Planning To Rest. A couple of weeks ago I took a week off. My timesheet may reflect a week of vacation, but for me it was a week of sabbaths. And I planned it that way. The word sabbath has its root in the Hebrew word, “shabbat“. Scholars believe this word is “…derived from the verb…
Look To the Future. As Paul sits down to write his second letter to Timothy, we get a sense that he’s in a contemplative state. He’s in prison, knocking on death’s door, and deeply misses his pastoral apprentice, who’s become like a son to him. “3 I thank God, whom I serve, as my ancestors…
A Snapshot of 2 Timothy. Over the past couple of months, I’ve been studying, preaching on and posting from 1 Timothy. I hope you’ve enjoyed it and learned as much as I have. Today, we move into Paul‘s second letter to Timothy. In the first 5 verses, Paul gives this introduction: “1 Paul, an apostle of…
One With Eternal Significance. In 1 Timothy 6, Paul issues the following charge: “Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate…
A Good Confession. “Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” (1 Tim. 6:12) God led the Apostle Paul to write these words, to his pastoral apprentice Timothy somewhere between 62 and 64 AD….
He Is Risen! Today we as Christians, celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. However, some people believe this whole Easter thing is a sham. Some believe that Jesus was merely a man who lived and died. Sure, there’s talk of a resurrection that may have sparked a global religious movement. Nevertheless, it’s…
Everyone Will Fail Can Win This week we’ve been working through 1 Timothy 5, discussing Paul‘s words regarding sin. Dealing with sin is good news. But there’s even better news; because chapter 5 ends with a twist. “In the same way, good deeds are obvious, and even those that are not obvious cannot remain hidden for ever.” (1 Tim….
Our Sin Will Remain Hidden Find Us Out. I have 2 brothers and no sisters. Growing up in an all-boy household can lead to some exciting situations. Whenever one of us looked shady, like we were up to trouble, my mom would say, “Remember, your sins will find you out!“ This week, we’ve looked at 1 Timothy 5 and…
We Should Ignore Restore Them. We started the week with a discussion on sin. Specifically as it pertains to pastors and elders. We established that these men aren’t perfect. Therefore, we shouldn’t be surprised if they fall into sin at some point in their leadership. (Click HERE to read this post.) But what happens after that sin takes…
Another Pastoral Prerequisite. Paul wrote to Timothy, ““…devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching.” (1 Tim. 4:13) Yesterday we discussed a pastor’s preaching role. Today we’re going to talk about teaching. The Greek word used here, didaskalia (did-as-kal-ee’-ah). It carries with it a sense of formal instruction, or more specifically, the…
The Story of Christ and His Bride Ephesians 5 is a challenging chapter for the Western church. It speaks about “submission“ which is difficult to handle within a culture that lives and breathes independence. Add in the fact that this passage refers to wives, and we have a hot button topic! “Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands…
Are These Topics Connected? This past week, we’ve tackling the difficult passage of 1 Timothy 2:11-15. What makes this passage difficult, is that it deals with topics associated with women in ministry, which in modern times doesn’t always fit with cultural views. “11 A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. 12 I do…