Wisdom Of The Ages...

Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. (First Timothy 4: 12)

In Sunday’s sermon, Pastor Shane asked a question: What example are we setting? And it is not a question solely for children and teenagers: it is a question for everyone who professes to be Christian. As followers of Jesus, we are watched by the world. Our desire ought to be that those who see us will see the love and power of Christ manifested in us.

First Timothy chapter 4 shows the apostle Paul’s concern for Christians who have abandoned the faith. As Paul instructs Timothy to preach and teach, Paul adds a two-part mandate: 1) do not permit others to disrespect Timothy's ministry because of his age; 2) allow others to see Timothy’s example, captured in a five-fold structure of external actions reflective of his internal beliefs. Let’s dive in to First Timothy 4:12:

“Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young...” In Paul’s context, as in ours today, there is the notion that young people are not as gifted or anointed as their older counterparts. However, God has indicated throughout Scripture that His anointing and the gifts of His Spirit are not distributed according to age; rather, He anoints and gifts people according to His pleasure (see First Samuel 16:10-12; Ephesians 4:7). Timothy, a church elder, was charged to address and correct those who dismissed his anointing because of his youth.

“Set an example for the believers...” Paul gives Timothy five areas in which to live as a godly example to others. As we consider these, let us pray that God will empower us to be living examples in our day as Timothy was in his.

v  Speech: Do our words express godly comfort and encouragement? Do we impart the wisdom and counsel of God as we interact with others?

v  Conduct: Do our personal and professional practices model the commands and counsel of God?

v  Love: Are we in love with God? Do we show His love to everyone we meet?

v  Faith: Do we believe God’s word and fully expect that He will accomplish all He has said?

v  Purity: Are our sexuality, inner thought life, and outward behaviors bringing pleasure to the heart of God? Are we obeying His call to holiness?

All Scripture references are from Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Prostitute, Puppet, Preacher.

There is nothing in Scripture that condones the purchase or sale of spiritual gifts. In fact, we have evidence in both the Old and New Testaments that God despised the use of financial means for the securing of ministry gifts and graces: we have the example of Balaam in Numbers 22 through 25,and we have the example of Simon the sorcerer in Acts 8. By these examples we are warned not to peddle spiritual gifts for personal profit, nor to sell impartations of spiritual gifts.

But what above the reverse? How do we respond in situations where a church leader, or church board, asks a person to cease and desist from exercising their spiritual gifts? Well, we do see in Acts 11 that the apostle Peter had such a situation with the religious leaders concerning the conversion and baptism of Cornelius's household. In a nutshell, they were upset that Peter had preached to Gentiles. And what was the final decision? "When they heard this (Peter's testimony), they had no further objections" (Acts 11:18). The manifestation of the presence and power of the Spirit was enough to convince the leaders that God's stamp of approval was on Peter.

Let's bring this closer to home. What sort of a preacher are you looking for: a prostitute who will lick your earlobes and tell you everything you want to hear? Or a puppet who will let you turn his head from side to side, and who will tell the people everything you want to be said?

Well, that's not what you need. Let me tell you what you need:

-Men and women of God who are more interested in obeying Him than placating you.

It's really that simple. If you are not in a place where obedience is more important than your personal satisfaction, then I urge you to repent and turn wholeheartedly to the will and the way of our Lord Jesus. His will is to do the will of the Father. His way is the narrow road of suffering and self-sacrifice. He loves, He graces, He gives. Liberally. He forgives. He prays.

Make His way your way!

Your Favor, Your Power, Your Grace.

"Not everyone appreciates the grace of God." (Pastor Benji)

Pastor Benji shared the above statement during Sunday's sermon, and it is so true.

It seems that after a period of time, we forget the grace that God has extended to us and we live as if we have earned the right to be recipients of His gifts. And our forgetfulness is manifested in our response to those men and women who God also has extended grace to, but whom we feel do not deserve to receive His grace.

One of my favorite "grace" moments at Bronx Bethany occurred when I was invited to attend a leadership seminar being run by the church. At the time I wasn't even a member of the church, but someone invited me and I went. That seminar was the beginning of many God-ordained meetings and discussions that resulted in, among other things, this blog site being launched.

Was there opposition? Most certainly. And the opposition was from "Christians" who were also recipients of the grace of God. Well, all I can say is that God has shown me (to again reference Jim Collins) "the right seat on the right bus", and now that I know I will not relinquish what He has graced me to receive. And I hope that I will never forget that just as He extended grace to me, I must always extend His grace to others.

Oh, the deep deep love of Jesus! "He descended" (Ephesians 4:9-10) in order to save us. And "He gave" (Ephesians 4:11-13); the gift of salvation, the gift of His Spirit, and the gift of becoming participants in His vehicle for saving the world: the body of Christ, which is His church.

LORD, how we love You! You have bestowed Your favor, Your power, and Your grace on us. We could never deserve it, we could never earn it, but You gave. Thank You!!

That Is Why Some Of You Are Sick.

"As a prisoner of the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received." (Ephesians 4:1).

AH, that raises a question: What is the calling you have received? Do you know?

One of the more virulent aspects of the Christian life is this hazard of having to interact with individuals who are unaware of the calling they have received. Whether from good or evil intentions, they have taken positions in the body of Christ that were not ordained for them by God. And the results of being (to re-phrase Jim Collins) "in the wrong seat, on the wrong bus" can be deadly.

As Pastor Benji said so succinctly during the first service, "God gives gifts as He sees fit" (see Ephesians 4:7). And we would do well to accept those gifts, and use them, to His glory.

So, my friend, is your life an expression of your calling? Have you embraced the gifts He has poured into you? Or are you despising your calling and coveting the gifts He has given to others?

I Embrace You, Lord, But Only For Thirty-Five Minutes.

Ah, love.

We use that word so loosely, and our behavior ultimately indicts us.

What are you doing, Bronx Bethany? Is that you singing about how much you love the Lord, then in the next breath spewing a litany of reasons why you cannot do anything for the sake of the kingdom? What are those echoes of the rejection of the invitation to the banquet (see Luke 14)?

-I have just bought a field...
-I have just bought five yoke of oxen and have to go test them...
-I have just gotten married...

-I have a meeting with my real estate partners, could you finish the service by 1:00?
-I have to finish cooking dinner, if I go to the altar for prayer it might throw off my schedule. How about next week?
-I really can't stand those praise and worship songs, so I'll come to church 45 minutes late. You don't really need my worship, do You?

Or, to put it another way, you have decided that God is worthy not of your love, but merely worthy of your leftovers.

Oh, how we have turned up our nose at the grace of God. As Pastor Benji noted in Sunday's sermon, our Lord Jesus put aside His Glory and descended to us in order to set us free from the penalty of sin (See Ephesians 4:8). What sort of gratitude should we express to the One who has released us from captivity?

It will be interesting to see what you do next Sunday.

Prep School.

Friends,

A blessed Advent Season to you!

This past Sunday Pastor Benji continued his Ephesians series. Part Two, which focused on being equipped for ministry, will be reflected upon in our blogs this week. You may want to read Ephesians 4 again as preparation for the next few blog postings.

As you read, please take time to reflect on the following questions:

-Who has God placed in your life to help with equipping you to serve Him?
-Are you willing to serve Him?
-How much of your personal desires are you willing to relinquish in order to ensure that His desires are accomplished?