Category Archives: Bible Study

PAUL’S HAPPY LETTER…TIMOTHY – 10

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“If the Lord Jesus is willing, I hope to send Timothy to you soon for a visit. Then he can cheer me up by telling me how you are getting along. I have no one else like Timothy, who genuinely cares about your welfare. All the others care only for themselves and not for what matters to Jesus Christ. But you know how Timothy has proved himself. Like a son with his father, he has served with me in preaching the Good News. I hope to send him to you just as soon as I find out what is going to happen to me here. And I have confidence from the Lord that I myself will come to see you soon.”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2‬:‭19‬-‭24‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“Paul met Timothy in the city of Lystra (modern-day Turkey) during his second missionary journey. Impressed by the young man’s strong reputation among the local believers and his deep knowledge of the Scriptures, Paul invited Timothy to join him and Silas on their travels….”

“This meeting sparked a lifelong mentorship. Paul became a spiritual father to Timothy, later referring to him as his “true son in the faith” in 1 Timothy 1:2”

Google AI gives us a glimpse into this association between Paul and Timothy, growing from a meeting to a lifelong connection…Paul mentoring and training Timothy like a father, and Timothy faithfully serving Paul like a son. 

Paul’s commendation of Timothy was warm and loving. Since he was in chains and Timothy free, Paul was able to send him to Philippi to take news about himself to them and return to Paul with news of the church in Philippi. 

How important this was to Paul! Part of his ministry was to keep contact, to keep encouraging, teaching, correcting, and praying for those who had come to Christ through his ministry. His bond with Timothy was his lifeline between himself and the churches scattered across the empire. 

There was nothing Timothy would not do for Paul. He was faithful and reliable, and best of all, he was young and free. He could come and go with greater ease than the older man who had borne the brunt of years of travel and hardship. Paul was not only old but also incarcerated…which meant that he needed someone to be his arms and legs to carry on where he could no longer go. 

Timothy was not only Paul’s deputy. He himself cared about the churches Paul served. He had watched and listened to Paul long enough to have drunk of the same Spirit that was in Paul…the love and compassion he felt for the believers who were relatively new in the faith and shared the struggles of those who  faced hostility from all sides. 

Timothy could have stayed at home, married, raised a family, and been a pastor in a local congregation but…he chose to be the faithful companion of an older man…to travel with him…to learn from him…and to serve him during the darkest days of Paul’s life. 

Timothy did eventually land up in a pastoral position in Ephesus…but only after years of accompanying Paul and maturing into the role entrusted to him. Even there, Paul had his eyes on him, writing letters to guide and encourage him as long as he, Paul, was alive to do so. 

These glimpses into this companionship of father and son in the faith are special…highlighting the humanity and vulnerability of these two men. They needed each other…and God, the tender Father, in His grace, made sure that they met, bonded, and supported each other through their weaknesses, trials, and struggles. 

Paul’s loving commendation of Timothy should warm our hearts. He was big enough to give credit where credit was due. He was human enough to acknowledge his need. He was lavish in his praise for another man and…as we move on, not only Timothy but also others were a part of Paul’s inner circle…those who helped to carry the load with him. 

Paul’s letters surely show us how God married human weakness and vulnerability to His own grace and strength to write the story which continues to this day. 

To be continued

PAUL’S HAPPY LETTER…REJOICE – 9

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“But I will rejoice even if I lose my life, pouring it out like a liquid offering to God, just like your faithful service is an offering to God. And I want all of you to share that joy. Yes, you should rejoice, and I will share your joy.”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2‬:‭17‬-‭18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Worship! Why did Paul relate the whole of life to worship? It seems that whatever happened to him, or even whatever he did, was about worship. 

What is worship?

“In the Bible, worship is a total response of awe, honor, obedience, and love to God’s supreme worth. It is not just a song sung on Sunday, but an inner attitude of the heart and an outward way of living every day.”(Google AI)

In the Old Testament, the Hebrew words used that relate to worship are mostly about posture and the ways they were to use the body to express God’s worth when directed towards Him. 

Paul, in the New Covenant, expands the expression of worship to everything we do in the body…so that all of ordinary life, when directed towards God, becomes worship. 

Worship, once again, starts with attitude. When our attitude is towards God as both the source and centre of our existence, what we say and do flows out of that attitude and back to Him as the expression of how much we value Him. 

So, from the most ordinary of human activities…eating and drinking…to the very life God has given us, we offer everything back to God, acknowledging Him as the giver of everything. 

“So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭10‬:‭31‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The context of Paul’s conclusion here suggests that their behaviour…in this case, whether his Corinthian readers should or should not eat meat offered to idols, was to be regulated by the way they honoured God’s worth. 

“And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.”

‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭17‬ ‭NLT‬‬

For Paul, life itself, together with all its ramifications…every detail… was an offering to God, a drink offering…. 

“In the Bible, a Hebrew drink offering (nesek) is a liquid libation—usually wine—poured out before God as an act of total devotion, worship, and gratitude. It was typically poured onto or beside the altar alongside animal and grain sacrifices rather than consumed…”

“Complete Devotion: Because the liquid sank into the ground or altar and could not be recovered or drunk, it symbolized holding nothing back from God.” (Source: Google AI)

That’s the bottom line. If he could offer what he said and did as an offering to God…if it is in keeping with His character…if it expressed something of His worth…then that word, action, behaviour, was worthy worship. 

Paul’s circumstances, as far as he was concerned at that moment, was literally a “dead end”. He was in jail, not only for refusing to honour Caesar Nero as God and Lord, but also for actively proclaiming that an executed Galilean peasant, one Jesus of Nazareth, was God and Lord. He declared that Jesus was alive…and called everyone who heard his message to follow this Jesus, believing and confessing Him as Lord. 

Is it any wonder, from Nero’s perspective, that Paul was a danger to him and must be exterminated? For the sake of his place and authority as emperor of the Roman Empire, he could not tolerate rivalry, even if Paul preached that this Jesus was Lord of a spiritual kingdom. Nero demanded absolute allegiance from everyone, regardless of religious persuasion. 

Let’s examine the implications of Paul’s declaration. 

In this context, Paul viewed his impending execution, not as punishment, martyrdom, or a travesty of justice, (definition…a false, absurd, or poor imitation of something serious that makes a mockery of it)…but the sacrifice of his life as an offering poured out to God! 

With this outlook, this perspective, this philosophy of life, we cannot be overcome. What if, instead of viewing our lives, not as one situation, one circumstance at a time…separate and disconnected…but as an uninterrupted act of worship? What if we see God in the centre of everything we are and do and offer everything up to Him as our continual worship? 

How would our hearts, our attitudes, our lives change?

To be continued

PAUL’S HAPPY LETTER…ATTITUDE – 8

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“Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people. Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ’s return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless.”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2‬:‭14‬-‭16‬ ‭NLT‬‬

We must remember that Paul’s counsel to this church was not based on criticism or correction but on his desire to fine-tune their lives in their faith and obedience to Jesus as Lord. As we have already noted, it’s all about attitude.  

“In the Bible, attitude means the inner mindset, spirit, and disposition of the heart that guides a person’s actions and words. Key biblical attitudes include humility, love, and a Christ-like mindset.” Google AI. 

Complaining…murmuring…the subtle undercurrent of discontent. Not loud, or insistent, or vocal…just a quiet disturbance of harmonious, peaceful fellowship. Debate…introducing another subtle opportunity to question…and even to argue about doctrine, about the things they did or did not do or the way they did them. The subtle disagreements could  be as much about doctrine as about the peripheral things that caused them to rub against each other. 

Paul was not accusing these believers. He was cautioning them against allowing these subtly divisive attitudes to creep into their fellowship. They were to shine like pinpricks of light in very dark world full of rot and corruption. Their individual light might be minuscule but very noticeable in a dark environment. 

Any small attitude of darkness, any tiny deviation from the truth in their faith or behaviour would dim or extinguish the light that keeps them on track and points others towards Jesus. 

Once again, Paul makes clear that they are not the source of light but the bearers of the light that is in them. Practical and do-able…

“Don’t participate in the things these people do. For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭5‬:‭7‬-‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The light within them would expose and reveal…expose the deeds done in darkness and reveal the truth that would shine out of their words and behaviour. 

“Hold firmly to the word of life…”

“The teaching of your word gives light, so even the simple can understand.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭119‬:‭130‬ ‭NLT‬‬

So, Paul encouraged his beloved Philippian believers to cling to God’s word, the source of the light that was in them…to live by it themselves and to share it with others…because this was the only light that would guide them and others to Jesus, the way, the truth, and the life. 

The obedience and faithfulness of these Christians in Philippi to Jesus and His word was Paul’s only guarantee that his labour was not in vain. Their increasing likeness to Jesus showed him that they were firmly grafted into the true vine and bearing the fruit of that union. 

Attitude itself is not seen but revealed through the words and deeds of those who follow Jesus as much as through those who don’t. Attitude influences and drives the way we function and relate to others.

Attitude could be another way of understanding “spirit”…not a supernatural being in them, controlling them…but a mindset that underlies who they are and the way they live. 

And so with every believer who follows them…

To be continued

PAUL’S HAPPY LETTER…FRUIT – 7

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“Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people. Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ’s return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless.”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2‬:‭12‬-‭13‬, ‭15‬-‭16‬ ‭NLT‬‬

How could Paul ever know that God’s work through him was real , bearing the fruit of the gospel? Not by those who answered altar calls. Not by those who prayed the sinner’s prayer. Not by those who signed on to church membership.  Not even by those who were “born again”. 

Jesus said there is only one test,  to find out the nature of the tree… fruit! A simple lesson from nature! Jesus taught His disciples to apply the test. 

“You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭7‬:‭16‬-‭18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Always moving his converts towards greater maturity, Paul appeals to them to grow the fruit of their salvation by applying themselves diligently to his instructions. Two powers are at work in them…the work they put into their obedience and the work God does in them in response to their work of obedience. The one without the other doesn’t work!

We must never separate the two. We can never work for our salvation. Only God can do the work in us. By His grace, He made us alive, forgave our sin, reconciled us to Himself, reinstated us as His sons and daughters, blessed us with every spiritual blessing, and gave us citizenship in His kingdom. 

Our “work” is to respond to God’s work by working it out in obedience to His commands by…believing in Jesus (leaning our full weight on Jesus)  and…loving one another (helping each other in all circumstances at our own expense). 

When and as we obey Jesus’ instructions, His Spirit in us grows the fruit of our union with Him…the outward evidence of the nature of the tree. If the tree of which we are branches is the vine of which Jesus spoke…He Himself and our union with Him… we will bear the fruit of that tree…

“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!”

‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5‬:‭22‬-‭23‬ ‭NLT‬‬

There is only one way to remain in union with the vine…

“Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me…Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.”

‭‭John‬ ‭15‬:‭4‬-‭5‬, ‭7‬-‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Vine…branches…prayer…fruit! It’s a process…slow but sure. 

God’s word is the sap that flows from the vine to the branches, nourishing them and growing the fruit the identifies the vine. So, Paul exhorts…

“Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important.”  

Paul’s instructions would eventually be recognised as the very word of God. 

Staying in the vine and bearing the fruit of that “vine” is not airy -fairy but practical…remain in Jesus’ words. The word and the Spirit are never separated. 

“Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings.”

‭‭John‬ ‭8‬:‭31‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“But if you remain in me and my words remain in you…”

‭‭John‬ ‭15‬:‭7‬a NLT‬‬

So, there we have Jesus’ secret of fruitfulness encapsulated…living in the word, and sharing the word with one another with joyful and grateful hearts…

“Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.”

‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭16‬ ‭NLT‬‬ 

To be continued

PAUL’S HAPPY LETTER…ATTITUDE – 6c

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“In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset (attitude) as Christ Jesus:…”

It’s all about attitude!

Google AI’s definition of attitude helps us understand what Paul was saying. 

“In the Bible, attitude means the inner mindset, spirit, and disposition of the heart that guides a person’s actions and words. Key biblical attitudes include humility, love, and a Christ-like mindset.”

What better example could Paul use than the one who was the model of humility in His earthly life…Jesus!

Let’s examine Jesus’ attitude more closely. 

How could Jesus live like He lived, do what He did, die like He died? To whom was His attitude directed?

“Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; 

he took the humble position of a slave 

and was born as a human being. 

When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God 

and died a criminal’s death on a cross.”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2‬:‭6‬-‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Look at the key words used in this description…”He humbled Himself”…”He made Himself nothing “…” He took the humble position “… He stepped down to the lowest position on earth…a slave who had no rights. 

We learn about Jesus’ attitude by the way He related to the Father. He chose to set aside His divine attributes…not to lose them but to veil them in a human person for the duration of His time on earth. He chose to subject Himself to the Father’s authority, fully and completely, in every detail of His existence on earth…to say and do only that which the Father authorised. He chose to obey the Father…even to the point of sacrificing His own life in the most humiliating, cruel, and agonising way. 

Jesus’ submission to the Father was motivated by love and His obedience driven by purpose. He never moved outside of His predetermined goal, and the reward for obedience. 

“…For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭12‬:‭2‬ ‭NIV‬‬

In his prophetic vision, Isaiah saw the outcome of Messiah’s obedience and suffering…

“But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants. He will enjoy a long life, and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands. When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of his experience, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins. I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier, because he exposed himself to death. He was counted among the rebels. He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭53‬:‭10‬-‭12‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Jesus gave up everything He was to the Father for one purpose…to do the Father’s will… in that will and in His obedience to the Father was His reward. 

Now, says Paul, this is the way, and the only way, to accomplish the Father’s will…to relinquish what we hold onto, however fiercely…our will…our self-determination. God gave us free will as our right but He asks us to give it to Him…

…motivated by love…driven by purpose…

…and in that will, blended with the will of God, is the only perfect way to live…to experience the love, joy, and peace, and the unity which mirrors the Trinity… that is the way of God’s kingdom and the atmosphere of heaven…

To be continued