1 Timothy Chapter 1

In this first chapter of the first of two letters from Paul to Timothy, I appreciate how Paul’s greeting to Timothy anchors us in context and reminds us that this is a realio, trulio letter from Paul—a letter meant to be shared around with the people and churches Timothy interfaced with and which has survived all this time for us as well. So what are we to glean from a letter between two guys, two thousand years ago? 

Let’s see.

What jumped out at me was verse five: “The purpose of my instruction is that all believers would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith.”

I find this instruction of Paul’s to be particularly compelling in light of his words in verses eight and nine: “We know that the law is good when used correctly. For the law was not intended for people who do what is right. It is for people who are lawless and rebellious, who are ungodly and sinful, who consider nothing sacred and defile what is holy …”

Now, certainly Paul isn’t saying that there exists anyone who does “what is right” all the time. No one is perfect. But I think he is saying that once we dedicate ourselves to Christ, we usually clean up a lot of the big stuff and try to do what is right in all aspects of our lives. An ongoing process, to be sure. 

But Paul is saying that his real point isn’t about believers following the law, because we’re doing this already. His real desire is that we be filled with love. 

And what kind of love? One that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith. We wouldn’t have those three things, and thus the love that is born out of them, if we weren’t already doing what was right.

So what does this kind of love look like in my life? Love from a pure heart is not selfish, it is not manipulative. It doesn’t require quid pro quo. I don’t think we can manufacture that love. Paul says “be filled with”—this is a passive construction; someone else is doing the filling. Love rooted in genuine faith is love that comes through us from God himself. We have faith that he is who he says he is, that he loves us with a pure heart. And then we pass that love on—with no diminution of what we get to retain. What an impact we could have individually and corporately if “all believers” were filled with that kind of love! We’d be individuals and a community that attracted people, that was safe, that would stand with others in difficulties and in pain. That kind of love would open doors and open hearts. 

Lord, fill me with your divine love, and help me to pass it on.

2 Thessalonians Chapter 3

Is working hard a biblical directive?  Paul wrote about those that were idle among the believers of Thessalonica.  He states in v 10-12, "Work, being productive, is part of God's plan for Christians." Dr. Charles Stanley makes this observation that “Work is not a curse but a gift from God.  The worker who never shows effort, energy, or enthusiasm is not living the godly life God created him for.” 

Paul was adamant about avoiding those Christians who were lazy so as not to model their bad habits to others. He thought that hunger and loneliness were effective in making the idle person become productive. 

How should we as Christians model work?  Paul explained he worked hard as a tent maker to set a good example and not to be a burden to anyone.  In Colossians 3:23, Paul wrote “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men...”

Your job can be a platform God has given you to serve Him. Maintain enthusiasm and be honest in what you do and you will be recognized by others. If you are doing your job for the approval of Jesus, you will also do more than the bare minimum. 

Set your standards high when you are working for the Lord

2 Thessalonians Chapter 2

This chapter really came across to me as doom and gloom.  Paul gives a peak into some of the unrest and confusion that comes with the end of times, and is identified in more detail in Revelations.  False prophets will be spreading their messages, the man of lawlessness will do the work of Satan with counterfeit powers and signs and miracles.  This same man of lawlessness will exalt himself and defy everything that people call god and every object of worship.

Paul knew that the Thessalonians would face pressure from persecutions, false teachers, worldliness, and  apathy. Paul wrote this letter to the Thessalonians because they were currently being subjected to and tested by these assaults on their faith.  

Pretty scary stuff. It seems that it will be pretty easy to be misled by these false and lawless people.  All the more reason to stay in the Word, and appeal repeatedly to the Holy Spirit to help us hold on to the truth of Christ’s teachings.  As Paul pointed out, none of us know when Christ will return, but we do know where our heart should lie when that time becomes reality.   Holy Spirit, stay with us, we firmly need your support and guidance.

2 Thessalonians Chapter 1

 Patience and trust seem to be the main message in this passage.  Also Paul shows what a loving teacher he is by first showing the people positive encouragement in hopes, I believe, that this will propel them to keep going in the ways of the Lord.  Paul acknowledges his peoples persecution. He tells them that the Lord will settle the score and punish those who have given them trouble. Have patience, it will be in God's own time.  In the meantime have faith and be at peace.  Keep fighting the good fight.

I was so encouraged when Paul acknowledged that their love for one another was increasing. Love is always the best road traveled.  We become almost instantly transformed when love is put first.  Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. ( 1 Corinthians 13: 7)   May we make this passage be one committed to memory.  Life is ruff and not fair (Rick Warren) so lets arm ourself for battle with this verse and all the Holy Spirit puts at our fingertips in the greatest text ever written. The Bible.

1 Thessalonians Chapter 5

This chapter is bursting at the seams with application and hope. The end of the chapter says, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Jesus Christ.” This is easy to say but hard to do.  Often times our rejoicing diminishes, our prayer is only requests to make life better for us, and our thanks is hard to find. When these times come, and they will, verse 24 reminds us that the One who calls us is faithful and He will be with us through and through.  When times seem hard and fear creeps in remember to rejoice, pray, and be thankful because God has sanctified us through His son Jesus Christ. 

The reason we do not need to be afraid of these hard times  is because God has not chosen us to suffer His wrath but to receive salvation through Jesus Christ. God calls us children of light. We are not to be like the others who are unaware of His return. He tells us that we need to be vigilant and persevering. God wants us to be ready for His return. He also wants us to encourage others with this hope. 

1 Thessalonians Chapter 4

This chapter encourages us to live lives that are pleasing to God. Paul explains to us that God wants us to live pure lives and be obedient to Him. God reminds us that we are not just ignoring instructions, but ignoring God. After the warning about sexual immorality the focus is on love for one another. Within this chapter it says to live lives pleasing to God and to do this more and more. This is encouraging to me because it implies there is a process here. God calls us to live holy lives but the beauty is that we are not holy on our own accord. We need God’s help in order to accomplish this. God gives us His Holy Spirit in order to be able to fight against the things of this world.  He warns us of the trouble and then reminds us that He has equipped us with Himself.

The second part of this chapter is also an encouragement that gives us hope. It reminds us that we will be with our family members who have passed once again and that the Lord is coming again. This is awesome and something we can encourage one another with. It reminds us of who it is we serve, that He has not forgotten us, and that He is coming for us. 

1 Thessalonians Chapter 3

Have you ever been asked to do something that caused you great anxiety and fear?  If so, you know the feeling of angst and wonder  how you'll get through that which causes such nervous tension.  And yet, in this chapter, Paul writes about sending Timothy to Athens to spread the Gospel of Christ as a way to strengthen and encourage others in their faith, and he does it even knowing he and others who were sent would be persecuted.  Let's not forget that there  is also the fear that Satan would try to tempt him, others and even ourselves from doing that which our Father desires.                                                                           

For me, it would seem much easier to agree to talk to people who already have faith than to try to talk to others who know little or none of what faith is about because faith is simply believing in something that we don't actually concretely "see". 

As other's see and hear about our  deep and committed faith, despite all the trials and tribulations life throws at us, it's that sense of calm that draws people in and wondering how they can have that too.  So like Paul and Timothy and all the other Apostles,  God's desire is for us to share the love of God and that often means, that sharing with non-believers brings more angst and anxiety than we are comfortable with.  So how does one work through being comfortable spreading the Gospel of Christ when this is not your spiritual gift?

I've always found that praying for the person that you are sharing with, is the best way to start and then sharing your faith in hopes that their hearts are open to receive your words.  Over time, you can share parts of the Bible and the stories told and even provide different resources where they can learn more about Jesus or even invite them to join you at church or a bible study or a presentation.  In time, they may make a conscience choice as to whether they want faith or not and if they do, they can simply ask God to give them the faith they need to believe.

1 Thessalonians Chapter 2

 Paul, with Silas and Timothy, continues his letter to the church in Thessalonica, where people had received the message of Good News with joy but are suffering severely because of their neighbors and countrymen.

For me, Chapter 2 contains Paul’s words of encouragement to his beloved church because Paul remains separated from them despite his efforts to rejoin them.  From Paul whose words are prompted by the Holy Spirit, we too can take courage and heart to persevere despite sufferings and opposition we will face.

First, as encouragement from Paul’s letter we are reminded that in our trials and sufferings, our purpose remains to please God and not people (v. 4).  A basic human instinct is the need for praise and the acceptance by others which can drive us to behavior that veers from truth and good.  But God frees us from this human need and calls us to focus our attention on Him and His purpose in the middle of our sufferings. Think of the implications for us in our human behavior and how much freedom results from pleasing the never-changing God instead of trying to please human beings whose needs can change daily.  With the refocus and perspective, we view our trials in a different light.

Secondly, our service encourages us.  As we serve and care for others, we do not keep a score of all our good deeds for others so that someday we can expect a payback from those who benefitted by us. Our purpose is to share the Good News and our own lives (v. 8) to others so we constantly “pay forward” to others because of Christ’s love and forgiveness for us.  Our service to others in the midst of suffering will require work “night and day” so we do not become a burden to others.  There is no free pass from work in the Lord’s service as Paul acknowledges.  Our service to the Lord keeps our minds and hearts occupied on meaningful work, fills us with joy for others, and reduces the isolation and impact of the trials and sufferings we experience.

Finally, and most importantly as encouragement, we should remember our blessings and remain thankful to God that we accepted Christ’s love and forgiveness by God’s grace. Paul reminds us that as believers in Christ, we will suffer even at the hands of our own families, friends, and neighbors.   Jesus had told his followers to expect this because He had been persecuted.  But the greatest encouragement of all in this chapter is the blessing of hope and joy of Christ in our lives and looking forward to the reward at the end when Jesus stands next to us before God to speak on our behalf.

It gives me great comfort and hope for the future when I look back at how God protected and provided for me and gave me a family, friends, and a roof over my head and food on the table.  As the Great Provider, God can be trusted to provide in the future even as He has provided for each of us in the past.  There is no greater encouragement than having God walk hand-in-hand with us each day of our lives.  God’s blessings of the past encourage us to look forward to God’s blessings in the future.

1 Thessalonians Chapter 1

Do you have a favorite sports team?  Perhaps you love The Warriors or the San Francisco Giants…..What happens when your favorite team wins a big game? You respond like this: “WE DID IT! WE WON!” You may run around the living room high-fiving, chest-bumping, and doing a little jig.  Now my question is: What role did you play in this victory? Maybe you bought a jersey or a cap, but the truth is you didn’t do anything that contributed to your team’s success. Yet, you feel intense ownership because this is YOUR team.

If you and I can feel this strongly about our favorite sports team, how much more intense should our feelings be for our local church?  We need to think of the church as “we,” not “they.” Although churches are made up of individuals, we are the church!  In the book of 1 Thessalonians, we learn about a church that we can get excited about. Although there are no “perfect” churches, the church in Thessalonica is a model church. 

What struck me was Paul’s long “thanksgiving section”.  He is pumped about this church!  In 1:2-3 he writes, “We give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers; constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father.” It’s been said, “You can tell a man’s values by what he appreciates.” In these verses, Paul expresses his deep appreciation for the spiritual maturity of the Thessalonians.  These verses are challenging. They call you and me to pray for our church, specifically.  Not just a generic, “Lord, bless our church,” but specific expressions of gratitude for individuals in our church. It challenges us to pray for our life groups, for our pastors and leaders, for our Sunday school classes, or youth or college group. Cry out to God for individuals in our ministries. 

Something else that stood out to me and made this a healthy church is that the church waited for Jesus’ return (1:10).  Paul writes that these believers who converted to Christ responded by “wait[ing] for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come.” The word wait means literally, to wait up. The Thessalonians were waiting up for the Lord’s return!

 Looking for the Lord to return at any moment will change our lives. It will transform our way of doing things. It will change the way we deal with temptations. It will alter our priorities. It will lead us to do something about broken relationships.  It will make us invest our precious days in what truly matters.  All possessions we have worked so hard for will be destroyed and only what is eternal will last.  What a difference it would make if we truly believed His coming is near!!

This Thessalonian church was a baby church and we can learn so much by this letter from Paul! My prayer is that God continues to bless COTC and that we strive to follow the model of this church in Thessalonica.

Colossians Chapter 4

Today’s Game: Distraction vs. Devotion

I have a popular sports app on my phone, which conveniently allows me to follow my favorites. My app reflects perhaps an awkward devotion to a motley collection of teams and sports from my childhood, places I’ve lived, and experiences I’ve had. I have to admit that too frequently, I allow my keen interest in these activities to cross the line into unhealthy distraction.

Although distractionand devotionare not world-famous teams, they are colossal themes that vie for our affection daily.

In Colossians 4, one theme Paul eloquently conveys is the importance of devotion to prayer.

“Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. Pray for us, too, that God will give us many opportunities to speak about his mysterious plan concerning Christ. That is why I am here in chains. Pray that I will proclaim this message as clearly as I should.”  Colossians 4:2-4 (NLT)

There is so much in this passage – I will concentrate on the word “devote”. This is an intense word. It has meaning overflowing with intentionality, frequency, and faithfulness. Prayer is important! It is our mechanism to actually connect in conversation – in real life – to our gracious and loving Heavenly Father. He is there with us. When is he with us? When is he available? When does he desire to connect with us? Always, always, always!

In some ways, distractions can be healthy rather than unhealthy, and I certainly do not intend this commentary to squash all whimsy! However, it is all too easy for the innumerable distractions in our lives to rule over our time and our minds – such is the oft effective work of the enemy.

What is your most common daily distraction? What takes your focus away from devotion to prayer?

The main point, put quite simply, is that Paul is prodding us to pray! Just PRAY! Often! More often they you _________ (fill in the blank with your daily distraction)!

May DEVOTION be the victor in your game today