What’s Next?

1 Tim 4:1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, 2 speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, 3 forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. 4 For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; 5 for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer. 6 If you instruct the brethren in these things, you will be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine which you have carefully followed. 7 But reject profane and old wives' fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness. 8 For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come. 9 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance. 10 For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe.

Fail to plan…plan to fail…?

You know the saying. But what exactly is it that I am to plan for? Am I to plan on being here sixty more years, or 30, or am I to be planning for Christ to come at any moment?

Paul here deals with how we, (the church,) are to live our lives. You know, day by day.

And we are to live with expectancy. For the imminent return of Jesus Christ for His church. This will immediately set us apart from the world.

Just imagine what your life might look like if it was lived with the CERTAINTY that the return of Jesus Christ for His church, (The Rapture,) was imminent. Any moment. Unfortunately - by observation - we note most Christians actually live their lives as if the return of Jesus Christ was imaginary, not imminent. And so, when The Rapture comes it will catch most unsuspecting and unprepared.

“Okay then, if these are in fact the last days, how may we recognize them?” Glad you asked, because Paul lays it out for us. Exactly.

Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith… CHECK… giving heed to deceiving spirits…CHECK… and doctrines of demons… CHECK… speaking lies in hypocrisy…CHECK… having their own conscience seared with a hot iron…CHECK…  forbidding to marry…CHECK… and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth… and CHECK.

If you instruct the brethren in these things, you will be a good minister of Jesus Christ. Time’s a wastin’      -  Pastor Bill

Leadership

1 Tim 3:1 This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work. 2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; 3 not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous; 4 one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence 5 (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?); 6 not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. 7 Moreover he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. 8 Likewise deacons must be reverent, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy for money, 9 holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience.

Now we turn our attention to those who will lead, teach, and serve.

Others.

Let them first have led and taught themselves. Paul is not emphasizing the need for perfection as much as he is perspective.

To be perfect, as we are encouraged by Jesus to be, “perfect, just as our Father in heaven is perfect,” we must first have an abiding awareness we are not. Not even close.

In fact, I’ve never met ANYONE who could live up to the standard Paul describes for elders and deacons. Does that mean we shouldn’t have any?

It certainly means we shouldn’t have many. It also means those who are elders and deacons are those God has called rather than those who have achieved. And this is where the church once again differs from the world when it comes to leadership. It is only for those God calls. The church is to not choose elders and deacons. God does. This is not a process open to popular election. (Unfortunately, this is the process most-often employed by the church in the modern age.)

There is something about the call of God that brings completion. This is because God honors the position, not the person.

How is that honor received by the individual - and then perceived by others? It comes in the arena of motive. When my motivation is to be the things an elder or deacon is described as being by the Word of God, then I am making myself available to God should He choose to make others aware of the motivation He has first placed, and then begun to complete in my life. You see, an elder is an elder and a deacon is a deacon whether they have the title or not.   -  Pastor Bill

Form and Function

1 Timothy 2:8 I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting; 9 in like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, 10 but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works. 11 Let a woman learn in silence with all submission. 12 And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve. 14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression. 15 Nevertheless she will be saved in childbearing if they continue in faith, love, and holiness, with self-control.

I spent just about my entire pre-pastoral career involved in electronics design of one sort or another, most of it involving audio engineering and sound reinforcement.

There is a saying in design which has a lot to do with efficiency, and that saying is: “Form follows function.”

The reason ‘form follows function’ is because you are trying to be as efficient as possible in the design realm, both to save cost and to increase function. To build a product with the most features at the lowest cost is how you compete. You don’t have a lot of extraneous stuff in there.

So, you can look at a well-designed product and begin to determine what its true function is designed to be by observing its form.

God designed the universe and everything in it. His design is amazing, wonderful, staggering in scope, and brilliantly conceived…far beyond our ability to comprehend. How smart we must be to even begin to comprehend His power and wonder as revealed in His creation. (And we like to think of ourselves being VERY smart.)

Just as the products we design demonstrate their intended function by their form, (think of the hammer, for example,) God has demonstrated His concept of how we are to function by His design of us.

The problem is we strive to take what He has designed and use it for purposes which are not intended, and then blame God for poor results. We see modern society blaming “Christians” for their narrow-mindedness about social and cultural function while watching society fail in just about every way. Who really is to blame for the consequences of breaking with God’s clearly indicated purpose for our lives? Are we making things better when we think ourselves smarter than God – and begin to go against the rules of His creation – or make up our own rules along the way?

If I desire to know the proper use of any product, I need to consult the owner’s manual.  

 -  Pastor Bill

A Father’s Love

Mark 9:14 And when He came to the disciples, He saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them. 15 Immediately, when they saw Him, all the people were greatly amazed, and running to Him, greeted Him. 16 And He asked the scribes, "What are you discussing with them?" 17 Then one of the crowd answered and said, "Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit. 18 And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not." 19 He answered him and said, "O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to Me." 20 Then they brought him to Him. And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth. 21 So He asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him?" And he said, "From childhood. 22 And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us." 23 Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes." 24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" 25 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, "Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!" 26 Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, "He is dead." 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. 28 And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, "Why could we not cast it out?" 29 So He said to them, "This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting."

Jesus has just come down from the mount of transfiguration to discover the turmoil of the world, and all the worst of what that entails. As Jesus approached, Satan had everything working in his favor. He had incited the religious fervor, (which is always in his favor,) by making sure the disciples were too distracted to bring a healing touch to the boy who was in need. (His need was, incidentally, to have a demon planted by Satan driven out.) So Satan was working all sides of the deal. He had the scribes stirred up from the beginning with religious principle, the disciples distracted, anxious, and unable to drive out the demon in the boy, and a father distraught – all in the presence of a great crowd.

While we can never know exactly when Satan will attack, we can say for certain it will always be in a time when we consider ourselves “separated” from Christ. (A time when our ‘perception’ is that He is away from us.) This was the disciples’ perception…after all, Jesus was up on the mountain. And here were the scribes…and then the crowd all stirred up…and then - in the midst of it all - a father in need of healing for his son. What a set-up for failure! What a grand public failure it was!

One thing Satan did not count on. When the disciples failed to heal his son, the father did not leave. His love for his son was too desperate for that. He waited for Jesus. He had brought his son to see Jesus, and he would not leave without Jesus’ personal touch for his son. What a lesson for us as fathers.         -  Pastor Bill

A Heart for Learning

1 Timothy 2:1 Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time, 7 for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle--I am speaking the truth in Christ and not lying--a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. 8 I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting; 9 in like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, 10 but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works. 11 Let a woman learn in silence with all submission. 12 And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve. 14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression. 15 Nevertheless she will be saved in childbearing if they continue in faith, love, and holiness, with self-control.

I read a report by an expert on education a couple years back, (I don’t remember the author’s name,) who stated a startling conclusion – and it was that the TV show ‘Sesame Street’ had done serious harm to an entire generation of American children. The harm done? According to the author of the report it was that ‘Sesame Street’ had demonstrated to an entire generation that learning must be fun.  

It was this author’s contention that learning – real learning – is almost never fun. And when a child is presented with a hard concept that takes real work to grasp, they will turn away because it is ‘no fun.’ Check out the education statistics in this country and see whether you think the author of the story has a point.

Learning takes diligence, faithfulness, and hard work. It also takes time and investment. Rather than judging the act of learning by how fun it is to learn, perhaps we should judge learning by whether it is a thing worth knowing. If it is worth knowing, it is worth learning about– no matter how much hard work may be involved.

There is no question this type of attitude has infected the church.  We are increasingly finding that the audience must be ‘entertained’ into learning, and a lack of ‘entertainment value’ will cause the sheep to look elsewhere.

We see here Paul advocating for a serious and solemn learning environment, and the preparation of the heart is as much a part of that as anything else.

-  Pastor Bill