1. LifeOfApostlePaul-DT-Mar14-Mar19

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Submitted by James Kim, Gracepoint Berkeley

vv.13-14

O: What do younger widows become in addition to being idlers? Gossips and busybodies

D: What does this say about the nature of sin? Often it’s not just an isolated sin.  Especially with something like idleness, it opens the door for one to commit other sins.  I thought about these younger widows, how because they were idle and didn’t have anything to do, they ended up filling their time with frivolous activities and gossiping.

D: What is the wisdom behind A.Paul’s counsel to younger widows to marry, to have children, to manage their homes? It’s with the understanding that as sinners, we need structure and boundaries set in place for us.  That there are certain standards and rules regarding how we are to relate with others that we need to submit ourselves to and obey.  We need structure in order to protect us from idleness, and it’s thru times of idleness which gives opportunity for the enemy to work.  A.Paul really understood ppl and where they are at, and what potential pitfalls they can fall prey to.  He gave different sets of instructions to older and younger widows.  He understood how ppl who are young and full of energy need boundaries and structures in place for them.  A.Paul understood the sinfulness of man, and knew that in order to protect these younger widows from falling into more and more sin, they were going to need the structure and boundaries that come with being a wife, a mother, with responsibilities and ppl they need to care for.

A: How does this apply to me? Similarly in the same way, I am thankful for the many layers of structures and boundaries that have been placed in my life.  That as a wife, there is a certain way I am to relate with my husband, and there are certain responsibilities that come with being a wife, such as being the one to submit and the one who manages affairs of the home.  That as a mother, I cannot be immature and do whatever I want, whenever I want, but the fact that I’m a mother actually means something, and that’s going to affect how I’m going to end up spending my time.  That as a leader of this church, there is a certain way I am to conduct my life, and the fact that I’m a leader and others are looking to me to model for them what Christian life should look like—this is good pressure for me, and ends up forming the boundaries that I need to set for myself in terms of how I’m going to spend my time, and what I’m going to labor and strive after.

Growing in Godliness

v. 12  “…set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.”

v. 15-16  “Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress.  Watch your life adn doctrine closely. Persevere in them, brcuase if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.”

As Timothy is given this enormous task to be a minister to Thessalonians, Apostle Paul gives him this advice to train in godliness and to let others see his progress.  I can relate to Timothy’s fears and concerns, as leading others spiritually is not an easy task. Paul gives important advice on how to lead others, which is to lead by the example of one’s godly life. Paul’s advice to Timothy is to watch his own life closely and to grow in his own godliness. The best way that I can lead my people is through the example of my own spiritual growth, rather than trying to change them somehow.  As a church we can offer up wonderful worship service, discipleship training program, service opportunities..etc.  However, it’s God’s power displayed in my life through my submission to his word that others will be able to see the truth of the gospel actually lived out.  When they see how God’s word can powerfully change a person’s character, desire and even lifelong habits, when they see a person restrained by the Holy Spirit, when they see how a person struggles with his own sinfulness, they will desire the same and it will be  a genuine testimony of how God can change each and every one of us.  I see that if I want the people I lead to grow in Christ, I should be the one who is growing in my hunger for God, growing in my desire for holiness in my life, growing in my zeal to the gospel spread… My own personal transformation is the best way to lead others.

In 1 Timothy 3, Apostle Paul gives specific guidance on how to behave as overseers, deacons and wives of such people.  He tells them to:  be above reproach, husband of one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money, manage his own family well, and see that his children obey him with proper respect, not be a recent convert, have a good reputation with outsiders, be worthy of respect, not be malicious talkers, temperate and trustworthy, not pursue dishonest gain, be sincere and keep hold of the truth.

Apostle Paul talks about very concrete and detailed character issues about being an overseer, deacon or wife of one of these.  I was reminded through this text that being a Christian is not just about theoretical teachings, feel good Sunday messages, but rather it’s about how I actually live out my life, including the details of my life and the nitty gritty of my character.  For example, Apostle Paul gives guidance on how one is to manage his family, how his children are to relate to him, his reputation with outsiders, etc.  For many this makes people uncomfortable as they consider certain things, especially when it comes to the nuclear family, as being off limits to the church and is personal to each person.  Many people have a privacy screen around their lives, thinking that their lives are their own business and only certain things should be open to the church.  They are easily satisfied with weekly Sunday service attendance and even the mid-week prayer meeting, but when it comes to the details of ones’ life it is a personal matter.  But here clearly Apostle Paul says that because we are part of God’s household, which is the church of the living God, how we live our lives does matter and how we live our lives in detail is the church’s business, especially if we are in any sort of leadership position in the church.  And most of us are in a leadership or ministry position, whether it be as a Joyland teacher, Impact volunteer, witness to a friend or our family members, lead of a small group, lead of a ministry and so on.  Because we are part of the church of the living God, how we live our lives before God AND before others does matter.  And the fact that we are part of a church is no trivial matter, as it is the church that brings the truth to this world, often one person at a time, one relationship at a time.  It is through the church that the world is going to be saved, it is the hands and feet of God to reach this world.  And so we who make up the church need to take our part of it seriously and to live lives open to guidance and correction when necessary, as Apostle Paul exhorted the Thessalonians so concretely in this chapter, simply because we are part of the church of the living God.

I personally find this to be a hard teaching.  Often I find that I want to just satisfy the minimum requirements of being a good church goer so that I can be left to live out the rest of my life left alone and in peace.  Also, in my inherent rebelliousness and sinfulness, it is hard for me to accept correction, even gentle guidance on the details in life.  But I see that this is absolutely necessary as I don’t live my life on an island, rather because I am part of this church of the living God I have the responsibility to have a good and virtuous character.  And this church is the way that I in will be able to reach the world.  I realized that being a leader is not simply by position, but a privilege (“a noble task”), but with it comes this responsibility of stewarding the position well by being a person with noble character and service.  And to actually become that person of noble character and service, I need to be open to correction and guidance about the details of my life and character.

1 Timothy 2:1-6

1I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— 2for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 5For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6who gave himself as a ransom for all men—the testimony given in its proper time.

What is a fundamental aspect of the gospel that I can gather from these verses? The key words and concepts that are repeated are: “for everyone,” “all men,” and “for all men.” Apostle Paul says that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving should be made for everyone. God our Savior wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. Christ Jesus gave himself as a ransom for all men. It is clear that the gospel is inclusive of all people. It embraces and includes everyone.

The commentary states that “the gospel includes high and low…good and bad…embraces Christian and non-Christian…” A person can be a king and in authority or the lowest of ranks such as a slave, a person can be the most morally upright and law-abiding or the worst of criminals, or a person can be in the faith or a non-believer…the gospel encompasses ALL people.

How then should I view and interact with all people that I encounter? This means that everyone needs the gospel. This means that all men need to hear the gospel. I need to see that no matter a person’s position or status (whether it’s my boss or the janitor that cleans up after everyone’s mess), a rich person or a poor person, a kind and polite co-worker who seems to have everything together or an old friend whose life is pretty messed up, my non-Christian family members or my brothers and sisters within this church – all these individuals need the gospel. The gospel in no way distinguishes people when it comes to our need to be saved, and our need to know and experience the love of Christ. This then means that I need to engage in the work of sharing the gospel. I am called to embody the gospel through my life (my words, actions, choices, everything) and to be in the role of guiding people to Jesus. Anywhere and everywhere I am – I need to embrace this calling and this role with every and any individual I encounter.

How does this challenge me to stretch my prayer concerns? Sometimes my sphere of concern is so limited to the people right in front of me. As I have been taking praying over the GPL more seriously, I am learning to pray prayers of intercession, requests, and thanksgiving for many different people, the church plants, and concerns. I am interceding for the spiritual and physical needs of a variety of people – people I know and have relationship with all the way to individuals I have never met. I ask God for His provision with job needs for our members, healing for health concerns of our brothers and sisters and their family members, specific needs at various churches and campuses. I praise and thank God for what He is doing – the outcome of a certain retreat or event, provision of jobs, people who are coming out, salvation decisions, and more. My prayer concerns need to continue to grow as there is so much to intercede for and so many requests. I also need a heightened sense of urgency as there is a whole world out there where people need to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth.

Think about a person who finds serving God laborious and tiresome.  Contrast this attitude with Apostle Paul’s response to being appointed to his service.  Which attitude more resembles mine?  What is the source of Apostle Paul’s joy and gratitude when he thinks about his current role in God’s service?

Marking the person who finds serving God laborious and tiresome and Apostle Paul who is thankful to God for the service opportunity on two ends of the spectrum regarding attitude in serving God, I find myself oscillating between these two ends with a more natural leaning to the former. Apostle Paul’s gratitude flowed out of his reflection of his past, persecuting the church and going against God’s will out of his ignorant zeal (v13). Recognizing that God did not treat him as his sins deserve but instead used him as His vessel to proclaim the Gospel, he was blown away by the immense mercy, grace, love and privilege from God (v14). I find my heart rises with gratitude, joy and a humbling sense of privilege whenever I reflect upon my past: how God has rescued me from the kind of death that I was living in, how He has shaped and changed me, and how He has been using me to do His holy and awesome work. However, these feelings are often quickly eclipsed by the negative feelings resulted from my narcissistic expectations of what serving God should look like. The unpleasant feelings of serving God came often when my plans and schedules got interrupted. They also came when serving God was causing me more pain and discomfort than I had “signed up” for. In those times, my mentality toward doing Gods’ work would shift from serving God to doing God a favor, forgetting about God’s mercy and disregarding the immense privilege of serving God. This kind of changes in mentality and perspectives are deeply rooted in my sinful nature. To struggle against my natural self, I need to daily face up to my sinfulness and reflect upon all that God has done, and is still doing, in my life, so that I can see the REALITY that God does not owe me a thing but that I owe God my allegiance, my service, and my life. Keeping in line with these truths will help me battle against the negative and wrong feelings that come from the difficulties and labor of serving God.

Who does Apostle Paul credit for being able to faithfully serve God?  For what purposes do I seek God’s strength?  When have I experienced being strengthened by him?

Apostle Paul credited Jesus Christ for giving him the strength to faithfully serve God. Apostle Paul was a man familiar with suffering and weaknesses. He drew strength from God in times of personal trials, as evidenced in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10. He sought and relied on God’s strength to endure the hardships and difficulties in serving God, in advancing the Gospel, in bearing the pressure of his concern for all the churches (2 Corinthians 11:28). The suffering that I experience in my life is no where near what Apostle Paul went through (2 Corinthians 11:23-28). However, I seek God’s strength when I try to please God in small ways. For example, I seek His strength when I am struggling with my sins because I know that only by the power of the Holy Spirit can my heart be changed and my mind renewed. I seek His strength when I try to evangelize to non-Christians and minister to younger Christians because I lack wisdom and love. In fact, I am now seeking His strength as the new semester is dawning on me and a whole new group of international graduate students are arriving at the Berkeley campus. I seek His strength in loving the people in my household because sometimes it’s most difficult for me to love the people closest to me. And its’ in the context of my household that I most recently experienced being strengthened by Jesus. Due to my sinfulness and other circumstances, there have been tensions at home between my parents and me. I felt that it was really difficult for me to be a loving son at home because I would be so easily annoyed and frustrated. However, as I reflected upon Jesus’ sacrificial love on the cross, I asked God to give me the courage and strength to die to my ego and my prince-like attitude and to imitate Christ. And this repentance before God led me to resume conversations with my parents and to try to take care of them better by doing more house chores. As a result, the atmosphere in the house has become warmer.