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Good morning friends.
We began this “Walking with Jesus” adventure together on May 1, 2019. Our initial objective was to track the CHRONOLOGICAL story of the New Testament of the Bible, beginning with the ascension of Jesus Christ back to heaven after His resurrection.
So we began with Acts chapter one and continued all the way to Paul’s 2 year imprisonment in Rome recorded in Acts 28:30,31. We followed the missionary journeys of the Apostle Paul and read through his letters as close to their chronological fit in the story as we were able.
We took a Christmas break and followed the advent of Christmas from Old Testament prophecies all the way through to Bethlehem, the later Magi visit, Jesus’ Temple experience at age 12 and finally the public appearance of both miracle boys born in the Christmas story, John the Baptist and Jesus the Christ.
We’ve launched into 2020 with Psalm 19 and now today, I invite us to rejoin the chronological story of the New Testament. While we have no specific record, Bible scholars believe the Apostle Paul was released after about two years, from his house arrest in Rome, described in Acts 28:30,31. The next letter he wrote was 1 Timothy, so let’s pick up the New Testament story in 1 Timothy chapter 1.
As is Paul’s custom, he clearly identifies himself as the author of this letter and he’s writing to his young disciple Timothy, who had joined Paul’s traveling group in Lystra. We see that in Acts 16:1. Timothy, you may recall became both a dear friend and special traveling student to Paul. Timothy had visited Paul during Paul’s two year imprisonment in Rome, and perhaps was there when Paul was finally released.
1 Timothy 1:3 suggests they may have traveled together back through the region of Macedonia visiting some of the towns where Paul had started churches. One of those was Ephesus, which Paul had visited both on his second and third missionary trip (Acts 18:19-21 and 19&20). In Acts 19&20 we see Paul lived in Ephesus for almost three years. His letter to the Christians there, written from Rome during that two year imprisonment, is the book of Ephesians in our Bible, which we studied October 7 – November 5th. Those ‘walks with Jesus” are in the archive tab on our web site if you’re looking to revisit them.
Do you see in 1 Timothy 1:3, Paul reminds Timothy that as Paul left him there, in Ephesus, it was for a specific purpose: “…so that you may command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer, nor to devote themselves to myths or endless genealogies. These promote controversies rather than God’s work – which is by faith.” Why would Paul say that?
Well, as we’ve seen in other of Paul’s letters, he was always concerned that after he planted a church in any town, then moved on, to bring the Gospel to another town, often false teachers would follow him and spread doubt and discord among the new Christians. Evidently, even though Paul had spent nearly three years in Ephesus, and the church there was really well taught and leaders were mature, still when the false teachers came, many people stumbled into spiritual confusion. In fact do you see in vs. 6,7 Paul says it this way: “Some have wandered away from these and turned to meaningless talk. They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm.”
Now that’s not difficult for us to understand is it? We’re surrounded by it, no matter where you live in the world. Not only is there a wide disparity of churches in almost every city and town, all claiming to be faithful to Jesus and the Bible, but also in any church of any denomination, there are often differing opinions about many aspects of our Christian faith. So here’s a really important question for all of us: how do we discern God’s truth?
With so many different translations of the Bible, and almost every pastor or priest or rabbi having different opinions about how they interpret what the Bible says, how do you and I find God’s truth? How do we not get caught up in the debate, the discord, and sadly too often, the battles between people, who claim to hold the Bible in high esteem and say they have trusted Jesus for their salvation?
Here’s something I’ve learned my friends, which I trust may help you: When seeking to understand God’s truth on any topic, take ALL the Scripture about that topic and study it together. Seek to understand who was led by the Holy Spirit to write each verse, and to whom they were writing. That should help you see the cultural context into which the verse fits. As you compare all those verses, pray that the Holy Spirit of God will give you clarity so you can see the subject as God sees it, both back then when it was written, and today in your cultural context wherever you live.
Now that’s super important because God’s truth needs to be truth which transcends TIME… so it works today, 50 years ago, 200 years ago, 1000 years ago etc.
And God’s truth must fit in all cultures. So God’s truth must work in America and Mexico, and Indonesia, and any African country, any Asian any South American country.
And here’s one more… if it’s God’s truth, it must work for women and men, old and young, married and single, regardless of ethnicity or preferred language, educational capacity or even political persuasion! Now ponder that a moment friends, is that true?
Do you remember, my friends, that Jesus explained that the Holy Spirit, would be known as the “the Spirit of Truth” (John 14:17) and “the Counselor” (John 14:16, 26; 15:26)? Do you see Jesus was explaining that the Holy Spirit would know God’s truth and make that truth known to God’s people, as He counsels us in how to live our lives in ways which honor God… at all times, in all places?
In the upper room, with His close friends, on that night before His horrible crucifixion, Jesus said “The Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have said to you.” (John 14:26)
Now let’s remember no one had recording devices and were following Jesus around recording everything He said. Nor were there cameras following Jesus recording His miracles or His messages! The stories of Jesus which we have recorded in the four Gospel accounts, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John were written years after Jesus died, rose again and returned to heaven, as these four men were led, by the Holy Spirit, to remember and write what they had seen and heard, or what had been reported to them by eye witnesses.
Jesus also said that night, “When He, the Spirit of Truth comes, He will guide you into all truth…” (John 16:13) Wow, that’s clear isn’t it? The Holy Spirit has a responsibility to lead us into God’s truth!
When Paul wrote to the Christians in that crazy city of Corinth, which was filled with every imaginable religion and lots of non-religous people, Paul put it this way: “God has revealed it (that’s God’s truth) to us by His Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God… we (that’s Christ followers) have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him – and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned… but we have the mind of Christ.“ (1 Corinthians 2:10-16). Do you see the contrast Paul is describing, between how spiritual things are understood much differently by the person who has the Spirit of God guiding their heart and mind, and the person who doesn’t?
May I give you just one more Scripture about this for your consideration? Look at Romans 8:5-9: “Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives within you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.”
Ok, so let’s put ourselves in Ephesus with Timothy who has just received this letter from Paul, his mentor and teacher. What can you imagine Timothy was understanding that Paul was asking him to do about those who were spreading ideas contrary to what Paul had taught as the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Do you see how Paul calls it “…the glorious Gospel of the blessed God, which He entrusted to me.” (1 Tim. 1:11)?
Part of our journey as we together in “Walking with Jesus” is to dig into God’s truth, so we can then look at and listen to what’s being said in our world. . .on the nightly news, on talk radio and cable TV panel discussions and over the back fence when chatting with our neighbor or in the work place lunch room, or on Facebook or Twitter or the texts and emails you and I receive.
Or most of all my dear friends… the things we hear as we listen to our own families. God is calling us, His people, to be people filled with the Holy Spirit of Truth, who will, as lead by the Counselor sent by God, be alert to wrong thinking, false teaching and things that breed discord in families and societies and even churches! We must be men and women of God’s truth, my friends, in 2020.
Oh Lord Jesus, would you help us to be like young Timothy, men and women who can discern when Your truth is being compromised, and give us courage to bring Your truth, oh God, into the conversation of our world, wherever Your truth needs to be spoken.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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