Naomi's Disaster

Ruth 1: 3-5

We saw yesterday that this man left Bethlehem to take his family across the border into nearby Moab temporarily during one of the famines to take care of his wife and sons.

(3) Then Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died; and she was left with her two sons.

When her husband died she was dependent on her sons to support her.

(4) They took for themselves Moabite women as wives;

These are the people they lived among, these boys grew into their manhood from boyhood here.

the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. And they lived there about ten years.

The name Orpah could be derived from orep, meaning "the back of the neck, mane" which would refer to "stiff-necked."

The name Ruth is traditionally derived from raah, "friend" or "friendship."

These names are indicative of how they ultimately responded, as told in the rest of this chapter.

We're not told whether they lived ten years after Elimelech died or if they were married for ten years, but they apparently stayed in this foreign land longer than they had originally planned.

(5) Then both Mahlon and Chilion also died, and the woman was bereft of her two children and her husband.

Being widowed and now with no sons to support her either, was a serious situation in her own community, but here in another land she would be in desperate straits.

We can see here that God is setting up Naomi for her part in His great Plan of the Ages, but she is completely unaware why God would be treating her this way.

Often we also cannot discern why God is letting negative and even disastrous events happen in our lives, but we can still trust Him through it all, as Naomi did.

O my Father, thank You for being worthy of our complete trust, even when we are bewildered and befuddled in the chaos and darkness around us. We know that You have told us that everything we are reading in the headlines today would happen, when You had Your prophets write so long ago.

My Father, as You have led me in my studies of Your written Word, You have let me connect so many dots, that I never before knew had any connection! But You have shown me that it is all one story, the story of Mankind, from before the beginning until after the end, and the Star of the Show is Jesus! He is the Lord God Almighty who appeared and gave the information to write, and who broke into our world as a Man like us to be our Savior and Redeemer.

And it will be He who will return soon to judge and clean up this world to rule it in righteousness, giving this Earth its Golden Age. Only after that, when everything is finished, will be the end, when it explodes, and the Universe implodes, and You create anew a completely different Earth-like planet in another Universe, in which to live with us, and we with You, forever.

O Father, send out Your children to cast broadly Your good seed of the Gospel. Please let every living person hear Your Good News while they are still able to make a free, informed choice. Father, draw to Yourself all of Your embryonic children to the birth into Your own family, and let no one else have any excuse!

And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will proclaim that Jesus is our Christ, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.

Even so, please come quickly, Lord Jesus!

Setting The Stage In Ruth

Ruth 1: 1-2

This is a beautiful little story that can teach us some important theological truths, lived out by these simple people.

(1) Now it came about

This story begins with wayehi (literally, "and it was"), usually translated as "Now it came to pass," or in modern stories we might say, "It came upon a time." But this is not a fairy tale, "truth is stranger than fiction," and this little tale of history actually happened, and God wants us to know this charming story. 

in the days when the judges governed,

This took place during the time when Israel had come into the Promised Land and did not have a king yet, but when "every man did what was right in his own eyes" (Judges 17: 6; 21: 25). Moses had warned them not to do this, in Deuteronomy 12: 8, but since they "had no king" to lead them, instead of letting the Lord be their King and following His ways, they went around and around doing evil, suffering economic ruin, returning to the Lord, and doing it all over again.

This was during the last third of the second millennium B.C. It is not necessary to put the time of this story any more precise than that.

that there was a famine in the land.

This was one of the economic downturns they experienced in those days. Which one is not important.

And a certain man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the land of Moab with his wife and his two sons.

The severity of the famine caused this man to leave his home and take his family to nearby Moab in the expectation of a fuller life, where the famine had not reached. This was not a permanent move, only a temporary sojourn, gur, "to live for a while." This is the legal status of a resident alien that usually included protection under the laws of the host land. Abandonment of one's homeland meant severance from one's family, clan, and deity.

(2) The name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife, Naomi; and the name of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem in Judah. Now they entered the land of Moab and remained there.

The name Elimelech means "God is King," Naomi means "pleasant" or "lovely." The first son's name, Mahlon, means "sickly," and his brother's name rhymes with his, Kilion, and means "weak."

So this little family traveled to this other country and lived there for a while, so that's where the boys probably grew up.

O my Father, thank You for this little story of Your faithfulness and love for us. Thank You for showing us how You provide for us, even when we are unaware of all the machinations You are guiding us through to Your conclusion and purpose.

Father, we can see that this family had no idea of how You would use their decisions to further Your great Plan of the Ages. And we are also unaware of how You are using our choices, because we do not see our personal futures. We can plan out where we want to go, but our steps are guided by You into the path each of us is to take, so You will receive all the credit, all the glory for what is done.

O Father, even when we don't see, we can trust You to lead us aright, when we turn to You and take Your hand to lead and guide us through the darkness into Your great eternal Light.

Send us out, Father, to share with the world how much You have loved all of us to send Your own Son to be our Savior and rescue us. Let us broadcast Your Good News to every nation, so that every living person will hear, and realize how accessible You are to everyone who turns to You.

And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will proclaim that Jesus is our Christ, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.

Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!

Peter The Apostle

I Peter 1: 1-2

(1) Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,

This is Simon Peter, who was one of Jesus' twelve apostles, and walked with Him for the three and a half years of His ministry, witnessed His crucifixion death, and was one of the first to witness His resurrection at the empty tomb. Peter was the spokesperson for the group of the early disciples. He was a fisherman from Bethsaida, and had a home in Capernaum.

To those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen

Peter wrote this letter to the Christians who lived in the area north of where Paul traveled.

(2) according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood:

Peter acknowledges that all three Persons of the Triune God participated in their salvation: God the Father's foreknowledge and planning, God the Spirit's work of sanctifying and setting apart, and God the Son who sprinkled His blood on the sides of His altar the Cross to wash us clean from our sins and our sinfulness.

May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure.

He blesses them with God's peace and grace, to the most they can receive.

O my Father, please help us to realize how intimately You are involved with us, in loving us so much that You planned to choose us to be Your own family even before You made us.

O Father, Your love for us is beyond what we can comprehend. And Your care for us is complete and total. You will never allow us to face anything that You are not ready to lead us through in Your strength.

Father, these recipients of this letter were going through some serious persecution at this time, and Peter wanted them to experience Your grace and peace in the midst of it all, just as You will comfort us and strengthen us through whatever You allow into our lives.

My Father, keep us strong and bold to disseminate Your Truth throughout the nations of the whole world, so that every living person will hear how much You love us all. Father, You don't want anyone to be left behind without knowing how to come to you. Send us out and enable us to reach them.

And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will proclaim that Jesus is our Christ, the lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.

Even so, come soon, Lord Jesus!

Accept Him As You Would Me

Philemon 17-25

Paul has just asked Philemon to have mercy on his run-away slave, Onesimus. And he asked if he could send him back to Paul to serve him in prison. This is asking much, and also defying Roman tradition concerning slaves.

(17) If then you regard me a partner, accept him as you would me.

Now Paul uses an accounting term, partner, koinonos, closely related to koinonia,"fellowship," here it has the idea of a business partnership. Paul wants Philemon to welcome Onesimus as he would Paul himself, as a partner in God's business, His Kingdom work.

(18) But if he has wronged you in any way or owes you anything, charge that to my account;

This is a wonderfully gracious and astonishing offer of Paul to assume any debt that this slave might owe his master, and he is very tactful in not accusing Onesimus of anything. A common act of runaway slaves was to steal something from the master to finance travel to a far distant location.

Paul uses another accounting term, charge, elloga, to maintain the imagery. Although he does not admit that Onesimus has stolen anything, he leaves open the possibility with his, wronged you in any way or owes you anything, even if it would only be the loss of the value of his work that may bring his master financial income.

(19) I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand, I will repay it (not to mention to you that you owe to me even your own self as well).

A handwritten statement carried great legal weight; so Paul is giving Philemon a promissory note. Then he shifts to a higher level, in noting that Philemon's spiritual indebtedness to Paul should easily cover all of Onesimus' wrongdoing. Paul's hint is obvious, "Charge it to my account in Heaven."

(20) Yes, brother, let me benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ.

Paul expresses a completely nonassertive wish with the word onaimen, translated here as let me, in asking Philemon to refresh his heart. As he refreshed the hearts of many in Verse 7, how would he not do the same for the apostle to the gentiles? This is an excellent example of literary reinforcement.

(21) Having confidence in your obedience, I write to you, since I know that you will do even more than what I say.

Paul has carefully avoided giving any commands to Philemon, but he expects obedience. To what? To the love of Christ? More than what I say, hyper ha lego, "beyond what I suggest;" more than simply loaning him as a slave, Paul may be suggesting that Philemon use his imagination and think of what more he could do than what Paul has already asked?

If this is a hint of suggesting that Philemon give Onesimus his freedom from slavery, it is not open; Paul never directly assaults the social and economic institutions of his day. The abolition of slavery was never thought of until hundreds of years later.

(22) At the same time also prepare me a lodging, for I hope that through your prayers I will be given to you.

Here the suggestion of an imminent visit lends more weight to Paul's hints and requests. This may suggest a hope on Paul's part of being released soon, or it may just be an added incentive for Philemon to do the right thing. The word for lodging here is xenia, "guest room" or "hospitality," one of the highest of Classical and early Christian virtues. Both meanings are in view here, as Paul is assuming that Philemon's prayers are for Paul's release and restoration to the church.

(23) Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you,

(24) as do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, Luke, my fellow workers.

The five co-workers sending greetings here are the same ones Paul names in his letter to the Colossians (4: 10-14), which was most likely written at about the same time.

Epaphras was from Colosse and a fellow prisoner, John Mark was Barnabas' cousin who traveled with them, Aristarchus was also a fellow prisoner, Demas was still there, though he later left (see II Timothy 4:10), and Luke was the physician who tended to Paul, traveling with him. He mentions that they all are his fellow workers, and Onesimus has also proven to be useful in ministering to him (vs. 11, 13).

(25) The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

Paul ends this note with the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, his usual ending, finishing this brief and beautiful letter.

O my Father, please help your children to love one another as Paul loved both Philemon and Onesimus, two men of opposite social strata, both brothers in Christ. Father, help us all to see one another as brothers and sisters, no matter how many differences there are among us. We are all one human race, multi-colored, and we need to appreciate the variety among us, not let it divide us.

O Father, You love a variety; teach us how to enjoy the varied differences in color, in culture, in language, in likes and propensities, in desires and dreams, in skills and abilities and interests. You made us all different, Father; help us to accept one another as You have accepted us, regardless of all of our rough edges.

My Father, show us how to love You by loving one another. Let us see how to show Your love, in all the ways people look for love. Show us the differences in our personalities, and how to get along and let slide the things that otherwise would irk and irritate us. Help us get along in Your family as brothers and sisters without any of the worldly sibling rivalry.

Let us all work together to broadcast Your good seed of the Gospel into all the fertile fields of the nations of the world, so that every living person will be able to hear and understand Your love to have sent Your own Son to be our Savior. Help them all to know Your plan to rescue us, so they can make an informed decision to turn to You, or else to reject Your generous and gracious gift.

And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will proclaim that Jesus is our Christ, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

More Than A Slave

Philemon 8-16

Paul has just commended Philemon for his love for Paul and the other Christians.

(8) Therefore, though I have enough confidence in Christ to order you to do what is proper,

Paul's confidence is in Christ, not in Philemon, and he knows that he has the authority to give him a command.

(9) yet for love's sake I rather appeal to you--since I am such a person as Paul the aged, and now also a prisoner in Christ Jesus--

Instead Paul appeals to him as one he loves, who is an old man now, and even in prison. Paul is unable to do anything except to appeal to Philemon.

(10) I appeal to you for my child Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my imprisonment,

He is appealing to Philemon on behalf of Onesimus, who became a Christian under Paul's ministry while he sat in chains between two guards, imprisoned.

(11) who formerly was useless to you, but now is useful both to you and to me.

This is a double play on words, as Onesimus, is a common slave name, which means "useful" or "profitable." It is also the meaning of chrestos, which appears in this verse as achrestos ("useless"), and euchrestos ("useful"). Chrestos, in turn, sounded so much like Christos that the Roman historian Seutonius takes this to be Jesus' name. This word play was very clever and humorous to an ancient reader. That Paul uses it at the beginning of his plea for Onesimus shows his exquisite sensitivity and tact.

(12) I have sent him back to you in person, that is, sending my very heart,

Again we see how dear to Paul is Onesimus.

(13) whom I wished to keep with me, so that on your behalf he might minister to me in my imprisonment for the gospel;

Paul would like to keep Onesimus in Philemon's place.

(14) but without your consent I did not want to do anything, so that your goodness would not be, in effect, by compulsion but of your own free will.

Paul would not "take" this slave or his labor without the permission of his owner and master, but he is urging him to share him because it's the right thing to do.

If he weren't in prison, he would have been able to assume custody of a runaway slave after he had given guarantees of his return to the public officials, and suggested that the slave be assigned to him for a time. This was not uncommon.

But Paul was not free to follow this legal procedure, so instead he confronts the social and economic order head-on; and his request for clemency for Onesimus and hint of his assignment to Paul defied Roman tradition. By this plea Paul was giving dignity to the slave class.

Paul has been speaking as an urbane, deferential, educated man of the classical world, then goes further and urges Philemon to make his decision out of Christian love rather than obligation.

(15) For perhaps he was for this reason separated from you for a while, that you would have him back forever,

(16) no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, a beloved brother, especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.

The contrast between a while and forever show God's hand in this whole situation, and reveals Paul's tact; instead of referring to him as a runaway, he speaks of a temporary separation that will result in a permanent reunion with him.

And he contrasts slave, a temporal and demeaning position, with brother, an eternal relationship in the Lord.

In many of the ancient religions and in Greek and Roman law concerning religions, a slave was treated as an equal with the other adherents to the religion, breaking the economic and social barriers between people; but as they feared and appeased their gods they never claimed to love them, or to be loved by them.

Only in Christ are we to love God and love our fellow human beings as Christ has already loved us. And Paul loves Onesimus very much, and Philemon will love him all the more, as more than a slave, a beloved brother.

O my Father, there is so much I do not know yet of You and Your ways. Help me to follow You in what I do know so far. Strengthen me to stand my ground, on the Rock of my salvation, even in the midst of the storm.

My Father, as I obey what I know, help me to learn further truths so I can also follow You deeper into the Secrets of God. You want us to search out matters, and to connect the dots in Your Scriptures to understand more of the Big Picture.

O Father, let me share the insights You give me with others. Give me Your words, Father, to express Your ideas and Your ways to the world. Use my efforts to inform many of who You are and how much You love them, too.

Father, let every living person hear and understand to make an informed decision to follow You, or to turn away.

And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus is our Christ, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.

Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!

Philemon's Godliness

Philemon 4-7

Letters written in the first century, whether Christian or pagan, usually began with an expression of thanksgiving and a prayer after the salutation.

(4) I thank my God always, making mention of you in my prayers,

(5) because I hear of your love and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints;

Paul starts off the body of this letter with thanking God for Philemon's godliness, in his loving lifestyle toward the Lord and others.

(6) and I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective through the knowledge of every good thing which is in you for Christ's sake.

And his prayer is that Philemon would continue and be even more effective in his service through knowing Christ more intimately, and learning His ways.

(7) For I have come to have much joy and comfort in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.

Paul has been repeatedly impressed with all the expressions of Philemon's love, bringing him much joy and comfort. Paul is praying for great Christian maturity in his brother, which would find expression in Philemon's treatment of Onesimus.

O my Father, I pray for all Your children, that we may each draw closer to You in Your love, enjoying deeper intimacy with You, loving You more, and expressing this relationship with You in our dealings with one another. Teach us Your ways, to think Your thoughts, adopt Your attitudes, seeing reality with Your eyes, Father.

My Father, protect us from vulnerability to all the seductive deception that surrounds us in this world. Keep us grounded and firm in Your Truth, and bathed in Your compassionate Love, so that Your gentleness and Your meekness in Your strength will sustain us as we intermingle with the world and have dealings with them.

O Father, You are so good and so kind to us. You have told us Your great Plan of the Ages, and we are witnessing it unfold before our very eyes.

Father, we can discern that our Lord Jesus will be returning soon to this Earthly realm, because we can see all the turmoil You said would precede His coming transpiring, and all the minions of the devil stirring up hatred in the masses of people who do not know You.

Strengthen us, dear Father, to withstand the onslaught of all the evil, and after having done all, to stand.

Let our witness go out into all the nations of the world, so that every living person will hear of Your great love and provision for all of us, to rescue us.

And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will proclaim that Jesus is our Christ, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.

Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!

Paul To Philemon

Philemon 1-3

The Story: Onesimus was a slave who ran away from his master, all the way to Rome, where he could get lost in the crowd. There he somehow met Paul, who was in prison there. Paul witnessed to Onesimus, who became a Christian, and turned out to be a good help to Paul.

The return of a fugitive slave was a complicated, technical procedure in Roman law by this time, so the Roman authorities may not have been aware of Onesimus' legal standing. Paul was able to arrange for the return of Onesimus to his owner, who happened to be Philemon, who Paul knew. Philemon and his family lived in Laodicea, and they and perhaps their son Archippus, hosted a local church in their home.

And in running away, Onesimus apparently stole something from his master, perhaps something he could use to buy his passage to Rome.

The reason and purpose of this letter is for Paul to intercede on behalf of Onesimus.

(1) Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother,

Paul is obviously in prison for his faith, and he mentions Timothy as being with him, lending even more authority to this letter.

To Philemon, our beloved brother and fellow worker,

Philemon is the master of the household, and a Christian man, who is beloved by Paul and commended as a fellow worker.

(2) and to Appia our sister,

His wife Appia would have had the daily responsibility for managing the household, giving the slaves their duties and overseeing their ministration.

and to Archippus our fellow soldier,

If Archippus was their son, then he was grown and most likely had a position in their church, as a fellow soldier.

and to the church in your house:

The whole family must have participated in the church life, as they hosted the congregation in their home. It was common in the early church to hold their meetings in private homes. It wasn't until the third century that we have records of separate church buildings.

(3) Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

This is a normal greeting at the beginning of a letter in that day. Grace and Peace are both from both the Father and the Son, the Lord.

The form of the salutation here departs from Paul's other salutations, because it is a letter of commendation, and the wording is calculated to suggest that his appeal should be favorably received.

O my Father, thank You for every part of Your written Word, even this slip of a personal missive. Help us to learn Your ways, even in Paul's sensitivity and tact in this message. In loving one another, we are to treat each other with consideration and respect, allowing them to make their own decisions for which they will be accountable.

And we can encourage them to do the right thing, but allow them to make their own choice. And accept for them whatever they decide. This is not easy for us to do, so Father, help us to learn to be this way. The way You are with us.

And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus is our Christ, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.

Even so, come soon, Lord Jesus!

Not Unfruitful

Titus 3: 12-15

Now Paul is mentioning some personal items as he finishes this short letter.

(12) When I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, make every effort to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there.

He had left Titus on Crete to take care of the problems in the churches there, now he says that when Artemas or Tychicus arrives to take his place, then he is to leave to get his next assignment from Paul.

Paul hasn't come to Nicopolis yet, so he may have written this letter from Corinth after his release from his first imprisonment.

(13) Diligently help Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way so that nothing is lacking for them.

Zenas and Apollos were most likely the ones who brought this letter to Titus, and he is told to provide to them everything they needed, and not be skimpy. This is to be an example to the congregation of caring for one another.

(14) Our people must also learn to engage in good deeds to meet pressing needs, so that they will not be unfruitful.

Titus is to include the churches in this supply, so they will learn to do these good deeds and grow in their faith so they won't be unfruitful.

(15) All who are with me greet you. Greet those who love us in the faith.

Then Paul ends with greetings, from everyone who was with him to everyone there, as the you is plural. Zenas and Apollos will verbally tell them everyone who is extending these greetings.

Titus is to give Paul's greetings to those who love us in the faith, all the believers on Crete who are filled with affection for Paul, in faith (as there is no definite article here), the sphere where their affection lies--in trusting Paul to teach them the truth.

Grace be with you all.

The final benediction to close the letter.

The pastor is to encourage the congregation to be generous in what they have with others who have needs. God gives some a surplus so that it can overflow to others to provide for them. Even when we don't think we have much, there is always something we can do or give, so that we can learn to be generous like our Father is with us, and grow in trusting Him to provide our needs.

O my Father, You are so generous with all of us. You are our Source, and You have placed in this Earth such a great abundance of everything all of us will ever have need of, no matter how many we are, to all be healthy and prosperous and enjoy life with one another.

Father, teach us how to get along with one another, to be generous like You, and to be compassionate like You, and to treat each other with patience and kindness, as You do us. Show us how to be like You in all that we do, to lean on Your Spirit instead of our own understanding, and to grow up to be like our Father in Your family.

My Father, please strengthen all of Your children to go out and broadcast Your seed across all the fields of the world, so that every living person will hear and understand clearly to make a fully informed decision to turn to You and accept Your gracious offer of Redemption; or else turn away in their own vanity and pride.

And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will proclaim that Jesus is our Christ, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.

Even so, come swiftly, Lord Jesus!

Working With The World

Titus 3: 1-11

(1) Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed,

Titus is to remind them of what they already know, to be subject, a middle-voice infinitive, which means voluntary acceptance of this submission. To remind them, the people in the congregation.

Rulers and authorities are abstract nouns, which means not the individual people in the positions of authority, but the offices of the governmental system. This requirement to submit to government is also found in Romans 13: 1-7; and I Peter 2: 13-17.

(2) to malign no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing every consideration for all men.

As Christians we also have an obligation to our non-Christian neighbors. We are not to draw attention to their evils and faults, not hurling curses and vicious epithets back at those offending and injuring us.

But we are to be peaceable, amachous, "nonfighting," "not brawlers," refusing to engage in quarrels and conflicts. Never start a fight.

We are to be gentle, epieikes, "mild, patient" in the face of their attacks.

We are to show every consideration, "all meekness," "true humility;" we are to put ourselves in their shoes, imagine the hurt and pain that is propelling them to do what they are doing against us.

Toward all men, everybody, no matter what kind of people they are. On Crete there were some really rude, crude hombres; the whole island had this reputation (1: 12).

(3) For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another.

The Christians on Crete came out of this culture, and we today also have come out of the pagan and rebellious cultures today. We know where they're coming from, because we also came from there.

I know that I came from a life of disobedience, I was deceived into thinking that I was smart enough to make my own decisions, and I spent my life in wanton pleasure-seeking. 

(4) But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared,

(5) He saved us,

But when God found me, He broke my addictions, He gave me a new life, and I am like a different person now. God was so kind to me in looking past my fault and seeing my need, as the song says. He rescued me. And He wants to rescue you, too!

not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,

But there is nothing we can do to earn this salvation, because even our best deeds which we have done in righteousness are no better than "filthy rags," uncleanable menstrual cloths (Isaiah 64: 6). It's because He has mercy on us, in not giving us the wrath and punishment we deserve, but putting all that on Jesus, His blood splattering the sides of His altar, the Cross, washing us clean, individually, so that His Holy Spirit can live in our spirit, "regenerating" us, being born spiritually into God's family, one by one.

(6) whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,

God sent His own Spirit of Life to us richly, abundantly, because of what Jesus, our Messiah and Savior and Redeemer has achieved on our behalf.

(7) so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

We are justified by His grace, God removes all of our sinfulness and declares us totally righteous, by His grace, the goodness that we don't deserve. And with His Holy Spirit in us, we are His children, His sons and daughters, and co-heirs with God the Son, to inherit with Him all that the Father is giving to the Son.

(8) This is a trustworthy statement;

This trustworthy statement is the preceding verses (4-7).

and concerning these things I want you to speak confidently,

Paul wants Titus to be clear on how God saves us, so he will be confident in proclaiming this Gospel.

so that those who have believed God will be careful to engage in good deeds. These things are good and profitable for men.

Now those who are believers are to be careful to do all the good deeds that God wants us to do, in the power of this new life we have in the Holy Spirit. We are to engage our society in participating in the beneficial campaigns even alongside those who are not Christians, that enhance our well-being as a nation. Christian ethical standards have beneficial effects not only on Christians, but will elevate our whole society.

(9) But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and strife and disputes about the Law, for they are unprofitable and worthless.

But in engaging in projects with unbelievers, we must avoid arguments and not let them draw us into political or other kinds of disputes, as this will only tear down and nullify our witness to them.

(10) Reject a factious man after a first and second warning,

Here we have the "three strikes, you're out" methodology. Someone who has been warned to not twist Scripture, or add to it, or deny part of it, and doesn't take it to heart, must be warned again. And if he still doesn't reform, then he must be rejected as a teacher.

(11) knowing that such a man is perverted and is sinning, being self-condemned.

Someone who has been taught the truth and corrected from error, who still persists in that error, and refuses to accept the Truth, has shown himself to be twisted and deceived in his thinking, rebelling against God.

God made Hell for Satan and his angels. The only people who end up there are those who have chosen to believe lies and rejected God's love. They go there voluntarily.

God never "sends" people there. He wants everybody to be saved and rescued from this fate. That's why He sent His own Son. That's why He leaves us here after He saves us, so that we will tell others. We are His witnesses, His messengers, His missionaries. He wants us to grow up and go out and spread the seed of His Gospel into all the fields of the world, so that every living person will be able to hear this Good News and have an informed choice to turn toward or away from God's generous and gracious gift.

He will not interfere with the freedom He has given us in our free will, our ability to choose. We are free to choose to stay in the darkness we are born into, or we can decide to seek the Light. Those who choose to search for Light will eventually find it. But those who are satisfied to stay in their darkness will never find the light. Jeremiah says,

You shall seek me and find me, when you search for me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29: 13.

And Isaiah says we are to:

Seek the Lord while He may be found, call on Him while He is near. Isaiah 55: 6.

So God wants us to want Him. He loves us and wants us to want to love Him back. When we are aware of not being right or whole in ourselves, and we search to find what we are missing, whether it be Truth, or Beauty, or Right-ness, or whatever it is we lack, we are searching for God. God is our Source of everything. He is Light, He is Love, He is Life, He is Beauty, He is Wealth. When we search honestly and relentlessly, and we've almost found it--that's when God shows up!

When He shows up, then turn to Him, and call on Him, and accept what He wants to give you. Don't wimp out.

O my Father, You are so great, so good, so beautiful! You are so generous to make this beautiful Earth to be our temporary home, with all the wealth it provides, as You mold us and train us to be Your children, Your sons and daughters, Your army, Your priests, Your temple. And You have been so kind to all of us, in allowing us to freely choose to come to You when You call us into Your loving arms!

My Father, I pray for Your church. Please show all those who think they are Yours but just have a religion, that they can be born into Your own family, and have that relationship You want to have with them. Help Your children to express Your kindness and gentleness and graciousness to lead them into Your Truth, to be drawn to the new birth. Then they will realize why their Christianity wasn't working for them. Then they will go from having a religion to a real relationship with You.

And Father, also bring those who have been deceived into other religions to realize what they are missing and turn to You. You are the only God, Yahweh, the I AM. Only You are the self-existent One, who has no beginning and will have no end. There is no other. Any who claim to be "other" are creatures, either demons or imagination.

O Father God, strengthen us in Your strength. Teach us to persevere in Your endurance. Help us to meekly submit to the authorities You have set up, even when the people who hold those offices are evil, harsh and cruel. Show us how to work with others in worthy causes with graciousness and gentleness without compromising Your truth, showing the world who You are, so that they will be hungry for Your Bread of Life and thirsty for Your Water of Life.

And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus is our Christ, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.

Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!

The Blessed Hope And Glorious Appearing

Titus 2: 11-15

Titus is to strengthen the families, because the false teachers have done their most damage there.

(11) For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men,

God never wanted anyone to be lost and destroyed; He made the human race to be His family, but He gave us a choice to want to love Him back. When Jesus came and fulfilled His first mission, the door was thrown open to every person to be able to seek Him and find Him, no matter who they are.

(12) instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age,

God's grace teaches us to turn away from the life we once lived in the world, and the hedonistic passions that ruled it then. Get rid of all the negative, then pay attention to the positive, looking in three directions: living sensibly, the inward, self-controlled; righteously, the outward uprightness that every believer should show to the world; and godly, upward reverence and devoted obedience to our loving God.

(13) looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus,

This "glorious appearing" of our Savior is our present and constant expectation, always ready for His calling us out to Himself. This is our settled hope and goal of everything we are doing every day we live here as God's children. It is the reason for all we do, whether we're going to work or fixing dinner for the family or sharing with our neighbors what we have been blessed with. Everything we do is to bring God the glory for enabling us to do it. Without Him we can do nothing.

This verse also brings out the deity of Christ, as the Lord God of the Old Testament.

(14) who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.

God the Son who had been given Lordship by the Father, gave the Law to Moses and the prophesies to the prophets, so we would recognize Him when He came to fulfill them. And He left His glory and became a Man, and as a human, submitted himself to the humiliation of Crucifixion, taking on Himself to pay our debt we owe, so that He could cleanse us with God's own blood sprinkled on the sides of His altar, the Cross, purifying and sanitizing us of all the disease of sin and rebellion. And He also purchased us all to belong to Him.

Those who also have submitted themselves to Him are the ones who are cleansed, so that He could live in us by His Holy Spirit, teaching us His ways and empowering us to do His will, to accomplish all the good things He wants done as His hands and feet. And He will give us the rewards for the good deeds He is doing in and through us.

(15) These things speak and exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one disregard you.

Paul tells Titus that he has the authority to boldly do these three things all in the present imperative:

--to speak, to teach, to proclaim the message; and 

--to exhort, to encourage hearers to appropriate and practice it; and

--to reprove, to rebuke and convict those who are slack or fail to respond.

As the apostolic representative of Paul in Crete, Titus must let no one disregard you, or despise or look down on or belittle his message and authority; or be slighted or disdainfully rejected.

Since this letter was to be read in the churches, the remark was apparently intended as much for the Cretans as for Titus himself.

As I see it, Titus was like a bishop over all the churches in Crete, although this term is never applied to him in Scripture. Paul wanted him to appoint the local pastors over each assembly, and to oversee that they would all be preaching the pure Gospel to the congregations.

If they were ships, he would be the admiral over all the captains. Is this not the role of a bishop in the church?

As all the Epistles were to be read in all the churches to all the members of the congregations, then even we as parishioners in the pews need to know all of these things so that we can determine if we are sitting in the right assembly that will teach us the Pure Truth.

So many of our denominations have diluted the Word, denied crucial points and added in many of man's ideas instead of God's ways. We each need to know what we believe and why we believe it, so that we can discern if our leaders are leading us into that narrow path or out into some byway that leads away from God's path for us.

This is our personal responsibility. When we face Him at the Pearly Gates, He won't take the excuse that "it's what I've been taught!"

This is why I share this blog with everyone, for free. We all need to know the Truth, and if I put out here anything that you think is not according to God's Pure Truth, please call me on it! Comment your sources and I promise I will do further research.

I claim no authority as a teacher. I'm sharing what God is teaching me through His Word by His Holy Spirit who lives in me. But I am still human, and vulnerable to listen to my own heart, that lies to me.

O my Father, I pray for Your church. I pray for Your children all over the world, that they would know Your presence and Your Word, to discern whenever some teacher is teaching in error or in truth. To enable them to discern that their teachers are disseminating Your Truth, without adding in anything else, and without ignoring any part of it.

O Father, please let every one of Your children discern whenever some teacher is twisting something You have said, to make it mean something that You never intended to say. Give us boldness to call out that teacher, and share Your Pure Truth with him or her, and if they will not listen, then to exclude them from having any more influence on God's church.

Or to leave that erring congregation and find one that is true to Your Truth, Father.

My Father, please protect Your children from being influenced by the Enemy and his minions, and draw all of your embryonic babies to their birth into Your family.

Father, embolden Your sons and daughters to declare to the world Your Pure Word of Truth, so that every living person will hear and understand clearly to make a free and informed decision to choose You or to reject Your gracious and generous gift.

And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will proclaim that Jesus is our Christ, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.

Even so, please come quickly, Lord Jesus!

Our Witness In Our Family Groups

Titus 2: 1-10

Paul has just delineated how to recognize the false teachers Titus was to confront there in the churches on Crete.

(1) But as for you, speak the things which are fitting for sound doctrine.

So he tells Titus to be firm in teaching healthy, true doctrine; this the best antidote to error, in building up the inner life of the believers. Correct doctrine must result in good behavior. His emphasis falls on the family groups, where the false teachers did the most damage.

(2) Older men are to be temperate, dignified, sensible, sound in faith, in love, in perseverance.

This is a different word from the one for "elders." This simply refers to age, not office. The value of their example will depend on their moral character.

Temperate usually refers to abstaining from alcoholic beverages, but has a wider meaning, "clear-headed."

Dignified is "worthy of respect" and seriousness of purpose that invites honor and respect.

Sensible is self-controlled, self-mastery in thought and judgment. Able to think it through and come to a reasonable conclusion.

Sound in faith refers here to personal faith in the Lord, trusting Him to have taken their place in death, and to lead them in their walk.

Sound in love, this is agape love, the love God has for us, unconditional and free. To have this love in a healthy way is the meaning here.

Sound in perseverance, the patience, the steadfast endurance and persistence that bravely bears the trials and afflictions of life. It's been called "mellowing." This is what reveals personal maturity and strength of character.

(3) Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good,

The older women are to likewise possess the same character qualities of the older men, and in addition to this, their reverential behavior would preclude them from spreading any vicious gossip, nor imbibing in very much alcoholic beverages, which two items are related to one another.

And by personal word and example they must teach what is morally good, noble and attractive. The word does not refer to public instruction, but the teaching function in the home.

(4) so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children,

(5) to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored.

Titus is not to teach the young marrieds, but the older women, qualified to do so by position and character. What they are to teach is all the household functions, so they can learn to manage their own households.

Paul gives Titus a list of seven characteristics to teach these young wives:

To be devoted to their husbands and to be devoted to their children. These two lie at the very heart of every Christian home.

To be sensible and pure: here is another pair. To be self-controlled is a standing duty for all Christians. Pure denotes not only sexual chastity but also purity of heart and mind in all their conduct.

Workers at home and kind is a third pair. The first describes the many domestic activities of the housewife, and that she is to find her absorbing interest in the innumerable duties of the home; and kind, in not giving in to the irritability resulting in harshness, but cultivating this virtue, doing what is good and beneficial to others, especially those of her own household.

The concluding item, being subject to their own husbands, stresses her acceptance of the order of authority in the relationship between husband and wife as her Christian duty. This is in the middle voice, meaning that she is "subjecting herself to," accepting her voluntary intent to recognize the headship of her husband in the home. Notwithstanding the immeasurable elevation of the woman's status as equal to man's (Galatians 3: 28), this does not abolish her functional position as the support for her husband in God's order. As the Father is over Christ who is over the husband who is over the wife who is over the children.

The concluding purpose unites all seven of these items: that God's Word, His message of Love to the world through us, would not be dishonored, or "blasphemed." If Christian wives ignored these demands and flouted the role that culture demanded, both then and now, the Gospel would be maligned, criticized, and discredited by non-Christians.

This is a special duty God has given to women to be assertive in the culture, while also being subject to their own husbands, showing the world the order and peace of God that results in obedience to His ways.

(6) Likewise urge the young men to be sensible;

And the young men, of whom Titus is one, are to be sensible, sober-minded. Young men are notorious for being frivolous and foolishly danger-seeking, the opposite of this recommendation.

(7) in all things show yourself to be an example

As a young man, Titus, the pastor, is to be the example to the others.

of good deeds, with purity in doctrine, dignified,

Good deeds, outward lifestyle, demonstrating the truth of what we believe, in integrity and seriousness, with honor and respect.

(8) sound in speech which is beyond reproach, so that the opponent will be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us.

We all need to be careful of our words, and Paul cautions Titus to regulate his words so closely that no one would be able to gainsay him at all.

This is good advice to us all. We all get into trouble whenever we aren't careful with our words!

(9) Urge bondslaves to be subject to their own masters in everything, to be well-pleasing, not argumentative,

(10) not pilfering, but showing all good faith so that they will adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in every respect.

Now we come to the lowest rung of our human society, the slaves, the untouchable caste, the throw-aways. God loves them just as much as He loves the President and the CEO. Each human person is precious and is a prince or princess in His royal family when He redeems them.

But as placed under the authority of another, even as an employee, we are to still recognize God's order, and submit to the other. A slave had no choice, and Paul makes no distinction between the Christian or the pagan master, or despot, indicating that the slave-owner had total authority over the slave.

The one enslaved who is a Christian is to serve and obey their master in everything, stressing the comprehensiveness of this duty. The character of this subjugation is to endeavor to give full satisfaction to his or her master. This is in a positive frame of mind, not argumentative, disputing their orders. And not taking advantage of having access to the master's belongings, underhandedly diverting to themselves part of anything their master had not intended for them.

Their positive duty is to show that they can be trusted, demonstrating "good faith" in their whole relationship with their master, proving themselves to be dependable and trustworthy to be beneficial to their master in all that they do.

This is to show the beauty and practicality of the doctrine we believe as Christians, lived out by the most unexpectedly joyful people. 

O my Father, please help us all in our families and stations in life to recognize Your order, and enjoy our privileges as sons and daughters of the King as we submit ourselves to one another in humility and compassion, obeying You as the Father, and Your Son as our Christ and our King.

My Father, send out Your children, even as we live in our glass houses that the world is watching, to demonstrate our family dynamics as obedient to Your ways in submitting to one another, especially those who have authority over us. Help us to serve our employers with joy, doing all we can to benefit him or her.

And may our attitudes and lifestyles shout out to the world Your love, and how Your ways benefit all of us.

And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus is our Christ, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.

Even so, come swiftly, Lord Jesus!

Counterfeit Coins

Titus 1: 10-16

(10) For there are many rebellious men,

"For" gives the justification for the requirement that elders must be able to expound and defend the Truth (verse 9). This is essential.

The many rebellious men are generally an external danger facing the churches on Crete, refusing to subordinate themselves to any authority.

empty talkers and deceivers,

They are empty talkers, fluent and impressive, but accomplishing nothing constructive; and deceivers whose glib tongues exercise a fascination over others to lead them astray.

especially those of the circumcision,

The most active offenders were Jewish "believers."

(11) who must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families, teaching things they should not teach for the sake of sordid gain.

Paul demanded that these people be silenced. This is a moral imperative, to be refused opportunity to spread their teachings. This is necessary because they are upsetting whole families, or "ruining whole households," disturbing the faith of whole clans of people, teaching things they must not as Christian truth, but twisted and misleading. All to just fill their own pockets to their personal dishonest financial gain.

(12) One of themselves, a prophet of their own, said, "Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons."

(13) This testimony is true.

These false teachers were all the more dangerous in light of the known nature of these Cretan people on whom they preyed.

Paul quoted a line from Epimenides (6th-5th century B.C.) who was held in high honor on Crete as a poet, prophet, and religious reformer. This quote came from one who had intimate knowledge of his own people and esteemed by them.

Paul gave this evaluation in order to underline his authority without exposing him to the charge of being anti-Cretan. Perhaps Paul's own observations confirmed this verdict.

For this reason reprove them severely so that they may be sound in the faith,

Paul tells Titus to "rebuke them sharply," to refute these false teachings, so that the listeners will be healthy in their beliefs, and not be impaired by feeding on unhealthy doctrine.

(14) not paying attention to Jewish myths and commandments of men who turn away from the truth.

True believers will turn away from Old Testament apocryphal and pseudepigraphical writings that are not accepted into the Canon of Scripture; and also ritual observances that the false teachers sought to make binding on Christians. There is a close connection between false doctrine and evil character.

(15) To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled.

Evidently these Cretan false teachers were making distinctions between ceremonially clean and unclean, laying the emphasis on outward appearance. However, material things receive moral character from the inner attitude of the user. Jesus also spoke of this inner quality of thought (see Matthew 15:10-11; Mark 7:14-23; Luke 11:37-41). Basically, we find what we're looking for.

But those who do not have the faith are victims of their own mind and conscience, as God says that our own heart itself is already desperately wicked and lies to us (Jeremiah 17:9), so everything they think about is poisoned by their defilement.

(16) They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed.

These teachers claim to know God and be Christians, but their lifestyles and actions prove they aren't (I John 2: 4). Three terms describe them:

(1) Detestable, loathsome, causing horror and disgust because of their hypocrisy;

(2) Disobedient, insubordinate to God's truth because of their willful adherence to their man-made rules and regulations; and

(3) Worthless for any good deed, disqualified by their impurity from performing anything morally good. They are like coins, when tested found to be counterfeit, to be utterly rejected as worthless. 

These are the kind of teachers we are to run from, and never listen to at all. And Paul is very stringent in his directions to Titus in this letter. There are real problems there on Crete in the church, and Paul spares no words in his condemnation of these false teachers who are destroying so many precious people.

O my Father, please help us to recognize these character flaws in every person we might consider sitting under. Teach us to examine every prospective pastor or teacher to determine if they are qualified to be trusted, and even then, if they are positively preaching or teaching Your true Word.

My Father, teach us discernment, and help all Your children to know You better, and love You more, then we will also love one another as You have loved us.

And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus is our Christ, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.

Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!

Elder Qualifications

Titus 1: 5-9

Now Paul gets into the meat of the message.

(5) For this reason I left you in Crete, that you would set in order what remains and appoint elders in every city as I directed you,

The reason why Paul had Titus to stay in Crete was for him to straighten out these believers, and set up godly men to lead each congregation there. Here are the qualifications he is to look for:

(6) namely, if any man is above reproach,

He must find men who are blameless, unaccused, irreproachable. Having a clean reputation.

the husband of one wife,

This, again, means a "one-woman man," in a polygamous society; not having an eye out for the "next one."

having children who believe,

His little children are to be obedient, and adult children ought to be believers.

not accused of dissipation or rebellion. 

He is not to be able to be accused of profligacy, reckless extravagance, excess, riot; or insubordination or being unruly.

(7) For the overseer must be above reproach as God's steward,

Someone who is to be an example to the flock is to be so respectable and godly that there would be nothing that anyone could find to hold against him.

not self-willed,

He doesn't try to get his own way.

not quick-tempered,

Having patience to hold his temper when provoked.

not addicted to wine,

This is obvious, though it doesn't forbid just one drink or two with a meal.

not pugnacious,

Never throwing the first punch.

not fond of sordid gain,

This is a very common temptation, to focus on "filthy lucre," sordid gain, the almighty dollar.

Now lets look at some positive qualities.

(8) but hospitable,

Hospitality is the opening of the heart and home freely.

loving what is good,

Preferring the righteous rather than living on the edge.

sensible,

Sanity of mind, sober.

just,

Equitable, having to do with justice in relationships.

devout,

Purity from defilement, holy, hallowed, pious, sacred.

self-controlled,

Temperate, maintaining control over one's own passions.

(9) holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching,

Firmly believing what is actually true, according to how Paul has presented it.

so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict.

Each leader must be both able to teach boldly what is right according to God's Word, and also to be able to counter error effectively.

Leaders must embody the characteristics they want to instill in their followers, and church elders and overseers are to live out the godliness they're teaching the congregation.

These are qualities we all need in our lives, so those we are sitting under are to demonstrate them, so we all can model our responses after them. We in the congregation also need to know these qualities, so that we can find leaders that do embody them, and not be deficient in any.

God had Paul write these to Titus, and include this letter in His written Word, so that we all could learn how to look at our leaders to see if they are embodying these qualities.

O my Father, please help us all to live out these character qualities in our lives, whether we are leaders or simply sit in the congregation. And those of us who are just satisfied to "sit, soak and sour," please build a fire in us to get up and out to the missionary field around us!

O Father, You are so good, and so great. You have planned out Your great Plan of the Ages even before You began to make it, and now You are working our lives out according to Your Plan. Everything we choose, You are using to further along Your Plan, whether our decisions are good or bad, You use it.

And when we decide to live our lives according to Your ways, doing Your work as Your hands and feet, in the power of Your Spirit, then You will reward us!

Father, You are so generous to give us rewards for what You are doing in and through us! It's You doing it, yet You give us the benefit!

My Father, help us all to share Your love with every living person in every nation of the world! Let every one of them know how to accept Your free, gracious and generous gift of Salvation!

And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus is our Christ, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.

Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!