I have to flu.  I'll be back soon, as soon as I can get up.

Same verse.  "Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto you are also called and have professed a good profession before many witnesses."

Faith is some thing you "have".  Sometimes it may be stronger than other times but once you profess it, you keep on professing it.  You "lay hold" on your faith that Christ is risen.  And has promised you eternal life because of your faith.  You continue to profess your faith in a good way--a good profession.  And you continue to do this before the world.  Before many witnesses.

In Mark 9:17-24 a man brings his epileptic son to Jesus and tells him that Christs' disciples hadn't been able to help the boy.  Jesus asks him how long his son has been this way and the man says since childhood.   Then in verse 23-24 :Jesus said unto him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him that believes.  And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears,  Lord, I believe; help thou my unbelief."

I love this scripture. ( I don't think anyone but Mark records this man's answer.)   He wants to be a believer.  He wants to have faith.  And he wants Jesus to help him believe the unbelievable.  That is the perfect example of faith.  He comes to the right person:  Jesus.  He asks the right question: Will you help me.  And he knows that the answer to his question will be dependent his own personal faith.  He weeps.  He believes.  He asks Jesus to help him with the parts of believing that he lacks.  He realizes that he himself must be healed by faith before his son can be healed.  What a beautiful story of faith.

We start with a little faith: we fight the good fight of faith.  And as we exercise our faith, it grows stronger.  Like doing push-ups for your soul.

I Tim. 6 12  "Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto you are also called, and have professed a good profession before many witnesses."

Fight the good fight of faith.  There are two ways to take this.  One, fight to hold on to your faith.  Or two,  because you are full of faith, you are going to have a fight on your hands with the world.  Of course, I think the second point is the right one.

The reason is because the Bible is a book about sin.  And God's solution for sinful people.  It is very explicit in describing exactly what sin is. You start with the ten commandments and the Jewish laws that gave us a million (well maybe not a million) laws explaining exactly what the ten commandments really meant. Our nature is to try and get around the law.  Find the loopholes.  We want to break laws because, well, we are sinful.  God says that it's our nature.  And then Paul describes in detail what certain sins are.

In I Cor. 3: 1 Paul calls us carnal.  We are.  There is no question about that.  But the reason it is a "good fight of faith," is because although the Bible is true, the world doesn't what to hear about it.  I understand that Canada has passed a law that says that you can't verbally say that homosexuality is wrong because it is a hate crime.  The Bible speaks to that subject as well as many other subjects.  If the same legal argument is used, I guess murder is next.  You wouldn't be able to say that murder was wrong because it would be hateful and incite the murderer?  Or child molestation?   Or theft.  Or any other subject the Bible discusses.  Which means that the words in the Bible might incite hate?  Mercy.  We already know that.  Now that is what Paul meant when he said the fight of faith.  The world doesn't understand how God can hate what the Bible calls sin, but love the sinner.

But when you admit you are a sinner, then the only place to go is to God.  And what you want is mercy.  And that's where Christ comes in.  He died for your sin.  Christians love their brothers as themselves.  Love overcomes everything.

In I Tim. 6: 9 Paul then warns those who are rich about the perils of having wealth by saying that rich people "...fall into temptations and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition."

I think that what Paul is saying is that the more money you have, the more things you want.  You also have more free time on your hands.  And there are only two ways to use free time.  On yourself, or on others.  For some reason (?)  most people seem to spend their time and their money on themselves.  More of this, more of that.  More, more, more.  You will eventually drown in it.  The flip side of what Paul is describing concerning your money and concerning your time is: it is better if you give, give, give.  You can't take it with you when your time is up anyway.

Give yourself away while you are alive.  My husband has always said that if he has a nickel left in his pocket when he dies that he has badly miscalculated.  I'm not quite that generous.  But I'm working on it.  And I'm not suggesting that you give away your next meal.

I Tim. 6:10  "For the love of money is the root of all evil; which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows."

If you love  money and chase money for what it can buy, or spend your time on things that don't really count, Paul says that you put yourself in danger.  People seem to have a hard time saying "We have enough".  After you have enough, you end up trading time for money to buy stuff you don't really need.  And if you use it wisely, time is much more important than money.  Especially to your children.

"…the love of money is the root of all evil;"  We all know people who love money.  It consumes them.  Paul is telling us to be careful.   Don't drown.

Paul begins chapter six with instructions to masters and servants who have become believers.  He ends  those instructions with these familiar words:  I Tim. 6:6-8  "But godliness with contentment is great gain.  For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.  And having food and raiment let us be therewith content."

One of my observations concerning "stuff" is that you want it when you are twenty, you charge it when you are thirty, you pay it out when you are forty, you wonder why in the world you bought it in the first place when you are fifty, and you get rid of it in your sixties.  It's called downsizing.  "Stuff" certainly doesn't satisfy us.  It comes and goes.  But God.  God stays.  

Paul said "Godliness with contentment is great gain".  It is the only way we can truly be content.    And he said having food and raiment  is all we really need to be content.  I would probably add water and shelter.

Contentment is really a choice.  One way to be content is to find something to give back to those around you in your community who are in need.  Nothing makes you more thankful with what God has blessed you with than to see those who are truly in need.  And they are everywhere.

We come in with nothing.  We go out with nothing.  Why do we put so much time and effort into obtaining and maintaining stuff we don't need?

And in Chapter 5, Paul discusses the treatment of widows.  Remember I discussed the treatment of women in those days and that women had no rights or property or income.  Paul warns the church at Ephesus of neglecting their families:

 In Tim.5:8, "But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he has denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel."  Pretty strong words.

Different families have different needs.  We are to help.  I remember a question someone asked me concerning a daughter who wanted to get married before finishing college.  The question was whether they should help her financially to finish school.  I answered with a question:  "Were you going to help her before she was married?"  The answer was yes.  "Do you want her to finish?" I asked.  The answer was yes. "Does she need help?"  The answer was yes.  "Do you approve of her choice for a husband?"  The answer was yes.  "Does her future husband object to you continuing to help her with her school finances?"  The answer was no.  I finally asked, "Does it matter whether she is married or unmarried as long as she finishes?"

I don't know what was right for that family and their daughter.  I don't know what anyone else should do, but I have always wondered why we put so many restrictions and conditions on helping someone.  And yes, there is a difference between helping and enabling.  Each case is different.  That is where wisdom comes in.

God, please, give us wisdom.

Timothy, Chapters 3, 4 and 5 are personal instructions from Paul concerning deacons and bishops and elders.  If you belong to a church that considers all the things that Paul says to the church at Ephesus to be the letter of the law for churches today, well read Chapter 3.  I skipped it except for the last verse.  Just keep in mind that the church at Antioch and the church at Corinth had entirely different structures, which included women.  

However, in Chapter 4 there are a few verses that are worth mentioning because they are for all of us.  Some will be familiar to you.

Tim. 4: 12  "Let no man despise your youth; (Timothy was very young to have the responsibility of a church like Ephesus), but you be an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity."

1.  In word
2.  In conversation
3.  In charity (love)
4.  In spirit
5.  In faith
6.  In purity

Certainly there is nothing on that list that doesn't apply to you and me.  The one I have the biggest  problem with is conversation.  When I get busy talking to someone,  sometimes  I have more to say than I should have said.

One of my best friends passed away Sunday.  BFF's since the third grade.  We buried her today.  My mind is in a fog and  I think I'll skip today's blog.  Give me 24 hours.

6.  Received up into Glory.
A Few days ago I skipped all of chapter 3 except for verse 16, the last verse of the chapter.

I Tim. 3:16  "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was (1) manifest in the flesh, (2) justified in the Spirit, (3 seen of angels, (4) preached unto the Gentiles, (5) believed on in the world, (6) received up into glory.

I couldn't seem to go on without spending some time on this one verse because those six points are the gospel.  The final point is that he is risen.  And it is almost Easter.  A perfect time to reflect on the resurrection.  For if he had come, lived, taught, healed, chosen apostles, gone to the cross, died for our sins only to be defeated by death itself, the story would have ended there.  But he arose.  He conquered death.  He sits on the right hand of God to intercede on our behalf.

Hebrews 1:3  "Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person,  (speaking of the brightness and image of God himself) and upholding all thing by the word of his power, when he had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on High."

We have a high priest.

Hebrews 2:17  Wherefore in all things it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people."

The gospel.

5.  Believed on in the world--Take eleven apostles who have just seen their leader crucified.  He's dead.  Now what are they going to do?  They are frightened for their lives.  They have no future.  They don't have a plan as to what to do next.  So.  What?  They go back to doing what they were doing before they decided to follow Jesus.  They went back to what they knew.  Fishing.

They were (most probably) like everyone else who met Jesus.  They thought he was going to overthrow the Roman government and be the new King.  King of the Jews.  Why not?  It had been prophesied for thousands of years that a king would come.  Of the house of David.  Born in Bethlehem.  Who could heal the sick.  Jesus fit the bill.  But he wasn't supposed to die and leave the disciples that way.  (In their way of thinking.)

But then he arose from the dead.  They saw him.  Thousands saw him.  He called them from their nets, told them to come ashore and fed them fish.  However, Thomas wasn't there and said there was no way it could be Jesus and that he didn't believe it. "I'd have to put my finger in the holes in his hands and side."

Thomas is exactly like people in the world today.  They haven't seen Jesus with their own eyes..  But Jesus appeared to Thomas personally, and Thomas didn't need to touch Jesus,  Thomas fell to his knees and said, "My Lord, and my God."  What a powerful story.  Christ was risen and the apostles had seen him.  Thomas had seen him.  Hundreds and hundreds saw him.  And it forever changed them.

They weren't afraid anymore.  They left their nets for good and began to tell everyone they knew that Jesus was alive.  They left their homes, their families, and finally they left the support they had with each other and struck out on their own to tell the story.  This powerful story has been received by faith and believed on in the world.  Thomas declared Jesus to be God.  The only place in the Bible that those words are found.

Believed on in the world.  That was Paul's fifth point from the list we started on three days ago.
6.  Received up into Glory.   That's tomorrow's blog

4.  Preached unto the Gentiles--The Jerusalem Church was comprised of Jews.  (Most of the apostles had remained there and they were busy trying to decide who could become a Christian).  They had (almost certainly) decided that you must first become a Jew and observe Jewish rituals.  Acts 15:5 "But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed (were Christians), saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses."  Having done this, you could then become a Christian.  Most certainly it was not for Gentiles.

You remember that before Paul was converted, he was killing Christians.  The apostles in Jerusalem were afraid of him.  In Acts 8:3 "As for Saul (Paul), he made havoc of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison."   Which in one way turned out to be a good thing because we find in Acts 8:4 "Therefore those that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the word."  If they hadn't feared for their lives, the gospel wouldn't have spread.

So when Saul met Christ on the road to Damascus,  his life was dramatically changed.  (His name was changed to Paul as well).  And from that point on he proclaimed himself appointed by Christ to be the apostle to the Gentiles.

He had to go back to Jerusalem to argue his case.  You can imagine how difficult that was and how hard it was for the apostles to believe and trust him.  Who wants to trust a known murderer.

5.  Believed on in the world
6.  Received up into Glory

More tomorrow.

I Tim. 3:1-14  is an instruction manual for electing deacons and bishops.  Paul wants Timothy to have a church that runs well.  Churches have business to attend to.  (Especially now that the IRS is involved.)  You need good people to run them so that the pastors can minister to the people and preach the word of God.  If your church is like mine, there are a million and one things that need to be done.  This week some jerk who doesn't like my church cut the exterior wiring to our heating unit.  It's always something.

Paul ends the chapter this way:  I Tim. 3:15  "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory."   God (himself) was:

1.  Manifest in the flesh--Philippians 2:6-7  "Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:  But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:"   He was God.  He was man.  God became a servant.

2.  Justified in the Spirit--I Cor. 6: 11b  "…you are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God."  When we come to judgement, the Holy Spirit within us allows us to be just.

3.  Seen of angels--Heb. 1:6  "And again, when he brings in the first begotten into the world, he said, And let all the angels of God worship him."

4.  Preached unto the Gentiles
5.  Believed on in the world
6.  Received up into Glory

I'll get the next three scripture references tomorrow.  I have tried to stop typing when I reach six inches on my screen.  If you are like me, that's about as much as I can absorb.

And then Paul gives the reason that women should behave in the manner he has prescribed:  I Tim. 2: 13-15  "For Adam was first formed then Eve.  And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.  Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety."

I read this passage, went to my bookshelf and read six translations and two commentaries, and could not find any clue as to what Paul meant.  I told you that scripture must agree with all other scripture.  So I reviewed what I know about the creation of Eve.  Adam was created first.  True.  Then Eve.  True.  And Adam was not deceived. True.  He knew what he was doing.  But before Eve was formed, God gave one commandment to Adam.  Gen.2: 17  "But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shalt not eat of it…" Eve wasn't even there yet.  Maybe God told her later about the rule.  It doesn't say.  (There is some overlap here with a passage in Gen. 1:29.)

Then Paul tells Timothy that the woman was deceived and was in the transgression.  Eve was deceived.  Adam disobeyed.  Why was she in transgression and not Adam?  Or is that implied?

But finally we get to the "Notwithstanding".  She shall be saved in childbearing.  If…they continue in faith, charity, holiness, and sobriety.  I have no idea what the cultural  meaning of this passage is.  What I do know is that after having five children, I'm glad I was saved by faith in Christ.

I also know that Paul said in Romans 5: 12 "…as by one man sin entered into the world…" and continues the chapter discussing how sin came by this one man.  In other letters Paul says the same thing.  Eve certainly wasn't innocent.  But God had put Adam in charge and he deliberately disobeyed.

Don't forget that I told you  that the serpent was pretty.  It didn't get cursed and turned into a snake until after Adam and Eve had eaten the fruit.  Eve succumbed to "Pretty".  Things haven't changed much.

I don't believe in interpreting the Bible any way you want to.  I also do not believe that you can read verses like the ones I described yesterday and say:  "I don't believe this part of the Bible".

If we get to picking and choosing what we want to believe, then we will run into a huge dilemma:  How do you decide what is true and what isn't.  But the Bible has held true through the ages--not only in its historical validity, (as I taught you about the creation story), but also in fulfilled prophecy. It is all true.  So when you read it, consider:

1.  It should be consistent with all other scripture.
2.  It should be about Christ, and God's plan for our salvation.  The Old Testament tells about His coming and the New Testament about the fulfillment of that prophecy.
3.  It must be read in context.

In the case of the rules that Paul gave Timothy concerning women, there are some cultural things that must be considered for us to read it in context.

1.  Women had no education.  None.  Zip.  Nada.  And they had no opportunity to learn unless their husbands taught them.  They were basically domestic servants who bore children.
2.  Women had no rights.  Their society was totally and completely male dominated.  You may not agree with  that type of culture, but that is the culture that women lived in at the time Paul was writing.
3.  Women had no property.  No income.  (Remember the story of Ruth and Naomi and their redeemer Boaz.  They were unable to support themselves.  They were at the mercy of the men in their family.)
4.  Women had no choices.  They did not get to choose anything--including who they married.

So, they were completely dependent on a male society.  Under those conditions, the rules that Paul gave Timothy make more sense.  Would we want to live in that type of society today?  Of course not.  But many women in the world still do.

I am taking the liberty to skip some of the verses.  You may want to read along in the text to put everything in context.  In verse seven, Paul restates that he is an apostle to the Gentiles.

       In Tim. 2:8-12 are some of the most controversial verses in the Bible.  Please read them, I don't have room to print them here.  Paul gives a number of rules or suggestions for conduct in the church.
1.  Men should pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands
3.  Women should dress modestly.  Be Shamefaced with sobriety.
4.  Women should not braid their hair.
5.  Women should not wear gold or pearls or 'finery'.  Their clothes should not be costly.
6.  Women should adorn themselves with good works.
7.  Women should be silent and subjective.
8.  Women should not teach.
9.  Women should not usurp authority over a man.
10. Women should be silent.  (This is the second time Paul has said this.)

What can I say.  One small step for man.  Nine giant steps for womankind.  Obviously we don't believe that men have to pray all the time in every place they go.  We also don't believe that every time they pray that they must lift their hands.  However, these are certainly Godly things for men to do.

Then why do many people think the following points concerning women are law.  There might be some agreement that we can braid our hair, wear pearls, gold, or our best clothes.  There is surely agreement that we should do good works.

But be shamefaced, silent, subjective, not teach, etc.  We have to have agreement that the Bible is true.  But we also must have agreement that different times and different cultures have different expectations for women.  More about this tomorrow.

I Tim. 2:5-6  "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time."

Paul is impelled to preach, teach, and tell everyone he meets about the gospel.  He totally sums it up in this verse.

1.  We can't get to God without a mediator.  We are sinful.  God cannot look on sin.
2.  The mediator is Jesus.  He alone can approach the throne of God to speak for us.  Not saints, not Mary, not the preacher, not your Bible teacher, just Jesus.  One mediator.  Jesus.
3.  He gave himself.  If you think the Romans were responsible; or you think the Jews were responsible, you need to do a search on scriptural references.
      Two such references are Galatians 1:4 "Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:",  and Titus 2:14 "Who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works."
     Christ chose to die for our sins.  You remember in the garden when Jesus asked God if there was some other way for men to be saved.  He ended his prayer by saying "…not my will but thine be done."  And then he went to the cross.
4.  He was the ransom.  We had been kidnapped by sin and Jesus became the ransom payment for our release.  There was a trade.  His life for yours.
5.  And all of this would be testified in due time.  The day is coming when we will come up for judgement before God.  There will be testimony.  We will be guilty.  But if we have accepted Jesus as our mediator, He will defend and save us even though we are guilty.  He has paid the penalty for our release.

Paul follows his direction to pray (in four ways) by completing the sentence "… supplications, prayer, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;…" by saying: "For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty  For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior;" 1 Tim 2:2-3

He could have said to pray for the unsaved, or your family, or your health.  He could have told you to pray for your own shortcomings.  But no, he said pray for kings and those in authority.  Isn't that strange--of all the things he could have chosen to tell us to pray for.  When was the last time you prayed for our president, congress, governor or even perhaps your pastor?   I certainly have not been putting that at the top of my list.

I think the reason that Paul gave for praying for these leaders should give us pause.  So that we can live in "quiet and peace".  Remember when you were growing up your mom would say, "I just want some peace and quiet"?  Every thing else works better when we have peace and quiet. We take peace and quiet for granted.   We certainly need to pray that our leaders will give us peace and quiet and stop the fighting among themselves and learn to talk to each other and solve the problems we elected them to solve.  We need to pray for them.

I Tim. 2:4 "Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth."  The way we act as Christian citizens is being observed by the outside world.  Paul is making a direct connection between giving respect  to our leaders, and to people being saved and learning the truth about Christ.

You can't be one kind of Christian one day and another the next and have anyone want to know more about your God.  And yes, Paul is saying prayer changes things.  Maybe us.

  





 

Every now and then Paul changes to a different subject right in the middle of what he is currently talking about.  The end of Timothy, chapter one, is one of those times.  He stops talking to Timothy and starts praising God. I Tim. 1:l7  "Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen."

Paul had previously been talking about his unworthiness to be chosen by God, and how arrogant he had been.  The very thought of what God had done for him caused him to break out in praise.

We might break out in praise as well if we do what Paul recommends in I Tim. 2:1  "First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone,…"

I think he should have said those four things in a different order.  But I didn't get to decide.  It just seems that they should have been put in this order:

1. Thanksgiving--A thankful heart changes your life.  We sometimes take the simplest things for granted.  God has blessed us in so may ways that we need to reflect on and recognize.
2. Prayers--Worship him, praise him, reflect on who He is.
3. Intercessions--Request for others in need, who are in trouble, who need help.  Those who are sick. They should come before we start asking for ourselves.
4. Petitions--There is a real temptation to start out a prayer with our latest requests.  What we want. But that should probably be the last thing on the list.  However, God wants to hear our voices so whatever you pray, he will hear if your heart is right.

This is not a "Prayer Method" or a "Prayer Law" but simply four things we should keep in mind when we pray.

Paul was indeed a changed man.  His talents and education were now going to be in print, not only for Timothy but for you and me as well.  He writes so clearly.  He explains the message of Christ in a way that even those who could not read, who had no education, could understand.  Can you imagine their reactions as Timothy read the letter to them.

I love to get letters.  But people don't write them anymore.  I heard that they are going to quit teaching Palmer Penmanship!!  It's an E-mail, or a text, or a tweet.  When I go to the mail box and see something addressed in hand writing, I get excited.  I have saved letters from my mother and father, my grandmother and my husband (Especially while he was in Viet Nam).  I go back and read them over and over again.  And although many of the people who wrote those letters are gone, I still love to read the letters they wrote to me.

Thankfully, Paul didn't E-mail, text or tweet.  He wrote long, explanatory letters that have been read over and over again through the ages.  And even after two-thousand years, they are as easy to read and understand as when he wrote them.  God saw that they were saved, so that we could read them two thousand years later.

I Tim. 1:15 "This  is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief."

Christ came to save the sinful.  You and I.  And Paul put himself in the same boat as we are.  We all need Jesus to save us from ourselves.  From our sinful desires.  When Christ taught us to pray, he said: "...lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil…"  And that is exactly what Jesus does.  He enters our hearts, changes our lives, and gives us the strength we need to resist our own nature.  We become children of God.

Tim 1:12  "I give thanks to Christ Jesus our Lord who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, appointing me to the ministry--"  Once again Paul wants to be sure that everyone knows that God appointed him.  And one other thing…I have always believed that the first prerequisite to a happy life is a thankful heart.  Paul was thankful that Christ had chosen him, and he gave all the glory to Christ his Lord.

Preliminary Hellos, a discussion on why he had left Timothy behind, a description of the lawless and the kinds of sin they are involved in, a number of affirmations of God's having chosen Paul and then, lest we think Paul is bragging about his apostleship, Paul begins to confess.  He begins to describe himself.  And it isn't pretty.

Paul tells them about the despicable man that he was when Christ saved him.  He tells us in this letter to Timothy (which he knew everyone at Ephesus would hear about or read) exactly what he had been before he met Christ:

I Tim. 1:13a  "One who was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an arrogant man: but I obtained mercy..."  He certainly wasn't bragging about being appointed to the ministry. Quite the opposite, he wanted everyone to know the extent of his sins.   He was making his confession to Timothy and to the church at Ephesus that he was undeserving, but that Christ was merciful.

James 5:16  "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much."

In I John 1:9 we find that "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness,"  Paul was no longer arrogant, he was humble.

 I Tim. 1:9-10 (HCSB) "We know that the law is not meant for the righteous person, but for the lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinful, for the unholy and irreverent, for those who kill their fathers and mothers, for murderers, for the sexually immoral and homosexuals, for kidnappers, liars, perjurers, and for whatever else is contrary to the sound teaching based on the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was entrusted to me."  (Note that Paul again affirms his appointment by God himself.)

Look at how Paul couples different categories of sin:

1.  Lawless_____________Rebellious
2.  Ungodly____________ Sinful
3.  Unholy_____________ Irreverent
4.  Killers of parents______Murderers
5.  Sexually immoral_____ Homosexuals
6.  Kidnappers__________Liars-Perjurers
8.  Whatever else________I think  that covers it all.

We are currently living in a sexually immoral society that wants to say, "God didn't really mean what he said, he was just offering suggestions".  Since sex is a drive--and we all want to fulfill this drive--it stands to reason that we would want to change the meaning of God's word to fit the times, or a situation we have in our within our own family.  But nothing has changed at all since biblical times concerning this subject.  It is what it is.  God says what he says.  You believe Him or you don't.  Compromise isn't on God's agenda.

In Tim 1:9--10 Paul clarifies the  purpose of Law.  He says it is good--if used lawfully.  Now what in the world does it mean to use the Law lawfully?  (You might get your Bible and read that passage.)

One of the most difficult rules I have ever come up against is when I arrive at a red light that never seems like it is going to change, and I'm just sitting there when no one else is anywhere on any horizon.  East, West, North or South.  So why keep the law?  For the simple reason that I am using the law lawfully.  I don't like it.  It seems like a waste of time.  And it is.  But if I am unlawful, I certainly can't have any argument if I get a ticket or if my insurance rate goes up.

But Paul continues by saying the law is not for the righteous.   In II Cor. 5:21 Paul says "For he has made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin: that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."       Paul tells us that Christ is our righteousness.  We have his Spirit to lead us into Godly behavior.  We don't keep rules just for the sake of keeping rules, we keep them because we have an inner guide that steers us in the right direction.  And we have an inner desire to please God.

My inner desire is that I just don't want to embarrass Him.  I used to tell my children when they walked out the door to remember what their name was.  What they did reflected on everyone in the family.  And when they did something wrong, we were hurt and embarrassed because we had taught them the right, and they chose to do wrong.  In the same way, what you and I do reflects on everyone in the family of God and especially on God Himself.

My husband said that there were two ways for him to get a child to obey.  Fear of punishment, or Love.  He hoped our children would obey out of love.  Even when they didn't fully understand the restrictions he imposed upon them, he hoped they would obey because they loved their father.

So what Paul is saying is that the righteous obey out of love and the Law is for the lawless.  In the following verses, he spells out just what that lawlessness is.

In verse two, Paul addressed Timothy as his son in the faith, and blessed him with grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Jesus the son. That's what I want.  Grace, mercy and peace.

And then he reassures Timothy of how much he needs him to council the church at Ephesus.  Paul had gone to Macedonia and hadn't taken Timothy with him.  I don't know about you, but when I have been left out of an event that is exciting, adventurous, or where everyone else is getting to go, I really feel left out and sad.  I am sure you have experienced such occasions as well.  Even if it is because I am down with some illness, or one of my children has an event I need to attend.  I still am left out.

Paul wanted Timothy to know that he held him in high esteem, even as his own son.  And that Timothy was left out not because Paul didn't want him along, but because Paul had no one else that he could entrust with the job that needed to be done in Ephesus.

And the job was to straighten some people out on their doctrine.  In the fourth verse he tells us that there were people in the church who were stirring up trouble by teaching fables and genealogies, (some people were teaching that you had to be a Jew before you could become a Christian).  In verse six Paul calls it "vain jangling".  One of those 'which came first, the chicken or the egg' type of conversations.  Or 'did Adam have a belly-button?"  Completely off the subject.

In verse seven Paul says that these people don't know what the;y are talking about.  You have to remember that at the time, these churches didn't have any written doctrine except for the letters that they copied by hand and passed around to other groups.  And these groups were small.  So the people were often confused about the gospel.  Can you imagine what it would be like without a New Testament. Paul wanted Timothy to stop interlopers, and to reaffirm the truth, the simple story of Christ.

So don't feel down or sad when you are left out.  God has a purpose for your life and you can't be in two places at once.  If you were left out, it might be because God had something else for you to do. 

You remember that after Christ arose, he told the apostles to wait for the Holy Spirit.   Acts 1:4b,  "…but wait for the promise of the Father," and Acts 5:b  "…ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence."   And while they were waiting,  Peter decided to hold an election.  To replace Judas.  Peter gave a long speech about why they needed to do this and Peter was a very pursuasive kind of fella'.  The rest of the apostles all agreed so they cast lots and chose Matthias.  And we never hear from Matthias again.

Expanding on this subject--the election--the scripture tells us in Acts 2:1a, "And when the day of Pentecost was fully come…," and Acts 4a,  ".. they were all filled with the Holy Ghost…"   I have always wondered why they held the election before they received the Holy Spirit.  Since Christ had returned to heaven, and the Spirit hadn't yet come, where did they get their direction?  I think this gives further credence to what Paul claimed concerning his apostleship--that Jesus Christ himself had personally chosen Paul.

Obviously Paul counted himself an apostle.  In Timothy 2:7b Paul says, "…I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle…".

I personally am of the opinion that there were twelve, and Paul was God's choice for the twelfth.  It is interesting to note that the number of apostles that Christ chose is the same number as the tribes of the Israelites,  (Jacob had twelve sons).

It has taken two blogs to get through the first three verses of First Timothy.  Mercy!!

Genesis, Amos, what next?  Well, I am teaching Timothy one and two right now and every Sunday when I get home from my class, I think of all the things I wish I could have covered. And things I didn't know.   I find that I am still "growing up" with God's word.  When you read it again, you always see something new.

Timothy 1:1  "Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Savior, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope."

"Paul".  Who else in the New Testament gives us such insightful information on getting from point A to point B in our Christian growth?  In my opinion he is the scholar of the Word of God.  His vocabulary, his education in Jewish Law, his study at the feet of Gamaliel, his confidence in Biblical truth…I could go on and on.  Even though the entire Bible is inspired by God, each writer has their own style, their own background and experience.  Paul shines.  He is the ultimate writer that we have to teach us the gospel.

"An apostle".  Paul introduced himself in almost all of his letters this way.  I personally think this was because he wanted everyone to know that he was equal in calling to the eleven apostles and that his words should hold equal validity.  Perhaps he considered himself the twelfth, the anointed replacement for Judas.  We can't be sure, but  he further emphasizes that this title is given "...by the commandment of God."

He uses the total gamut of  authenticity to stamp his title with approval. "…of God our Savior, and the Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope."

God gives Amos the final vision in the ninth and last chapter of Amos.  God is absolutely going to destroy Israel.  Totally.  But…..God always has a remnant.  Just when you think all the people  around you are going to hell in a hand bag, along comes someone with a mind for God.  Someone like Amos.  So God gives Amos hope.  A vision of the future.  (Though Amos will never live to see it.)

Even though nothing will belong to Israel after the invasion of their land and destruction of their people, a day is coming--sometime in the unknown future--when God will restore the remnant of Israel to their homeland.  Amos 9:14b-15  ",,,they will build the waste cities, and inhabit them, and they will plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they will also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them.  And I will plant them upon their land, and they will no more be pulled out of their land which I have given them, says the Lord your God."

If you want to know where the world is headed, watch Israel.  They now have their land back…as God promised. .Someone once told me that Israel is God's time clock.  And the clock is ticking.  So what happens next?  Well, read the Bible.  It is pretty well spelled out.  And it is remarkably accurate.

 I am finished with the book of Amos.  It is a book of warning.  It may seem like God isn't watching your life, your town, your country…but He is. It may seem like their is no justice for those who are disobedience.  But it is coming.  This is why we must share the Gospel.  People need to know.

Amos 8:11-12  Behold, the days come, says the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it.

Their songs will be like howling.  God won't listen to them.  And now we find that when the nation falls, the people will be desperate to hear God's words from the scrolls, but they won't be able to find them.  They won't know what to do and won't be able to find anyone who knows what to do.

Can you imagine not being able to read God's words in the Bible?  When I am faced with a problem that seems impossible to solve,  I really don't want somebody's opinion.  I want God's opinion.  It may take a while to find a passage that speaks to me, but I always find it.  And it is always personal.

When my third daughter died unexpectedly when she was nine days old, I found that in the following two years I couldn't sleep for fear that one of my other three children would stop breathing in the night. I would lie down, and minutes later run to their rooms to see that they were okay.  I was exhausted all the time.  Sleeping only when someone else was there to watch them for me.

One day I found a scripture in Proverbs 3:24 that spoke personally to me.  "When you lie down, do not be afraid.  Yes, lie down and your sleep will be sweet."  So I did.  Lie down.  And finally trusted God with the night watch.  I told God:  You take the night watch, and I'll take the day.  At first, I would lie down and quote scripture: "…lie down, lie down, lie down…" and say to myself, "That is a commandment directly to you personally from God's word.  Just do it.  And so I did.  Sleep was sweet.

I can't imagine not having God's word.  It is always personal.