PRAY FOR EVERYONE

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Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

Therefore I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing.

1 Timothy 2:1-4, 8

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

We live in a society grounded in dislike. I hate to have to say it but it’s true.

Just take a test drive around any social media platform and you’ll see it as plain as day...and we know that social media is a place where you can get a general idea of society’s views because people definitely aren’t afraid to tell you how they feel anymore, even if it is through a post that someone else composed.

An easy place to see this is in American politics. We’re so far gone from the days of collaboration and compromise that I don’t know if we’ll ever get back. Moderates have nearly gone extinct in government and it’s easy to see how.

For in our current climate, everyone has to be right. And if you don’t agree with another’s views then you’re wrong or radical or crazy or evil or whatever the negative label of the day is.

Oh yeah, and people will try and cancel you with a mob mentality when this goes really extreme. That’s the sad place we’ve gotten to.

Of course, we just need to go to the scriptures and we can see how this was in play during Jesus’ time. The Jewish religion was deeply ingrained in Israel before God came to earth in the Great Incarnation and walked the earth as man in the form of Jesus, bringing a new covenant to His people in person. We read of this covenant pronouncement in the third chapter of John’s Gospel as Jesus said:

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. v.16

And so Jesus’ message and ministry launched with this as the core mission statement. He was the Messiah the Jews had hoped for, the One who was prophesied to come and conquer their oppression bringing them to victory...with an emphasis on them. You see, they had a problem with the “whoever” part of the new salvation plan.

This is because the Jews saw themselves as exclusively being God people. After all, God had told them that they were His people and He would be there God. And this was true but there was one matter they wanted to deflect from. They were perpetually disobedient to God’s commands and expectations for them.

Over and over again, the people would choose to turn from God, not just because of minor infractions but I’m talking about deciding to worship other gods completely. They wanted God to be their God but they weren’t interested in honoring Him the same way. The cycle of falling into disobedience, being warned for such disobedience, failing to heed the warning of punishment and then being punished, asking for forgiveness by promising to change, and then being restored before falling back into disobedience again was unsustainable.

And so God, loving not only His people but all He had created, instituted a new plan, one that would require one final atonement to cover the sins of all people and the opportunity for everyone to be saved, whether they were a Jew or not. Anyone could find peace with Him and gain eternal life through simply believing in Jesus as Savior.

In other words, Jesus became (and still is to be) the great Unifier of all people and if there’s one reason we are so divided today is that we, as a people collective, turned away from Christ.

That’s what makes today scripture passage as we look at the opening verses of 2 Timothy 2 such a game changer, if we put them into practice. Look again at what Paul wrote:

I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

Therefore I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing.  2 Timothy 2:1-4, 6

Here we find the word of God, spoken through the Apostle, urging everyone, everywhere, to offer up “petitions, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving”, not just to the people we choose to, not to the ideological group we associate with, but rather to “all people” and when God says “all” He means ALL. No one can be excluded.

Do you do this? Do you pray, intercede, thank and bring petitions to the Lord on behalf of all people and that includes those you may consider enemies or those you deeply disagree with?

If we’re really honest, I’m pretty sure we all fall way short of the mark. In fact, I know so because look again at what we are to pray for as we pray over everyone:

...that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.

Now ask yourself this:

As a nation and/or as a world, are we living “peaceful and quiet lives” defined by “godliness and holiness”?

If God were to ask us this, it would be a moment of terrible embarrassment, for sure because we couldn’t be further from where we need to be. If anything, we’re moving further and further in the opposite direction, and if living in peace and quiet while being godly and holy “pleases God” then that would mean He has to be extremely disappointed and angered at the way He sees us behaving. I can’t help but feel He thinks the wrongs of the people of Israel are being repeated by this latest generation of disobedient, disrespectful people.

Friends, the Savior God “who wants all people to be saved” and “come to a knowledge of the truth” is calling us to prayer, petition, intercession, and thanksgiving for all people, asking Him to produce peaceful, quiet lives that display godliness and holiness. The time is now for us to lift up holy hands and change course, showing the Lord our willingness to obey His word and will in order to please Him. If we don’t, then we can expect His wrath and judgment to come upon us, something no one should ever want. 

The Old Testament Israelites would tell you that if they could.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

A SHIPWRECKED FAITH

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Timothy, my son, I am giving you this command in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by recalling them you may fight the battle well, holding on to faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and so have suffered shipwreck with regard to the faith. Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme. 1 Timothy 1:18-20

Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly. Their teaching will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have departed from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some. 2 Timothy 2:16-18

Alexander the metalworker did me a great deal of harm. The Lord will repay him for what he has done. You too should be on your guard against him, because he strongly opposed our message. 2 Timothy 4:14-15

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

No matter how hard the church tries to stay centered in the Gospel and on Jesus, Satan is always at work trying to disrupt those efforts and shipwreck Christ-centered faith. Anytime the church tries to grow stronger, the enemy always seeks to weaken it. It’s was true at the very advent of the Christian church and it has been true through the ages to our present days.

How does this happen?

Because the church is made up of sinners, imperfect people who can easily be influenced to change their thinking in ways proposed by the world and contrary to the scriptures. Instead of the Gospel advancing on the seas of the world, steered by the wind of the Holy Spirit, there are believers who can cause the church to change course and run aground.

We see it today within mainstream congregations where decisions have been made to change church polity toward the world and its ways, despite those changes being in complete contradiction to the inerrant Word of God. In these cases, massive schisms have occurred, shipwrecking the body of Christ and breaking it up into smaller fragments of believers. In the aftermath, the Christian church has become divided and greatly disempowered in its Gospel work.

This is exactly what the Apostle Paul was trying to prevent from happening in the Ephesian church as he writes two letters to Timothy, the second informing sometimes informing the first as we see in today’s message.

As Paul finishes up the first chapter of his first letter, he exhorts his missionary partner to “fight the battle well” while “holding onto faith and a good conscience” against those who were bringing “false doctrines” into the church, doctrines that included “myths and endless genealogies” which promoted “controversial speculations” and “meaningless talk” instead of “advancing God’s work” (1 Timothy 1:3-4,6,18-19).

Who was he up against?

Paul calls out those who were attempting to disrupt the church doctrine, those who he declared to be shipwrecked in their faith.

He first mentions Hymenaeus and Philetus, and we have to go to the second letter to Timothy to gain some specific knowledge as to what they were doing that was sinfully altering the scriptures and the Gospel. Referring to their actions as blasphemy, we learn that they were proclaiming the resurrection, the return of Jesus to claim those who had believed in Him, had already happened.

Imagine for a moment if you were a member of the Ephesian church and you heard this. You were holding onto the assurance that because you believed in Jesus, you were guaranteed to be saved and that this saving would happen when He returned. And now, one of your fellow Christians is asserting that the resurrection has already happened. If you believed him, your faith would indeed be destroyed. One shipwrecked faith would cause another.

Such was the danger of men like Hymenaeus and Philetus to go unchecked and unchallenged in the church and it was Timothy’s job as pastor to restore the purity and sanctity of the Gospel while weeding out those who were trying to distort it before the falsities infected the church like “gangrene”.

As for Alexander, we know he “opposed” the message Paul and the other missionaries brought to Ephesus when the church was established and this message was the Gospel. We don’t know exactly how he was opposing but we do know from the second letter to Timothy that the metalworker did the Apostle great harm and Paul felt that the Lord would repay him for his actions. Like Hymenaeus and Philetus, the Apostle warned Timothy to “be on guard against him”.  

We need to be on guard today as well because Satan is not giving up on his efforts to destroy the Christian church and sabotage the advancing of the Gospel. All Christian believers need to be strongly knowledgeable of the Word of God and immersed fully in the Holy Spirit. For in doing these two things, we can prevent ourselves from being led astray to where our faith is shipwrecked by those who are already there.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT

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In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Timothy, my son, I am giving you this command in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by recalling them you may fight the battle well, holding on to faith and a good conscience.

1 Timothy 1:18-19a

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. 1 Timothy 1:17

In yesterday’s message, we looked at the importance of giving honor where it was always due, to the Lord our King who is eternal, immortal, and omnipotent. He has no rival or equal as His sovereignty and supremacy are unmatched so all glory should go to Him above anyone and everything else.

This was Paul’s command to Timothy who was once his young protégé but had grown and matured to be his missionary partner in the Gospel ministry.

As Paul wrote this first letter to Timothy, we know he did so with concerns about the church in Ephesus, the place where Timothy was ministering. Of chief concern was the teaching of “false doctrines” by “certain people” in the church. These falsities included a devotion to “myths and endless genealogies” which Paul said promoted “controversial speculations” and constituted “meaningless talk” instead of “advancing God’s work” in the church by faith (1 Timothy 1:3-4,6).

The bottom line is that the purity of the Gospel needed to be preserved and any attempts to pervert that purity needed to be strongly opposed. In other words, a battle was going to be at hand within the Ephesian church as Timothy went to work to eradicate the false teaching that was occurring.

Now, if anyone knew about going to battle for the cause of the Gospel, it was the Apostle Paul. His whole life seemed to be ensnarled in a constant fight against opposition to ensure people heard the good news of salvation through Jesus by faith and faith alone. No other requirements or works were needed.

And so as he called Timothy to wage war against the false doctrines that were trying to infiltrate the church of Ephesus, we find him exhorting his fellow ministry mate to stay the course through the confrontation. Look at these words found towards the very end of chapter 1:

Timothy, my son, I am giving you this command in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by recalling them you may fight the battle well, holding on to faith and a good conscience. Vv. 18-19a

Timothy was ordained into the Gospel ministry and had come to Ephesus to serve as the pastor of the Christian church there. The commissioning involved the laying on of hands that Paul himself had been a part of (2 Timothy 1:6-7). This was the prophecy that Paul is referring to here, that Christian leaders had acknowledged his special gifts and motivation for the cause of Jesus which qualified him for the Gospel ministry.

Having traveled with Paul for some time, Timothy knew all too well what he was getting into. He had watched his mentor go through trial after trial after trial. Now, he was on his own and so we find Paul exhorting him to “fight the battle well” and to do so by “holding onto faith” and a “good conscience” that the cause he was fighting for was worth every ounce of energy to defend it.

Today, we often come up against opposition ourselves when we boldly carry the good news of salvation through Jesus to others. When that happens, let us hear the words of Paul speaking to our hearts and minds as well, words that urge us to keep fighting against anything that would serve to pollute or hamper the Gospel while holding onto the trust that our Lord walks with us every day we go forth for His cause and will do so until the end of the age (Matthew 28:20).

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

GIVING HONOR WHERE HONOR IS DUE

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Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

1 Timothy 1:17

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

The matter of honor always seems to at the forefront of things in life. I say this because everyone seems to want to be recognized or gain a following, often times going to extremes to do so.

For example, I recently read about an event that happened in 2018 where an aspiring rapper decided to ascend and stand on an interstate highway exit sign in a major California city. He stopped traffic for two hours before eventually jumping onto inflatable cushions and then being removed, charged, and arrested by the police. Oh yeah, he did all this only wearing underwear. In his view, what he did was appropriate to gain attention and publicity. It was all about him and wanting to gain some kind of honor, even if it meant spending time in jail and having a criminal record.

Today, we find people trying to gain large followings on social media platforms like X or TikTok, often willing to do ridiculous things just to get noticed. Some people actually get rich off of their antics which only leads others to try and do likewise. A quest for honor begets other quests.

Of late we have also seen where obscure songwriters can even get rich and be fueled by a song that goes viral on social media, usually because it is politically volatile and we can’t get enough of that it seems. People have drawn up sides in America and if you appeal to one side, you can be honored by them in ways that reach rather epic proportions. Unfortunately though, the opposing side will go to great lengths to try and dishonor the person.

Yes, people of the world seem to get obsessed with this matter of honor, to be adored and worshiped to the point where they feel idolized and the draw of potential wealth as a result only further fuels a person to seek more and more publicity.

But here’s the thing.

Self pursued honor is self centered in nature and this is a major issue before a God who is the Maker and Master of all creation, a God who makes all things possible, a God who will accept no worshiping of idols.

The Bible makes this matter clear. We are to honor the Lord and Him alone in every way and at every time. Not people. Not anything that people have created. Only God and Him alone.

The aforementioned people and those like them practice self glorification and Satan is good at birthing this sin within someone. Gain a little bit of acknowledgment or fame and all of a sudden a person can begin to believe that they are great instead of deflecting the honor to the Lord who deserves it.

We only become great because He chooses to lead us to greatness and He only leads us to greatness so that we can bring Him the praise and turn the spotlight from ourselves toward Him. For how will we ever impact the word for His cause and His sake, if we never testify about Him, letting others know the true source of our success.

The Apostle Paul totally understood this. He was the worst of sinners, destined for destruction and Hell, before Jesus came to him on the road to Damascus and changed the trajectory of his life forever. As a persecutor of Christians, Saul loved the celebrity of being valued by his fellow Jews for the fervor he displayed toward eliminating “the way” as Christianity was often referred to in that day. His reputation preceded him for we read in Acts, chapter 9 of how Ananias, a Christ believer in Damascus, was well aware of Saul’s reputation when he was told by Jesus to pay the persecutor a visit to renew his sight.

But then everything changed. Jesus restored Saul’s vision and his eyes opened to see the world and his place within it in a whole new light through belief in Jesus, the Light of the world. After regaining his strength from fasting, Saul immediately went into the synagogues and began preaching the Gospel, much to the shock of the Jews in attendance. His mission had changed and he now sought to bring honor to the Lord he had dishonored in his former self.

We know this through the very words of the Apostle and his testimony. Once such place is found in our scripture verse for today from 1 Timothy as he writes:

Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen (1:17).

Here we find Paul summing up the supremacy and omnipotence of the one and only God, the King of all kings and Lord of all lords. He is a God who has no rival or equal. He is the Creator and Ruler over all things in heaven and on earth, and His reign and sovereignty has no end as He is eternal and immortal. And He holds the ability to do all things, to make the impossible possible and the improbable probable.

Friends, we can’t afford to get so caught up in the world and ourselves that we somehow put God second in anything. Let us, like Paul, put honor where honor is due and never cease to do everything, whether in word and deed, so that all glory and praise goes to God and God alone, now and forever more.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

MADE AN EXAMPLE OF

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display His immense patience as an example for those who would believe in Him and receive eternal life.

1 Timothy 1:15-16

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Have you ever had someone make an example of you?

We probably all have gone through this at one time or another because it happens all the time, usually as someone takes a wrong someone has done and tries to make a positive out of it.

My earliest recollection of this is surprisingly when I was in first grade and I say “surprisingly” because I am nearly 60 years departed from that moment and yet it sticks in my memory. In fact, I don’t remember anything else from that first grade year (or even the entirety of my second grade year) except for that one event and I believe it’s because I was made an example of.

It was the last day of school and of course there was an excitement buzzing through the classroom as we were getting ready to enjoy a summer off before moving onto the next grade level. Our teacher wanted to do something nice and so she decided to give us all popcorn as a treat. She had left the room and therefore we were unattended. Unfortunately, this mischievous little boy couldn’t handle the opportunity at hand.

And so, as my teacher returned to the room she was disappointed to find me standing up on top of my desk and dancing on it. After demanding that I come down from there, she proceeded to impose a consequence. I was not allowed to have any of the popcorn and I had to sit at my desk the rest of the period. It wasn’t much fun after that.

Of course, the teacher’s motive was two-fold.

First, she wanted to teach me an important lesson so that I wouldn’t make the same mistake again. I can honestly say that I didn’t so mission accomplished there and obviously the incident has stayed locked in my mind up to now so I have never forgotten what happened.

The second reason for the imposed punishment was that my teacher wanted to let all the other children know that my behavior was unacceptable. She made an example out of me so they wouldn’t do what I did some day. I don’t know if she succeeded but I am sure my fellow classmates watched me sitting incarcerated at my desk while they were free to have fun and were glad they didn’t follow my lead and behaved.

So why go into this matter of being made an example by someone?

Because it is central to our passage today as Paul continues writing to his ministry coworker, Timothy. Look again at those words here:

Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display His immense patience as an example for those who would believe in Him and receive eternal life. 1 Timothy 1:15-16

Arguably more than any other New Testament figure, Jesus made an example out of Paul, taking him from a persecutor and killer of Christians to a selfless servant who dedicated himself to saving those who were perishing in their sin.

Go back to that Damascus road that Paul (then known as Saul) traveled, eager to eradicate the Christian movement in that city. His reputation as a fervent and faithful Jew who was skilled in attacking and disempowering “the Way” was unmatched. That is, until he let his match in Jesus.

You can read all about this encounter in Acts, chapter 9 and you’ll see it was really a one sided affair. Jesus confronted Saul with a light that flashed all around him, a light that drove him to his knees as Jesus asked, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?”. And after Saul questioned who “He” was, Jesus clearly identifies Himself before commanding him to get up, go into the city, and await further instruction. As Paul got up, he had lost his ability to see, much to the surprise of the men who were traveling with them, men who were bewildered for they had no involvement in the altercation except as bystanders. Imagine the confusion these men must have felt as they helped Saul to his feet and helped lead him the rest of the way into Damascus.

Three days later, Saul received a visit from a man named Ananias, a man that Jesus had summoned. Here’s what we learn about that exchange in Acts 9:

In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!”

“Yes, Lord,” he answered.

The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”

“Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to Your holy people in Jerusalem. And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on Your name.”

But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim My name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for My name.” Vv. 10-16

I find it totally ironic and wonderful that Jesus would put the restoration of Saul’s sight in the hands of someone he was actually coming to persecute. For we learn that Ananias was a disciple of Jesus who definitely knew who Saul was. The reputation of the persecutor who hailed from Tarsus proceeded him.

But note what Jesus said in response to Ananias’ concerns, a reply that had to amaze the Damascus disciple.

“Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim My name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for My name.”

The message was clear. Jesus was about to make an example out of Saul, an example that would enhance the Great Commission call to make disciples of all nations. Saul, who would be better known as Saul during his missionary journeys, would proclaim the name of Jesus to the Jews (the people of Israel) and Gentiles alike. And while he did, Jesus would show him what persecution looked like on the receiving end.

Well, Ananias did as Jesus commanded and said this to Saul as he laid hands on him:

“Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Acts 9:17

And with that, “something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again”. The scriptures tell us that “he got up and was baptized” before eating so he could regain his strength after three days of fasting while he was blind (Vv. 18-19).

With his physical strength renewed and his spiritual self born again in Christ, Saul “spent several days with the disciples in Damascus”, preaching in the synagogues that Jesus was the Son of God. This astonished those who heard him as the converted persecutor revealed his new mission and calling. We read in Acts 9 that Saul “grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah” (Vv. 20-22).

Going back to our passage from 1 Timothy, Paul summarizes well how Jesus made an example out of him for the cause of the Gospel. For Jesus took a sinful man, self proclaimed to be “the worst of sinners” and showed that anyone could be saved through mercy and grace if they would simply “believe in Him and receive eternal life”.

Friends, there are countless people today who feel they have disqualified themselves from salvation by way of the things they have done in life. Through Paul’s life story, we can share the good news that Jesus saves the worst of transgressors and use the example he made out of the Apostle to affirm that truth that “deserves full acceptance”.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

A TESTIMONY FOR EVERY CHRISTIAN

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In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that He considered me trustworthy, appointing me to His service. Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

1 Timothy 1:12-14

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

I’ve long held to the belief that personal testimony can be one of the most powerful and effective tools used in ministry. I say this because it involves sharing one’s life with another and how the Lord has moved within it...and everyone who hears can usually relate because they are living life too every day.

For example, this past Sunday my home church had a guest speaker as our Pastor is currently on Sabbatical. The man, Vernon Brewer, is the founder of World Help Ministry (https://worldhelp.net) and he made it a point to let us know his organization was all about giving hope to the hopeless through God who makes the seemingly impossible routinely possible.

Vernon’s message about the work of his organization was informative and it’s obvious the Lord is blessing their work in amazing ways as they are making a difference around the world but what really underscored this in a big way was his personal testimony and how he had seen God move in the ways World Help professes.

At age 38, he shared that he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma and it was a far from routine cancer treatment and recovery process. The disease and treatment impacted his vocal cords to the place where he could only whisper for 18 months. A revolutionary procedure was used where latex was used in his vocal cords and he was able to regain his ability to speak, a voice he has used to champion the cause for Christ and the Gospel. He also suffered issues with his left hand that required multiple operations and skin grafting just so he could use it again. All and all, Vernon underwent 18 surgeries and 18 months of chemotherapy, emerging as a cancer survivor with a strong story to tell others about the amazing, miraculous power of the Lord. I encourage you to watch and listen to his message here (https://www.atlanticshores.org/sermons/other-speakers).

Well, as we see in today’s passage from the first chapter of 1 Timothy, the Apostle Paul had his own testimony to share, one I think every believer could share as well. Look again at his words here:

I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that He considered me trustworthy, appointing me to His service. Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Vv. 12-14

Paul’s story is a remarkable one.

When we first meet him, he is overseeing and approving the execution of the Christian servant, Stephen, by way of stoning (Acts 8:1). We learn that he was known as Saul then and had gained a reputation as a fervent Jew and Christian persecutor who was a close ally of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish authoritative council of the day.

Not exactly someone you would think would become the most renowned apostle and servant of the Lord Jesus Christ.

But the Lord has a way of changing and transforming people in a big way. For while Saul was on the road to Damascus, eagerly ready to seek out and prosecute any and all Christians there, he has a supernatural confrontation with Jesus Himself, the one who Saul was persecuting (Acts 9). Jesus removed Saul’s sight for three days before restoring it through Ananias and when Saul could once again see, he saw the world and his future in a whole new light.

The scriptures tell us that he immediately got to work in the Damascus synagogue, preaching that Jesus was the Son of God. Such was the incredible reversal of belief that members of the synagogue asked themselves, “Isn’t he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?” Saul, once a blasphemer, persecutor, and violent man, became a man on a mission for the cause of Christ and the Gospel. He had fully experienced the mercy, grace, love, and faith of the Lord who could have left Him blind but instead pardoned and forgave, seeing how Saul had behaved out of “ignorance and unbelief”. Able to see deep within Saul, Jesus considered him “trustworthy” and therefore appointed him to service.

And Paul didn’t let Jesus down. His chronicled Gospel work dominates the New Testament outside of the Gospels.

My brothers and sisters in Christ, we were all like Saul before we came to our salvation. We were sinners who unbelieving and ignorant, basking in our disobedience and transgressions.

And then, Jesus came to us and we chose to believe in Him, and this decision changed everything as we fully experienced the mercy, grace, love, and faith of the One bore our sins on the cross so to save us. Christ, our Lord and Savior, considered us trustworthy as He gave us the strength to serve Him and carry out His will, a will grounded in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20).

This is our story, the story of every sinner who has come to salvation through the only name who can save, the mighty name of Jesus.

Like Vernon Brewer and the Apostle Paul, who will you share your inspiring testimony with today, giving thanks to God for all He has done through Jesus, His Son?

Someone will love to hear it.

Many will need to hear it.

And Jesus is ready to save anyone that feels moved to believe in Him so that they too may have their own story to share about the His amazing goodness and grace.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

THE BEAUTY OF BIBLICAL LAW REVEALED BY THE LIGHT OF THE GOSPEL

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm. We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. We also know that the law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, for the sexually immoral, for those practicing homosexuality, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine that conforms to the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God, which He entrusted to me.

1 Timothy 1:7-11

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Paul was concerned about some within the Ephesian church who had started to teach false doctrines grounded in “myths and endless genealogies” (1 Timothy 1:4) and so he sent a letter to his ministry partner, Timothy, to put an end to it. The call was to bring the believers in Ephesus back to the unadulterated Gospel, a Gospel centered on Jesus and the salvation from sin gained through Him.

Now, another common issue within the newly established Christian churches of the first century was the unwillingness of converted Jews to give up their past traditions, traditions that were grounded in the Law. These laws served as the standards for living within Judaism and were to be followed perfectly although no one could do this as every Jew was an imperfect sinner at heart. There were designated “teachers of the law” who invested time in the synagogues to instruct the people about the Law and their obligation to it. Over and over again in the Old Testament, we read of perpetual offerings that were rendered to God as atonement for transgressions but none of those sacrifices ever put a Jewish believer into a permanent place of peace with God. This is why God instituted a new plan for sin reparation and established it as the final covenant that would ever be needed between Him and all people, Jew or otherwise.

This new sin reparation plan is often referred to as the aforementioned Gospel and is summed up nicely by the very words of Jesus, the Lamb who took away the sin of the world (John 1:29):

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

With all this in place, let’s look at today’s passage from the first chapter of 1 Timothy as the Apostle Paul discusses both the Law and the Gospel:

They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm. We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. We also know that the law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, for the sexually immoral, for those practicing homosexuality, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine that conforms to the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God, which He entrusted to me. Vv. 7-11

Here we find the Apostle letting the Ephesian believers know that the Law was no longer the primary teaching point of the church. For sure, it wasn’t to be discounted but it shouldn’t ever interfere with the “sound doctrine that conforms to the Gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God” through His Son Jesus that was to be taught first and foremost.

To shine a little more understanding regarding the relationship between the Law and the Gospel, consider what Paul writes in his letter to the Romans:

My brothers and sisters, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God.

For when we were in the realm of the flesh, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in us, so that we bore fruit for death. But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.

What shall we say, then? Is the law sinful?

Certainly not! Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of coveting. For apart from the law, sin was dead. Once I was alive apart from the law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death (7:4-10).

The law with its commandments is good if it is used properly. It exposes the sinfulness and wickedness within mankind as it was “made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, for the sexually immoral, for those practicing homosexuality, for slave traders and liars and perjurers”. Like Paul, we would not know what sin was if it wasn’t for the law. And so by conscientiously considering all that God has ordered His people to do, we see just how much we fall short of being who He wants us to be and we see how we are in opposition to Him. The commandment shows us just how dead we are in our iniquities, firmly in the crosshairs of a God who hates sin and will bring His wrath and judgment to bear unless there is a saving, spiritual intervention that brings pardon.

Enter Jesus, God’s one and only Son, the One who brings eternal life to everyone who believes in Him.

The beauty found in the Law when we look at it in the light of the Gospel is that it shows us our utter hopelessness in life without Christ, the One who took us from the Law so we might belong “to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God”. We are dead to the sin that once bound us and have been given a renewed purpose, following the “way of the Spirit” vice “the old way of the written code”.

The scriptures assure us that anyone who is Christ becomes a new creation, leaving the past behind for a life patterned after Jesus, a life directed by the power of the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 5:17). Let us ever give thanks for the Law and how it revealed our need for salvation while we give thanks to God for saving us through Jesus His Son, the final atoning sacrifice ever needed to set us free from the bondage of sin.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.