2 Timothy 3

 I think by next week I will have a new schedule and can be more timely with replies and posts! That kid sure has energy! And he doesn't nap for very long! It has been a fun few days and we are beginning to get into a routine...I think! Thank you for the grace you have extended!

This chapter is a very perilous and fateful chapter- talking about end times.  From the theologian John Stott (1921-2011) regarding this chapter: “As he lies in his cell, a prisoner of the Lord, Paul is still preoccupied with the future of the gospel. His mind dwells now on the evil of the times, now on the diffidence of Timothy. Timothy is so weak, and the opposition so strong.” 

Paul begins with, "Remember this!" in a very commanding voice. Then a series of "signs" or indications of the end times with respect to the way people treat each other. When I read through this list- I see much of what Paul cautions Timothy about happening now! Some translations include the word "perilous" meaning fierce and mighty, used in Greek literature to talk about wild animals or the raging seas! As I look through the list- extreme love of self, love of money, proudness, no respect.... I wonder how did we get here? What can the church do to help or change the current times we are in? Do we know people that are fitting into the categories that Paul talks about? Are we in those categories?  In vv 6-7, Paul singles out women- only because they spent more time in the home and they were seen as more likely to be swayed because of their fragility!

The two people mentioned in vv 8-9 (Jannes and Jambres) are the two magicians that opposed Moses during the pre-Passover plagues. If you have seen the movie "Prince of Egypt" you may remember them. They are not named in the Exodus texts. They could do real magic, but their power was a dark power- not a God power as Moses had. They could match Moses "trick for trick" but at the end eventually their power (Satan's power) ran out and they did give recognition to God. 

Paul hen contrasts Timothy and says, "But you..." (v 10). So, Timothy is the opposite of all the things Paul listed. Timothy follows Paul's teachings and is living a good and upstanding life. Timothy has "caught" Paul's purpose/goal/faith/doctrine/ manner of life.  Timothy is well "developed" and has matured into a great and faithful disciple of Paul and of Jesus. Paul recognizes that in Timothy. Paul reminds Timothy of a few specific examples that Timothy witnessed: Paul was kicked out of Antioch for preaching the Gospel, almost executed by stoning in Iconium, and again at Lystra. The reminder also that God delivered Paul into safety (v 12)! When we look back at our lives, do we recognize the times when God brought us out of those troubles?

Paul gets to the key point of this chapter in v 14- continue to follow the teachings he has learned! With a reminder of who (Paul and God) who taught Timothy these things. Paul brings up an important and valuable lesson- Timothy was raised in the faith (v 15). Does being raised in the church have value? What can we do to get kids (families) back to church? Timothy's mother (Eunice) and grandmother (Lois) were his primary faith instructors. What if a child doesn't have those teachers in their life? Just a quick FYI- when Paul references the Holy Scriptures here he is talking about the Hebrew texts as there was no New Testament at the time!

In closing- Paul tells/reminds Timothy that all Scripture is from God- not from humans. A God-breathed, God-inspired text that tells us how to live in peace and harmony. Thoughts? How do translations and paraphrases fit into this thought?!

I love the last verse in this chapter, "Using Scriptures, the person who serves God will be capable, having all that is needed to do every good work." Wow! A very fundamental and inspiring thought. All we need to do is use the Scriptures. How do we, as an individual and as a church, promote that idea?

This is a good point to think about over the weekend! The last chapter- we will get to on Monday- is very sad and thought provoking. I love it and have used it many times in may different situations.

Liam leaves today; Morgan and Bobbi-Jo come tonight through Sunday; wedding rehearsal tonight; wedding tomorrow....life continues to be busy! Enjoy your time with family and friends. Be good and be safe!

Shalom+
Pastor Paul

2 Timothy 2

Sorry for the odd and late posts and lack of comments. Life has been in an upheaval since Lauren and family came here. Trying to rearrange my schedule so I can get caught up on work! Plus my nephew cam for a surprise visit and wanted to do a Catskill high peak! We did Slide Mountain yesterday- Catskill's highest peak at 4180'

Liam and me on summit of Slide (4180')

I will comment on your comments later today- hopefully during nap time (Joseph's not mine! No rest for the wicked!)

Today we continue with Paul's advice for Timothy as he again reminds Timothy to be strong (v 1). Paul reminds and tells Timothy over 25 times in these two letters to be strong! Timothy is facing false teachings that are drawing people away from the church; the elders think he is too young to be a church leader; he is alone with no in-person mentor. We have all faced similar problems- and we too need to remember to be strong in God. God provides the strength- if we accept it! Paul then presents a model to Timothy: teach the faithful and then they can go and teach others (v 2). What a great model of discipleship and leading/ Do we do that in our churches? Are people taught well enough to go and teach?

Paul reminds Timothy (and us) that preaching/leading is like being a soldier. When you sign up for the armed forces- you know there will be hardships; you have an idea that life isn't going to be super easy. Ministry and the church is like that - hardships and difficulties are there. the goal of a good soldier is to work hard and please the commanding officers (v 4); God is our commanding officer and our goal should be to work hard and please God. Paul continues using symbols and metaphors: athletes and farmers.  Paul uses sports analogies often; we will see this again later in this book. Training for an athletic competition is hard work and many hours of endurance. The reward, when you win the competition, is a crown of laurel or some other plant; the symbol here is the crown of righteousness (and Paul will refer to that in a few more chapters).  Farming is hard, daily, dirty, tedious, exhausting work-- there is no glamour in it; the rewards are the fruits and grains that nourish people. Paul says that the farmer should also be nourished by these fruits. Timothy is providing spiritual nourishment for the congregation- but Paul reminds him that he also must be spiritually nourished. We rely on our pastors to spiritually nourish us, do we spiritually nourish them?

Paul goes on to remind Timothy the essence of the Gospel- the promise of resurrection. Teaching that will be tough- not all people will accept that and Paul is in prison for that. Bound in chains- awaiting his execution! This is what Timothy should expect- the difficulties that arise from teaching an "unpopular" theology- the theology of grace and love! We aren't bound in chains and executed in this country for our religious beliefs- but others may be. Would that risk stop us? Paul does it and willingly accepts the punishment, because God chose Paul to do the work (v 10) and Paul knows the rewards of salvation and eternal life that will follow! 

Paul then writes a brief hymn to praise God and lists the promises that God has made to us: resurrection and eternal life with Christ (v 11); continual reign with God in God's kingdom (v 12); constant faithfulness from God (v 13). All available to us if we accept God as the one and only. These words are beautiful words that I need to be reminded of!

Timothy is reminded o continue teaching the congregation and be faithful to them (v 14). We are to continually remind the church of the Gospel message and not get side tracked or caught up in other things. There is so much in our world that can draw us away, that we need to stay focused and alert. Does the church do a good job of that- keeping you focused? There will be people and things that pull others away and tell false stories (Hymenaus and Philetus, v 17); they may have even been good and faithful people; however, they may get disenfranchised from the church and tell false prophesies. The two people Paul mentions say that Christ had already come and the people that are left did not "make the cut" so there is no sense or bother in being good anymore! Do we have "false prophets" in our midst that try to pull people away from the church? Our goal as pastors and disciples, is to keep the truth in teaching and alert people to the falsehoods being propagated. Does the church do that?

Paul talks about "a large house" (the church) with vessels of gold, silver, wood, and clay. The people that make up the church are all different types- some are "upper class" and some are "lower class", but all are equal and worthy as they have important jobs to do (v  20). We all have important jobs to do for the benefit of the whole congregation. All people will eventually be holy of they stay as good as possible.

I love the closing words of this chapter and they are words we need to keep in mind- we have talked before about being a busy body and gossiping. It just causes trouble and stirs up the pot! Try hard to be good, be faithful, be loving, be kind. When we hear this- is it too hard? Why is it so hard to do these things?  There will be evil and wicked and nay-sayers, but we should try to talk with them and then maybe God will help them change their hearts (v 25). We are to continue to work for God and to continue to try and get the Gospel message out to the public. 

This whole last section was about being a worker pleasing to God. When I think of myself- I do wonder- at times- if I am pleasing to God. I know there are things in my life that need to be changed and I wonder what God sees when God looks down on me. Am I pleasing to God? Am I doing what God desires? Can I be the person God wants me to be? Can you?

I loved the words Paul wrote to Timothy here in this chapter. I think these are all things that we can learn from and listen to. It is hard reading a personal letter to someone, but I feel that this could be a letter written to each of us too (not just Timothy)!

Thank you for the grace as I try to figure out my new life here as Grandpa! I am trying to get my schedule rearranged so that I can be better at responding and writing. Please be patient.

Shalom+
Pastor Paul

2 Timothy 1

 Greetings! Not sure when you're reading this, but it is coming to you late Tuesday night. My nephew is in for a few days and we are leaving early for a Catskill trip- Slide Mountain- the highest Catskill peak at 4184'! It is going to be a good day!

Today we start 2 Timothy, written possibly around 63AD, by Paul in prison in Rome. 1 Timothy was written about 57- 58AD. This letter has a slightly different tone; Paul was in prison and he knew that he would be executed soon. We will be able to hear the urgency in Paul's words to Timothy to carry the torch onward.

Paul opens very similar as 1 Timothy with words of peace and grace and mercy to Timothy. Again, we hear Paul call Timothy "son" and we will see a beautiful bond between these two people. We have heard Paul talk about his prayers for Timothy and we see this still continues (v 3). We all know the power of prayer and I imagine Timothy was consoled by these prayers- especially knowing Paul was in a Roman prison waiting for his execution. Paul references Timothy's tears (v 4); there is a historical account that Timothy cried hard when he and Paul separated- evidence of the love and respect they had for each other. Paul mentions Timothy's family (we have heard this before in Acts). Timothy's mother and grandmother were believers, but his father was not (he was Greek and had multiple gods). Paul "adopted" Timothy at the beginning of his second missionary journey; Timothy was approximately 14 years old at that time. 

Paul tells Timothy (in some translations) to "stir up the gift of God inside you" (v 6); keep those fires burning. Paul refers to a "small flame", indications that Timothy may have been timid and Paul is trying to encourage him here to be string and use the power of God through the Spirit. Who are those people in your life that are timid but have a gift from God to teach and need to be encouraged? Are you ding that? 

Paul talks more saying "do not be ashamed" (v 8). When we look at Christ- we don't feel shame (do we?), but through the eyes of the early church- who would want to follow someone who was crucified, someone who said top be a slave, someone who sat with the lepers , the sick, the poor, the hungry? It was a really "shameful" person to be following if we put it in that context! In addition, Timothy' mentor is in prison (v 8)! How much shame is there in that! Paul even suggests that Timothy share with Paul the shame of prison- as we are asked to share a life with the poor, the hungry, the outcasts. Do we follow that model?

The thing that Timothy is especially not to be ashamed of is the grace and love of God that chose each one of us, not by what we did, not by our actions, but by the grace of God we were selected (v 9). It wasn't anything great that we did, it was God's mercy that invited us and saved us- even before we knew anything (v 9). The good news that Timothy is to continue sharing is that Christ destroyed death- death is no longer death, but a time of sleep until Christ comes again (v 10). 

We can almost feel Paul's strength and commitment to the Gospel as he is writing these words (v 11) as being chosen to teach and preach! For Paul, it is a privilege to suffer for Christ. Do we feel that privilege? I can almost imagine Paul going through the sermons he preached, the churches he started, the people he baptized- as he writes these words to Timothy. The strength is evident as he continues with "I am not ashamed!" (v 12). Do we have the strength to say those words? Paul knew the words he preached were true words, but he also knew that those words would end him up in prison and likely executed. But he continued to preach anyway. 

Paul urges Timothy to hold fast and fight the fight (v 14), continue teaching the words of hope and peace and love. People will be against it, Timothy will lose friends (and Paul lists the people he has lost in vv 15-16). By the end of Paul's life- he was alone- and he warns Timothy of that- but to continue to teach and be the person God called Timothy to be. Onesiphorus, on the other hand, continued to seek out Paul and support him in his ministry (vv 16-18). We don't know much about this person, other than he lived near Timothy in Ephesus and that he was a faithful person. Paul encourages Timothy to seek him out. Do we have faithful people in our lives that we are to seek out when we need support? The meaning of the name Onespihorus means "help-bringer"!

This was a great introductory chapter. You can feel the love Paul has for Timothy and the urgency that he feels. This continues throughout the letter. Watch for it!

Have a great day!

Shalom+
Pastor Paul

1 Timothy 6

 Really late start today! Sorry...the kid is keeping me busy! Guess I will have to rearrange my day!

I will comment on your comments from yesterday later today (or tonight!)

Great day yesterday with Joseph and family. We are getting adjusted to life on the farm and he loves the barn- especially Jerome the steer!

The chapter today picks up from yesterday- general advice for people getting along with others. The first few verses are addressed to slaves in general- but we can also go with the metaphor of us being slaves to God. The idea of these first few verses is to essentially work hard for your employer! Hard work glorifies God- regardless of the employer. Regardless if your employer is Christian or not- we should be working hard and not be wasting time. 

Paul returns to the theme of this first letter to Timothy- and that was the idea of false teachings that were destroying the church in Ephesus. The city was full of people trying to lure people away from the church; they were using whatever means they could and Paul warns Timothy that they are not glorifying God or doing the work that God desires. The focus of these false prophets is pride and attention to them, love of money for them, and they will do anything to promote themselves above others. They are expert debaters ("speaking against others and quarrels" v 4b-5) and know how to use words to get their way. Do we know any of those "false prophets" today?

Another aspect of the theology of the false prophets was that the church was in it for the money, and so ten the priests were too! (We are not in it for the money- I can guarantee that!) Paul is saying that we are rich if we have God, because we need nothing more (v 6). We are to be satisfied with what we have and there is no need to "keep up with the Jones'!" V 7- was a great statement from my Mom, I didn't know it was Biblical- "You came into this world with nothing and you leave with nothing." What a great comment on our desire to accumulate for ourselves! We should be happy with what we have. It is the simple things in life (food and clothing, v 7) that are important. Why do people thing that wealth equals happiness? The more wealthy someone is, the more likely they seem to crash in the end- temptations seem to catch you (v 9).Our true richness comes from serving God.

Paul's closing words to Timothy- live right, have faith, love, patience and gentleness (v 11)! What else is there!? We will refer back to this when we read 2 Timothy 4:6-8. Fight the good fight, run the race, keep doing what you are gifted to do (v 14) and even if you run into troubles and persecution- you will be rewarded.  When Paul says that Jesus is "King of Kings, Lord of Lords" (v 15) that was great risk as the emperor was both Lord and God. People were killed because they didn't address the emperor as Lord and God!

V 17 puts things into perspective- those that are "rich" (both spiritually and financially) are to treat people fairly and  be responsible with their wealth. Their "treasure" will be built up greatly  (v 19). This is more of a spiritual wording- our faith is identified and observed through our acts!

The closing lines show us how much Paul cared for Timothy. There is such a great bond between them and a love that is evident. He does respect Timothy and has a definite paternal care evidenced in these closing words.

We will continue with 2 Timothy tomorrow- written shortly after this letter.

Have a great day!

Shalom+
Pastor Paul

1 Timothy 5

 Busy weekend! Drove to State College Friday morning; loaded up U-Haul and drove home Saturday; unloaded at our house late Saturday and into storage pace Sunday. The house is a disaster with boxes and things all over...but so much fun with Joseph. It is going to be a bus summer, and I am exhausted already!

1 Timothy 5 is a great chapter on how to treat people in general. These lessons (remember) are written for timothy, but they are all something we can learn from! Many of these lessons are lost!

Immediately, Paul talks about how to treat and respect elders. Some translations say "do not rebuke an elder". Later, we will hear Paul say sometimes elders need to be rebuked, but not harshly. The point here is to correct them gently and make corrections with compassion. These first few verses (vv 1-2) are all about respect and getting along. How is that taught to our young people? Many times we have commented about respect and the lack of it. If we look at some families- they don't even respect each other!

In the next set of lines (vv 3- 8) are about treatment of widows- women who are truly alone. There was no social assistance programs in early Rome, so it was really up to the kindness of the church and the neighbors to care for people that don't have means. If there is family around- the family should be caring for the woman. This short paragraph goes deep into family respect and care- and respect. Families today are so broken, that they don't learn respect and compassion. How can the church change that? I find V 8 quite interesting- If you don't care for your family- you have turned against God! Look around- how many families do you know that don't care for each other? Where is the love for family gone? Paul seems to put an age limit in his discussion. Any widow over 60 (v 9) regardless of family status should be taken care of by the church. The assumption was that under age 60, she could do somethings to help herself (get a job) or get remarried! What does this statement (over age 60) say to the church about caring for our elders?

Paul says some interesting comments about younger widows...let them remarry if they want. Paul wasn't against remarrying; the comment basically was they are young and they will get pulled away from the church because they want to find a husband! Paul even goes to the extent of saying that they should get married and settle down- otherwise they will turn into busy bodies- and we know from the previous chapters how Paul feels about that! Paul really does feel it is the church's function/job to care for elders (widows) that are truly destitute.

The elders that Paul speaks of (v 17) are the church leaders. It seems like he is talking about merit pay here (v 17)! Paul is in support of the church helping the destitute, and then he goes on to say that those that are the leaders should be given double that amount for the work they do! Suggest that to the church SPR committee! (jk!!) The more useful you are the more valuable you are, the more you should be rewarded. 

Paul really has it our for gossip! He comments that you should always have some others present when people want to gossip (v 19). The idea is that there are others there to hear what you heard- so much for confidentiality issues! As clergy, I hear lots of stories about lots of people. It is hard to know truth and reality. One's perception of an event is their reality and I sometimes don't hear the other side. There are times I would like to have two people that tell stories about each other to come together and tell their stories to each other (does that make sense?)! Paul goes on to say that if you need to reprimand- do it in front of the church (v 20)! Partially this is for witnesses to hear what the pastor said; part of this is to make the rest of the church aware of their potential punishment of they are caught doing the same thing! How do you think the people of LM would respond if I rebuked someone in front of the congregation?!

Paul tells Timothy the seriousness of his job and the job of church leaders (v 21) "I Charge you before God and Jesus Christ..." The New Testament places a huge emphasis on equality between people, and Paul carries it through here too (v 21) to show no partiality!  Is it that easy? To show no partiality? People need to prove themselves before they should be ordained or let into leadership roles (v 22). Does the church do a good job of that?

Huge fan of Paul's next suggestion to Timothy (v 23)! Water in ancient times wasn't always pure and clean, so there were many intestinal issues and illnesses due to that. The wine would act as an antiseptic. I will try harder to follow Paul's suggestion here!

The final words to Timothy in this chapter are ones that we know well. Sometimes sin and goodness is easy to see; sometimes not so much. But everything will be revealed in its time. How often do we sin thinking we can get away with it? Or do good things without wanting recognition? Sometimes what we see on the outside isn't an accurate reflection of the inside! Listen for God's discerning voice!

Some really good advice from Paul to Timothy in these lines!  This may make a great sermon series!

Have a great day today. Remember the freedoms we have because of those who fought for us and let us truly recognize and think about who we are as a people. May we all be blessed today and all days.

Shalom+
Pastor Paul

1 Timothy 4

Great day yesterday...we are as ready as we can be for the invasion of Joseph (and Lauren and Chris). Positive news- she has a few interviews lined up soon! We leave later this morning to drive to State College. Then the packing and moving begins! When I think about the number of times I have helped my kids pack and move, my head explodes! 

Paul begins this chapter with a short discussion of  the teaching of false doctrine. Paul brings this up a few times in his letters to Timothy. In this one, Paul says that the Holy Spirit (v 1) has warned him (and us) of these false teachings! The end times will begin by people leaving the church, being easily disillusioned by evil, and pay more attention to the false prophets. When will we know this is happening? Are people beginning to lose faith now? As pastors, we need to continue to preach and teach sound doctrine (faith, hope, love, salvation, grace, mercy) and journey in faith with our people. The statement "consciences destroyed as if by a hot iron" (v 2b) means that their faith and belief is so misconstrued- once they would know what they were hearing was false doctrine, but now they don't know that. The hot iron also refers to branding of criminals on their forehead; for these that Paul speaks of, it is not their forehead that is branded, but their conscious. The idea of not marrying and not eating certain foods (v 3) is the idea that if we withhold something good for us, God will owe us something. These (obviously) are false teachings that Paul cautions us against. Paul refutes all of this with vv 4 and 5- everything God made is good and we should accept all with thanks and praise. What we eat or don't eat doesn't make us more or less righteous in the face of God.

Paul charges Timothy with instruction of sound doctrine and faith. The job of a pastor is edification (through "lecture" and living). Our model is Jesus. Not only did he sit and teach, but through his life and interactions, the disciples learned. Does your pastor instruct through both word and living? Keep your priorities straight (v 7). Focus on God's words- not man's (wives tale, foolish stories, fables). Exercise toward godliness (train yourself to serve God). Ancient Greeks and Romans were all about physical strength and health. Paul is saying to Timothy- train in the faith as an athlete would train for their competitions. All professions have some type of professional development "requirement." Part of a pastor's life is personal edification- reading, classes, discussions with colleagues; this is what Paul is talking about. He refers to this several other times in these two letters to Timothy. Do your pastors model this? 

We end this chapter with some personal words from Paul to Timothy. When Timothy started his ministry with Paul, he was young (maybe 14 years or so). This letter was written 15 or so years after that. That puts Timothy at about 25 or 30 years old. Certainly not too young, but the elders of the town would consider him too young to preach. I know when we received a young male pastor fresh from seminary, many people questioned his ability, because of his age! Paul urges Timothy to live his life so that nobody would question his youthful status (v 12). Be an example to the "elders" through your life of faith, action, love, and purity. Live and look like a pastor! Think of your pastor, do they model these qualities? I used this passage many years ago when I addressed the youth at a youth retreat in the (old) Wyoming Conference. Do we tend to trivialize the knowledge of young people?

Paul reminds Timothy of his gift of congregational ministry (v 14)! Not everyone has the gift of preaching/teaching, but everyone has gifts that they shouldn't ignore. From these words, we can get the idea that the elders of some towns (maybe Lystra and Derbe) held an ordination service for Timothy and they laid hands on him. Give your full life and attention to the work that you were graced with (v 15) and as you use  your gifts, give glory to God. Some very personal words from Paul. You can really sense his love for Timothy!

A great reading for today. I am really liking these letters and am learning some good points!

Regarding the next few weeks. I hope to maintain the same schedule- posting and responding in the morning. However, with an almost 18-month old kid running around, I am not sure if that can be done! He loves outside time and I have lots of plans for him! I will continue with the daily commentary, but they may not be posted until nap time! For Joseph, not me! No rest for the wicked!

Have a great weekend!

Shalom+
Pastor Paul

1 Timothy 3

 Good day again yesterday. Lots of outside work got done. Garden is in! And then the rains came! God is good! Could use more, but I will take this right now!

I think we all agree that women and men are equal- based on comments from yesterday. That was good!

The bulk of today's reading is a list of qualification of church leaders. In the last chapter, Paul outlined that women are not good candidates for church office- but this doesn't mean all men are! Paul will list several character traits that the church leaders should have. 

Paul first talks about being an elder (bishop in some translations). We all know examples of bishops in our church leadership. The word bishop in the New Testament is derived from the Greek episkopos- "epi-" over and "skopos"- to see; literally the bishop is an overseer. In the United Methodist denomination, the bishop's office is called the "episcopacy" derived from the same word. In the case of the early church, the bishop could oversee one church or several churches. There may be multiple bishops in one area, adding to church confusion! God has specific qualifications for leaders, and Paul begins to list them (vv 2- 7). As you read through the list, think about the leaders of your church. Do they fit these qualifications?

Paul then turns to deacons. The deacons were "organized" in Acts 6:1-6; they are more oriented to service rather than word (preaching). The qualifications, according to Paul, are quite similar to bishops. In the UMC, there tends to be some "division" between the elders and the deacons, but in God's eyes, they are the same! Most of our clergy are ordained elders with only a handful being ordained as deacons. 

Paul switches topics and writes a personal message to Timothy among all these instructions. He tells of his desire to meet with Timothy again, and you can really sense the connection Paul has with Timothy. Paul's desire is for Timothy is to live a good and wholesome life in the church (v 15). Then, in just a few short sentences (v 16), Paul outlines the Gospel message in a succinct fashion. In the original Greek, these lines have a regular pattern and are thought to be an ancient church hymn. Reading these words, we can see Jesus is the complete fullness of Christian character. 

An easy and quick chapter that probably won't spark too much discussion or controversy!

Bachelor life is over for me today. Sherri comes home later; she has been in State College all week helping Lauren pack. We both go back tomorrow, with my truck, to help them pack and leave State College for good. They will be with us this summer until Lauren finds a permanent job in early childhood education. Going to be a busy summer for Grandpa Paul!

Have a great day.

Shalom+
Pastor Paul