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Memorize Scripture: 1 Timothy 4:6-8

This week’s passage is one of the most encouraging sections of this letter. It reminds us that ministry to others, whether that is a paid staff position with a church, or volunteer ministry, is something that requires effort and practice. It requires training.

Take a look at this week’s passage in 1 Timothy 4:6-8:

1 Timothy 4:6-8

Paul continues his exhortation to Timothy, instructing him on how best to deal with the false teaching that was so prevalent in the culture where he was serving.

There are a few things worth noting in these verses.

Paul encouraged Timothy to “point out these things to the brothers” by gently instructing the Christians at Ephesus. Timothy isn’t to become brash and abrasive, but to be gentle in his approach. But this is certain, Timothy was to make clear the nature of the false teaching going on.

But how was he to know the nature of the false teaching? The answer is simple. The minister, in this case Timothy, must be “brought up in” or “nourished in” the truths of the faith. In other words, doctrine and a proper understanding of Scripture were essential for the minister to be solid in his teaching. As Donald Guthrie stated it, “The best refutation of error is a positive presentation of truth.”

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Think On These Things… Whatever Is Lovely

Philippians is one of my favorite letters in the New Testament, mainly because of the large amount of practical advice contained in these few short chapters.

As Paul continues to list his instructions for our thought life, he adds a word that, at first glance, doesn’t seem to fit.

He adds the word “lovely.”

Whatever Is Lovely...

Lovely. This word brings to mind things associated with my wife, and with my daughters. It’s not exactly along the same lines as the rest of this list.

Or is it?

Interestingly, as I took a deeper look at this word, I found that it is used no where else in the New Testament. In fact, this word isn’t used as a virtue in any ancient text.

So just what does Paul mean by this word?

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Teaching My Passion

Over the past few years, I’ve had a pretty solid relationship with and connection to the Creation Truth Foundation. So much so, in fact, that we actually considered joining the staff there, teaching the history and truth found in the early chapters of Genesis.

CTF Banner

Through CTF, I participated in a series of classes they offer for ministers, called The Institute For Biblical Worldview Studies. This was a series of classes, taught at CTF, investigating in detail the first eleven chapters of Genesis.

I enjoyed this class so much that I decided to sit through it a second time, gleaning even more information and knowledge.

As a youth minister, I never really had the opportunity to utilize this learning experience as much as I would have liked. Sure, pieces of the information continually popped up in my teaching to teens, and I even developed a series for teens using some of the material.

But I never really had the opportunity to teach it fully.

Until now.
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Reaching Your Goals Using A Daily Routine

This is part of the series How To Develop A Daily Routine. Check out more from the series!

One of the best benefits of having a daily routine is the way it helps you achieve your goals. Setting and reaching goals can be difficult without a plan or a strategy. Building that effort into your daily routine can help immensely.

Books

I’ve discovered that people have a hard time setting goals. I know I did. People do one of three things when striving to set goal.

They rush in without a plan

Having no plan can kill your goals more quickly than anything else. If you want to go somewhere you’ve never been, you need a route to get there, a map, a strategy. The same is true for your goals. Without a strategy, you have no way of getting from where you are to where you want to be. Take the gym for example. Too many people buy a gym membership and then burn out and stop using it in a matter of weeks. Why? Because they jumped in without a plan.

Without a plan, your goals have little chance of succeeding.

They get stuck in the planning phase

I know a lot of people who want to plan out their goals in detail. They research. They read books. They talk to others. They buy what they need. They lay out a plan. But they never actually do anything.

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Coffee Break – 07.08.2013

Coffee Break

Why Coffee Is Called “Joe” – I find little tidbits of history intriguing. This small bite of the past explains why a cup of coffee is often referred to as a “cup of joe.” Interesting? Yes. Accurate? Who knows?

Slow Motion Shrimp Attack – The pistol shrimp has one of the fastest claw snaps ever seen. It snaps its claw so fast that it actually rips the water apart, creating one of the loudest sounds in the ocean. This video shows the claw action in slow motion.

The Sailing Stones Of Racetrack Playa – You may have heard of these before, but these stones continue to defy explanation. These stones move across the ground on their own, although no one has ever seen it happen. The tracks are visible, and studies have been made, but the explanation still eludes us. But they are still pretty fascinating.

14 Ways To Use The Bible – As a minister, the Bible is my main tool, both devotionally and professionally. One of the things I need to be certain of is that I use it and present it as effectively as I possibly can. Here are fourteen ways to use the Bible, and the passages they come from.

The Struggle To Trust God With My Child’s Salvation – I’ve had the privilege of seeing three of my kids make decisions for Christ, and hope to see the rest do the same one day. As a parent, helping them see the importance of this decision i perhaps one of the most crucial things I can do for them. This article reminds me that God is the one behind all of this, and I need to place my trust in him.

Outsourcing Our Job Description? A Plea To Fellow Ministers – One of the trends in ministry today is to purchase access (or plagiarize) other ministers’ sermons. Our time has tons of demands, and we simply don’t have enough of it to meet all the needs and still accomplish our goal in ministry. Or do we? This article challenges you to think about whether we are becoming a Wikipedia-style of ministry.

True greatness, true leadership, is found in giving yourself in service to others, not in coaxing or inducing others to serve you. – Oswald Sanders

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Book Review – Afloat by Erin Healy

AfloatMy only experience with any of the works of Erin Healy has been her books coauthored with Ted Dekker, one of my favorite authors.

The books that the two of them have collaborated on have been excellent, so it was with a bit of excitement that I decided to read one of her solo efforts.

While I didn’t enjoy Afloat as much as I expected, it was still an interesting and riveting novel.

The premise is simple. Eagle’s Talon is an exclusive, floating resort of condominiums. It’s poised to make investors very wealthy when a sinkhole opens underneath it in the river. With massive storms occurring on top of the sinkhole, several residents are stranded, along with the architect, the developer and a blind prophet.

Some of these people want to stay put until rescued. Others want to try to escape as quickly as they can. But the blind man, who sees more than anyone else, knows that God is very much involved in the events surrounding Eagle’s Talon.

Vance Nolan, the architect, is an unwilling leader, who knows that the lives of many are his responsibility. But what he doesn’t know is that the supernatural is at play in the waters below.

As crisis after crisis occurs, this small band of stranded strangers must come to terms with the events, with one another’s strengths and sins, as well as with their own.

Afloat is a story of sin and salvation, a story of coming to terms with God’s involvement in human affairs, whether we recognize his hand or not.

I enjoyed reading Afloat, and will probably read more of Healy’s work in the future. Though not my favorite author, I still found Erin Healy to be a skilled writer, combining suspense and the supernatural, and creating characters you can identify with in a plot that captives the reader.

Pick up a copy of Afloat and read it. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.

Have you read anything from Erin Healy? If so, what was your favorite book? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

If you are interested in reading Afloat, by Erin Healy, you can purchase it at Amazon.com in print or for Kindle.

Disclosure of Material Connection:
I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze blogger review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Also, some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links”. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.“