When Paul talks about honoring the elders in today’s Bible reading*, he isn’t talking about honoring your parents or honoring people who are older than you. He’s talking about honoring church elders. Elders in the First Century church were pastors and mature men who had been called to provide spiritual and financial leadership for the…
In today’s Bible reading*, Paul tells his spiritual son Timothy that Believers should pray for those in authority over them. He uses several Greek words for prayer, each covering a different type of prayer. And he tells Timothy to pray “for everyone, for kings and all those who are in authority, so that we may…
We begin reading 1 Timothy in today’s Bible reading.* Paul reminds Timothy that he should teach people not to teach false doctrine or pay attention to myths and endless genealogies. Why? Because they “promote empty speculations rather than God’s plan which operates by faith”. (1 Timothy 1:3-4, CSB) Paul refers to Timothy as his “true…
If you’ve been around church for a while, you may have heard of Paul’s “thorn in the flesh”. Today’s Bible reading* includes Paul’s brief discussion of his thorn. Paul never tells us specifically what his thorn was. Obviously, he was using the word as a metaphor for something else. Some have speculated it was poor…
A few years ago, the Parker County Texas Sheriff’s Department (in the county where I pastor) issued a warning about counterfeit money being passed off as being legitimate. In a news conference, they highlighted the easily-discerned marks of these counterfeit bills. Anyone who has handled much money should be able to spot these counterfeits, if…