“different” doctrine is false doctrine.

If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain. 1 Timothy 6:3-5

Christian leadership MUST take false doctrine seriously… whether it is prosperity theology, outright denial of the deity of Christ, or a false gospel that emphasizes either the extreme of legalism or the excess of lawlessness. Those drunk on false teaching will exhibit these characteristics according to Paul’s warning to Timothy:

1. They are conceited (1 Timothy 6:4). They are full of themselves. They are proud. They judge others by a false standard and condemn all the rest of Christianity, reviling the truth in their disdain of scriptural orthodoxy. They are full of conceit, and well… full of… other stuff.
2. They understand nothing (1 Timothy 6:4). Yep… Paul says false doctrine advocates are… well… dumb. His words. Inspired by the Spirit of God. They. Are. Stupid.
3. They are contentious (1 Timothy 6:4-5). They see themselves as the only ones who get it right. Everyone else is wrong. They live in constant friction (again those are Paul’s words) with other Christians… a sure sign of doctrinal division and unorthodoxy and frankly, rejection of the gospel. Why? The Apostle John says true Christians “love the brothers”.
4. They give into depraved (sinful) minds because they refuse the truth (1 Timothy 6:5). Again, this is Paul speaking with strong words. They relabel sins that they struggle with. Sins become “mistakes”, or “misunderstandings”, or “difficulties”, or “poor decisions”. They fail to confess their daily need of the sustaining gospel because… well… see point 1! Conceit keeps them depraved. They try to live under their own power, deprived of the eternal power of the truth of the Word of God, the grace of forgiveness over confessed sin, and the Spirit of God’s fruit born out in their redemption.

Sadly, these kinds of Christian defectors are increasingly given cyber-influence and social media platforms that only harden their conceit as they pontificate their loathsome brand of bull.

I have seen two types of regular responses to my call as a church leader to point out false doctrine. One response: looking at the Word, reading it for what it says, coming to the conclusion that the point of view once imbibed was unbiblical and wrong. Praise God, the Spirit of God and the Word of God bring repentance from sinful false doctrine and love for the truth!

The second response is not so good. Scriptural examination is refused. This saddens me, because the false doctrine espoused is tied so often to deep personal misery. In real life, heresy looks a lot like the four things Paul says here. And these four things DO NOT bring joy. Heterodoxy creates a living hell that despairs of life in this world and loses out on loving God and loving people well. And so I pray that the Spirit of God will do work to break through the refusal of truth and that in His mercy He will call to repentance all who have strayed from the truth.

church leadership

In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of the elect angels I charge you to keep these rules without prejudging, doing nothing from partiality. 1 Timothy 5:21

What was so important that Paul invokes the reminder of the constant presence of God the Father, Christ the Son, and unseen angel forces? Answer: The call for Timothy to stay impartial and clear-headed in administering the conduct of church leadership. He needed to keep some clear rules, avoid prejudicial thinking, and remain impartial.

What were the “rules” about elders?

1. Those who were gifted preachers should be supported when possible (1 Timothy 5:17-18).
2. Any charge of sin against an elder needs to be established with the evidence of multiple witnesses (1 Timothy 5:19).
3. Elders clearly caught in unrepentant sin should be rebuked before the other elders and the church (1 Timothy 5:20).
4. Appointing elders should be a careful process to maintain doctrinal and personal purity (1 TImothy 5:22-25).

Lord,

Leadership is so very important in Your church. May the men I serve among see their task as the most important leadership ever. May we labor to support gospel preaching, seriously guard our hearts and Your church, and make the right choices for gifted elders to continue leading Your Church, Lord Jesus!

Amen

commands to teach

Command and teach these things. 1 Timothy 4:11

C - Conduct yourself with the authority of scripture so that you speak confidently.

O - Over every aspect of life let God’s Word have complete clarity to overrule.

M - Many men will despite what God commands; Make it clear they will answer the King meekly.

M - More will be needed than you have to give… immerse yourself in the scriptural river’s motion.

A - Admonish those with the gift of teaching to keep to sound doctrine alertly.

N - Never give up for you save yourself and your hearers nonetheless.

D - Doctrine is only divisive for those who despise.

T - Train yourself to teach through public reading and private tutoring.

E - Encourage elders to lead from the Word enthusiastically.

A - Admire the progress as God honors faithfulness to His Word’s accomplishments.

C - Closely watch your life and your doctrine so that you don’t crash.

H - Hear from God in His Word and make God says what you always herald.

serve well

For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus. 1 Timothy 3:13

Those who serve the church well are promised two unique blessings. I have had the unique joy of serving as a pastor in local church leadership for over thirty seven years now. My adult life and vocation has been, is, and I pray I may faithfully finish as a shepherd to the church of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In that lifetime of ministry I have seen so many serve the Lord well. No one is perfect. But deacons who give themselves to the Lord and to others create beauty in ministry!

They have the blessing of thankful recognition as they are the hands and feet of Jesus. I have witnessed this as deacons have fed the hungry, comforted the sick, ministered to the dying, wept with the grieving, assisted the impoverished, and encouraged the saints to join them in service. I’m beyond grateful for the ways deacons carry the daily load of helping the church gather safely and with joy, adorning the gospel with good works as we deal with a world in broken need.

They also gain the blessing of personal growth by their service. I have seen men and women grow as disciples through service. I have seen elders raised up from faithful deacon service. I’ve seen women recognized for their nurture and wisdom as they have faithfully cared for others with sacrifice and love. Jesus gains worship when men and women “serve well”.

The world needs faith and truth.

For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. 1 Timothy 2:7

The “this” here in verse seven, which is the reason Paul was appointed and called by Jesus Himself into apostolic ministry to the Gentiles, is twofold. First, God “desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). God’s love for the world, forever shown in the death and resurrection of Jesus, required that the gospel go into all the world. God called Paul and gifted him for this task. Paul was a global-thinking, Great Commission, gospel preacher.

Secondly, Jesus “gave Himself as a ransom for all” (1 Timothy 2:6). The very nature of the atonement required global commitment from the church. Paul was the first to model this kind of serious life-shaping obedience to the gospel call. He built his ministry team around this truth. He traveled, preached, planted churches, taught, and suffered for the sake of a world-wide vision of the gospel, knowing Jesus died to call all people to His saving grace.

Lord,

May the vision of my heart be as wide as the gospel clearly is. May my soul long for what You desire so that all can come to a knowledge of repentance and faith in the gospel. Give this world faith and truth, I pray! And may Your church thrive making disciples all around the world in this generation.

Amen

shame, Name, and fame

Fill their faces with shame, that they may seek your name, O LORD. Psalm 83:16

When God judges the wicked it is meant to draw them to recognize the power, authority, and glory of His name. It is a work of God to make Himself known so that wicked sinners opposed to God might repent and turn to Him. He shows His rule by disgracing and showing wicked humanity His power so that people might repent and believe in Him.

There is one outstanding Old Testament example of this: Ninevah under the warning sermon of Jonah. God had plans to shame Ninevah… to destroy the city and thus the empire. Jonah walked through the city reluctantly proclaiming God’s warning. And Ninevah sought God’s name. The city repented, acknowledged God’s authority from palace to stable, and sorrowed over sin. God saw it and chose to be merciful to them. God will shame sinners so that they might seek Him.

Lord with all authority over everything,

You rule the nations of this earth. Even now would You bring fame to Your name by judging with shame? Shine Your gospel light through the proclamation and lives of Your church to expose wrong, destroy the works of evil, shame the wicked, and show Your glory. Bring this wicked and rebellious planet, people group by people group, enemy by enemy, city by city, to the shame of their sin and to repentance we pray! May the shamed seek Your name!

Amen

first in line

The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. 1 Timothy 1:15

Paul’s humble attitude toward his own need for salvation was that Jesus came to offer salvation for sinners, and Paul was standing first in line. He was the foremost sinner in the greatest need. He did not judge others as more sinful than he was. Those days had passed. Once a Pharisee… once a leader of the Jews… once a judgmental persecutor of Christians, Paul now saw all that as part of His sin résumé and not anything to be celebrated.

Paul is showing us here how to see ourselves before the cross. We are the first in line to humbly admit our great need and unworthiness. We are first in line to confess sin and our need of a Savior. We are first in line to be aware of our lostness and our need for divine direction. We are first in line to express praise and gratitude for the salvation that we have in Christ. We are first in line to joyfully share the good news with all the rest of the sinners around us.

Lord,

May I humbly see my sin as putting me at the top of the list of those needing Your grace. I hold no sin secret, dear, or tightly to my heart. I am a sinner, foremost in need, foremost to receive, foremost to declare Your saving grace to other sinners!

Amen