weeding out the wrong widows

Posted on May 17, 2022 by Jefferson Vann

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weeding out the wrong widows

1 Timothy 5:9-16

1 Timothy 5:9 No widow is to be enrolled on the list for support unless she is at least sixty years old, has been the wife of one husband,

1 Timothy 5:10 and is well known for good achievements – that is, if she has brought up children, shown hospitality, washed the devotees’1 feet, helped the afflicted, and devoted herself to every good work.

1 Timothy 5:11 But refuse to enroll younger widows, because when they are drawn away from Christ by desire, they want to marry

1 Timothy 5:12 and will receive condemnation because they have renounced their original pledge.

1 Timothy 5:13 At the same time, they also are discipled in being idle, going from house to house; they are not only idle, but are also gossips and busybodies, saying things they shouldn’t say.

1 Timothy 5:14 That is why I plan for younger women to marry, have children, manage their households, and give the adversary no opportunity to accuse us.

1 Timothy 5:15 You see, some have already turned away to follow Satan.

1 Timothy 5:16 If any believing woman has widows in her family, let her help them. Let the congregation not be burdened, so that it can help real widows.

weeding out the wrong widows

Some widows who had no livelihood or families to support them were tasked with a support and prayer ministry.  Paul instructs Timothy on who qualifies for that ministry and who does not (5:3-16).

People management is some of the messy work of missions, but it is very important.  In non-profit organizations, personnel decisions are crucial.  Volunteers may surface for a variety of reasons – not all of them legitimate.  Managing the mission requires insight into motives, and an awareness of potential problems.  Those tasked with mission or ministry management must also be careful that their own motives are pure, so that the LORD himself is not dishonored.

LORD, help us to make right decisions about the people who minister among us.  May we honor them and be careful not to dishonor you.

1ἅγιος

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unfair fighting

Posted on May 16, 2022 by Jefferson Vann

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unfair fighting

1 Timothy 5:1-8

1 Timothy 5:1 Don’t lash out1 at an older man, but seek his help like a father, younger men like brothers,

1 Timothy 5:2 older women like mothers, and the younger women like sisters with all purity.

1 Timothy 5:3 Support widows who are really widows.

1 Timothy 5:4 But if any widow has children or grandchildren, let them be discipled in practicing godliness toward their own family first and to repay their parents, because this pleases God.

1 Timothy 5:5 The real widow who is left all alone has put her hope in God and continues night and day in her petitions and prayers;

1 Timothy 5:6 but she who is self-indulgent is dead even while she is still living.

1 Timothy 5:7 Direct them about these things also, so that they will be blameless.

1 Timothy 5:8 But if anyone does not provide for his own, especially for his own household members, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

unfair fighting

Paul had instructed his protégé Timothy to keep on fighting the good fight of faith. But some in the congregations Timothy was supervising would be tempted to fight unfairly — to take advantage of others in their weakness. Paul urges Timothy to stay away from that temptation.

The elderly are to be treated with respect. Women are to be dealt with in all purity. Those widows who want to be supported by the church must be true widows. Family members should take care of their own, and not saddle the church with a responsibility which is theirs.

The world is watching. We should fight fairly.

LORD, keep us from seeking victory at the price of our own integrity.

1 ἐπιπλήσσω = lash out.

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true godliness

Posted on May 15, 2022 by Jefferson Vann

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true godliness

1 Timothy 4:6-16 (JDV)

1 Timothy 4:6 If you point these things out to the brothers and sisters, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, nourished by the words of the faith and the good teaching that you have followed.

1 Timothy 4:7 But have nothing to do with pointless and silly myths. Rather, train yourself in godliness

1 Timothy 4:8 because the training of the body has limited benefit, but godliness is beneficial in every way, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life which is about to come.

1 Timothy 4:9 This saying is reliable and deserves full acceptance.

1 Timothy 4:10 For this reason we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all humans, especially of those who believe.

1 Timothy 4:11 Direct and teach these things.

1 Timothy 4:12 Don’t let anyone despise your youth, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in care, in faith, and in purity.

1 Timothy 4:13 Until I come, give your attention to public reading, exhortation, and teaching.

1 Timothy 4:14 Don’t neglect the gift that is in you; it was given to you through prophecy, with the laying on of hands by the council of elders.

1 Timothy 4:15 Practice these things; be committed to them, so that your progress may be evident to all.

1 Timothy 4:16 Pay close attention to yourself and what you have been taught; persevere in these things, because in doing this you will rescue both yourself and your hearers.

true godliness

Paul had warned Timothy that false teachers would infiltrate the church and teach people to pursue godliness the wrong way — through self-discipline and abstaining from good things like food and marriage.

There is a true godliness, and it does take training, but it is not based on self-discipline. It focuses on keeping faith in God’s word, hope in God’s promised deliverance, and practice of the Spiritual Gifts he has given us.

True godliness does not consist in making oneself better. It trusts in the one who said he is making all things new.

LORD, help us to live truly godly lives so that others will come to know you — the only source of godliness.

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false godliness

Posted on May 14, 2022 by Jefferson Vann

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false godliness

1 Timothy 4:1-5 (JDV)

1 Timothy 4:1 Now the Breath explicitly says that in later seasons some will withdraw from the faith, paying attention to deceitful breaths and the teachings of demons,

1 Timothy 4:2 through the hypocrisy of liars whose consciences are seared

1 Timothy 4:3 preventing marriage and demanding abstinence from foods that God created to be received with gratitude by those who believe and know the truth.

1 Timothy 4:4 You see, anything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,

1 Timothy 4:5 since it is made sacred by the word of God and by prayer.

false godliness

Paul predicted that within the visible church there would emerge false teachers, and that they would be recognized by their emphasis on false godliness. This is the type of godliness that focuses on the externals, but never leads people to new hearts. These false teachers will teach that to be truly godly, you must forsake normal life — abstain from foods and marriage.

False godliness seeks to be different by following human disciplines in order to make oneself better. True godliness pursues something else.

LORD, help us to escape the temptation to pursue self-made godliness.

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supernatural godliness

Posted on May 13, 2022 by Jefferson Vann

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supernatural godliness

1 Timothy 3:14-16 (JDV)

1 Timothy 3:14 I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you in a short time.

1 Timothy 3:15 But if I should be delayed, I have written so that you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the congregation of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.

1 Timothy 3:16 And most certainly, the mystery of godliness is great: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Breath,1 seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.

supernatural godliness

A mystery is a person or event that can only be explained with reference to the supernatural. Jesus is such a mystery. His congregation is God’s household — God’s family on earth. We have been tasked with declaring that mystery to the nations.

Our conduct is how we win an audience with the nations in order to fulfill that mission. We must display godliness in our natural lives in order to draw attention to his supernatural display of godliness.

LORD, give us the courage to conduct ourselves with dignity so that the world knows that what we say about you is true.

1 πνεῦμα = breath. 1 Timothy 3:16; 4:1.

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three schools for deacons

Posted on May 12, 2022 by Jefferson Vann

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three schools for deacons

1 Timothy 3:8-13 (JDV)

1 Timothy 3:8 Deacons, likewise, should be worthy of respect, not insincere, not drinking a lot of wine, not greedy for money,

1 Timothy 3:9 holding the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.

1 Timothy 3:10 They must also be evaluated1 first; if they prove blameless, then they can serve as deacons.

1 Timothy 3:11 Wives, too, must be worthy of respect, not slanderers, self-controlled, faithful in everything.

1 Timothy 3:12 Deacons are to be husbands of one wife, managing their children and their own households competently.

1 Timothy 3:13 For those who have served well as deacons acquire a good standing for themselves and great boldness in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

three schools for deacons

It is clear from this set of qualifications that Paul set the standards high for congregational leadership. But absent from this list is any sort of academic qualification. Timothy was establishing new congregations and there would not have been time to send people to school, even if there were Bible colleges and seminaries to send them to.

Yet, there were three schools every deacon had to have passed through.

One school that every deacon had to do well at was the school of family life. Our relationships and proven leadership at home are a major source of our leader evaluation.

Another school that plays a key role in church leader evaluation is the school of personal discipline. People who cannot control what they eat and drink will prove to lack discipline in other areas as well.

A third school that deacons will have need of a passing grade in is the school of faith in the gospel. They must not only hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience, they must also be able to proclaim that mystery with great boldness.

1δοκιμάζω = evaluate.

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out-front overseers

Posted on May 11, 2022 by Jefferson Vann

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out-front overseers

1 Timothy 3:1-7 (JDV)

1 Timothy 3:1 This saying is reliable: “If anyone aims at being an overseer, he desires a noble achievement.”

1 Timothy 3:2 That is why an overseer must be blameless,1 the husband of one wife, moderate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, competent to teach,

1 Timothy 3:3 not addicted to wine, not a bully but tolerant, not belligerant, not loving silver.

1 Timothy 3:4 He must manage his own household competently and have his children under control with every dignity.

1 Timothy 3:5 (If anyone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of God’s congregation?)2

1 Timothy 3:6 He must not be a new convert, or he might become conceited and incur the same condemnation as the devil.

1 Timothy 3:7 Furthermore, he must have a good reputation among outsiders, so that he does not fall into disgrace and the devil’s trap.

out-front overseers

Timothy had been left in Ephesus for the purpose of developing and appointing leaders for the congregation. These leaders apparently were not called pastors. That term is more popular in church leadership today than it was then. Those who managed local congregations were overseers, and they were assisted by deacons.

Their essential qualifications were:

  1. They must have solid marriages,
  2. They must be able to control their (adult) children,
  3. They must have personal self-control,
  4. They must maintain a good reputation,
  5. They must have proved themselves by experience.

The leaders are out-front. They reflect the character of the organization. Special care must be taken to provide for leaders who reflect the standards set by the LORD. His reputation is at stake.

LORD,  may we be careful to reflect your godliness in all that we do. May we be wise enough to choose leaders who will honor you with their behavior.

1 ἀνεπίλημπτος = blameless. 1 Timothy 3:2; 5:7; 6:14.

2ἐκκλησία = congregation. 1 Timothy 3:5, 15; 5:16.

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submitting to quiet discipleship

Posted on May 10, 2022 by Jefferson Vann
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submitting to quiet discipleship

1 Timothy 2:11-15 (JDV)

1 Timothy 2:11 A wife should be discipled1 quietly with full submission.

1 Timothy 2:12 I do not allow a wife to teach or to have authority over a husband; instead, she is to remain quiet.

1 Timothy 2:13 You see, Adam was formed first, then Eve.

1 Timothy 2:14 And Adam was not deceived, but the wife was deceived and overstepped.2

1 Timothy 2:15 But she will be rescued through childbearing, if they stay in faith, care, and devotion, with good judgment.

submitting to quiet discipleship

In the strongly patriarchal world Paul lived in, he had to make concessions to male domination, and this passage is certainly an example of such a concession. He discourages Christian wives from dominating their husbands. Instead, he encourages them to submit to being discipled quietly.

As an example of this, he points out how Eve had to be rescued from her mistake, and through God’s grace received forgiveness.

His objective is not “putting women in their place” but keeping the culture open to the gospel. Although he taught that in Christ, gender differences do not matter (Galatians 3:28), he knew that unbelievers would be looking for opportunities to reject the gospel. So, he encouraged Christian wives to voluntarily submit to quiet discipleship rather than showing off their freedom in Christ.

There are some cultures on the planet today where Christian wives should practice the same thing. But, hopefully, we will all soon outgrow the need to concede to patriarchalism. God has no sexual preference. We are all one in Christ.

______________________

1 μανθάνω = be discipled. 1 Timothy 2:11; 5:4, 13.

2παράβασις = overstep.

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praying in public

Posted on May 9, 2022 by Jefferson Vann

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praying in public

1 Timothy 2:8-10 (JDV)

1 Timothy 2:8 That is why I want the husbands1 in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or argument.

1 Timothy 2:9 wives2 should pray in the very same way, dressing themselves in modest clothing, with decency and good judgment, not with elaborate hairstyles, gold, pearls, or expensive apparel,

1 Timothy 2:10 but with good achievements,3 as is proper for wives who profess to worship God.

praying in public

Paul’s instruction here was not so much about gender roles, but about setting a good example in public as Christians. He had just told Timothy that he should be regularly praying for political leaders, and now he is saying that the public worship of Christian couples should set a good example for everyone — including those leaders.

When magistrates and governors see Christian husbands praying without anger or argument, they are more likely to give them justice. When they see Christian wives praying with modest and sensible clothing, they will respect them.

Paul was not arguing against gender equality here. He was instructing both husbands and wives to display their faith in Christ in the public without shaming the name of Christ by drawing attention to themselves. Both husbands and wives are equally responsible to live up to their profession in public.

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1 ἀνήρ = husband (when compared to wife). 1 Timothy 2:8, 12; 3:2, 12; 5:9.

2 γυνή = wife (when compared to husband). 1 Timothy 2:9-12, 14; 3:2, 11-12; 5:9.

3ἔργον = achievement. 1 Timothy 2:10; 3:1; 5:10, 25; 6:18.

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a ransom for all

Posted on May 8, 2022 by Jefferson Vann

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a ransom for all

1 Timothy 2:5-7 (JDV)

1 Timothy 2:5 You see, there is one God and one mediator between God and humans, the human Christ Jesus,

1 Timothy 2:6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, a testimony at the proper season.1

1 Timothy 2:7 I was appointed a herald for this, a missionary (I am telling the truth; I am not lying), and a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

a ransom for all

Paul had just encouraged Timothy to keep on fighting for the faith, but now he says that Christ is the one mediator and he gave himself as a ransom for all. This cannot mean that everybody will be saved. If that were the case, there would be no reason to keep fighting for the faith. If all will be saved, no fight is necessary.

So, why does Paul mention that Christ is the one ransom for all? He means both Jew and Gentile. The Christian faith insists that Jesus is the only mediator. His death on the cross was a sacrifice sufficient to save everyone. But a sacrifice is only efficient if it is presented in faith by a believer.

LORD, thank you for Jesus, our one mediator who gave himself as a ransom for all..

1καιρός = season. 1 Timothy 2:6; 4:1; 6:15.

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