2 Timothy 2 -- What A Pastor Is and Does

“Paul carefully explained what a pastor is and does…” my commentary said.

“The ministry is not something we get for ourselves and keep to ourselves.  We are stewards of the spiritual treasure God has given us … The ability to study, understand, and teach the Word of God is a gift of God’s grace.”

“He described the characteristics of a good soldier of Jesus Christ:  He endures hardships, avoids worldly entanglements, magnifies Jesus Christ, thinks of the whole army, and trusts His commanding officer.”

“Paul had already urged Timothy to exercise like an athlete.  Now Paul admonished him to obey the rules … You are not running the race to please people or to get famous.  You are running to please Jesus Christ.”

“A farmer has to work, needs patience, and deserves a share of the harvest … The spiritual leaders who share the Word with the people are the first ones to enjoy its blessings.  The preacher and the teacher always get more out of the sermon or lesson than do the hearers because they put much more into it.”

“The preacher and teacher who use the Word correctly will build their church the way God wants it to be built … An approved worker diligently studies the Word and seeks to apply it to his own life … and will shun godless chatter … and knows that false doctrine is dangerous and will oppose it … Each trial that we go through forces us to study the Word to find God’s will.  As we rightly use the Word, we succeed in overcoming our trials and we are approved by God … We cannot be approved unless we are tested.”

“There is a Godward aspect of the Christian life:  God chose us who trust Him as His elect … But there is also a manward aspect of the Christian life … those who are the elect of God prove it by living godly lives … For God to use us as vessels, we must be empty, clean, and available.  He will take us and fill us and use us for His glory.”

“A servant’s purpose is not to win arguments but to win souls.  He wants to see deceived persons brought to repentance and the acknowledging of the truth.”

Father, thank You for showing me how pastors and teachers must view their orders from You and how they must prepare for their calling and maintain themselves before You.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

2 Timothy 1 -- Paul's Encouragements To Timothy From Prison

My commentary began, “God would soon move Paul off the scene, and Timothy would take his place and continue to give spiritual leadership to the churches … Paul gave Timothy three essentials that he must possess to have success:

                Courageous enthusiasm

                Shameless suffering

                Spiritual loyalty

To keep the fire burning in Timothy’s heart, Paul encouraged Timothy through his love, his prayers, his confidence in Timothy, and God’s gift to Timothy, which the Holy Spirit imparted to Timothy by enabling him to serve God, by giving him love, and by giving him self-control.

“Timothy didn’t need any new spiritual ingredients in his life; all he had to do was stir up what he already had.”

Timothy was naturally timid, and Paul encouraged him to not be ashamed of the Lord’s testimony or of the Lord’s prisoner (Paul himself).

Paul also told Timothy to be loyal to God’s Word and be loyal to God’s servant.  By doing this himself, Timothy would value all the more those God would someday place in his congregations who would do the same for him.

Father, thank You for helping me to see this from a pastor’s perspective – what You provide for them even through me.  Help me to be a part of the solution always and never a part of the problem.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

1 Timothy 6 -- Some Great Final Points

My commentary picked up something as Paul warned timothy about false teachers -  the dangers of covetousness:

                “Wealth does not bring contentment.

                Wealth is not lasting.

                Our basic needs are easily met.

                The desire for wealth leads to sin.”

Paul also told Timothy to take care of himself, giving him “four admonitions that, if obeyed, would assure him success in his ministry and a continued testimony as ‘a man of God’:

                Timothy was to separate himself (flee) from the sins of the false teachers.

                Separation without positive growth becomes isolation.  We must cultivate these graces of                           the Spirit in our lives, or else we will be known only for what we oppose rather than for                       what we propose.

                Paul told Timothy to keep on fighting – military orders to guard the commandment and                             obey it.

Paul told Timothy to be faithful.  God had committed the truth to Paul, and Paul to Timothy.  It was Timothy’s responsibility to guard the deposit and then pass it along to others who would, in turn, continue to pass it on.”

“Paul’s final sentence was not for Timothy alone, because the pronoun is plural.  ‘Grace be with all of you.’  Paul had the entire church in mind when he wrote this letter, and certainly all of the elders, not just Timothy.  As leader of the church, Timothy needed to heed the word of the apostle, but all of his church members had a responsibility to hear and obey as well.  And so do we today.”

Father, thank You for entrusting us with this same truth.  Help us to pass it along.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

1 Timothy 5 -- Troubles For A Young Pastor

Remembering that Paul was writing to Timothy, who Paul had sent to Ephesus to take his place, lets us get a glimpse into troubles Timothy faced as a young pastor who’d followed Paul – the beloved “old pastor”.  My commentary picked up and expanded on many wise things Paul brought up.

“Paul admonished Timothy to minister to the various kinds of people in the church, and not to show partiality.  Since Timothy was a younger man, he might be tempted to ignore the older members, so Paul urged him to love and serve all of the people.”

Paul also advised Timothy regarding ministry to widows who had no social safety net financially.  Then he discussed Timothy’s relationship with officers in his church.  “It is a wonderful thing when the elders and deacons and other officers work together in harmony and love.  It is tragic when a pastor tries to become a spiritual dictator or when an officer tries to be a preeminent big shot.”

“There were two kinds of elders in the church:  ruling elders who supervised the work of the congregation, and teaching elders, who taught the Word of God.  These elders were chosen from the congregation on the basis of God’s call, the Spirit’s equipping, and the witness and work of the men themselves … If spiritually minded leaders do not supervise the various ministries of the local church, there will be chaos instead of order.  However, this supervision must not be dictatorial … The church is not a business … The ruthless way some church leaders have pushed people around is a disgrace to the gospel.”

Paul also covered the disciplining of elders in verses 19-21.  My commentary listed many other passages which cover the disciplining of members.  “The purpose of discipline is restoration, not revenge.  Our purpose must be to save the offender, not to drive him away.  Our attitude must be one of love and tenderness … Paul’s first caution to Timothy was to be sure of the facts and the way to do that is to have witnesses … Paul’s second caution was that Timothy do everything openly and aboveboard.  The under-the-counter politics of city hall have no place in a church … If an officer is guilty, then he should be rebuked before all the other leaders.  He should be given opportunity to repent, and if he does he should be forgiven.  Once he is forgiven, the matter is settled and should never be brought up again.”

Paul’s third caution is that Timothy obey the Word no matter what his personal feelings might be.  He should act without prejudice against or partiality for the accused officer.  There are no seniority rights in a local church; each member has the same standing before God and His Word.  To show either prejudice or partiality is to make the situation even worse.”

My commentary summed it all up:  “No pastor or church member is perfect, but that should not hinder us from striving for perfection.  The ministry of a local church rises and falls with its leadership.  Godly leadership means God’s blessing, and that is what we want and need.”

Father God, thank You for these wise words that are as relevant today as they were in Timothy’s day.  Help all of us to let them sink into our hearts so that we will relate to others in our church with Your heart of love.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

1 Timothy 4 -- How To Be A Man Of God

My commentary entitles this chapter “How To Be A Man Of God.”  It points out that Paul listed three qualities that a minister must possess if he is to be successful in serving God:

“A good minister, preaching the Word” – It comes as a shock to some people that Satan uses professed Christians in the church to accomplish his work.  But Satan once used Peter to lead Jesus on the wrong path (Mat.. 16:21-23)… One of the marks of a true servant of God is his honesty and integrity.  He practices what he preaches.  This does not mean he is sinlessly perfect, but that he sincerely seeks to obey the Word of God … Whenever we affirm with our lips something that we deny with our lives (whether people know it or not), we deaden our consciences just a little more.  Jesus made it clear that it is doing God’s will in everyday life that qualifies a person for heaven … Believing and behaving always go together … It is not enough to preach the Word; a good minister must also practice it.”

“A godly minister, practicing the Word” – As an athlete must control his body and obey the rules, so a Christian  must make his body his servant and not his master … I am reminded that there are spiritual exercises that I ought to be doing – prayer, meditation, self-examination, fellowship, service, sacrifice, submission to the will of others, witnessing …”

“A growing minister, progressing in the Word” – As a godly pastor, Timothy was to grow spiritually so that the whole church could see his spiritual progress and imitate it.  No pastor can lead his people where he has not been himself… In his living, teaching, preaching, and leading, the minister must give evidence of spiritual growth … Use your spiritual gifts … when God calls a believer into a special place of ministry, He can (and often does) impart a spiritual gift for that task … It is encouraging to know that God who calls us also equips us to do His work.  We have nothing in ourselves that enables us to serve Him; the ministry must all come from God … God must work in us before He can effectively work through us.”

Wonderful reminders, Father.  Thank You for sending them my way today!

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

1 Timothy 2 -- How Paul Directs Us Men

“’Let all things be done decently and in order’ (1 Cor. 14:40) is a basic principle for the conduct of the ministry of the church,” my commentary begins.  “Often, what we think is the ‘freedom of the Spirit’ are the carnal ideas of some Christian who is not walking in the Spirit.  Eventually this freedom becomes anarchy, and the Spirit grieves as the church gradually moves away from the standards of God’s Word.  To counteract this tendency, Paul exhorted the men and women in the church and reminded them of their spiritual responsibilities.”

For men, Paul placed a priority on prayer.  “’First of all’ indicates that prayer is most important in the public worship of the church … Much prayer, much power!  No prayer, no power! … Church members need to be prepared to pray.  Our hearts must be right with God and with each other.  We must really want to pray, and not pray simply to please people…  When a local church ceases to depend on prayer, God ceases to bless its ministry.”

“Paul urged the church to especially pray for those in authority.  Godless Emperor Nero was on the throne at that time, and yet the believers were supposed to pray for him!”

“If the basis for prayer is the sacrificial work of Jesus Christ on the cross, then prayer is a most important activity in a church.  Not to pray is to slight the cross!”

“Paul stated three essentials for effective prayer, the first is holy hands --  this means a holy life … If we have sin in our lives, we cannot pray and expect God to answer … ‘Without anger’ is the second essential, and requires us to be on good terms with each other.  A person who is constantly having trouble with other believers, who is a troublemaker rather than a peacemaker, cannot pray and get answers from God.”

“Doubting suggests that we must pray in faith, but the word really means disputing … Christians should learn to disagree without being disagreeable … If we spent more time preparing to pray and getting our hearts right before God, our prayers would be more effective.”

Father, let these words sink deep into my own heart and show me how to ensure that I’m doing them!

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

1 Timothy 1 -- Wise Words To Younger Christians (including myself!)

I loved what I read in both my Bible and in my commentary about Timothy:  “But in spite of his calling, his close association with Paul, and his spiritual gifts, Timothy was easily discouraged.”  So am I!  “Paul explained the three responsibilities of a pastor and people in a local church:

Teach Sound Doctrine:  “Those who were giving Timothy trouble needed to remember that their pastor was there because God had put him there, for Paul’s authority was given by God … One reason Christian workers must stay on the job is that false teachers are busy trying to capture Christians … raising questions, not answering them … leading people away from the truth … causing division, hypocrisy, and all sorts of problems.”

“It is possible to sin against the conscience so that it becomes defiled.  Repeated sinning hardens the conscience so that it becomes seared like scar tissue.”

Proclaim The Gospel:  “When a sinner believes on Jesus Christ, he is freed from the curse of the law and the righteous demands of the law are met by the indwelling Holy Spirit as a believer yields to God.”

“The law without the gospel is diagnosis without remedy, but the gospel without law is only the good news of salvation for people who don’t believe they need it because they have never heard the bad news of judgment.”

Paul admits what a sinner he was, but knew also that the holy God had saved and forgiven him in his self-righteousness through his mercy and grace.  “God’s love paid a price to save lost sinners.”

“When someone obeys God’s call to serve, God always equips and enables that person.”

Defend The Faith:  “It is not enough to proclaim the faith with our lips; we must practice the faith in our daily lives … Professed Christians who make shipwreck of their faith do so by sinning against their consciences.  Bad doctrine usually starts with bad conduct, and usually with secret sin.”

“It is important that our church’s ministry be balanced.  Some churches only preach the gospel and seldom teach their converts the truths of the Christian life.  Other churches are only opposing false doctrine.  They have no positive ministry … care for the church by winning the lost, teaching the saved, and defending the faith.  Any task that did not relate to these ministries would have to be abandoned.”

Father, as I read this book, open my eyes and my heart to our church and my relation to it.  Help me to discover what we’re doing right and where improvement is needed.  Speak to me clearly.  Let me know I’ve heard from You.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Luke 23 -- Wasted Opportunities

“The trial and death of Jesus Christ revealed both the wicked heart of man and the gracious heart of God.  When men were doing their worst, God was giving His best,” my commentary said.  “Jesus was not crucified because evil men decided to get Him out of the way.  His crucifixion was ‘by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, an appointment made from eternity.”

After Jesus was interrogated by Pilate and Herod, my commentary says, “Three times during the trial, Pilate clearly affirmed the innocence of Jesus … Three other witnesses besides Pilate also said, ‘Not guilty!’:  King Herod, the thief on the cross, and a Roman centurion.”

We must not think that the general populace of the city was gathered before Pilate and crying out for the blood of Jesus … It was primarily the official religious leaders of the nation, the chief priests in particular, who shouted Pilate down and told him to crucify Jesus.”

“Pilate … openly said that Jesus was innocent, yet he permitted Him to be beaten and condemned Him to die.  He carefully questioned Jesus and even trembled at His answers, but the truth of the Word did not make a difference in his decisions.  He wanted to be popular and not right; he was more concerned about reputation that he was character … He had his opportunity and wasted it.”

Father, I pray for myself and for our church.  Please help us never to find ourselves acting like these men, unable to find guilt yet still condemning, seeing God moving yet being unmoved, being more concerned with reputation than character, having an opportunity and wasting it.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Luke 22:54-71 Focusing On Peter

My commentary really focused on Peter and his denials, and had a very interesting take on things.  Asking the question, “How did it happen [that Peter denied Jesus three times}?”, it walks through the mistakes Peter made – mistakes that we too need to watch out for in our lives.

“To begin with, Peter did not take the Lord’s warnings seriously, nor did he watch and pray as Jesus had instructed in the garden.  For all of his courage and zeal, the apostle Peter was totally unprepared for Satan’s attacks.”

“Jesus was led out of the garden, and ‘Peter followed afar off.’  This was the next step toward his defeat … Peter was not intended to follow at all.  The sheep were supposed to scatter and then meet Jesus later in Galilee.  In fact, when He was arrested, Jesus said to the guards, ‘Let these [disciples] go their way,’ a clear signal that they were not to follow Him.”

“Peter and John followed the mob and gained entrance into the courtyard of Caiphas’s house.  It was a cold night, and Peter first stood by the fire and then sat down with the servants and officers.  Sitting there in enemy territory, Peter was an easy target.”

After lying about knowing Jesus the first time, ‘he left the fire and went out to the porch, and the cock crowed the first time.  This in itself should have warned him to get out, but he lingered.”  Twice more he was accused and lied, and the cock crowed that second time.  “At that moment, Jesus, being led away to the next trial, turned and looked at Peter, and His look broke Peter’s heart … Peter slipped out and went off and wept bitterly.  It was to Peter’s credit that all the Lord had to do was look at him to bring him to the place of repentance.”

My commentary spoke of the encouragements the cock crowing gave to Peter:

“First, it was an assurance to him that Jesus Christ was still in control of things even though He was a prisoner, bound and seemingly helpless before His captors.”

“Second, it assured Peter that he could be forgiven.  Peter had not been paying close attention to the word of God.  He had argued with it, disobeyed it, and even run ahead of it, but now he remembered the word of the Lord, and this brought him hope.”  Jesus had told him in verse 32, “I have prayed that you will not lose your faith.  Help your brothers be stronger when you come BACK to Me.”

Finally, it told Peter than a new day was dawning, “as he repented and wept bitterly … On resurrection morning, the angel sent a special message to encourage Peter, and the Lord Himself appeared to Peter that day and restored him to fellowship.”

“Each one of us, at one time or another, will fail the Lord and then hear (in one way or another) ‘the crowing of the cock.’  Satan will tell us that we are finished, that our future has been destroyed, but that is not God’s message to us.”

Father, thank You for this promise.  Keep me vigilant to not place myself where Satan can attack me.  Remind me always of Your warnings.  Help me to obey them.  And if I fail, don’t let me listen to Satan’s putdowns.  Instead, let me hear Your message of hope to me!

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Luke 22:24-53 How Will We React?

I particularly focused on the Garden of Gethsemane and the events that took place there.  I was drawn to what my commentary showed me:

“The first Adam rebelled in the Garden of Eden and brought sin and death into the world, but the Last Adam submitted in the Garden of Gethsemane and brought life and salvation for all who believe.”

“Jesus is the Son of God and knew full well that He would be raised from the dead and yet His soul experienced agony as He anticipated what lay before Him.  He would be humiliated and abused and suffer shame and pain on the cross.  But even more, He would be made sin for us and separated from the Father.  He called this solemn experience drinking the cup.”

“Peter made a number of serious mistakes when he attacked Malchus with his sword.  To begin with, Peter was fighting the wrong enemy with the wrong weapon.  Our enemies are not flesh and blood and they cannot be defeated with ordinary weapons … Peter also revealed the wrong attitude and trusted the wrong energy.  While Jesus was surrendering, Peter was busy declaring war … His whole approach to the situation was not at all Christ-like.”

“Each of us must decide whether we will go through life pretending like Judas; or fighting like Peter, or yielding to God’s perfect will like Jesus.  Will it be the kiss, the sword, or the cup?”

Father, when I face adversity, please help me to react the way Jesus did.  Help me to yield to Your perfect will.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Luke 22:1-23 The Start Of The Night Before

My commentary says that everything that happened to Jesus that last week in Jerusalem “were appointments, not accidents, for they had been determined by the Father and written centuries ago in the Old Testament Scriptures.  We cannot but admire our Savior and love Him more as we see Him courageously enter into this time of suffering and eventual death.  We must remember that He did it for US.”

The religious leaders prepared for a crime:  “The religious leaders had cleansed their homes but not their hearts.  For a long time now, they had wanted to arrest Jesus and get Him out of the way, but they had not been able to work out a safe plan that would protect them from the people.”

Jesus revealed His love:  He washed the feet of each of his disciples, including Judas.  He’d already greet them, as the host, with the traditional kiss of peace, including kissing Judas.  “He openly spoke of a traitor in their midst … more for the sake of Judas … giving him another opportunity to repent.  It is most significant that Jesus did not openly identify Judas as the traitor but protected him until the very end.”

I can’t imagine what it must have been like, knowing, as He did, what was to happen during the night and the next day – knowing how Judas would betray Him and how the other disciples would scatter in fear.  He also knew how painful death would be and what it means to us as humans to depart this physical existence.  But Jesus knew for a fact what was on the other side.  He’d been in Heaven reigning, and He was going home soon – mission accomplished.  And seeing His Father’s loving face would make it all worth it!

Father, though death is scary to us, I’m glad that I know I will be with You and Your Son someday.  That makes everything in this life worth it, too.  Help me to obey and to live according to Your will, and to anticipate my home-going someday.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Luke 21 -- What's Coming And What To Do

Jesus knew the hearts of those He saw giving at the Temple.  The widow gave all she had – that’s sacrificial giving.  I loved what my commentary added:  “When it comes to our giving, God sees more than the portion; He also sees the proportion.  Men see what is given, but God sees what is left, and by that He measures the gift and the condition of our hearts.”

Jesus talked about the future with Peter, James, and John.  While we can’t know with certainty when He will return, I loved some things I read:

“Satan is a counterfeiter who for centuries has led people astray by deceiving their minds and blinding their hearts… ‘Be not deceived!’ is our Lord’s admonition, and we must take it to heart … Our Lord’s admonition to the people is, “Don’t be terrified!’  These things must come to pass; there is nothing anyone can do to prevent them … Times of suffering provide opportunities for witness … But we must not despair, for God is in control.  Not a hair on our head can perish apart from God’s sovereign will … His first admonition as ‘Know!’ and His second was ‘Watch!’  ‘Watch!’ does not mean to stand around looking for signs.  It means, ‘Be awake!  Be alert!  Don’t get caught unprepared!’ … We must watch and pray and resist the temptations around us, for we want to be ready when our Lord returns.”

Father, I choose not to worry about this, but to watch and be ready.  I trust Your promises and I know that in Your sovereign will, I will be seated with You and Your Son in glory.  Whatever happens between now and then is safely in Your hands.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford