this? I assure you, He is not unaware of what is going on in our world. He will act when He will act. He is God and I am not.

Blessings!

I Timothy 3:1-13

Dear RTB’ers,

Back on track, with an early-morning post. Only two church officers are mentioned in today’s reading, overseer and deacon. Many scholars ascribe the overseer office to be that of our modern-day bishop, even back then one individual overseeing a number of parishes. Then to find deacons, we go back to Acts 6:1-6 where we see the first “deacons” appointed, but not named as such, …men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom (Acts 6:3b), who were simply asked “…to serve tables” (Acts 6:2b). The requirements for both of these church offices are stringent, with a major focus on one’s own family. It’s interesting to note that overseers must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace… (v. 7) Sadly, we’ve seen too many church leaders fall into disgrace. One wonders how well vetted they were for their positions!

Blessings!

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See also: November 5 (2021) / I Timothy 3:1-16

I Timothy 2

Dear RTB’ers,

Finally, after nearly four months away Carol and I returned yesterday evening – after one of our longest travel days ever! But that was then, this is now.

I sent a personal note to John, thanking him for stepping into the void that I created, my Sunday-Tuesday absence. Mostly I had kept you appraised of where we would be and I had thought that I would be posting, no problem. But after a Sunday sermon in Bratislava, SK and then traveling to Vienna, AU, my illness denial caught up with me. Then Monday in Vienna, a city that we love, our “last day in Europe” became for me one hour in a Christmas market, then me getting lost going home by myself, then an evening packing for a 6:00 am flight the next day. And somehow I just don’t work well on the plane. So, my apologies for my three-days-gone, but I am back now!

I Timothy!! I Timothy is one of three “pastoral” epistles that Paul wrote – two to Timothy and one to Titus, that have a lot to say about church matters with much less in the way of theological issues. There is a fourth personal letter that Paul wrote, to Philemon on a different personal matter.

…God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (vv. 2:3b-4) I might not have mentioned this verse in a stand-alone chapter 2 comment, but I had expected that I would be posting on both of I Timothy’s first two chapters (until I saw that John had posted), and there is one verse from chapter 1 that stands out: The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners… (1:15a). Both of these verses are from my early born-again days and my involvement with Campus Crusade for Christ, where evangelism, sharing our faith with unbelievers was a primary focus. These two verses were “memory verses” for us that still come to mind the same nearly fifty years later! And what those “Jesus people” were doing in the 1970s is still our charge today, reaching out to unbelievers.

It’s good to be back. See you Sunday…!

Blessings!

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See also: November 4 (2021) / I Timothy 2:1-15

I Timothy 1

The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.

I Timothy 1:5

This verse reminds me of I Corinthians 13 — “The Love Chapter” — along with its introduction, I Corinthians 12:31: And I will show you a still more excellent way — love, of course being that “more excellent way.”

The proof of good doctrine is not in winning intellectual arguments or citing chapter and verse or in pursuing all sorts of discussions, even if one might be “right” about all those topics. The proof is in love, and love is self-sacrificial action.

So what is the needle on your “love-meter” indicating today? Would those who know you best agree with your self-assessment?

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See also: November 3 (2021) / I Timothy 1:1-20