The Journey Continues

1 Timothy Chapter 3

1) What standard should those that lead God’s people live by?  What expectations do you have of their conduct?

2) How well connected are you to those that don’t share your faith?  What reputation do you have with those on the outside?

3) Which is greater; being a leader or being a servant?  What role in the church would have higher expectations?

“Above reproach.”  This is the standard that Paul lays down for those desiring to lead God’s people.  Paul goes on to list fourteen other requirements, but it seems like he could have stopped with these first words.  Being above reproach means to have nothing in one’s conduct on which someone could ground a charge or accusation.  That is, living in such a way before men that you are blameless, unable to be criticized.  While Paul does indeed address this to church leaders, I believe this is the standard we should all strive to live up to.  In this way, we can be assured of honoring God with the way we live.

Outsiders.  They’re, well, on the outside.  Paul concludes his comments about the qualifications of church leaders with this statement (3:7) – “He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.”  Often our focus in the church world is on the church world.  We fail to remember the impact we’ve been called to have with those on the outside.  We ought to be thought of well, even among those that don’t share our faith.  In this way, we will keep an opening with them for the things of God.

The second part of Chapter 3 focuses on the qualifications for those that will be servants in the church – deacons (3:8-13).  Interestingly enough, these qualifications are very similar to the qualifications of church leaders.  The role of the deacon was to take care of the more menial tasks within the church so the leaders could focus on prayer and the Word (Acts 6:1-7).  So why make a big deal about who would do the small stuff?  I believe this is evidence of the fact that ultimately we are all part of the same Body and we are to honor God with whatever role we have.  “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”  Colossians 3:17

 

1 Timothy Chapter 4

1) How physically active are you?  How much effort do you put into keeping yourself in shape?

2) How do you change what people think about you?  How do you prove someone’s assumptions or stereotypes about you wrong?

3) What is a hypocrite?  How can you be sure to keep your life consistent?

We are in a rather health-conscious society.  Overall, we tend to take care of ourselves by watching what we eat and exercising.  Certainly, some do better at this than others, but there is an overall awareness that we must work at living well.  But how well are you living spiritually?  How well are you taking care of your eternal body?  In verses 7-10, Paul speaks of the great value of training for godliness.  And he uses words like labor, strive and agonize to describe the effort we must put in to take care of our spiritual lives.  So work out your soul!  The benefits will last a lifetime and beyond.

Timothy was a young man (perhaps in his 30’s) that had been given the responsibility to lead the church in Ephesus.  While I’m not sure what the general feeling toward young people was in those days, Paul indicates that he was not necessarily held in high regard (4:12).  To counter this, Paul calls Timothy to set an example and prove his maturity through his actions.  Do you want to change what people think about you?  Live differently!  “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”  Matthew 5:16

In most of Chapter 4, Paul is sharing truth with Timothy; truth that is to be lived out.  Paul was not only interested in what Timothy believed; he was also interested in how he lived (4:16).  Our lives become disconnected when what we believe doesn’t match up with the way we live.  In fact, you only really believe what you put into practice.

 

1 Timothy Chapter 5

1) What should relationships within the church look like?  How would family relationships work at church?

2) Where should people turn when there is a need?  At what point should the church become part of the solution?

3) How should we care for those that God has called to lead us in the church?  How are we to respond to those that guide us?

“Treat people at church as if they were in your own family.”  This might be a simple way to summarize what Paul is saying in verses 1-2.  But what would this look like?  These relationships would be marked with respect, love, support, concern and compassion; just like relationships at home should be.

Paul spends quite a bit of Chapter 5 speaking to the issue of caring for widows in the church.  The issue was which widows should the church look after?  Verses 4, 8 and 16 provide a good summary of Paul’s point.  One big lesson for us it the need to take care of our own families.  The family should be the first place that we turn for help and support.

Previously in Chapter 4, we saw the high standard that church leaders are to live up to.  Here in Chapter 5, Paul speaks of the honor, financial support and respect they deserve.  As our leaders live right before God and before us, we need to be quick to reward and slow to accuse.  As those God has called to shepherd us, they deserve our love and support.

 

1 Timothy Chapter 6

1) How important is it to have an absolute source of truth?  Where would we be without it?

2) How satisfied are you with the things you have?  How strongly do you push to get what is the next, the latest and the greatest?

3) How do you feel when you drive around a wealth neighborhood?  Does it remind you that you are not very rich?

Paul talks to Timothy about those that don’t accept the true teachings of Jesus (6:3-5).  Since they don’t recognize the truth, they are left to quarrels and friction.  Without a clear understand of absolute truth people are left to their own wisdom and opinion.  That we have God’s truth is essential not only to our faith, but to the very hope for anyone to have a life that makes any sense at all.

Contentment is the issue when it comes to your finances (6:6-10).  If you are not content with what you have you won’t be content with what you get.  From there, the pursuit of stuff never ends.  In verse 9 Paul says, “People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction.”  Stop looking around at what you don’t have and learn to be content with what you do have (see Philippians 4:11-12).

Do you feel rich?  Most of us would say no.  This being the case, when tend to dismiss what we read in 6:17.  But there is a problem.  Those reading this are indeed very rich.  In fact, you can go to the Global Rich List (www.globalrichlist.com) to find out how your wealth stacks up to the wealth of the world.  Those earning just $25,000 or more are in the top 10% of the world’s richest people.  So what are the rich supposed to be doing?  We should not trust in our wealth because it is uncertain.  Also, we should do good and be generous with what they have.

 

Titus Chapter 1

1) What do we have in common when it comes to faith?  What are the essentials that all believers can agree on?

2) How do you approach people that teach what is contrary to the truth?  How do you stand for what is right?

3) How should our words and our actions go together?  What is at stake if our words and actions don’t match?

Paul addresses this letter in this manner: “To Titus, my true son in our common faith.”  In this context, I don’t think Paul is referring to his faith as ordinary or regular.  Rather, he was speaking to that which is mutual and shared.  While there are many different thoughts about some issues in the Bible, as followers of Christ there are some things we can all agree on.  And at the top of the list is what Paul says in another one of his letters, “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.”  1 Corinthians 15:3-4

Our tolerant culture accepts what anyone says about anything.  While this may be politically correct, it doesn’t line up with what Paul says to Titus in 1:9-13.  In this passage, Paul speaks about those who speak in opposition to the truth.  His words to Titus?  Refute them!  Silence them!  Rebuke them!  Ours is a truth that can change lives.  It must be protected, guarded and defended.

“They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him (1:16).”  The relationship between what we say and what we do will always be an issue when it comes to living out our faith.  The world sits waiting to call us hypocrites.  Know the Word and then show the Word.  Live out the truth every day!

Titus Chapter 2

1) Older men; older women; younger men; younger women.  What category do you fit in?  How should you be living your life?

2) How should you live as you wait for the return of Christ?  What words could describe your behavior?

3) Paul uses the word “self-controlled” four times in the fifteen verses of Chapter 2.  Why do you think he emphasized this so much?

The older among us have the responsibility to live well before those that are younger.  And by older I don’t mean those that are old.  Whatever your age, there are those younger in age and certainly younger in the faith that you have been called to live well before.  You have the great opportunity and the great responsibility to impact the next generation.

Paul has given specific instructions to different groups of people.  Now, in the last several verses of this chapter, he summarizes what it’s all about.  We are to live in a way that honors Christ while we wait for His return.  Read Matthew 24:36-51 for Jesus’ words about our being prepared for His return.

There must be something significant about Paul using “self-controlled” so many times in this chapter.  Perhaps he was writing to counter the way most people were living their lives – “out of control.”  Indeed, this continues to be the case today.  But we have been called to live differently.  In fact, Paul instructs us to live “self-controlled, upright and godly lives.”

 

Titus Chapter 3

1) What “good things” can we do for others?  What would it take to be ready to do these things?  What does it mean to be devoted to doing these things?

2) From where did God save you?  What was your life like before Christ?

3) Why did God make salvation available to you?  What motivates Him to save?

Paul speaks strongly to the very practical nature of our faith in this final chapter of Titus.  Three times he speaks about doing what is good (3:1, 8, 14).  Beyond this, he specifically instructs us to be ready to do good things (3:1) and to be devoted to do good things (3:8, 14).  To be ready we must be aware of the needs around us and be positioned to help meet those needs.  To be devoted we must make doing good a priority in our lives.

Sometimes we see ourselves as pretty good in God’s eyes.  In fact we may believe that, while certainly noteworthy, what God did in our lives in salvation wasn’t all that much.  However, Paul points out the reality of what we used to be in 3:3.  Don’t ever forget the incredible, miraculous work that God did in you when He gave you a new life in Christ.

In 3:4-6, Paul gives us several words that speak to God’s motivation in offering salvation to us: kindness (4), love (4), mercy (5), and generosity (6).  I’m sure there are other words that we could use to understand what is behind His gift.  However, Paul also makes sure that we know what did NOT motivate God to save us: “not because of righteous things we had done.”  Make no mistake – all of the work in salvation is on God’s side of the equation.  We are the wonderful beneficiaries of His grace.

 

1 Peter Chapter 1

1) What country are you a citizen of?  Do you have another place of residency; a heavenly one?  How do you live in both?

2) Discuss the “I can’t see it but I believe it” nature of faith.

3) How can you determine the value of something?  What factors indicate worth?

Peter addresses this letter to “To God’s elect, strangers in the world.”  He then talks about the inheritance we have waiting for us in heaven (1:4).  Finally he refers to the fact that while we wait we may have to “suffer grief in all kinds of trials (1:6).”  All of this speaks to the temporary nature of this world.  So how do we live in this world and not lose sight of our heavenly home?  This is the challenge we face everyday.  Although the world, the people in it and the work we do are indeed important, we must keep in mind that all of this is passing.

“Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”  These are the words of Jesus found in John 20:29.  Peter writes similarly in 1:8-9.  The whole issue of our faith is…faith.  We study, we learn, we know and we grow.  But at the end we believe.  And the Bible says we are blessed because we do.

Value and worth have to do with what someone will give in exchange for an item.  You may say something is worth $100, but if no one will give you that much for the item it is not worth it.  Peter says you were living an empty life before God intervened to redeem you.  And the price paid for your redemption was much more than something simple like silver or gold.  It took the sacrifice of the perfect Lamb for you to be made right with God.  He finds great value in you!

 

1 Peter Chapter 2

1) What does it take for you to clean up your act?  What changes are needed in your life to truly live God’s way?

2) What do you do when the good you intend to do is received the wrong way?  What about when your good deeds are met with hostility?

3) What did it really cost Jesus for you to be saved?  Beyond His death, what was necessary for Him to do to give you the gift of salvation?

The theme of the previous section that Peter refers to in 2:1 (“therefore…”) is found back in 1:15: “Just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do.”  So as he continues in Chapter 2, Peter says to live holy lives we’ll need to make some changes.  Specifically, we’ll need to get rid of malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander.  Before you move past these words too quickly, consider these synonyms: ill-will, craftiness, acting a part, wanting what someone else has and defamation.  We must live differently since Christ is in our lives.

It can be hard to live among those in the world, especially those that stand opposed to what you believe.  There are times that we live well and right, but still find ourselves on the receiving end of ridicule and accusation.  Peter’s challenge is for us to steadfastly live in such a way that even our accusers will respond by glorifying God for what we’ve done (2:12).  Jesus said something similar in Matthew 5:16.  “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

In 1:19, Peter reminded us of the significant price that was paid for our redemption; “the precious blood of Christ.”  Here in Chapter 2, he brings even greater understanding to this truth (see 2:24).  Peter echoes what Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:21: “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us.”  Sin wasn’t just magically wiped away; God didn’t just say, “Oh, don’t worry about it – no big deal.”  Jesus took on the full weight, the full filth and the full punishment of your sin.  Rejoice in the gift of salvation that you have received!

 

1 Peter Chapter 3

1) React to this statement: actions speak louder than words.

2) What are people asking you about your faith?  Especially in the difficult times, do people wonder what your faith is all about?

3) What’s the best deal you’ve ever gotten?  What was the nature of this transaction?

In writing to wives, Peter instructs them to be submissive to their husbands with the hope that their unbelieving spouse would come to faith (3:1).  But it would be through their actions, not their words, that their spouse would see the reality of what they believed (3:2).  Specifically, Peter referred to purity and reverence as what would be seen in their lives.  This principle is still true today: actions speak louder than words. 

In the midst of speaking about suffering for doing what is right (3:13-17), Peter tells us to be prepared to share the reason for our hope.  To be noted is that sharing this reason comes as the answer to a question that has been asked.  That there is a question indicates a difference is noticed in response to the challenges being faced.  We have the opportunity, especially in the midst of difficulties, to show the reality of our faith.  And then, when people ask about our response, we can tell them about the faith they are seeing.

Great deals.  We all look for them and are proud when we find them.  But even the best of deals cost us something.  In fact, we’re taught that if a deal is too good to be true it probably is.  But God made a deal with us concerning salvation.  He said He would take care of everything if we would just believe.  The specifics of this deal are found in 3:18.  “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.”

1 Peter Chapter 4

1) What did Christ’s suffering and death ultimately do to the issue of sin?  How do we live in relation to sin in light of what Jesus accomplished on the cross?

2) How focused are you in using your gifts for the sake of others?  What would it be like if there was intensity in our use of gifts today?

3) What have you suffered for the sake of Christ?  What has it cost you to be a follower of Jesus?

Christ’s suffering ultimately lead to His death.  Now, sin no longer has the upper hand in our lives because of what Christ did on the cross (see Romans 6:1-12).  For this reason, the very focus of lives is now different (4:1-2).  We no longer live to fulfill “evil human desires,” but rather focus on “the will of God.”  There is both a turning from and a turning to aspect to our new lives.

In the context of 1 Peter (a context of suffering), the use of gifts seems to take on a sense of urgency (4:7-11).  Love was to be extended to the point of accepting the faults of others.  Hospitality was to be provided to those that might be literally running for their lives.  Gifts of speaking and serving were to be exercised to equip, encourage and refresh others.  Although we are not facing what the early church faced, we can use the gifts God has given us in a strong way to make a difference.

I can’t get away from the reality that those that were part of the early church dealt with real persecution and struggle (4:12-19).  In fact, the word translated “painful” in verse 12 can also mean “burning,” as in being burned at the stake.  Today we read such passages and try to fit our “trials” into the context.  It just doesn’t work.  While I certainly pray that we never have to experience the persecution of the first century church, we must remember that there are those throughout the world that are being persecuted today.  See the Voice of the Martyrs (www.persecution.com) for more information.