Friday, March 25, 2011

WEEKLY SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
An international Sunday school lesson commentary
For Sunday March 27, 2011

TRUE WORSHIP INSPIRES SERVICE
(A worshipful life must include serving and caring for others)
(1 Timothy 5)

In 1 Timothy 5, Paul expands upon his instructions to Timothy as to how Christians should serve each other, as members of the Body of CHRIST. His overall advice to the young pastor, regarding how he should handle and interact with the various age-groups in the church, was that he treat them, as he would corresponding members of his own personal family.
In verses 1-2, he advises Timothy to never speak harshly to an older man, but rather, he should appeal to him respectfully at all times, as he would his own father. He was also to treat older women as he would his own mother, younger men, as he would his own brother, and younger women, with all the purity of one who was his own sister. In fact, they must all be handled with an attitude of love and respect. It is a well-known fact of life that, any person, whom we have hurt, or offended, is highly unlikely to respond positively to our instructions or guidance.
In verses 3-5, Paul says that children and grandchildren should honor their parents who are widows, by meeting their needs when they are old in age, and may be lacking in wealth or health. Paul calls this, “putting your religion into practice”. This is something that very much pleases GOD. Those professed Christians, who won’t take care of their own relatives, especially those living in the same household with them, automatically deny what they say they believe, and are, in fact, worse than unbelievers (v. 8).
Relatives must take the responsibility of caring for family members and not put the burden on the church (v. 16). But if a widow, sixty years or older, has no other family, and is truly alone in the world, and, she has placed her hope in GOD for help, in much prayer, it is the Christian duty of the members of the church to see after and care for her needs.
However, Paul does make exceptions, when he excludes this obligatory treatment of family members in situations where a widow may be living for pleasure, or, leading a lifestyle that displays self-indulgence. Such people require no help from the church, because of their luxurious living, and are certainly not qualified to contribute to others in the church body, because of their lifestyle, as they themselves, show that they are spiritually dead, through their behavior (v.6).
Another exception would be younger widows, presumably, those under sixty years of age, and particularly those who are still in their child-bearing years, whose physical desires can still overpower their devotion to CHRIST, and, who may still want to re-marry. In those cases, they should re-marry, rather than to live idly, leaving themselves open to the temptations and wiles of satan, (i.e. gossiping and meddling into other folks business, etc. - Vs. 11-15).
In times past, even Greek law required sons and daughters to support and care for their elderly and disabled parents. Likewise, New Testament writers also tell of how GOD holds and honors that same ideology for believers. And so, the support of our parents, who are in need, is an essential part of the Christian Faith and duty, as well. Oh, I’m sure that there is no shortage of people out there who will say, quite honestly, that one, or both of their parents failed miserably in their responsibilities to them as children, and they never really had a chance to develop a child-parent relationship. However, because there is sin in the world, the world holds no perfect scenarios for its inhabitants, and, it never will. At least not until CHRIST returns, to usher in HIS millennial Kingdom, here on earth. Nevertheless, when we became Christians, we also became bound by the will of GOD, and the responsibilities HE gave each of us personally. And the most basic of those responsibilities is that we love one another, unconditionally. And that doesn’t just include family members, as even unbelievers can do that. Our charge is to love everybody as GOD loves us.
The “Right thing to do” still remains, the right thing to do, and it will not ever change, because of the trials and circumstances of this life. GOD’s will, and word, remains constant through the chances, and changes in life, and HE will not adjust HIS standards, for any reason. Each and every new day gives us an opportunity to correct old and unfortunate family dysfunctions. And we must take advantage of those opportunities, and make sure that patterns of abuse and abandonment do not carry over, into the next generation. That, is our responsibility, to our personal families, to our Christian Family, and especially, to GOD.

A Sunday school lesson by,
Larry D. Alexander


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Friday, March 18, 2011

WEEKLY SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
An international Sunday school lesson commentary
For Sunday March 20, 2011

PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO YOUR LIFE, DOCTRINE, AND FAMILY
(Train yourself to be spiritually fit)
(1 Timothy 4:6-16)

After Paul had given instructions to young Timothy regarding worship in chapter 2, and concerning leadership in chapter three, he then moved on to the subjects of false teaching, and, of being spiritually fit to serve GOD. One of the things that the Christian Church had inherited from the Jews was the conceptual belief that “things would get a lot worse, before they got better”. They basically viewed time in two parts, or, two ages. First, there was the “present age”, which was considered to be, altogether, bad, or evil, because it was permeated by the influence of satan. And then, there was the “age to come”, which is to be perfect, because it will be the “age of CHRIST JESUS’ rule”.
In between those two ages would come the much-anticipated, “Day of the LORD”, whereby, the entire earth will be rocked from its foundation, and the ensuing great battle with evil called, “Armageddon”, would take place. This is to be followed by a final “White Throne” judgment, after which, there will be a new day, having a new Heaven, and a new earth. Being Jews (except for Luke) all the New Testament writers clung to that belief, because they themselves were raised in the spirit of that doctrine.
That being said, here in 1 Timothy 4, verses 1-5 we see that this is the very context in which Paul is speaking to his young protégé, Timothy. It is a time, scripture tells us, when false prophets and false teachers will arise and lead many people astray. And in the church at Ephesus where Timothy presided, many false teachers had already come. And even though these teachings came from demons, they still came, through men, men whose consciences had been branded by satan, and who only pretended to be religious (Vs. 1-2).
In verse 3, Paul’s statement about those who forbade marriage, and condemned certain foods, smacks of the heretic religious group known as “Gnostics”, a term that is derived from the Greek word “gnosis”, which means “knowledge”, who were one of the first anti-CHRIST groups to infiltrate the Christian Church in its infancy. The very essence of “Gnosticism” was that they believe that “spirit” is altogether good, and “matter” and “flesh” is altogether bad, or evil.
These heretics believe that people should, as much as possible, abstain from food, because food is material, and therefore, evil. They also believe that people should abstain from marriage, because marriage allows us to play out the sexual instincts of our bodies, which is also evil. In fact, they believe that sexual urges should be suppressed entirely.
Heresy in the Christian Church is as old as the Church itself. In every generation, people have arose, who have tried to be stricter than GOD. However, when we do anything in ways other than the way GOD has already shown us, it is an enormous insult to GOD. GOD created all things, and HIS scriptures clearly tell us, that, all things created by GOD are good (Vs. 4-5).
In 1 Timothy 4, verses 6-15, Paul moves on to the subject of being a good and fit servant of CHRIST JESUS. He begins by telling Timothy that it is his duty as a servant of CHRIST to explain about these heresies and false doctrine to the people of the church. However, he warns Timothy not to get involved, or waste time, arguing over GOD-less ideas and foolishness, and, to instead, spend his time and energy on training himself to be spiritually fit (Vs. 6-7).
In those days, especially in Greece, the younger men were particularly interested in physical fitness, even to the point of making it a religion, worshiping their own bodies. In fact, the gyms where they worked out had become somewhat of a hotbed for homosexual activity. In verses 8-13, Paul is urging young Timothy to separate himself from this kind of foolishness, focusing more on spiritual exercise, rather than so much on the physical. And although physical fitness and exercise is essential to maintaining a healthy life, spiritual exercise is more important because it will benefit us, both in this life, and, in the life to come.
Paul goes on to remind Timothy how hard the Christian has to work, and how much we have to suffer through, in order that others might know and believe the truth. Our only hope is in the LIVING GOD WHO is the SAVIOR of all people in general, and all Christians, in particular. Paul urges Timothy not to cause people to think less of him because he is young, by exhibiting anything less than right behavior at all times. And he was to do this by persisting in, and, insisting in everyone learning and obeying the word of GOD, and then, leading by example.
Paul ends this chapter by also urging Timothy not to neglect his spiritual gift, and to work hard at it so that everyone will be able to see his progress. He advises him to keep his own heart with all diligence, and to be careful in his teaching by staying true to what is right, and that way, GOD will save him, and anyone who hears him.

A Sunday school lesson by,
Larry D. Alexander


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Friday, March 11, 2011

WEEKLY SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
An international Sunday school lesson commentary
For Sunday March 13, 2011

CHOOSING A GOOD LEADER
(We must begin to choose leaders based on GOD’s standards)
(1 Timothy 3:1-13 & 5:17-22)

The Apostle Paul’s two known letters to Timothy, along with the letters to Titus and Philemon, are unique among letters in the New Testament, by virtue of the fact that, they were written to individuals, rather than to churches. The letters to Timothy and Titus are categorized as “Pastoral Letters” in biblical literature, while the letter to Philemon is a private and personal epistle. The letter to Philemon is doubly unique because it is the only private letter of the Apostle Paul’s that can be accounted for by us today.
The letters to Timothy and Titus are actually written instructions to the young pastors, detailing how they can best carry out their ministerial assignments, which Paul had given them. As young promising leaders, dedicated to the standards of CHRIST JESUS, they had been charged with the task of helping plant, organize, and stabilize Churches, during the infancy of the Christian movement.
It is rather clear from some of the references in these letters, as well as from the testimony of history itself, that, these letters date from a time near the end, of what we now call, “The Apostolic Age”. In fact, only the letters of the Apostle John seem to post-date these four aforementioned epistles. We see too, reflected in these pastoral letters, a growing hostility from many within the Roman Empire toward the Christian Church, and also, we see the dangers to the workers and promoters of Christianity, that were associated with those hostilities.
Here in this first letter to Timothy, Paul sought not only to encourage his young protégé, during this stressful period, but also to remind him of the bigger picture that GOD had in mind for the struggling church at Ephesus. Paul also included in his letter, certain instructions and regulations that needed to be followed regarding the election and selection of church leaders. He also stressed the importance of “right belief”, and “right behavior”, and, of knowing and defending the Gospel truth against the false teaching that had already cropped up in the church.
In 1 Timothy 3, Paul begins by advising Timothy of some of the basic guidelines, or qualifications that one must satisfy, if they desire to hold the lofty office of “Elder”, or, “Bishop” in the Christian Church. In the Greek the word used for “Elder” is “Presbuteros” (Pres-boo-ter-os) and it is, by definition, “An older man”, or, “A wise and experienced person”. On the other hand, the word translated “Bishop” from the original Greek is “Episkopos” (Ep-is-kop-os), and it is, by definition, “A superintendent, an officer in charge, or, an overseer. In the biblical sense, they are one and the same person. However, one term, “Presbuteros”, describes the person, and the other term, “Episkopos”, describes their function, or role, in the church.
This particular passage (and also 1 Timothy 5:17-22) is very informative, as Paul enlightens us on the standards by which these appointments to church leadership are assessed. First, these men are “set apart” for their office. In other words, they are men of “good reputation”, both in, and outside, the church (1 Tim. 3:1-5). Secondly, if we can take a quick look at 1 Timothy chapter 5, we see in verse 18 that, the church that chooses these men for duty, must provide the means for them to live. In verses 19-22, we can see that these men would be liable to censure, being made accountable to answer for their stewardship. They must be answerable first to GOD, and then to the people over which they are given the task of overseeing.
The church overseer has the duty of presiding over the Christian assembly, and also the duty of teaching the congregation (1 Timothy 3:2 & 5:17). Therefore, they have the duel responsibility of both “administration”, and “instruction”. Last, but certainly not least, the man chosen to be Bishop or Elder must not be a “recent convert”, or, “Baby Christian” (1 Timothy 3:6), because the new Christian, in particular, is under heavy assault from satan, who is trying very hard to discourage them, during their most vulnerable period of faith. It is also a time when they can most easily be overcome by pride and a newly found sense of their own self-importance.
Whenever a Christian allows themselves to be overcome by the wiles of satan, they can be pointed to by the anti-CHRIST component, and used as an example, as to why people shouldn’t get involved in the Christian Faith. It is especially harmful to the Christian cause when such misfortunes occur in the upper echelons of the Christian Church.
Yet and still, it was the duty of men like Timothy, and even Titus, to ordain Elders in every church (Titus 1:5), and, it was the duty of the congregation to choose these men for duty (Acts 6:3-6), using the standards GOD had already set before them. Those same standards and criteria must also apply to us in the church today, lest we be in danger of falling away from GOD’s holy plan.
Paul tells us in 1 Timothy 3:8-13 that church deacons, in the Greek, “diakonos” (dee-ak-on-os), are also chosen by similar standards. However, there are two basic differences, first, the Elder, or Bishop, is to “preach and teach the word”, whereas, the deacon is to, more or less, just “exemplify” the word (1 Timothy 3:8-9). Secondly, an Elder, or Bishop cannot be a new Christian, whereas there is no such standard set for a deacon. Deacons only need to go through a period of testing, by way of performing other church responsibilities and duties, before they can serve in the role of deacon in the church (1 Timothy 3:10).
Peter C. Craigie once wrote, “When people cease to care, then religion, morality, social customs, and values, all cease to function as mortar, that holds together a society, and maintain ancient faith”. Modern-day Christian churches fail in moral structure, because they have subtly, over the years, moved away from GOD’s standards for governing HIS Church Body. If anything, we seem to be more concerned about how we can conform GOD’s church to be more like the world, than we are about conforming the world to GOD’s plan, through the work of the church. We have considerably reduced our efforts towards meeting GOD’s standard, and are now replacing those standards with our own “denominationally biased criteria”.
In the biblical Greek the word used for “consider” is “katanoeo” (kat-an-o-eh-o), which means “to focus one’s attention on, until one can grasp complete understanding of what GOD is trying to show one through HIS examples”. Let us now focus on our own deteriorating, unstructured existence, and then, let us “consider” GOD’s wonderful standards, that are so vividly described by Paul here in these passages, and then, let us consider responding to GOD in the right way, not in our own personal corrupted way.

A Sunday school lesson by,
Larry D. Alexander


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Friday, March 4, 2011

WEEKLY SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
An international Sunday school lesson commentary
For Sunday March 6, 2011

INSTRUCTIONS ABOUT PRAYER AND WORSHIP
(Worshiping GOD is living the Gospel and praying for others)
(1 Timothy 2:1-8)

In the first century, the city of Ephesus was a well-known center for idol worship. It was even the home of the imposing temple of the idol god “Artemis” which was considered to be one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. People often went to this magnificent structure in a misguided superstitious attempt to find life’s truths, through rituals and sacrificial offerings to this popular false god.
Paul had left his young protégé, Timothy, in this idolatrous city, to head up and minister to the newly founded Christian church that was naturally struggling with Christian teaching, church manners, and various other aspects of lifestyles that had long been influenced by the city’s idolatrous atmosphere and climate. He wrote this first pastoral epistle to Timothy to provide him with various instructions and encouragement on how to deal with these issues. He wanted his young pastor to not become overwhelmed by his enormous task, and to live wholeheartedly with GOD’s bigger picture in mind.
The importance of right living is at the core of the message in this important letter, and it also stresses the importance of knowing the truth of the Gospel, and defending it against the false teachings that had infiltrated even the minds of some in the Christian church. Paul wanted those who were of the Body of CHRIST, to become good examples and ambassadors, careful to live what they believe, so that satan wouldn’t be able to use their own failings against them to hinder the growth and spread of Christianity.
In 1 Timothy 2, verse 1, the apostle Paul uses, no less than four, of the New Testament’s seven words that are used for “prayer”. First we see the word “intercession”, translated from the original Greek word, “enteuxis” (ent-yook-sis), and it means “to enter into the presence of a king, in order to present a petition on behalf of someone else”. This word lets us know that the way to GOD is always open, even when, and I dare say, especially when, we are petitioning for someone else.
We oftentimes find it easy to pray for those whom we know and love, and especially those people whose life situations have a direct impact on our own lives. But what about those individuals whom we may know, but actually have very little contact with on a personal level? Sometimes, even though we may know that these individuals may be going through a crisis, we may not necessarily feel compelled to pray for, or with them, to our GOD, WHO is our KING.
The second word Paul uses is the word “prayer” itself, which is translated from the Greek word “proseuche” (pros-yoo-khay), and it means “to bow down and petition in worship of GOD”. This petition is never used for any other purpose than to approach and request something of the Almighty GOD.
Next we see the word “supplication”, which is translated from the Greek rendering “deesis” (deh-ay-sis), which means “to request”. It, in itself, is not exclusively a religious word, because it can be addressed to either GOD, or man. And finally, we see the term “giving of thanks”. It is a term that comes from the Greek rendering “eucharistia” (yoo-khar-is-tee-ah) and it means, quite literally, “thanks to GOD for all things”. This word is meant to teach us that, not only should we bring our requests, and the requests of others to GOD, but we should also pray “prayers of thanksgiving” to GOD for HIS benevolence in all things.
In Paul’s instructions to Timothy, he urges him to carry out his mission of keeping the Ephesian Church focused on sound doctrine, by interceding in prayer for GOD’s mercy on all men. He urges him to pray for kings, and others who are in authority, so that they, as a people, might live in peace, GODliness, and dignity (1 Tim. 2:2). It is a fact, that, even today, a hostile governmental leadership can severely curtail the rights of the Christian Church to meet, worship, study, and evangelize.
We must always remember to pray for, and not take for granted, our right of expression in the Christian faith. This, Paul stresses, is good and pleasing to CHRIST JESUS, because HE wants everyone to be saved, and to understand the truth (1 Tim. 2:3-4). In verse 5 Paul uses the word “mediator” to describe the function of CHRIST JESUS. In his original Greek writing, he uses the word “mesites” (mes-ee-tace), which describes one who intercedes between two or more parties in an attempt to restore, or make peace.
JESUS, was and is, the only ONE qualified to take the role of “mediator” between GOD and man. HE is the only ONE WHOM GOD could call on to usher in HIS “life giving Covenant” to man. And HE is also the only ONE WHO can usher us into GOD the FATHER’s OWN glorious presence without fear, without guilt, and, without shame.
The warm embrace of the grace of GOD is infinitely limitless, and it wraps itself around the rich and the poor, the king and the commoner, the scholar and the ignorant, the young and the old, male and female, and even the so-called good and bad. No one is outside of the love of CHRIST, and no one is outside the purpose of GOD. GOD wishes for all men to be saved. JESUS’ three-year earthly ministry and vicarious sacrifice on the cross, stands alone, as the greatest example to us, as to how we should live and sacrifice our own lives, for the salvation of others.

A Sunday school lesson by,
Larry D. Alexander


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