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1st Timothy 4:14-16
“Neglect
not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying
on of the hands of the presbytery. Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy
profiting may appear to all. Take
heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save
thyself, and them that hear thee.”
1st Timothy 5:1-25
“Rebuke
not an elder, but intreat him as a father; and younger
men as brethren; the elder women
as mothers; the younger as sisters, with all purity. Honour widows that are widows indeed. But if any widow have children or
nephews, let them learn first to shew piety at home, and to requite their
parents: for that is good and
acceptable before God. Now she
that is a widow indeed, and desolate, trusteth in God, and continueth in
supplications and prayers night and day. But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth. And these things give in charge, that
they may be blameless. But if any
provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath
denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel. Let not a widow be taken into the number under threescore
years old, having been the wife of one man, well reported of for good works; if
she have brought up children, if she have lodged strangers, if she have washed
the saints’ feet, if she have relieved the afflicted, if she have diligently
followed every good work. But the
younger widows refuse: for when
they have begun to wax wanton against Christ, they will marry; having
damnation, because they have cast off their first faith. And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to
house: and not only idle, but
tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not. I will therefore that the younger women
marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to
speak reproachfully. For some are
already turned aside after Satan. If any man or woman that believeth have widows, let them relieve them, and
let not the church be charged; that it may relieve them that are widows
indeed. Let the elders that rule
well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word
and doctrine. For the scripture
saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward. Against an elder receive not an
accusation, but before two or three witnesses. Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear. I charge thee before God and the Lord Jesus
Christ, and the elect angels, that thou observe these things without preferring
one before another, doing nothing by partiality. Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partakers of other
men’s sins: keep thyself
pure. Drink no longer water, but use
a little wine for thy stomach’s sake and thine often infirmities. Some men’s sins are open beforehand,
going before to judgment; and some men they follow after. Likewise also the good works of some are manifest beforehand; and they
that are otherwise cannot be hid.”
‘Timothy, Be A Spiritual
Trail-Blazer’
“1st Timothy chapter 4, we came as far as verse 13, Paul giving instruction to
Timothy in regards to setting things in order in the church, hoping to come and
join him. He had talked to him
about false teaching and immorality, about elders and about deacons, about
doctrines that would turn people away from the faith, about how to stay on
track. He told them not to let
anyone despise his youth, but to be an example to the believer, and of the
believer, and not to neglect the gifts God had given him. And in verse 13 he said ‘Until I
come,’ Paul said
to Timothy, ‘give attendance to public reading,’ you know again, that was mostly, 99
percent the Old Testament, besides some of these Epistles that had been sent
around. ‘Give attendance to
reading,’ they
didn’t have a Bible with a zipper on it, a Bible in the bathroom, a Bible in
the glove compartment, a Bible you leave at Lost & Found, and a Bible you
carry around, and a hip Bible, and a Living Bible and a married people’s Bible,
and a divorced people’s Bible, and a businessman’s Bible, and a musician’s
Bible, Hippies Bible, they just had, often they heard the Word of God read
publicly, and it was a blessing to them all. So ‘give attendance to’ and there’s a definite article
throughout here, ‘the reading, to the exhortation,’ preaching of the Word, ‘and to the doctrine,’ establishing the truths of the Christian faith. “Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given
thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.” (verse
14), of the elders,
Paul will mention that again in the 2nd epistle to Timothy. “Meditate upon these things; give
thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.” (verse 15) Give yourself to them, or in them, “that thy profiting may appear to
all.” Now, give yourself to these things, the
instruction, particularly to reading, to exhorting, to teaching, meditate on
these things, give yourself to them, that your profiting may appear to all. Now it’s an interesting word there,
“profiting” means “your progress.” But it was a word that was used of pioneers blazing a trail through
unexplored territory. So he said ‘Timothy,
don’t let anybody despise your youth, be an example to the believer, stand up to
the plate now and live without compromise, and let your profession match your
walk so that there’s no room for anybody to accuse you. And let them look at you, a young man,
35 to 40 years old, blazing this trail of faith through this Roman Empire,
through Judaism and legalism and through pagan religions, let them see you
Timothy, an example of the things you preach, that you also walk the walk, you
just don’t talk the talk, so that no man can despise your youth. And let them look at your life, let
them be amazed, let them see your commitment and see how you’re blazing a
trail, and be an example.’ “Take heed unto thyself, and unto
the doctrine, continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear.”
(verse 16) ‘Take heed to yourself, your private
life, your doctrine, your public life, take heed Timothy. Don’t let your labour, which can be
intensive, very intensive, don’t let that steal you away from your personal
communion with Jesus. Take heed to
yourself, and to your doctrine, your teaching.’ “continue in them: for
in doing this” not “by
doing this”, “in doing this” continuing
in these things, “in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that
hear.” ‘Timothy, it’s by remaining in the
truths of these things, that the words you speak will have power to transform
lives, and that your own life will continue.’ You know,
Paul said to the Corinthians, ‘We have been delivered, we are being
delivered, and we shall yet be delivered,’ and he’s saying ‘Timothy,
salvation, working out in your life, coming to those who hear you, move
forward, blazing this trail, taking heed to yourself, to your doctrine.’
A Pastor’s Proper
Relationship With The Various Groups Within The Church Congregation
As
he comes to the 5th chapter he begins to talk to him about
addressing specific groups within the Church. He’s going to talk to Timothy about his relationship to
older men, older women, younger men, younger women. There’s a long detailed portion on widows, because widows
had been a problem early in the Church, in Acts chapter 6 in Jerusalem. And there as the Hellenistic widows,
the Grecian widows who were converted to Judaism, or Jews that were raised in
the Hellenistic world, the Grecian culture, they would come to Jerusalem [and
then had come into the early Church] they said, ‘There’s favoritism being
shown to the Jewish widows, and we’re not receiving our share of care on behalf
of the Church,’ so an
early problem. And evidently here
in Ephesus there was a large enough number of widows that the support of the
widows was a problem. Now you have
to understand, many times in this culture, if the husband would die in the
Greco-Roman world, the estate would be left to the oldest son, not to the
wife. Many times the wife was left
to become a prostitute, she was left destitute, particularly if that son was
from a concubine or another woman. And Paul is going to say ‘There are those who are widows indeed,
they genuinely need the help of the Church, there are those that can be supported
by their families, that should be done, there are those who run and live in the
flesh after their husband dies, and squander the husband’s estate and live
carnally, and there are younger widows,’ and there is instruction for them. Then he will move on to elders, the
remuneration, taking care of elders, the accusations that would come against
elders, what to do with an elder that has fallen, that is in sin, ordination of
elders. And then finally to those
that are slaves, chapter 6, verses 1 and 2, how they should behave themselves,
because half of the Roman Empire, half the population it’s estimated, were
slaves. That was a broad term, the
treatment of slaves was greatly varied, to some that were loved and cared for,
almost made part of the home, and to others that were sorely mistreated. [I’m reading a short history of the
Roman Empire right now, and it said a lot of slaves in the Roman Empire were
referred to as “talking cattle, talking beasts of burden.”] And Paul gives instructions there in
regards to having an unbelieving master, or a believing master. So he’s telling Timothy now, this is
how you relate to these groups of people, this is instruction for the
complicated situations that you run into in the Body of Christ.
How To Treat Older
Members, Your Elders, In Church, As Well As The Younger Ones---Proper Attitude
Of Pastors Toward The Brethren
So,
he says first, “Rebuke not an elder, but intreat him as a father; and the younger men as brethren.”
(verse 1) So this is not an elder in the sense of
ecclesiastically, as a pastor, an elder, this is an older man, and the grammar
is clear. “Rebuke not an elder,
but intreat him as a father;” ‘So, Timothy, you’re 35 to
40. If you’re around older men in
the church, and older saints fail, they make mistakes. If that happens Timothy, don’t rebuke
him,’ that means
to pound or to beat with words. [I’m 67, and I’ve had that happen to me, I know what that feels like,
some pastors can act like Goose-stepping Nazis, and Paul is saying that is not
right.] ‘Don’t upbraid that
person in front of the congregation, don’t humiliate them, don’t do that
Timothy. But rather, intreat him,’ paracleo, ‘come alongside and
speak to him, come alongside and instruct him. take him aside and talk to him
there, as you would a father, respect.’ I don’t
know, when I was a kid, you could open up your mouth and be sassy with your
dad, once. Things have
changed. I mean, we were scared of
police officers when we were little, imagine that, of teachers, respect. ‘Timothy, don’t rebuke an aged
man, if he’s sinned, if he’s failed in some way, don’t beat him, verbally, but
rather take him aside, paracleo, and intreat him, talk to him as you would a
father.’ Interesting. “and the younger men as brethren.” Now this all relates back to the verb paracleo, to intreat, to speak to, “younger
men as brethren.” ‘A younger man in the church,
Timothy, treat him as a brother, don’t treat him like you’re better than he is,
talk to him.’ And that’s tough sometimes, because
younger brothers sometimes think they know way more than you know, so talk to
him, as a brother. “and the
elder women as mothers; the younger women as sisters, with purity.” (verse 2) ‘The elder women, entreat them as mothers,’ that can be tough, ‘Mom,’ if you’ve ever tried to entreat your
mother. Speak to them as mothers,
be gracious to them. “the
younger as sisters, with all purity.” Entreat the
younger women as sisters, with all purity. ‘Timothy, accusations have brought down men before
you, don’t put yourself in any compromising situation with younger women in the
church. When you talk to them you
talk to them as sisters.’ Now, the interesting thing here of
course is “fathers, brothers, mothers, sisters,” very clear picture of the
family of God. And God’s looking
down, ‘Yeah I want order in the Church, but I don’t want you to be a
C.E.O. Timothy, this is the family of God, knit together through Christ. Older men treat them as your father,
younger men as your brothers, the older women as your mom, how you treat your
own mother. And the younger women,
as your sister, and let that be with all purity.’ You
have to understand, if you are involved sexually with a Christian woman, and
you’re not married to her, God considers that spiritual incest. If you wouldn’t do that with your
physical brother and sister, and that relationship is based on an earthly
father, is only based on blood,
why would you do it with a spiritual sister, whose Dad is a lot bigger than
your earthly dad? And that
relationship is eternal based on spirit. Yeah, blood is thicker than water, but spirit is thicker than
blood. [Physics fascinates me, and
I have been in the Word of God for over 43 years now, and with all I’ve read, I
suspect that whatever God has composed of spirit is far more solid than
physical matter. Even the atoms
are created like sponge cake, with huge distances between the orbits of the
electrons and nucleus of every atom. I think God and the angels pass through matter like planes fly through
clouds.] ‘the younger women,
as your sisters, with purity, respect.’
How To Treat And
Deal With Older Widows In The Church
“Honour
widows that are widows indeed.” (verse 3) Now he’s
going to talk for a longer period about this issue of widows. It’s interesting, the Greek word for “widow”
means “to be bereft,” to be left kind of broken-hearted, lonely is actually the
word for widow. “Honour widows
that are widows indeed.” And he’s going to address that. “But if any widow have children or
nephews, let them learn first to shew piety at home, and to requite their
parents: for that is good and
acceptable before God.” (verses 3-4) Man, you mean I’ve gotta take care of
my aunt? No, no, that’s just an
old King James word, it should be “if any widow has children or
grandchildren,” it’s the
word from the Greek that means “offspring,” and passes to the next
generation. So, ‘If any
widow have children or grandchildren, let them, the children or the
grandchildren, learn first to show piety at home, and to requite their parents,
for that is good and acceptable before God.’ So, ‘If any widow has living children, or grandchildren, let it be their
responsibility, because that’s a demonstration of true piety.’ And he says ‘Not only that,’ to requite their parents means ‘to pay them
back.’ It means to “reimburse them, to
recompense them. I mean, if you
have parents that have taken care of you, fed you, and stayed up in the middle
of the night when you had fevers, and changed your diapers, and paid for your
schooling, and bought your clothes, bought you new sneakers every third week,
you know, the cost is unimaginable that someone’s put into your life. And now if they’re in need, the godly
thing to do is for you to look out for them, and to pay them back. I like that. Payback, I’ll give this tape to all my kids. [chuckles] Now, you know there was among the Pharisees and Sadducees in
Mark 7, Jesus had to rebuke them because they were challenging him about eating
with unwashed hands, and he said, ‘You know, you set aside the Word of
God for the tradition of men, because the Word of God says ‘Honour your mother
and father,’---now
that word “honour”, here it says “honour widows”, it’s going to say “honour
elders” it meant more than just to honour them, to respect them, it meant “to
care for them.”---The Law said “Honour your mother and father, the first
commandment with promise, but you say Korban, and if someone says that, then
they’re free from the responsibility to look after their parents,’ and the Pharisees and Sadducees, Jesus
said ‘Woe unto you, you devour widows houses,’ because what they taught the people
was, ‘Yeah, you’re supposed to take care of your mom and dad when they get
older, but if
you want to take that money that you would have used to take care of them, and
you want to dedicate it to God [ie the Temple treasury] instead, well that’s
more important, so you can just say Korban, and then you don’t have to take
care of your parents anymore.’ Jesus said ‘That’s not in God’s Word, that’s not in God’s Law, you guys
are greedy, you’re thieves, so you started that up and given the right to just
say Korban, and you’ve set aside the Word of God for your tradition,’ because it was always the intent of
God, particularly if your mom’s a widow, that she should be cared for. Throughout the Scripture God says, ‘Hey,
there’s a lot of things that bug me, but if you mess with widows and orphans,
you’re messing with me.’ Because he stoops way down to the
orphan, to the widow. [to read
about how much God honours widows and orphans see, http://www.unityinchrist.com/prayer/mueller.htm, and to see how you can help a few
widows and orphans, see http://www.unityinchrist.com/evangelism/sisterchurches/BlessiOrphanHome.htm and http://www.lifenets.org/vinogradov/index.html] And there’s great care now in his instruction to the Church. ‘If they have living children,
grandchildren, them let then assume the responsibility before God.’ Jesus, on the cross, “Woman, behold thy son, John, behold thy
mother.” In his last dying words, his agony,
Jesus took the time to make sure that his Mom was looked after, our
example. [And John moved Mary with
himself all the way to Ephesus, well before 70AD, out of harms way from the
Roman invasion and conquering of Judea and Jerusalem. And if you tour Ephesus, the tour guide will point out what
they believe to be Mary’s grave. John took care of Mary for the rest of her life, as assigned by Jesus at
the cross to do.] “Now she that
is a widow indeed, and desolate, trusteth in God, and contineth in supplications and prayers night and day.” (verse 5) “and desolate,” that means “forsaken” or “alone,” and the idea is she doesn’t have any living
children, grandchildren, no relatives to look after her. “and continueth” is “constantly in supplications and
prayers night and day,” that’s her attitude. This is a great woman in the Church, who is without material
care, she’s without relatives to look after her, she’s struggling alone in life
however she can, broken because her husband is gone, alone, and her attitude is
“God is my husband, he is my provider.” This is the kind of woman that’s an asset to the Church, by that
attitude of praying continually, making supplications. Now, in contrast to that, ‘But she
that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth.” (verse 6) “in pleasure” and the Greek indicates “wantonly”. The woman who is a widow, whose out
living in sexual pleasure, or some would turn to prostitution, the one whose
out partying and carrying on. J.
Vernon McGee used to say “The widows that are having cocktail parties are
not the ones we take care of.” She’s spiritually dead, she’s alive
physically, she’s dead while she lives, you know, she’s turned away from the
Lord, she’s using widowhood as some type of license to be a single woman again,
and she doesn’t understand the position that God has for her. So there are those who are genuinely
desolate, they’re alone, they have no sustenance, they continue before God,
their attitude is right, they seek him. And there are those who are living in pleasure, that’s what they’ve
given their lives to, using widowhood as a license. They’re dead while they’re alive. “And these things give in charge, that they may be
blameless.”--- ‘Timothy,
make these things clear to the church,’---“But if any provide not for his own,
and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is
worse than an infidel.” (verses 7-8) Now our context here is “widows”, “if
any care not for his own, provide not for his own,” doesn’t provide for his
mom, his grandmother, doesn’t take that position of giving honor to the patriarch
of the family, the mom or grandmom that’s a widow that needs care, and someone
has the means to do it, and doesn’t take responsibility there, he says they’re
worse than in infidel, than an unbeliever. Because even unbelievers have enough natural inclination to
take care of their moms, their grandmoms. Worse than in infidel, ‘provide…any who provides not for his own
household,’ is not
just restricted to widowhood, because that would apply to dads taking care of
their wives and children, it would apply to anyone who has the means to..it
doesn’t do that, “provide” is not just talking about money, it literally means
“to see ahead,” or “to think ahead.” Someone who has the means, and doesn’t look down the road and assume a
spiritual responsibility, both monetarily and spiritually, for those in need in
their family, is worse than an infidel, because unbelievers do that. [My dad had set up stocks and bonds so
well for my mother, before he died, that it hardly matters what the economy is
doing, she is always provided for. He truly looked forward to fulfil her needs in the best way he knew
how. He died of cancer in 1989,
and she’s still going strong at 92 right now, with no financial worries.] ‘Timothy, these things are to be
charged, they’re to be taught, they’re to be put into perspective.’ Verse 9 is interesting because it’s going to talk about
those widows who were “enrolled.” Now, scholars are not in complete agreement, after the 3rd century there was a particular enrollment in some parts of the Church for
widows that were put on the church roll in some ecclesiastical position, they
weren’t deaconesses, they certainly weren’t elders or pastors, but they had
some official position. But
there’s no record of that in the 1st century, and certainly no record
of that in 64AD around where we are as we’re looking at the Scripture
here. It seems that Paul is going
to say ‘These are the widows that we really want to take note of, and the
Church needs to assume responsibility toward.’ So, “Let not a widow be taken into the number” into the enrollment, “under threescore years old,
having been the wife of one man,” (verse 9) So, if a
widow’s under 60, that’s the first requirement, she has to be over 60 for the
Church to assume some responsibility towards her now. You have to understand something, 60 then, 60 now, are two
different worlds. The researchers
have determined in the Greco-Roman world, the average lifespan of a woman was
36 years old. Now there were women
who lived to be much older, but they averaged out the lifespan, because so many
of them died at childbirth. You
think OBGYN has trouble now because they can’t afford the insurance, back then
it was big trouble. There was such
a large percentage of women who died in childbirth, that as they averaged out
the age, those who died early with those who lived long, the average life
expectancy for a woman in that world was 36. The average life expectancy for a man was 42 to 45. So when it says the widows above 60,
they were worn, by then. You know,
it’s a different world now. I saw
Sofia Loren on TV the other week, and I think she’s 62 or 64 [and wow!], that’s hard to believe, different
age. First of all they should be
above 60 years old, “having been the wife of one man,” now it doesn’t say that they can’t be
remarried, because Paul a little further down is going to encourage the younger
widows to remarry. It’s talking
about a one-man woman. The idea
is, she understood monogamy, she understood fidelity in marriage, that she was
committed to one husband, certainly if he died she was free to remarry, Paul
said in Romans 7 and other places. But she’s that kind of a woman, who understood the sacredness of
marriage and was a one-man woman. Over 60, the wife of one man, and “well reported of for good works;” and now there is “if, if, if, if” it
enumerates those good works that were supposed to be taken note of in the life
of a woman that the Church was going to assume responsibility for. So we have certain things. First of all she has no living
relatives to take care of her. Secondly, she’s supposed to be over 60 years old, has a good reputation,
loves her husband, the woman of one man, well reported of for good works, the
brethren are saying ‘Oh yeah, what a great gal, she’s been around for a long
time, her husband was a great guy, she’s really neat,’ “if she have brought up children,” and of course the inference is that
she raised her children in the Lord, that her child raising is a testimony,
godly. “if she have lodged
strangers,” there’s no
Motel-6 then, and the itinerant preachers would come into a town like Ephesus
where there may have already been persecution, the goddess Dianna, the
silversmiths, a big uproar, and if you came in as an evangelist or a
representative from Jerusalem, you couldn’t go to a hotel, and many times pagan
religion was the strongest force, and if they found out you were a Christian or
if the Jews had establishments there, they weren’t going to put you up because
there was hostility, so it was the responsibility of the Church then to take
someone up. So it says if she’s
raised her children the right way, she had lodged strangers. “if she have washed the saints’
feet,” now that’s not
probably a literal ‘oh you were great, married to one guy, you’re 95 years
old, but if you’ve never washed feet we can’t take care of you.’ No, no the idea is, washing the feet of the saints, that
was the position of a servant, the lowest position in the house, the most
demeaning thing was when somebody came in from a dusty road, and to take off their
sandals, the idea is, this is a woman who had no hesitancy to stoop down and do
the most menial thing for God’s people, to care for them, to look out for them,
she was a servant. “if she have
relieved the afflicted,” those that were sick, she cared for them, you know, great characteristics. “if she has diligently followed
every good work.” If she has diligently followed all of
these things, this is the kind of woman, great value, a treasure, a jewel. And God has left her in the world
without a husband, God in his sovereignty has left her there without living
relatives, and he says to the Church, ‘You see this woman? You see her age? You see her qualifications? Don’t you let her out there without
anything to eat, no place to stay, you take her, and you put her on the
legitimate list of widows that you have in the church that need care, and you
make sure you look after her.’ Now it doesn’t say that younger widows
were not helped. Now obviously the
Church does that all the time, a single mom, a younger widow where there’s
difficulties. But they weren’t to
be put on full-time support of the Church. Because, over 60, praying night and day, seeking the Lord,
you had somebody that was valuable to the Church in many ways, certainly who
was needy in many ways, and if the Church is a family, fathers, brothers,
mothers and sisters, that’s how he starts out, and her earthly family was not
there to support her, certainly then it fell to the family of God to take care
of those things.
How The Church Is
To Deal With Younger Widows: Common Sense
Verses
12-15, “But the younger widows refuse: for when they have begun to wax wanton against Christ, they will marry;
having damnation, because they have cast off their first faith. And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to
house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things
which they ought not. I will
therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give
none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully. For some are already turned aside after
Satan.” [What does this mean? I think Pastor Joe pins it down pretty
clearly.] Ah, “But the younger
widows refuse: for when they have
begun to wax wanton against Christ, they will marry,” ‘how old are you? 59 ½,’ ‘I got six months, I’ll be here if the Rapture doesn’t happen.’ Oh, come on, let’s. Hey girls, look at the positive side, if you’re under 60 you’re younger,
you might not like everything Paul says, but look on the positive side. 59 you’re a spring chicken, he says it
right here, younger widows refuse… “for when they have begun to wax wanton
against Christ, they will marry; having damnation, because they have cast off
their first faith.” (verses 11-12) What he’s
saying is, the younger widows, under 60 years old, those that can remarry,
don’t let them make some kind of a vow…because there’s that pain, ‘My
husband said I could never look at another man, I could never imagine doing
this, I could never feel someone else’s embrace, this is so painful I don’t
even want to think about it, I could never go through this, staying single for
the rest of my life,’ [It’s difficult when you’re older too.] But Paul says, ‘Look, the younger ones, don’t let them
make any of those kind of vows, don’t take them and make them the Church’s
responsibility,’ because
feelings will reemerge, emotions will reawaken. And if they have the capacity and they’re young enough to
remarry, then don’t take them into the official role of widows that need to be
cared for, because then when they break that vow, they’re going to be
condemned, they’re going to start out by saying ‘Jesus is my husband, no
more,’ and then
they’re going to grow wanton, they’re going to miss the embrace of someone,
they’re going to miss the voice of someone like at night or early in the
morning, and those are good things. It’s not good for man to be alone [oh do I know that]. And they might be tempted to marry an
unbeliever. Paul’s saying about
the young widows, ‘Don’t take them in, because if they make some kind of
foolish vow, they make some kind of foolish commitment that God didn’t intend
for them to keep, Timothy, then they’re going to have condemnation, because
they’ve cast off their first faith. Secondly he
says, “And withal they learn to be idle,’ he’s going to use the word twice here, “idle, wandering about from house to
house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things
which they ought not.” (verse 13) ‘watching soap operas in the
middle of the afternoon,’ [laughter] What he’s saying is ‘They’re
younger, and the Church supports them, and they don’t have nothing to do, and
they got enough energy to work, and they don’t have to work, then they’re going
to go from house to house and get the latest dribs and drabs on everybody
else’s business, and then they’re going to go to the next house and spread that
around,’ Paul
says, ‘You’re not helping, you’re enabling something you shouldn’t
enable. If they’re able-bodied,
and they have the means, it isn’t then the Church’s responsibility to pay their
salaries and to support them.’ In fact he said it creates an
environment that’s not healthy for them spiritually. “I will therefore that
the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to
the adversary to speak reproachfully. For some are already turned aside after Satan.” (verses 14-15) So he’s saying ‘for younger widows to marry, have children, guide the
house, give no occasion for the adversary to speak reproachfully, because some
are already turned aside to the enemy.’ You know,
again, what a sacred responsibility. And the culture was different to a degree, but it’s as sacred
today. You know you have lots of
times we see someone, their house is out of order, they don’t have the right
relationship with their husband, ‘Well I can’t control my kids...’ and yet they want to teach. They want to be something in the
church, and that’s all you need, is somebody in the church, who hasn’t learned
what God has for them in the sacredness of the home. You don’t see fruit in the lives of their children, the
marriage is struggling, that’s the last person you want to stand up in front of
other women and give a Bible study here. Because they turn to tattling, they turn to, it says it right here. It’s not good fruit, let them bring
their lives under the things that God had intended for them. Now of course this is not a law, there
are some women who are infertile, are not going to bear children, but it
doesn’t mean they’re not going to do good works, it doesn’t mean they can’t
serve, that they can’t do good things. So, every lady here whose just about sick of this study now, and ready
to get up and walk out, I didn’t write this, just don’t look at me like that, I
feel those daggers, I’d just be mad at Paul, and then you have to be mad at the
Holy Spirit, because he made Paul write it, and of course the Holy Spirit is
God’s Holy Spirit, you’ve got to be mad at God. There. I’m just
teaching what it says. “If any
man or woman that believeth have widows, let them relieve them, and let not the
church be charged;” the reason? “that it may relieve them that are widows indeed.” (verse 16) You know, it can be such a draw on the church’s resources to do things
that should be happening in another way. I mean, the church has to have the freedom to take the resources that
God gives it and to pray, look in the Scripture and put those things where God
directs the church to put those things. You know, we look at the world of missions, you look at the world today,
it could empty the coffers of the church in an hour, and put every dime in the
mission field, and not even touch the problem. So it’s important that there’s a group of leaders and godly
people that are praying that money is handled correctly and it’s put in the
right place, and Paul’s saying to Timothy here, ‘Don’t let those who
should be bearing responsibility towards family, and their home, be pushing
those responsibilities onto the church, so that other people that are coming
are paying for other people’s irresponsibility.’ You
don’t enable people that way. You
know, we see people that come in the food pantry, we see people that come in
for help, and we’re always willing. But when you see them come back again, and again, and again, finally you
know you pray and think ‘Lord, am I financing this person’s irresponsibility
or am I helping them?’ I’ve had the Lord say to me ‘Would
you stop! I broke this person down
so they would sit still long enough to talk to me, and you keep fixing
everything.’ ‘So those who have
widows, let them relieve them, don’t let the church be charged, so that the
church may relieve those that have the genuine need.’
Care For The
Elders, The Teaching-Pastors In The Church
Now
elders, verse 17, now
we’re talking about the elders, the pastors, the leaders in the church. “Let the elders that rule well be
counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and
doctrine. For the scripture saith,
Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward.” (verses
17-18) And I take that as a compliment, I
guess. I feel like I make that
contribution to our family, it’s ox-ish. My wife resonates and vibrates very much faster, she sees everything…If
I took things in the way she does, I’d just jump out a window, with my
responsibilities. [laughter] But I kind of plod along, like an ox,
plod alooong, and I bring stability to the home, progress and steady motion,
you know, it’s just my dullness is my gift. If I stay immune to enough of my surroundings I just move
forward. Where was I? “Let the elders that rule well…” now, they’re not ruling, 1st Peter’s going to say, ‘You don’t rule over God’s people, that’s not what
he’s saying,’ the
idea is the elders that handle things Biblically, as we looked back in Acts
chapter 6, they had to pick seven men to be deacons. They had to be filled with the Holy Ghost and wisdom to wait
on tables. And just the running of
the church and widows and older and younger women, and children, and hospital
visitation, funerals and weddings, the needs and the counseling, it’s like a
beehive. I mean, there is a lot
going on, and it says ‘Let the elders who rule well, they stay in the mix
of all of that activity, and they stay there Biblically, and they handle
problems Biblically, and they watch over things for the cause of Christ, let
them be counted worthy of double honour, especially those who labour in the
word and doctrine.’ Now, double honour here, we’re told the
Scripture says ‘Honour your mother and father, but you’re taking the finances
there and taking it somewhere else,’ (Jesus said of the Pharisees). So in that sense it was honouring your parents supporting
them financially. The widows,
honour the widows, verse 3, that are widows indeed, that’s more than just
words, it was a practical part, and that’s what Paul was developing, many
things in that chapter. And now
the double-honour to elders, leaders in the Church who serve and work
endlessly. You know, ah, we’ve got
a great group of folks here who serve, we really do. I’m so glad that I’ve escaped the political environment
that’s in some churches, backstabbing and fighting for position. There’s a spirit of lunacy once in
awhile here, that’s ok, I’d rather have that. We’ve got a good group of solid pastors and leaders here,
and I encourage you to pray for them, it’s not a job to them, it’s a calling,
putting in endless hours, night too, in the middle of the night. There’s nobody here that’s working a
40-hour work-week, nobody. The
Bible says “Blessed are those who die in the Lord from henceforth, for they
shall rest from their labours,” that’s when the rest comes. The job is hard, but the retirement
program is out of this world. “Let
the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they
who labour in word and doctrine.” (verse 17) Now he tells
you what he means here, “For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the
ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward.” (verse 18) He’s quoting Deuteronomy. The idea is the ox should be able, as
he is working, to bend down and eat some of the grain, and, very interestingly
now, this part of the verse, “And, The labourer is worthy of his reward.” Now that’s interesting, because that is from Luke chapter 11. ‘The labourer is worthy of his
reward.’ Luke chapter 10, verse 7 I
believe. But Paul says this “For
the scripture saith,” now it’s interesting, because this is towards the end of his life, he had
journeyed with Luke probably longer than anyone except Timothy, he spent more
time with Luke. And evidently he
had read Luke’s Gospel. Evidently
by this point in time, even if the Gospel wasn’t complete, he is familiar with
parts of Luke’s Gospel, if not the whole thing. And he quotes from the 10th chapter of Luke’s
Gospel and calls it the Scripture, and that’s remarkable, as we look at
this. Peter will do that in the
end of his 2nd Epistle, speaking of Paul’s writings. Here Paul does it in regards to the
Gospel of Luke. “For the
scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn.” And he quotes Jesus, Jesus says this in Luke, “And, The labourer is worthy of his reward” Jesus had taken an issue and made that
point.
There’s Always Enough Accusations To
Go Around
Now, “Against an elder receive not an accusation, but before two or three
witnesses.” (verse 19) Now, if he’s just told Timothy, ‘Look,
make sure the church honours the leaders that work, and give themselves,
particularly to the Word of God. Then don’t receive an accusation,’ and Timothy was Paul’s representative going to these
churches, and he says ‘Don’t just listen to an accusation against an
elder,’ because if
the leadership of the Church is not touching the money, is not living in
immorality, they’re not compromising, then the way Satan comes is through the
tongue. And there’s always
somebody in the Church who is first of all envious, or somebody who has their
own ambitions or plans, and the Church isn’t doing it the way they want to do
it, or someone gets angry, there’s always enough accusations to go around. And whenever we run out [of
accusations] Satan picks up a new list of them for us. So he says ‘Don’t receive an
accusation against an elder,’ now he’s not saying that it couldn’t be real, he’s just saying ‘don’t
just take that at face value, because the accusations will come.’ We
had someone walking around here last year, I think, handing out 8 x 11 inch
sheets of paper in the hallway on a Sunday night, giving them out to everybody,
maybe you got one. ‘Joe, Frank,
Jerry, Jeff, they all live in mansions, they all have Rolls Royce’s nobody
knows about,’ handing
out these flyers to everybody in our church. ‘Hey those guys, they’re taking all the money, they throw
it up in the office when they get it, and they run away with it. They all got Rolls Royce’s, mansions
and swimming pools, and yachts and homes in Florida, Barbados.’ Give me those, you nut! [laughter] In the old
building I was teaching through the life of David, this is 14 years ago. One of the single folks decided that I
must have moral problems, or problems with my wife, because I had mentioned
fornication enough times that it bothered him. I was in the life of David! [laughter] And
he started to get a petition signed in church against me. We’ve had someone come in and steal all
of the financial records off of one of the computers once. And then of course we have the run of
the mill nutty “prophets” that come around once in a while, they’re at least a little bit fun when the
whole thing’s over and you get them out. “Against an elder receive not an accusation, but before two or three
witnesses.” (verse 19) Deuteronomy 19, the Law had said that
even in the Law you weren’t allowed to receive an accusation against another
Israelite except that it was by the mouth of two or three witnesses, to be
confirmed. So, Paul says ‘Don’t
let that happen.’ Rules for Timothy as he’s overseeing
the Church. Certainly there are
times when someone in leadership falls, and there needs to be then reproof, and
the truth needs to come into the light, and it needs to come into the
open. “Them that sin” so there will be those leaders that
sin, he says to Timothy, “rebuke before all, that others also may fear.”
(verse 20) Now, I believe the grammar is indicating “before all of the elders”,
leaders. I don’t, I’m not one to
take someone up in front of the church and humiliate them in front of the
entire congregation. It may depend
on what takes place. Years ago, my
assistant pastor, when there were about 500 adults in the church, fell, sinned,
went haywire, went AWOL. And there
was a time to say to the church, “Pray for this individual, they won’t be
back. I’m telling you this now, so
if their wife or their kids come in, they don’t have to answer the same
question ten thousand times, I’m going to say it to you once, so you don’t hear
it through a rumour.” I didn’t elaborate, I didn’t say what
happened. But we have not been
that kind of church that drags someone in front of the church and humiliates them
in that way, no. [Just like a
pastor is not to rebuke, verbally humiliate or beat up an elder, an older man,
say someone over 60, in front of others, but treat them like they’d treat their
dad. Same spirit being talked of
here.] No doubt there can be
circumstances that dictate certain responses, but I believe this is saying ‘If
an elder sins, rebuke him before all, that the others may fear, other leaders,’ certainly that should happen, it
shouldn’t be hidden.
Timothy, Don’t Show
Partiality To Anybody
“I
charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels, that thou observe
these things without preferring one before another, doing nothing by
partiality.” (verse 21) ‘Timothy, don’t show partiality
to anybody,’ I
learned a long time ago from my pastor, because someone walked up to him and
handed him a check for a million dollars, for the church. I’d have looked at that for
awhile. [laughter] And Chuck said “I don’t want this. Because if you give this to me, and I
see your face, I’m going to treat you differently than I’m going to treat the
poorest person in the church.” If
you want to give, the Bible says, don’t let your right hand know what your left
hand is doing. You can give
anytime you want, in the buckets on Sunday, and the offering trays. I don’t see that, I don’t know who
gives what, and that way I never have to show partiality, I never have to say
to you “no thanks, take your million dollars.” I
remember when he told that story, ‘Chuck, what’s that guy’s phone number?’ [laughter] Don’t do anything by partiality, and it can happen, and it’s
wrong, and there’s different reasons why it can happen. I’ve seen in church someone treat their
friends, somebody they’ve been friends with a long time, partially, promoting
them or giving them a position, not based on the leading of God’s Holy Spirit,
not remembering that the Church is blood-bought, and every position in the
Church is by God’s ordination.
Take Your Time
Deciding Whom To Ordain
‘Timothy,
do these things without preferring one above another, doing nothing by
partiality,’ “Lay
hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men’s sins: keep thyself pure.” (verse 22) Unless they’re running down the center aisle [laughter], we’ve done
that. This is talking about
ordination, we’re in the context of elders here. You remember that, that ‘prophet’ came that night, I wasn’t here, I’d
been here for a whole year on Wednesday nights, and God sent him here to
prophesy against me that night, and I was in New Jersey dedicating another
Calvary Chapel and Jerry was teaching, [he laughs] and this nut ran down the
center aisle ‘Don’t listen to Pastor Joe, Listen to Jesus,’ the guy’s rolling over, I wish it was
on video, I didn’t see it, but they took him right outside and told him we were
a non-prophet organization, and just said, ‘If you’re a prophet why didn’t
you know Joe wasn’t here tonight?’ [laughter] We have those guys. “Lay hands suddenly on no man,
neither be partaker of other men’s sins: keep thyself pure.” (verse
22) Now, I feel that the men that I work
with, that are pastors here are well proven. And we wait years and watch someone’s life, and watch the
fruit of someone’s life. And
anyone here who knows them knows that. And I’ve worked now with Frank for 20 years, with Jerry for 18
years. Ah, Judy was the first
full-time person in the church, I was still working [a normal job] and she was
full-time. What a privilege to be
labouring side-by-side with the same people for years. And you know some people say, ‘Well
there’s a clique, there’s a clique! What do you do if you think there’s a clique in your church?’ We do two things. First you
go home and pray, because you’re probably a troublemaker, that’s the first
thing you do. But secondly, you
realize there is a clique! It’s
not a bad clique. Jesus had 12
disciples, that was a clique, too. And it isn’t a clique because it wants to be a clique, I mean if you’re
working with the same group of men for 18 years, 19 years, you have married
people together and buried people together, you have wept together, you’ve
watched their sons and daughters failing and succeeding, you’ve seen the
problems in their marriages, you’ve worked through the cancer, you know, you’ve
wept and been through heartache, there’s just a lot of common ground that’s
hard for somebody brand new to step right into. It’s not an intentional clique, but I believe God puts
people together. I know there’s
home fellowships in the church where they just feel ‘Hey, what a great home
fellowship, God drew us together.’ And you have friends like that, you
have your cliques. [I just lost a
longtime friend of mine, we met when we first became members of the church
around the same year, roomed together at the Feast of Tabernacles for four or
five years in a row, kept in touch ever since, he just died in his sleep of a
heart-attack. I miss him a lot,
could say things to him I can’t say to most.] I don’t mind, have ‘em. Let them be good cliques though. Not cliquity-cliques. “Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men’s
sins: keep thyself pure.” Now the idea is, if you’re rash, and you think right away ‘Ah,
this guy’s got potential, he just murdered somebody two weeks ago, but I can
see great stuff in him.’ Look, you don’t lay hands on anybody
[for ordination] suddenly, because when you lay hands on somebody, you’re
saying that the church approves of this individual, and of their life. And he’s saying, ‘Timothy, if you
lay hands on someone suddenly before you know what their life is all about,
you’re partaking in other men’s sins by doing that, because you’re setting a
stamp of approval on that person’s life. Keep yourself pure.’
Have A Little Wine For Your Health
Now,
there’s kind of a parenthesis here, Paul says to Timothy “keep yourself
pure.” And then he
thinks, ‘Oh yea, there’s something else I want to talk to him about,’ there’s a rather strange verse here,
and then he gets back
on track in verse 24. ‘Timothy,
keep yourself pure.’ But “Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for
thy stomach’s sake and thine often infirmities.” (verse 23) Man, people have abused this verse. So I’ll tell you that. The grammar indicates that Timothy was in total abstinence, he was a
total abstainer. Anybody who can
break down the Greek knows what this language says. Drink no longer water indicates that’s all that he did
drink. Then it doesn’t say “drink
a little wine” it says “use a little wine.” They didn’t have Pepto-Bismol, they didn’t have
Mylanta. If you got Caesar’s Revenge,
you know, you’re traveling through the Roman Empire, the water, you know was
contaminated. And Pliny said the
wine in Ephesus was famous for how foul it was, terrible wine, so this has
nothing to do with enjoyment. He’s
saying, ‘use a little wine, the alcohol content will kill bacteria,’ it’s a medicinal thing. [Comment: When my father took a trip to Europe as a teenager, they
always put a little bit of wine in the water, because tap water in Europe, and
even on the ocean liner, was always suspect. My parents when they took a trip to Egypt to see the ancient
sights, after my dad’s retirement, couldn’t even trust ice cubes made from
Egyptian tap water for use in their drinks, it was that bad. Had to be bottled water imported from
outside Egypt, if you drank any water. And in the Egyptian sun you had to drink two glasses of water an
hour. Mixing wine with water was a
common practice in Europe until some time after WWII.] Don’t tell me ‘I feel a cold coming
on, right now.’ [laughter] That is not what it’s saying, you have the Holy Spirit, you
know that. ‘Timothy, remain
pure’ and then he
thinks, ‘but use a little wine for your stomach. That doesn’t violate purity,
Timothy, I’m no Pharisee, I’m no legalist, I’m a practical human being.’ You know, that was medicinal. Paul didn’t say to Timothy, ‘Just confess it! I don’t have Caesar’s Revenge, I don’t
have Caesar’s Revenge, confess it Timothy, be positive, confess it, you’re not
sick!’ [Pastor Joe is taking pot shots at the “Name
It, Claim It” bunch.] I’m sure Paul had laid
hands on him and prayed for him. His often infirmities, he had something in his constitution that was
weak, and Paul says ‘use a little bit of wine for your often infirmities,
for your physical weaknesses.’
‘Some Men’s Sins Go
Before Them, Some Follow After’---It’s The Same With Good Works Too
Then
he says “Some men’s sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment; and
some men they follow after.” (verse 24) “are open beforehand,” everybody knows about them, going before
them, they lead them to judgment. Some men’s sins follow after, nobody knows about them, but you don’t get
away from them, they follow, they’re coming in. “Likewise also the good works of some are manifest beforehand; and they
that are otherwise can’t be hid.” (verse 25) ‘You know, Timothy, if a man desires to be a leader in
the church, and you don’t recognize it, you know, it’s the same with sin, some
men’s sins are open, everybody sees them, other men’s sins are hidden, but
they’re going to come out in the end, they follow them, in the judgment. Well it’s same thing with good works,
Timothy, you know, take your time, don’t lay hands on anybody suddenly, some
men, it’s obvious, and others, you need to encourage them, if God’s got a
calling on their life, they’re not going to live frustrated, God’s going to
make that manifest, because it can’t be hid.’ [can’t be hid forever, that is J]
1st Timothy 6:1-2
“Let
as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all
honour, that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed. And they that have believing masters, let them not despise them, because they are brethren; but
rather do them service, because they are faithful and beloved, partakers of the benefit. These things teach and exhort.”
Slaves And Masters,
Employees And Employers
“Let
as many servants as are under the yoke” now he uses an interesting phrase here, he’s talking
about unbelieving masters here, “under the yoke” because they would consider
their slaves the same as oxen. [I
just got finished with a short history of the Roman Empire by Davis, and the
Romans would often refer to their slaves a “oxen that speak” or “talking
oxen.”] “Let as many servants
as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honour, that the
name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed.” (verse 1) Paul is not endorsing slavery. Again, with half of the Roman Empire
slaves, and with the very treatment of slaves, you know how Joseph was in
Potipher’s house, he oversaw everything in his house, was treated very well,
Abraham with his servant, Abraham’s servant would have been heir to the house
if Isaac hadn’t been born, loved. Yet there were others that were certainly treated just like property, or
put to death for mistakes. But
there was a problem in the Roman Empire. In the Greek theater, and even in the early Latin writers, the Greek
comedies often portrayed the slave doing stuff behind the master’s back. So in a Greek comedy, in the theater, a
master would say ‘Make sure and go over and clean the table,’ the slave would say ‘ok’ and the master would turn around, and
the slave would go like this behind his back, and everybody would laugh. [we’ve seen similar antics in Charlie
Chaplin movies or Marx Brother’s movies.] And he’s saying, ‘No, look, you’re saved now, maybe your master’s
not a just man. But you, buying
into the rebellion that is part of the world is not going to honour
Christ. This man whose an
unbeliever needs to know that because you’re a Christian, he has the best
helper that he could possibly have.’ And this
would go for [apply to] employees too. Yeah, your boss is unsaved. But now that you’re a Christian and Christ has set you free, that
doesn’t give you the right to mock him, because that brings a reproach on the
cause of Christ, on the doctrine, the name of God and his doctrine, so that it
isn’t blasphemed. “And they
that have believing masters,” which was another problem, “let them not despise them [ie their slaves], because they are brethren;” because when you go to church and sit
in church on Sunday, you’re not the slave. [historically, these churches of God Paul was writing to
were worshipping on Saturday, interestingly enough. see http://www.unityinchrist.com/history2/earlychurch1.htm] He’s not the master, you’re brethren. But that doesn’t mean when you go home to the house during
the week you don’t have a job, you don’t have responsibilities. If you worship here with your boss on
Sunday, you’re both sinners, saved by grace, that doesn’t mean you don’t have
responsibility to an employer [ie during the week]. “And they that have believing masters, let them not
despise them, because they are brethren; but rather do them service, because they are faithful
and beloved, partakers of the benefit. These things teach and exhort.” (verse 2) They’re also saved by grace, they’re also brethren, and because they’re
brethren, it shouldn’t give you the excuse not to serve, it should give you the
inspiration to be more gracious to them than ever. “These things teach and exhort.”
In Closing
So,
a remarkable set of circumstances, God stooping all the way down, caring for an
older man, lived his life, worked hard, maybe he’s a new-believer, certainly in
this age many were. ‘If he
makes a mistake, Timothy, don’t embarrass him, don’t humiliate him, but take
him aside, talk to him as a father. A younger man in the church, he’s your brother, treat him that way. The older women, Timothy, I’ve watched
them since they were toddlers, I know every step in their life, every tear they
have shed, be gracious to them, treat them like mothers. The younger women, they’re my
daughters, the King’s daughters, and don’t let anybody mess with them. You treat them like sisters with all
purity. The widows, that are
widows indeed,’ and God is saying through Paul, ‘my heart is so knit to that person,
bearing that amount of loneliness, struggling, and yet being on their knees,
seeking me, reaching out to me [talking of God] for strength. I don’t want anyone to mess with
them. Oh yeah, there are those who
are going to go out and live in sin, they’re dead while they’re alive, they’re
spiritually dead, physically alive. There are others, and it’s a blessing they have family to look after
them and take care of them. But
there are those, aged, they have been faithful all their lives, to a husband,
raised their children in the Lord, washed the feet of the saints, they’ve been
given to hospitality, their entire life is a testimony. And when they’re in need and left
alone, Timothy, it’s the Church’s responsibility to then step in and take care
of them. Those that are younger
[widows, that is] don’t put them in a position where they’re making false
covenants with the Lord that are going to leave them condemned when they break
them, they still have a life to live, let them remarry, let them enjoy home
life again, not wandering around being busybodies and gossips, let them do
those things that are godly, enjoying a husband again. If anyone has a widow in their family,’ and the insinuation is this problem
was in Ephesus, ‘let them take care of them, so that those that are
genuinely in need can be taken care of by the Church. Elders, Timothy, let those who serve well be honoured,
financially, and with respect. Don’t receive an accusation against them that easily. If it has to happen, let there be
witnesses that are credible. When
one sins, then let there be the discipline that’s appropriate, whether they
have to step down, whether they have to be put out of the church, whether they
have to be rebuked, depending on what’s taken place. Lay hands on no man suddenly, ordination is a good thing,
but Timothy, if you don’t know the person, they’re not seasoned, there’s compromise
in their life, you’re being partaker of their sins because you’re putting Gods
approval on them, and the Church’s approval. Live with purity, oh yea, that stomach problem, you can be
pure and take a sip of wine once in awhile to take care of that problem you got
there. Some men’s sins, Timothy,
they’re in the open, other men’s they follow them, but they’re coming out into
the light. It’s just like good
works, there are those right away you see the fruit of their lives, but
encourage those who feel they’re not being recognized, because it can’t be
hidden, it’ll come out. God’s
stooping down to the slave, to the servant, because that’s what he was. Thou hast opened mine ear and took a
position of the slave with an awl driven through his ear…’ [transcript of a connective expository sermon given on 1st Timothy 4:14-16, 5:1-25 and 6:1-2, given by Pastor Joe Focht, Calvary Chapel of
Philadelphia, 13500 Philmont Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19116]
related
links:
How
Much Does God Care For Widows And Orphans? See,
http://www.unityinchrist.com/prayer/mueller.htm
For
some widows and orphans that need supporting, see,
http://www.unityinchrist.com/evangelism/sisterchurches/BlessiOrphanHome.htm and,
http://www.lifenets.org/vinogradov/index.html
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