WHO CRIES OUT IN LAMENT TO GOD TODAY? Lamentations was written to “lament” (to grieve and mourn) the destruction of Jerusalem by the prophet Jeremiah. It calls the remnant of Judah to “cry out” to the Lord in their distress. Like the book of Job, it puzzles over the results of evil and suffering in
DO YOU HAVE THE HOPE OF ETERNAL LIFE? In Paul’s letter to Titus, he described himself as an apostle of Jesus Christ who lived and preached “in the hope of eternal life.” This eternal life is not only of the soul, but of the body. For the resurrection body of the Lord Jesus is the
FULFILLING THE MINISTRY GOD HAS GIVEN YOU As Paul faced the real possibility of execution for preaching the gospel, he gave final instructions to Timothy. He wanted Timothy to be unafraid of suffering and willing to work hard for the sake of the Good News. Like a captain issuing orders to one of his soldiers,
RETREAT OR RUN AFTER? Paul told Timothy that there is a time to retreat and a time to run after. As it regards “youthful passions,” the command is to “flee.” Unlike the instruction to “stand firm” against the devil (Eph. 6:11), lust is not defeated by direct assault, nor resistance. It is to be avoided.
THE LIFE ON LIFE DISCIPLESHIP STRATEGY Just as Jesus discipled twelve and sent them out to make disciples, so Paul discipled Timothy to do the same. This is the powerful, world-changing strategy of life on life discipleship that Paul taught Timothy. Some have described this strategy of life on life discipleship as following five
ARE YOU ASHAMED TO TELL OTHERS ABOUT JESUS? What causes us to feel shame to speak of Jesus? There are at least three reasons: 1) Lack of spiritual zeal. We don’t feel worthy to talk about Jesus because we are not living as we should. 2) Believing the enemy’s lies. These lies tells
LOVE GOD. USE MONEY. Money is a means of exchange, a morally neutral thing that is useful when rightly used. Yet, the love of money is idolatry. It puts money in the place of God. Rather than saying “in God we trust,” it puts its trust in money. The one who loves money sees serving
HONORING THOSE WHO PREACH AND TEACH THE WORD Elders are to lead and feed the flock. Or as Paul taught, they are to be “good leaders” and “work hard at preaching and teaching.” In return, the members of the flock are to count them “worthy of an ample honorarium.” The Greek word translated “honorarium” has
FOCUSING ON THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD Paul told the young pastor Timothy to avoid focusing on silly distractions and people who might despise his leadership. Instead, he was to give his attention to the ministry of the Word–– its public reading, its “exhortation” (“preaching”) and its teaching. The pastor in today’s church faces
HOW NOT TO ENCOURAGE A TROUBLED HEART There are those who have never experienced loss that think the way to cheer up the one who has is by distraction. However, this response is not only inappropriate, but inconsiderate. The one who would encourage, would first seek to understand the feelings of the hurting, and then