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Lay Hands Suddenly On No Man (1 Timothy 5:22)

March 12, 2013 in Expositions with 2 Comments

1 Timothy 5:22- Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men’s sin: keep thyself pure. (KJV)

The laying on of hands was a very common practice in both Old Testament and New Testament times. The custom has its roots in the Old Testament when Israel was to ordain the Levites (Numbers 8:10). And again Moses laid his hands upon Joshua anointing him to be Israel’s leader (Numbers 27:18-23). Next we find the laying on of hands in the New Testament church when praying for people to receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost (Acts 8:17, Acts 9:17). Moreover we find that the laying on of hands was used by the New Testament church to ordain its leaders and their mission (Acts 13:3, 1 Tim. 4:14, 2 Tim. 1:6). With this in mind let us look to Paul’s instruction to Timothy.

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Given to Prayer and The Ministry of The Word

February 26, 2013 in Expositions, Ministry with 2 Comments

The beginning of Acts chapter six invites us to one of the first disputes within the early church. It seems interesting that this problem occurs after the initial persecution of the church (Acts 4), and after the turmoil of sinning saints (Acts 5). If Satan cannot destroy the church with persecution from without, and if he cannot destroy it with sin in its members, then he will try to do it within the leadership of the church (Acts 6:1-7). 

An issue arose from within the leadership of the church that the Hellenist widows were not being taken care of. The Hellenist Jews thought that the Apostles were overlooking the poor and needy. Now, we must understand that the Hellenist Jews were Greek speaking Jews and were not native Palestinian Jews. The Palestinian Jews spoke Aramaic and held true to more traditional views of Judaism. The Hellenistic Jews used the Septuagint Old Testament which was translated into Greek and the Palestinian Jews used the Hebrew Translated Old Testament. The Hellenist Jews and Palestinian Jews had for many years been divided, and now their dissension was seeping into the church.

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Do Not Throw Your Pearls Before Swine

February 8, 2013 in Expositions with 6 Comments

Matthew 7:6 -Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces. (NASB)

In Matthew chapter seven Jesus gives us the balance between right judgment and wrong judgement. We are to show humility in Spirit, and yet display power of Spirit. Taking the speck out of your brother’s eye first begins by removing the log that is in your own eye (Matthew 7:5). We are to first confess our own sin so we can clearly see the sin in our brother’s eye, and therefore help him remove it. Clear vision begins by removing our own hindered vision. Fuzzy vision is usually caused by the timber of the log that is jammed in our own eye. 

Then Jesus gives a striking illustration about casting what is holy and precious to dogs and pigs. Keep in mind that the beginning of chapter seven Jesus is dealing with judgement; good judgement and bad judgement. Context is vital when interpreting scripture.

So who are the dogs and who are the swine? Keeping what is holy and precious from being trampled first begins by examining who to keep it from.

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Let No Man Despise Your Youth

January 28, 2013 in Expositions, Ministry with 12 Comments

Let No Man Despise Your Youth

1 Timothy 4:12 Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. 

Paul penned his letter to Timothy while he was chained in a prison cell in Rome. Timothy, meanwhile, was left to oversee the churches that were in Ephesus. This was no small task for the young preacher. Ephesus was a hub for revival; it was at that time home to the largest Christian population in the world. Yet, Paul felt that Timothy was qualified to be in charge and to make sure everything was done in decency and in order, while Paul was in prison for the sake of the Gospel. Timothy was Paul’s protégé, and often times he would send Timothy to go and check on several churches on his behalf (1 Cor. 4:17, 16:10, Phil. 2:19, 1 Thess. 3:2). However, Timothy was not just to check on the church in Ephesus, he was to set things in order.

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Gnat Strainers and Camel Swallowers

January 16, 2013 in Expositions, Ministry with 22 Comments

Matthew 23:24 You blind guides, which strain out a gnat and swallow a camel

This is a rather interesting verse in Matthew’s Gospel. Have you ever thought about what Jesus meant in this saying?

I was studying this small text and was quite amazed at its depth and meaning. Jesus painted a picture with His words, as He usually did, with this strong rebuke to the Pharisees. Jesus didn’t spare words when He described the Pharisees as “hypocrites,” “serpents,” “vipers,” “blind guides” and even “fools.” What brought about this rebuke to the religious leaders of that day?

For one, the Pharisees majored on the minor and minored on the major. Secondly, they believed they had a corner on the spiritual marketplace. Jesus, not so kindly, tells them other wise. The Pharisees appeared to be the spiritual guru and sneered their nose at anyone who didn’t see it their way. Granted, they went above and beyond the Law, but left zero room for God’s Grace. So Jesus paints a portrait with gnat straining and camel swallowing.

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