MINISTERS MATTER

CHRONOLOGICAL BIBLE READING - 55

Paul talks to one of his disciples, Timothy, about knowing how people ought to conduct themselves in God's household - the church of the living God. 3:15.

Behaviour is based on belief.

We act out what we believe.

The following letters are known as the 'pastoral epistles' as they are written to ministers in charge of important churches.

These are explicit directions for shepherding the sheep and guarding the churches.

Paul is warning his young disciples against all those things that would weaken or destroy the local church. He addresses false teaching in chapter 1. Directions for the church in 2-3. Directions for the pastor in 4-6.

Paul knew that he would soon die and go to be with the Lord. In the meantime, he entrusted Timothy with the government and supervision of Ephesus and Titus, as the Bishop of Crete. Titus had been successful dealing with the issues in Corinth and Paul was confident he could help at Crete.

Titus can be summed up as Life.
-leave the old life.
-live the new life.
-look for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of Christ Jesus. 2:11-13

Timothy was a young man who was open to receive advice from an older, experienced elder.

Paul had to contend with the passions of youthful thinking in Gentile culture - things like sport and he advises Timothy that, "Physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come." 4:8

Next Jude and Peter warn about true and false religion.

CHRONOLOGICAL BIBLE READING - 54

Peter had the honour to be chosen to walk with Jesus throughout His ministry. He is a witness to the kind of life Jesus lived and how we need to live.

1 John 2:6 says it this way, "Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did."

Peter talks about those things that are precious about Jesus. "Now to you who believe, this stone is precious." 1 Peter 2:7

Precious trial of faith. 1:7
Precious blood. 1:19
Precious cornerstone. 2:4-6
Precious Christ. 2:7
Precious spirit. 3:4
Precious faith. 2 Peter 1:1
Precious promises. 2 Peter 1:4

We said it in an earlier blog, Paul is the apostle of faith; John the apostle of love; but Peter is the apostle of hope. Both the letters of Peter admonish us to grow in grace and glory while remembering the sufferings that accompany those who follow Jesus.

Peter has grown through all kinds of personal trials and has learned things about himself. His letters show a matured and seasoned man now. He is more than qualified to teach us how to live in and for Jesus.

Next: Teaching on church leadership.

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The letters affirm our need to understand who we are in Christ and the call to keep growing in Him.

Colossians shows us our position in Christ.

We are united with Him 2:2; complete in Him 2:10; dead in Christ 2:20; buried in Christ, Romans 6:4; and even risen with Christ 3:1.

"And your life is now hidden with Christ in God." Col. 3:3

Being a Christian is more than creeds and systems of doctrine or styles of worship. The truth is that we are hidden in Christ.

If you make a list of who Jesus is you discover He is the image of the invisible God, 1:15; He is the preeminent One, 1:18; in redemption, He is reconciling all things through His blood, 1:20-22; He is head over all principalities and powers, 1:18, 2:14; He is the Head of His Body - the church, 1:18, 2:19.

Jesus is building His church in four ways - upward in Him; downward as we are rooted in Jesus; inward as we are hidden in Christ; outward are we share our faith with others.

In Philippians, we are reminded that the joy of the Lord is our strength. The whole book is filled with admonitions to rejoice and be glad.

Paul ends up reminding the Philippians that when he travels, he is on Christ's errands. When he suffers, it is for Christ's service. When he speaks, the theme is Christ. When he writes, he fills his letters with the Person of Christ and what he has accomplished on our behalf.

Next we are introduced to the life and ministry of Peter.

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Practical Christian living means putting the gospel into action.

In Philemon, we see a call for applied Christianity.  Paul is pleading with Philemon for the life of Onesimus - the runaway slave, who has stolen from his Master and ran away to Rome.

Paul reminds Philemon that Onesimus, like his Master, has become a fellow believer.

This amazing letter by Paul is a ministry in itself. As you read it over and over, you hear the heart cry of Paul to put the gospel into action in the issues of daily life.

This letter is tactful, courteous, and can best be described as intercession. He is pleading for mercy and forgiveness.

Paul makes it clear that he is even willing to pay the debts Onesimus owes in the same way Jesus paid all our debts. "I, Paul, write it with my own hand, I promise to repay it (in full) and that is to say nothing (of the fact) that you owe me your very self." Philemon 19

In Ephesians he reminds us to walk in love 5:1-2; to walk in the light 5:8; and to walk carefully 5:15-16. The book ends with the need to walk covered in the full armour of God.

The belt of truth. The breastplate of righteousness. The shoes of the readiness to preach the gospel. The shield of faith. The helmet of salvation. The sword of the Word and prayer.

Next growing in Christ.

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Christian doctrine and practice help us see that we have been saved by the gospel, set apart by the gospel and live to serve the gospel.

Paul uses terms like, "I am a debtor" 1:14; "I am eager to fulfill my obligation" 1:15; and "I am not ashamed of the gospel" 1:16.

Paul is talking about what the sinner needs and what he may have on the ground of simple faith in Christ - "a righteousness of God."

Why is that important?

Paul was impacted on the road to Damascus with one revelation of Jesus Christ as He demolished every other argument. His one message now was Jesus Christ crucified and risen as Lord of all.

He would not entertain any other message and called the church at Rome to "live by faith in the finished work of the cross of Jesus Christ."

In Christ, God declares us righteous because we have none of our own whether we are Jews or Gentiles. He gives to us the righteousness of Christ because it alone is the righteousness He accepts.

Here in pagan Rome, Paul is not ashamed of the gospel that has the power to change human lives for life and eternity. The powerful Roman Empire has faded into history while the gospel Paul was preaching, is still alive and well all over the world.

How does God make a guilty person innocent?

Romans 1:16-17 makes the following clear. The Person of the gospel is Jesus Christ. The power of the gospel is the power of God. The purpose of the gospel is the salvation of the lost. The people to whom it has been sent to the Jew first then to the whole world. The plan of acceptance is to all who believe. The result is that those made righteous will now live by faith.

Paul was proud of the gospel because he had proved its power to change his life and beliefs. He goes on to remind Jews and Gentiles that no one will get into heaven without the righteousness of Jesus Christ in their lives.

The gospel has the following ingredients: the grace of God; the Person of Jesus; the life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus; faith in the finished work of the cross as Jesus gave His life for ours.

Next we will look at practical living.

CHRONOLOGICAL BIBLE READING - 50

What is authentic Christianity?

Paul's life was filled with challenges and difficulties yet in the midst of them all he learned to know God better.

In sorrow and sickness he almost despaired of his life. 1:4-11. He asked for and appreciated their prayers and appealed to their love and sympathy.

The lives of true Christians at Corinth served as letters to recommend both Paul the servant and Christ the Lord.

In Paul's day the teachers of the law carried letters of introduction with them. They were Paul's chief troublemakers who fought him every step of the way. We hear them asking, "Who is this Paul?" "What letters of recommendation from Jerusalem does he have?"

How foolish this question was to Paul. Did he need a letter of recommendation to a church he himself had established? He answers, "You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody." 3:2

Living epistles are read when the Bible is not. Our lives are open letters.

What about Christian doctrine and practice?

CHRONOLOGICAL BIBLE READING - 49

Paul's writings on living and loving like Jesus while being in but not of the world are clear and focused in these two letters.

The church at Corinth, as wonderful as it was to Paul, was failing. Worldliness or carnality that was rampant in the city, was now infecting the church.

It is a good thing for a church to be in a city but not good for the city to be in the church.

The behaviour of the city, things like division, lawsuits, drunkenness, the immodesty of the women were seen amongst the members. Now they were even arguing over marriage and spiritual gifts.

The two letters are Paul's response to the questions being asked by the membership.

He writes to them about the love of God in chapter 13 trying to help them see the difference between God's love and what the world offers as love. He reminds them of their losing sight of Him. Their selfishness was blinding them to call of living like Jesus had called them to live.

He goes on to remind them that the foundations of their faith are rooted in Christ not in the culture.

Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures. 15:3

He was buried. 15:4

He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. 15:4

He was seen by many witnesses. 15:5-6

The church at Corinth needed a course correction on how they were supposed to live.

Next Paul will discuss authentic Christianity.

CHRONOLOGICAL BIBLE READING - 48

Each writer in the New Testament had a unique perspective and place in the plans and purposes of God.

The apostle Paul is no exception. We have already seen his warnings to the Galatians to continue to live by faith and not get trapped by man-made religion again.

Here in 1 & 2 Thessalonians we find him writing about how to deal with adversity and persecution. Acts 17:6 reveals a man who "turned the world upside down."

These are two important subjects in light of the fact that each year about 150,000 men and women around the world, who call themselves Christians, will be killed just for being a follower of Jesus.

These letters have at least twenty different references to the coming of the Lord. Considering the reality of persecution this is the hope of the church and should never be viewed as an escapism. Chapter 1:10 says it this way, "To wait for his Son from heaven."

The first coming of Jesus was sudden and a surprise to the philosophers of His day. His second coming will be no less surprising.

In grounding this primarily Gentile church in the faith, Paul taught them about the Holy Spirit and the Trinity in 1:6.

Paul's life and ministry was about pleasing God not man; he was not seeking glory for himself and kept at his task day and night. In spite of the persecutions he remained an encourager.

Next the Book of Corinthians.

CHRONOLOGICAL BIBLE READING - 47

The book of James is the Proverbs of the New Testament.

The heart of the book is to be a 'doer' not just a 'hearer'.

As the half-brother of Jesus, he is focused on believers being practical in their faith as well as spiritual. He stands for efficiency and consistency in life and conduct.

Some of the amazing truths center on faith that is victorious over temptation.

James outlines this in 1:2 "Count it all joy when you fall into many temptations."

We usually count it a joy to escape temptations, sorrows, troubles, but for James these are opportunities for us to prove our faith just like a car is proven before it is sold to the public.

This book is a guideline for everyday life as Christians.

Faith is shown in our actions. 1 & 2
Faith is shown in our words. 3
Faith is shown in our purity of character. 4
Faith is shown by our prayer lives. 5

James reminds us to use God's Word practically by receiving it, hearing it, doing it and examining it. Works are the result of a Word-centered life.

Next Thessalonians.

CHRONOLOGICAL BIBLE READING - 46

The Book of Galatians

Reading through this book highlights the fact that Jesus is portrayed as our liberty.

A key scripture can be found in 5:1 "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm then."

Paul is astonished that these believers could even think about giving up the gospel of liberty so quickly and accept a legalistic message that was no gospel at all.

He reminds them that even if an angel from heaven comes preaching another message, let him be accursed.

Why would Paul say that? "Know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ."

Reality for all of us is that we are never good enough to be saved but we are bad enough to need salvation.

The cross accomplished so much for us. Through the sacrifice of Jesus we are delivered from the penalty of sin; delivered from the curse of the law; delivered from the self life; delivered from the power of the world's system; given the new birth; enabled to receive the Holy Spirit; grace is given us to grow in the fruit of the Spirit.

We learn to understand the fruit of the Spirit this way.

Love, joy and peace are directed towards God.
Patience, kindness and goodness towards others.
Faithfulness, gentleness and self-control are towards ourselves.

Children begin to walk by someone holding their hand. When we start to walk in the Spirit, we need to remember that He is holding our hand. God wants us to trust Him as He teaches us to walk softly and slowly and allow Him to conform us to the image of Jesus more and more.

If I were to outline the book it would be like this...

1:1-24 Only one gospel.
2:1-21 Justified by faith.
3:1-29 The law points us to Christ.
4:1-31 Law and Grace.
5:1-16 Stand fast in Christian liberty.
5:17-26 Flesh vs Spirit.
6:1-18 Sowing and reaping.

The book of James.