Day: July 10, 2021

Having Right Belief & Behaviour

Context: Timothy, a young disciple
discovered by Paul on his second
missionary journey, enjoyed a
unique relationship with the apostle.
Referred to by Paul as his “beloved
son”, Timothy ministered alongside with Paul as a missionary and later received the challenging assignment of pastoring the church at Ephesus.
Paul’s first letter resembles a manual
for building church leadership.
More generally, it is a rich mine of principles for anyone who wishes
to have impact in the lives of others.

Dear Lord, we realise that right
beliefs and right behaviour are
critical for anyone who desires
to lead or serve in the church.
Help us know Your Word, obey it;
and be wholly committed to Christ.
Help us Hold On to Your Word;
Help us Pray together in Unity;
Help us Be Above Reproach. Amen.

Lord, we’ll Hold On to Your Word:
(Paul wrote): Timothy my son,
here are my instructions for you,
based on the prophetic words
spoken about you earlier. May
they help you fight well in the
Lord’s battles; having faith and
a good conscience (1Tim 1:18-19)
Lord, with all the distractions and
obstacles that may come against
us, it will be difficult to stay on
a direct course or have the energy
to keep following the Master.
When the going gets tough,
I purpose to cling to what You
said into my life. I won’t depart
from it, no matter what the
contradictions I hear or think.
Help me to keep focused & pursue
the calling You have given. Amen.

Lord, we’ll Pray Together in Unity:
Therefore I exhort first of all
that supplications, prayers,
intercessions & giving of thanks
be made for all men (1Tim 2:1).
I want men everywhere to
lift up holy hands in prayer,
without anger or disputing (v8).
Lord, we realise that sometimes
Christians quarrel among ourselves.
We get caught up in unimportant
debates and useless arguments.
So Lord help us to be so devoted
to You that we maintain oneness
of the Spirit, even if we disagree
on certain things. I pray we will
be unified in our belief in Your
Word so that we will be unified
in our prayers before You. Amen.

Lord, we aspire Be Above Reproach:
A bishop then must be blameless…
temperate, sober-minded,
of good behaviour, hospitable,
able to teach… not violent,
not greedy for money, but gentle,
not quarrelsome, not covetous…
Likewise deacons must be reverent,
not double-tongued… not greedy
for money, holding the mystery
of the faith with a pure conscience.
But let these first be tested…
being found blameless (1Tim 3:2-10)
Lord, I want to be above reproach,
temperate, self-controlled,
not quarrelsome, not violent but
gentle, and not a lover of money.
Give me Lord understanding heart
to distinguish right from wrong.
Give me humility, meekness,
patience and charity. And give
me Your love and Your grace
so that I can serve You well. Amen.

1&2 Timothy, Titus & Philemon

We start the Gospels, with
Matthew who presents Jesus as
the Christ, Israel’s messianic King.
Mark presents Jesus as the Servant
who gave his life for mankind.
Luke presents Him as the perfect
Son of Man saving the lost.
And John presents Jesus as
Son of God offering eternal life.
We have also covered Acts which
chronicles Growth of the church.

Turning to the Pauline epistles:
In Romans, Paul gives a sample of his
message before he arrives in Rome.
And First and Second Corinthians,
Living for Christ in corrupt society.
In Galatians, Paul calls Christians
to faith and freedom in Christ.
In Eph,Paul strengthens believers by
explaining the purpose of the church.
In Philippians, Paul shows true joy
comes from Jesus Christ alone.
In Colossians, Paul shows believers
have everything they need in Christ.
In Thessalonians, Paul encourages
the church to persevere in midst
of persecutions; and not be weary
in doing good before Christ returns.
Next, we will meditate on Pauline
pastoral epistles over 3 weekends.

ITimothy: Timothy a young disciple
discovered by Paul on his second
missionary journey (Acts 16:1),
enjoyed a unique relationship with
the apostle. Referred to as his
‘own son’ in the faith, Timothy
ministered side by side with Paul
as a missionary and later received
the challenging assignment of
pastoring the church in Ephesus.
Paul’s first letter to him resembles
a manual for building church
leadership. More generally, it is
a rich mine of principles for anyone
who wishes to have a spiritual
impact in the lives of others.

2Timothy: Paul’s life is drawn to
a lonely close in a Roman prison
as he writes to encourage Timothy,
whom he refers to as his ‘own son’
in the faith. Timothy has ministered
side by side in mission endeavors
with the apostle, but now he faces
new challenges as pastor of the
church at Ephesus. Paul’s first
letter offers instruction and advice
for building strong leadership
within the congregation and lays
down principles for those who
want a ministry of discipleship.
Underlying each theme is the
importance of God’s Word
as the foundation for living.

Titus lived on Crete, the largest
island in the Mediterranean
and worked among a people
who collectively had one of the
worst reputations in the world.
Paul had left Titus to oversee the
growth of the church there and
now writes to encourage him in
that difficult task. In order to promote
sound teaching and offset false
doctrines that were in the rise,
Titus is told to appoint and
train spiritual leaders as elders.
Paul’s short letter is a summary of
Christian doctrine that emphasises
holy living and encourages all
to live worthy of the gospel.

Philemon: On the run after committing a wrong against his master, Onesimus the slave sought
refuge among the masses in the city
of Rome. There he crosses Paul’s
path and converts to faith in Christ.
Though he shows his gratitude by
serving Paul, he still must reconcile
with his master Philemon. Paul writes
this letter to Philemon asking him
to forgive Onesimus, the bearer
of the letter, and to accept him as
a brother in Christ.This short epistle
reminds believers of our heavenly
Father’s love and forgiveness.