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Click here to read today's passage on Bible Gateway.
Questions? Comments? There's some difficult stiff here, so if you have questions, please don't be afraid to ask. Click here to read today's passage on Bible Gateway. Introduction to the Pastoral Epistles Today we begin to examine a set of letters called the "Pastoral Epistles". These letters, rather than being directed at churches as a whole, are written to people: Timothy and Titus. The content has a lot do to with the administration and leading of the church, as well as dealing with false teachers. Here's some intro material for these letters: "OCCASION/PURPOSE A. The OT gives specific guidelines for the organization of the community of faith. The NT does not contain specific instructions concerning the organization or polity of the church. The Pastoral Letters (I Timothy, II Timothy, and Titus) are as close as it comes to guidelines. B. Another purpose beside the general organization of churches was to combat emerging heresies (cf. I Tim. 1:3). The specific heresy may be a combination of Jewish and gnostic tendencies (much like Eph. and Col.). Possibly there were two distinct groups. C. I Timothy was written 1. to request Timothy to stay on at Ephesus (cf. I Tim. 1:3) 2. to deal with the false teachers 3. to help organize the leadership (cf. I Tim. 3) D. Titus had a similar assignment to deal with heresy and organization on Crete (cf. 1:5) E. II Timothy finds Paul in prison with little hope of release (cf. 4:6–8, 16–18) F. There is a strong sense of “sound teaching” (i.e. correct doctrine) that rings through these letters (cf. I Tim. 1:10; 4:6; 6:3; II Tim. 1:13; 4:3; Titus 1:9; 2:1) or “sound in the faith” (cf. Titus 1:13; 2:2). God entrusted this “sound teaching” to Paul (cf. I Tim. 1:11); Paul entrusted it to Timothy (cf. I Tim. 6:20) and Timothy was to entrust it to faithful men (cf. II Tim. 2:2). This shows the early development both of the plurality in the churches and the growth of destructive heresies. THE FALSE TEACHERS A. It is difficult to discuss the false teachers because of our lack of specific first century information. Paul is writing to those who knew these false teachers firsthand. He, therefore, does not fully discuss their theology, but usually condemns their lifestyle and motives (as does Jude). B. The main interpretive issue relates to whether they were 1. Jewish 2. Greek 3. a combination The false teachers seem to be a mixture of Jewish and Gnostic elements. But how did these totally divergent religious movements merge? a. Judaism always incorporated some dualistic elements (cf. Dead Sea Scrolls) b. Gnosticism of the second century developed these common near-eastern philosophical/ theological themes c. Judaism of the diaspora was much more eclectic than modern scholarship previously imagined d. there is a first century precedent for a Jewish-gnostic heresy in the book of Colossians C. Some of the elements of the false teachers 1. Jewish aspects a. false teachers (1) teachers of the Law (cf. I Tim. 1:7) (2) the circumcision party (cf. Titus 1:10) b. false teachers warned about Jewish myths (cf. I Tim. 3:9; Titus 1:14) c. false teachers concerned with food laws (cf. I Tim. 4:1–5) d. false teachers concerned with genealogies (cf. I Tim. 1:4; 4:7; II Tim. 4:4; Titus 1:14–15; 3:9) 2. Gnostic aspects a. asceticism forbidding and exempting (1) forbid marriage (cf. I Tim. 2:15; 4:3) (2) exempt certain foods (cf. I Tim. 4:4) b. sexual exploitation (cf. I Tim. 4:3; II Tim. 3:6–7; Titus 1:10, 15) c. emphasis on knowledge (cf. I Tim. 4:1–3; 6:20)" [1] [1] Robert James Utley, vol. Volume 9, Paul's Fourth Missionary Journey: I Timothy, Titus, II Timothy, Study Guide Commentary Series (Marshall, Texas: Bible Lessons International, 2000), 3-4.
Just a quick announcement - Hurricane Sandy should be rolling into Long Island tomorrow. If the blog isn't updated for a few days, chances are we've lost power, thereby making it impossible for me to update the blog. Please keep everyone in LI in your prayers and hopefully the storm won't be too bad!
Click here to read today's passage on Bible Gateway. Godly Example One of the greatest problems in the church in the US today is the lack of connection between generations. Often older Christians have trouble identifying with the music and methods of the younger generation, and the younger generation scorns the experience and godliness of the older generation. This is the opposite of what the NT says to do: "The New Testament places strong emphasis on imitating leaders. It also gives strong words to leaders that they be worthy of emulation. As a Christian you owe much to others who have taught you and who have modeled for you right Christian living. Continue following the good examples of those who have invested themselves in you by investing your life through evangelism, service, and Christian education. You also must become a model worth emulating. (The following Scripture verses are quoted from the NIV.) • Matthew 11:29: “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me.” • Philippians 3:17: “Join with others in following my example.” • 1 Thessalonians 1:6–7: “You became imitators of us and of the Lord…. And so you became a model to all the believers.” • 2 Thessalonians 3:9: “We did this … to make ourselves a model for you to follow.” • 1 Timothy 1:16: “In me … Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him.” • 1 Peter 2:21: “To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.” • 1 Peter 5:3: “Not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.” (See also 1 Corinthians 4:16 and Hebrews 6:12.)" [1] Seek out an older Christian with wisdom and experienced godliness and ask if they might mentor you. This is BADLY needed in the church today and in all of our lives. [1] Bruce B. Barton and Grant R. Osborne, 1 & 2 Thessalonians: Life Application Commentary, Life Application Bible Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1999), 144.
Click here to read today's passage on Bible Gateway. The Great Rebellion "The New Testament warns about this time of great rebellion (verses quoted from NLT): Matthew 24:10–12 “Many will turn away from me. … Many false prophets will appear. … Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold” John 15:21–22 “The people of the world will hate you because you belong to me, for they don’t know God who sent me. … They have no excuse for their sin.” 1 Timothy 4:1 “In the last times some will turn away … they will follow lying spirits and teachings that come from demons” 2 Timothy 3:1–5 “In the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God. … They will consider nothing sacred. … They will act as if they are religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly” 2 Peter 3:3–4 “In the last days there will be scoffers who will laugh at the truth and do every everything they desire. This will be their argument: Jesus promised to come back, did he? Then where is he?’ ” Jude 1:18–19 “In the last times there would be scoffers whose purpose in life is to enjoy themselves in every evil way imaginable. … They live by natural instinct because they do not have God’s Spirit living in them” Revelation 3:10 “Because you have obeyed my command to persevere, I will protect you from the great time of testing that will come upon the whole world to test those who belong to this world,”" [1] [1] Bruce B. Barton and Grant R. Osborne, 1 & 2 Thessalonians: Life Application Commentary, Life Application Bible Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1999), 125.
Click here to read today's passage on Bible Gateway. Trials in the New Testament "As we live for Christ, we will experience troubles because we are trying to be God’s people in a perverse world.Some people say that troubles are the result of sin or lack of faith, but the Bible teaches that they may be a part of God’s plan for believers. Our problems can help us look upward and forward, instead of inward; they can build strong character; and they can provide us with opportunities to comfort others who are also struggling. Your troubles may be an indication that you are taking a stand tor Christ.
[1] Bruce B. Barton and Grant R. Osborne, 1 & 2 Thessalonians: Life Application Commentary, Life Application Bible Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1999), 112.
Click here to read today's passage on Bible Gateway. The Day of the Lord Today's passage uses an important phrase that pops up a lot in the Bible, particularly in the OT prophets: the day of the Lord. Here are all of the passages that have this phrase in the ESV if you want to check out some of the Biblical background:
Obviously just from the number of usages we can see that this is a pretty important phrase that spans both testaments. Here's some background that brings together the sense/information that these passages convey about this important phrase: "In some prophetic texts “the day of the Lord” refers to an event so cataclysmic that it ends an age of the world (e.g., Joel 2:28–3:21; Zech 14:1–21). This usage passed over into the NT, where the Day of the Lord refers to God’s judging action when Christ returns at the end of the age (e.g., 1 Thess 5:2; 2 Thess 2:2; 2 Pet 3:10)... ...These climactic events were given the name Day of the Lord because God’s personal action was believed to be the decisive factor in the course of events. His personal involvement was signified by such phrases as “the day of [the Lord’s] vengeance” (Is 34:8), “the day of [the Lord’s] anger” (Is 13:13; Lam 1:12, 21–22; 2:1; Zeph 2:2–3), “the day of the Lord’s sacrifice” (Zeph 1:8), “the day of the wrath of the Lord” (Ezek 7:19), “the day I punish Israel” (Amos 3:14), “the day when I take from them their stronghold” (Ezek 24:25), “the day that I cleanse you” (Ezek 33:33), “the day I visit them” (Jer 27:22), “the day that I make them my jewels” (Mal 3:17) and “the day I rise up for plunder” (Zeph 3:8). In both Testaments a variety of images for God’s appearance among people is employed to express God’s personal involvement in the events of the Day of the Lord. Most frequently God’s appearance and action are described in terms of cosmic catastrophes, including raging fires (Is 10:16; 38:22; Joel 2:30; Amos 1:14; Zeph 3:8; 2 Pet 3:7, 10; Rev 16:8), whirlwinds and storms (Is 28:2; 30:30; Jer 25:32; Ezek 38:22; Zech 9:14; Rev 16:21), shaking of the heavens and the earth (Is 2:10, 19; 13:13; 23:11; 24:18–20; Ezek 38:19; Hag 2:21–22; Joel 3:16; Rev 6:12–14; 16:17–20), floods (Is 28:2; Jer 47:1–7) and the darkening of the heavenly bodies, either by clouds or eclipses or by some unexplained phenomenon (Is 5:30; 13:10; 24:23; Ezek 32:7–8; Joel 2:15; 3:15; Amos 8:9; Zeph 1:15; Mk 13:24 par. Mt 24:29 and Lk 21:25; Acts 2:20; Rev 6:12)... ...The blowing of a trumpet is often mentioned either as a signal of God’s appearing or as a signal/alarm that God’s work in judgment or salvation is about to begin (Is 27:13; Ezek 7:14; Hos 5:8; Zeph 1:16; Zech 9:14; Mt 24:31; 1 Cor 15:52; 1 Thess 4:16). The blowing of trumpets during the siege of Jericho (Josh 6:6–27) probably gives us an idea of the historical background for the trumpet image. It is probably also appropriate to read the description of God’s appearing on Mt. Sinai (Ex 19:16–20) in light of its associations with the images employed to describe the Day of the Lord... ...Biblical authors also attempt to impress on their audiences the emotional impact of the Day of the Lord by describing the reactions of those who experience God’s activity. For those who suffer under God’s judgment, the reaction is usually described in terms of traditional ancient Near Eastern mourning practices, such as wearing sackcloth, sitting on the ground, wailing loudly and throwing dust or ashes on oneself (Is 3:18–24; 22:12; 24:7–9; Jer 25:34; 47:2; Lam 1:2; 2:10–11; Ezek 7:18; Amos 8:10; Zeph 1:8–9; Mt 8:12; 22:13; Rev 18:9–18). Finally, the Day of the Lord will be a day in which the oppressed people of God will experience deliverance. This is often described in terms roughly opposite to those describing God’s judgment, including victory in battle (Obad 17–18; Zech 9:15; Mal 4:4; 2 Thess 2:8; Rev 19:19–21); reoccupation of territory (Is 35:8–10; Obad 19–21; Zeph 3:18–20; Zech 14:10–11; Rev 21:22–27); replenishment of waterways, fields, crops and domestic animals (Is 25:6; 29:17; Hos 2:21–22; Joel 2:18–24; 3:18; Zech 9:17; 14:8; Rev 22:1–2); rebuilding of dwellings (Amos 9:14; Rev 21:2, 9–21) and rejoicing (Is 29:19; Zeph 3:14; Rev 21:4). ...As the disproportionately fewer number of NT references in this article indicates, the NT writers tend to use less of the traditional imagery associated with the Day of the Lord and speak more straightforwardly about a coming universal judgment. Perhaps this is a clue that at least the images most frequently used by the prophets had become stock metaphors for God’s action in judging and saving." [1] (emphasis mine) It's a pretty complex phrase because it shows up in so many different kinds of passages, but this is a pretty good summary of what would probably come to mind when someone who knew the OT well read this phrase in Thessalonians. Paul is putting a lot of meaning into a short few sentences of this letter by using this phrase here. Any questions? [1] Leland Ryken, Jim Wilhoit, Tremper Longman et al., Dictionary of Biblical Imagery, electronic ed. (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2000), 196-97.
Click here to read today's passage on Bible Gateway. Those Who Are Asleep The last section of today's passage can be little difficult to understand, what with the references to sleep and the Lord's coming. So what's going on here? "The phrase “we do not want you to be uninformed” (sometimes translated, “we [or I] do not want you to be ignorant,” NIV) is a phrase that Paul used several times in his letters (see Romans 1:13; 11:25; 1 Corinthians 10:1; 12:1; 2 Corinthians 1:8). These words draw attention to a topic of great importance. The question to Paul from the Thessalonian believers regarded those who have died. The believers had been taught that Christ would one day return and take his people to himself—every believer should be ready for that return at any moment. Apparently, in the interim, as the believers awaited Christ’s return, some of them had died. The Thessalonians were wondering why this had happened before Christ’s return and what would happen to those who had died when he came back. Some may have feared that believers who had died would miss the kingdom. No doubt the thought that their loved ones would not be with Christ after all caused them great sorrow. In Greek thought, the soul lived on but with no hope. It existed in sort of an ambiguous afterlife (see Ephesians 2:12). This contrasts strongly with Paul’s view (1 Corinthians 15:53–55; Philippians 1:21–23). Paul wanted the Thessalonians to understand that death is not the end. When Christ returns, all believers—dead and alive—will be reunited, never to suffer or die again. Believers need not grieve as others do who have no hope. Paul recognized that the death of loved ones naturally results in grieving, but when Christians grieve for Christians who have died, there is a difference. Their grief is not hopeless. While the pain is real, the fact is that these loved ones will be seen again as the following verses describe." [1] (emphasis mine) Most of us probably have questions about the coming of Jesus - when, how...there are a lot of issues to think about and some things I don't think we can know the specific answer to. This passage, however, is very clear: we need not grieve for dead believers. There is pain in their passing and we miss them, but do not weep for THEM. We will all be together at the end of all things when Jesus comes in His power. Encourage one another with these words. (v.18) Paul writes this to answer a question the Thessalonians have, but it also comes with a joyful command: Encourage one another with these words. Remember this reality and be filled with joy. Trust in the promise of God and be at peace. Be encouraged. [1] Bruce B. Barton and Grant R. Osborne, 1 & 2 Thessalonians: Life Application Commentary, Life Application Bible Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1999), 65-66.
Click here to read today's passage on Bible Gateway. Trials and Persecution In today's passage, Paul brings up afflictions that he and his companions suffered. If you read through yesterday's long introduction and did some connecting with the book of Acts, you definitely saw some of the intense persecution they suffered. But what about us here in the US? We just finished a sermon series on "suffering", but we didn't really talk a lot about persecution or "trials". Here's one commentators take on what this might mean for us in the USA: "What form might these “trials” take? The following list is merely suggestive of what a believer might experience: • an honest employee is fired for disrupting a company’s plans to scam consumers or for blowing the whistle on corruption and fraud; • a law enforcement officer is ostracized and pushed out of line for a promotion by her fellow officers because she refuses to lie in order to cover up misconduct by another officer; • a college student, the only Christian in her family, is excluded from family activities because after her graduation, she (at least from their perspective) disappoints and embarrasses her family by joining a missions organization working in the inner city rather than taking a “good job”; • high school students experience hostility in taking a stand in an environment where social status and standing is heavily dependent on the extent to which one uses alcohol and/or drugs or is sexually active; • families who refuse to buy into the consumer mentality of our culture, and thereby implicitly challenge those who do, are rejected by neighbors and friends; • persons or groups who insist that as a society we do what is right and just, rather than what is merely legal or profitable, experience hostility; • a teacher who refuses parents who demand that their child be given a grade higher than that earned by the student’s work receives harsh criticism; • a person whose consistent pro-life ethic includes opposition not only to abortion but to the death penalty as well finds himself or herself as a “persecuted minority.” Regardless of what we may experience in countries where Christianity enjoys a certain measure of freedom, protection, and even occasionally respect, the circumstances are vastly different in many other countries. There are substantial numbers of Christians in the world today who find themselves in a situation—that of a persecuted minority facing opposition or attack by a socially dominant group—unambiguously comparable to that of the Thessalonians. These sisters and brothers know all too well the reality of “trials” experienced for the sake of the gospel. In countries such as Laos, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Sudan, Pakistan, Indonesia, and China (to mention only some), it is dangerous if not illegal to practice Christianity, and afflictions similar to those experienced by Paul and the Thessalonians—including church burnings or closings, harassment, fines, arrest, and/or imprisonment—are a constant and present reality." [1] Take some time to think about and pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ today. Get involved. Here are a few ways:
Send a Bible to a persecuted Christian: http://www.biblesunbound.com/qry/mc_home.taf These are just a few ways to get involved. Don't forget to pray! [1] Michael Holmes, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1998), 107-08.
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