My Portion

God had delivered the children of Israel from a life of slavery in Egypt. He pushed the waters of the Red Sea back so that they could safely cross on dry land. He guided them through the desert, providing manna every morning. He towered over them in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. He brought them to a land flowing with milk and honey...the Promised Land.

Fast forward to the time of the writing of 1 Timothy (between 60 AD and 70 AD). Paul begins chapter 6 with some instructions for slaves and masters. Don't let your knowledge of slavery in America taint your view about slavery during Paul's lifetime in the Roman Empire. During this time, as much as half of the population of the Roman Empire were slaves. Slavery wasn't based solely on race or income. Think more along the lines of the indentured servant, who worked for his master to pay off a debt. The relationships were mostly amicable and fair. In 1 Timothy 6:1, Paul emphasizes to Timothy that slaves should cooperate with their masters "so that the name of God and the teaching may not be reviled." There goes that Paul again, always talking about honoring God and the need for sound teaching!

Allow me to touch on the issue of modern-day slavery and human trafficking. Slavery that abuses and berates human beings is despicable to God. As believers, we should do everything we can to bring justice to the oppressed because that's what Jesus would do if he were walking the earth in 2015. However, we absolutely positively cannot, CANNOT, allow our fight for the spread of social justice in the world to surpass our efforts to spread to the ends of the earth the good news of the spiritual freedom that can only be found in Jesus Christ. Luke 4:18-19, John 8:32, 2 Corinthians 3:17 and Galatians 3:28 proclaim the freedom that we have in Jesus Christ - a spiritual freedom that has nothing to do with our social standing. As believers, we must fight fervently to bring spiritual freedom to those who are in bondage as well as take a stand for those in social bondage.

Back to the Old Testament...They entered the Promised Land, undoubtedly exhausted from 40 years of wilderness-roaming. Many had lost confidence in Moses long ago and some surely doubted his successor, Joshua as well. But as they took their first steps in the land that they'd heard so much about, I'm sure their eyes began to scope the place out. Who knows what they were looking for, but if they were anything like us, they were trying to claim the best spots for themselves. Maybe one area had more shade trees. Maybe one area had a larger water source. Maybe one had a greater view. In Joshua 14, Joshua begins to divide up the land.

And then hundreds of years later, Paul pens words that could've been written straight to the children of Israel. He warns Timothy again about all the false teachers spreading a false gospel. They are concerned about their reputations and they mistakenly think that appearing "holy" and "godly" will bring them the accolades they desire. They stir the pot, making everyone else feel inferior so that they can feel superior. "But godliness with contentment is great gain..." says Paul. All the stuff of the world- the big shade trees and the lakefront property and the hilltop views- none of it makes you more godly. In fact, when we look at all the things we wish we could have, all the things we think we need, the Bible says we fall into a snare - a trap!  Abundance breeds pride. More, more, more! The more we get, the more haughty and arrogant we become. And the more we want.

Run away, Timothy! Run away, Believer!  Don't fall into the trap that makes you think you need more of anything. Run to righteousness. Run to godliness. Run to faith, love, steadfastness and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith, which is the fight for Jesus Christ. Don't get distracted. Keep your focus.

Paul continues in 6:17 and says "As for the rich in this present age...". That's us, you know. Check this out:

Now don't believe everything you read on the Internet. I have no idea if these statistics are true, but the idea behind them proves a good point. We in America are so stinkin' rich. So don't be haughty, Paul says. The reason for your wealth? "They are to do good, to be rich in good works to be generous and ready to share..." God gives us riches so that we may bless others and give generously. Instead, we flip on HGTV and complain that our granite countertops are the wrong color and our master bathroom doesn't have a jacuzzi tub and our floors are carpet, not hard wood.

So as Joshua divided up the land for the children of Israel, one tribe didn't get a share. All the others got a plot of land to develop and work and call their own. But the Levites were left out. Why? Check out Numbers 18:20. 

And the Lord said to Aaron, “You shall have no inheritance in their land, neither shall you have any portion among them. I am your portion and your inheritance among the people of Israel."

God said "I AM YOUR PORTION." God had set Aaron and the tribe of Levi apart to be his priests. They would receive all of the offerings and sacrifices that the other tribes offered to the Lord. But ultimately, God tells Aaron that He HIMSELF is his portion. 

So how does Paul end his first letter to Timothy? With a blessing of grace. With instructions to guard the deposit that had been entrusted to him. With a reminder that God is his portion. It was a treasure for sure. A very precious promise.

"My flesh and my heart may fail but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." 

Psalm 73:26  

In Bible Study on Wednesday night, I referenced this video. Third world citizens read common complaints of first world citizens. It is eye opening, for sure. To see the youtube video, click here:  First World Problems

It's Time to Get Uncomfortable

I just couldn't figure it out this week. Almost an entire chapter in 1 Timothy dedicated to taking care of widows? How in the world would that apply to us? As usual, God had a plan. Aren't you glad he always has a plan? Now let's dig in.

Remember, friends, context is important. So let's review...Paul is writing a letter to Timothy about all the things he wants Timothy to remember, teach about and practice. There is no church building, no Bible (other than the first five books, "The Law"), no paid church staff. This Christianity business is brand new. Being a Christian meant you bought into this Jesus guy who died on a cross and came back to life. You decided to live life with other people who bought into it too. It wasn't a popular thing to do; people were being persecuted, even put to death, for buying into this new belief system. But word was spreading that this Jesus was the Messiah, who Jews everywhere had been waiting for! His church (the people, not the building) was growing daily, but it was confusing to hear some teachers teaching a mixture of the old way and this new way. So Paul wrote a letter to clear things up.

Paul starts off this section of his letter (1 Timothy 5) by telling Timothy to treat the believers as family members. He needed to remember that they were all in this together.  He should treat older men like fathers, even when a rebuke was needed. He should treat the older women like mothers and the younger men and women like brothers and sisters. Family.

But then he goes off and starts talking about widows. Dealing with widows must've been a pretty big problem in the first century church because Paul has a lot to say about it. I get the idea that he probably had a few specific ladies in mind as he wrote, but we'll never know for sure. Either way, we have to have confidence that what he said still holds true for us today. It's in the Bible! Paul tells Timothy that there are different kinds of widows. Some widows have children and grandchildren who can take care of them. Others don't. Some widows are young. Others are old. Some widows live a life of purity for God. Others don't. Some widows have dedicated their lives to good works. Others live for themselves.

The first century believers kept a registry of true widows. Paul laid out the requirements for who should qualify for this list. In order to be put on this list, the widow must not have any living family members who can take care of her. She must be over 60, a one-man-woman (she was faithful in her marriage), and she must have a reputation for good works. If a woman was put on this list, the church took care of her. But remember, this wasn't a line-item in the church's annual budget. Support for these widows was coming out of the pockets of the different families who comprised the church. It was as if my family got together with your family and a few other families and we all pitched in as much as we could and somehow we were able to get food on the table for all of us!

There were other widows, though, who didn't qualify for this list. If they were younger than 60, Paul told them to go ahead and get remarried. He wouldn't want their passions to draw them away from Christ! There were also widows who had children and grandchildren who were living. He instructed Timothy not to support those widows - it was the duty of their families to support them and if the didn't, it was worse than unbelief!

Then Paul switches gears to talk about the elders. Remember, this letter is full of instructions on how Timothy was to set up order in the church. Paul was trying to cover all his bases. He had just finished telling Timothy that the church was to support certain qualifying widows. Now he says that the church should also give double "honor" to elders who do their jobs well. Honor could mean respect or it could mean a paycheck. Paul cited two Scripture references - one from the Old Testament about an ox not being muzzled after it plows a field and the other was a saying of Jesus about paying a laborer his wages, so "honor" here probably refers to some type of financial payment. But either way, the church was to support the men who led them well.

If an accusation was made against an elder, it must not be entertained unless it was brought by two or three witnesses. This was to protect these men who led the church against false accusations. But sometimes elders were caught in sin. In that case, the sin was to be made public to the church, so that everyone who heard about it would think twice before sinning themselves. Paul encouraged Timothy to keep all of these rules without partiality. God doesn't show favoritism, so neither should Timothy.

Paul also reminds Timothy not to be hasty in the laying on of hands. This one hit home for us because we are beginning to search for a new "elder" to fill a position in our church staff. It's so tempting just to stick someone right in there to fill the hole. Paul warns against that. He says some sins are obvious, others are less obvious. And the same is true with good deeds. So rushing to appoint someone as a leader in the church is not a good idea because you could find out some less obvious things down the road that will make you wish you hadn't rushed.

I love the little tidbit Paul adds in verse 23, when he tells Timothy to quit drinking water and go ahead and have a little wine to help his ailments. Timothy must've tended to be a bit legalistic about things like wine and so Paul had to remind him that Jesus came so that we could live in freedom. A little wine to help your stomach is a good thing, Timothy. Don't be so legalistic.

I finished teaching this last night and I asked the ladies that were there to be sure to find me and tell me what God taught them through 1 Timothy 5. I had spent the week preparing the study and I admit I was really wondering what on earth God was going to be able to teach us through such specific instruction about widows and elders this week! Would this even apply to anyone? "Oh ye of little faith!", right?

Right away, one lady approached me and told me she would really like to get involved in our church's nursing home ministry. Hooray! We have a handful of people who go to the nursing home every Saturday morning to minister there and they are always looking for more help. Praise God!

And then another call came in today from a lady who said she was so convicted last night about helping in the nursing home. Ms Ann is going to be thrilled when I send all these new helpers her way! Praise God!

My favorite comment so far has been from one lady who came to me after Bible study and told me she was so glad she came because it reminded her that sometimes we are just too comfortable with sin. We aren't doing what God says to do and we aren't living the way he says we should live. We aren't even bothered by the fact that we are comfortable in our disobedience. Wow. You really got THAT out of 1 Timothy 5??? I LOVE IT.

What a great reminder! God has a PLAN for his church. He wants us to obey him, even down to the nitty gritty daily details. He will bless our obedience. He will not bless our disobedience. He wants us to stop being comfortable in the way we think church ought to be. It's time to get uncomfortable. It's time to obey.

"And being made perfect, he (Jesus) became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him."
Hebrews 5:9.

That is such a precious promise.