Hebrews

Posted on by Cindy Pirtle

Hebrews is written to the Jews and if you look at the writing style you will see it sometimes looks like formal Resolutions.  Whereas this and whereas that . . . Therefore this.  For lawyers, this is dream writing.  Lay out all of your logical arguments in order and then state your logical conclusion.  The book is trying to let them know (in a way they will understand) the Jesus Christ is the new covenant – no more sacrifices, because He was the ultimate sacrifice.  See how much greater this is??  Hebrews is a good book when we get focused on the nits of the rules and forget that faith is key. – Cindy

HEBREWS

AUTHOR:  Not stated.  Paul, Luke, Barnabas, and Apollos have all been suggested.

DATE:  Sometime before AD 70, since Hebrews refers to temple sacrifices.  The Jerusalem temple was destroyed by Romans in AD 70.

IN TEN WORDS OR LESS:  Jesus is a better than any Old Testament person or sacrifice.

DETAILS, PLEASE:  Written to Jewish Christians (hence the name “Hebrews”), this long letter emphasizes the superiority of Christianity to Old Testament Judaism.  Jesus is “so much better” (1:4) than angels, Moses, and the previous animal sacrifices.  “For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh,” Hebrews asks, “how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” (9:13-14)  Jewish Christians, some of whom were apparently wavering in their commitment to Jesus, are reminded that Christ “is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises” (8:6) – a once for all sacrifice on the cross that provides “eternal redemption for us.” (9:12)

QUOTABLE:  Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (11:1)

UNIQUE AND UNUSUAL:  Hebrews is one of only two New Testament letters (the other being 1 John) that includes no greeting or hint of its author. 

SO WHAT?  “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus . . . let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.” (10:19, 22)

Philemon

Posted on by Cindy Pirtle

Forgiveness.  It is the subject of Philemon, but I do apologize for my tardiness on the post.  I have a child with the flu and am trying to keep her comfortable and waiting on the pharmacy to open to get the medication she needs.

Sometimes forgiveness is hard to give; carrying a grudge is oh, so much more preferable.  Paul is in prison and he sends a letter to Philemon.  You see, Philemon had a slave that ran away and while on the run became a convert of Jesus.  Paul is asking Philemon to forgive the runaway slave.  But as important, Paul who could apparently simple order him to do so, says I don’t want to order you to do it, I want to ask you out of love.  So like Christ.  At any point in our lives, he could MAKE us act a certain way, but instead, he wants us to do as He commands in the Bible out of love.  Today, ponder forgiveness and love. – Cindy

PHILEMON

AUTHOR:  The apostle Paul.

DATE:  Around AD 63, when Paul was imprisoned in Rome.

IN TEN WORDS OR LESS:  Paul begs mercy for a runaway slave converted to Christianity.

DETAILS, PLEASE:  Philemon is a “fellow laborer” (1:1) of Paul, a man who has “refreshed” other Christians with his love and generosity.  But the apostle writes with a deeper request – that Philemon forgive and take back a runaway slave, who apparently accepted Christ under Paul’s teaching: “my son Onesimus, who I have begotten in my bonds.” (1:10)  “If thou count me therefore a partner,” Paul wrote to Philemon, “receive him as myself.” (1:17)

QUOTABLE:  “. . .  although in Christ I could be bold and order you to do what you ought to do, yet I prefer to appeal to you on the basis of love.” (1:8-9)

UNIQUE AND UNUSUAL:  With only one chapter and twenty-five verses, Philemon is the shortest of Paul’s letters in the Bible.

SO WHAT?  Christians are called to forgive, and here’s a practical example to consider.  With God’s help, will you let go of your grudges?

Titus

Posted on by Cindy Pirtle

First, a shameless plug.  Saturday, March 5 (tomorrow) we start Windwood’s Saturday night worship service, The Encounter.  Praise and Worship.  Casual attire, serious faith. I will be starting a sermon series on The Apostles’ Creed.  The praise band, Taking Jericho, will be leading worship.  I invite you to come.

Now on to Titus.  Imagine you are a new pastor and for your first assignment you are being sent to an island of people who really have a bad reputation for being, well . . . bad.  Paul is giving Titus advice on how to handle this very job.  In the end, as you read, you will see instructions for all of us in our daily lives. – Cindy

TITUS

AUTHOR:  The apostle Paul (1:1)

DATE:  Approximately AD63.

IN TEN WORDS OR LESS:  Church leaders are instructed on their lives and teaching.

DETAILS, PLEASE:  On the Mediterranean island of Crete, Paul left Titus to “set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders” (1:5) for the fledgling church.  Known for their poor behavior, the people of Crete needed the kind of church leader who holds fast to “the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.” (1:9)

QUOTABLE:  “. . . he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. . .”

UNIQUE AND UNUSUAL:  Paul quotes a Cretan philosopher in this letter: “One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are always liars, evil beast, slow bellies.” (1:12)  The quotation is from Epimenides, of the sixth century BC.

SO WHAT?  Though church leaders are held to a high standard, so are the people in the pews.  What’s good for the pastor is good for everyone else.

2 Timothy

Posted on by Cindy Pirtle

Thought to be Paul’s last letter, 2 Timothy continues to warn the young pastor and give him advice.  Avoid false teaching, expect problems and be faithful.  All good advice for us today.  Paul is about to die.  He ends with “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”  I hope that I can say the same when it is my time.  – Cindy

2 TIMOTHY

AUTHOR:  The apostle Paul.

DATE:  Around the mid-60s AD

IN TEN WORDS OR LESS:  The apostle Paul’s final words to a beloved coworker.

DETAILS, PLEASE:  2 Timothy may be the last known letter of Paul.  Addressed to “Timothy, my dearly beloved son” (1:2), the book warns the young pastor against false teaching and urges him to live a life of purity before his congregation.  Timothy should expect trouble (“All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution,” 3:12), but God will be faithful (“The Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom,” 4:18).  Paul begs Timothy to join him as quickly as possible, as “the time of my departure is at hand.” (4:6)

QUOTABLE:  All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (3:16-17)

UNIQUE AND UNUSUAL:  Paul tells where the Bible comes from in 2 Timothy:  All scripture is God-breathed (given by inspiration of God).

SO WHAT?  We should all live life in such a way that we can say, like Paul, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (4:7)

1 Timothy

Posted on by Cindy Pirtle

Being a young pastor would be hard today, but there would be plenty of seasoned pastors to talk to and loads of books to give you assistance.  Re-wind 2000 years, Timothy had once served with Paul, but is now on his own.  Paul writes to him with advice.  Don’t ignore this book because you are not a pastor.  Paul has great advice for all of us! – Cindy

1 TIMOTHY

AUTHOR:  The apostle Paul. (1:1)

DATE:  Around AD 63.

IN TEN WORDS OR LESS:  Pastors are taught how to conduct their lives and churches. 

DETAILS, PLEASE:  The first of the three “pastoral epistles,” 1 Timothy contains the aging apostle Paul’s insights for a new generation of church leaders.  Timothy had often worked alongside Paul but was now pastoring in Ephesus (1:3).  Paul warned him against legalism and false teaching (chapter 1), listed the qualifications for pastors and deacons (chapter 3), and described the behavior of a “good minister of Jesus Christ” (4:6) in the final three chapters.

QUOTABLE:  Fight the good fight of the faith. (6:12)

UNIQUE AND UNUSUAL:  1 Timothy seems to command good pay for pastors: “Let the elders that rule well be counted worth of double honor . . . The laborer is worthy of his reward.” (5:17-18)

SO WHAT?  Though 1 Timothy is a letter to a pastor, Paul’s teaching “that you may know how you ought to behave yourself in the house of God” (3:15) can speak to the rest of us as well.

2 Thessalonians

Posted on by Cindy Pirtle

This a follow-up letter from Paul.  The background is that someone started a rumor that Christ had returned and so everyone stopped working in anticipation.  Paul corrects them and says “keep on working.”  Let me assure you, that if you have read the entire Bible, it will be quite clear and obvious on the day that Christ returns.  You won’t need to be watching the news feed, you will know.  As to when, even Christ said, “only my Father in heaven knows.”  So don’t spend endless hours studying trying to figure out the when, keep working on growing in your faith, doing good works and spreading the good news!  He will come! – Cindy

2 THESSOLONIANS

AUTHOR:  The apostle Paul, along with Silvanus (Silas) and Timothy (1:1)

DATE:  Around the early 50s AD – maybe Paul’s second-oldest letter

IN TEN WORDS OR LESS:  Christians should work until Jesus returns.

DETAILS, PLEASE:  Shortly after writing 1 Thessalonians, Paul dictates a follow-up.  Apparently, a letter falsely claiming to be from Paul had left the Thessalonians “shaken in mind . . . troubled” (2:2) at the thought that Jesus had already returned.  Paul assures them that the event is still future – and urges everyone to live positive and productive lives until the second coming.  “If any would not work,” Paul commands those who have dropped out in anticipation of Jesus’ return, “neither should he eat” (3:10).

QUOTABLE:  As for you brothers and sisters, never tire of doing what is good.

UNIQUE AND UNUSUAL:  The fact that Paul dictated this letter is clear from his comment “The salutation of Paul with mine own hand . . . so I write.” (3:17)

SO WHAT?  As with all Christian life, balance is key:  We should always look forward to Jesus’ return, but we should also be busy doing good while we are here on earth.

1 Thessalonians

Posted on by Cindy Pirtle

No sense of urgency.  If you knew that Christ was returning in two weeks, I’m assuming that we would all change the way we live.  Straighten up and fly right, as it were.  Many of us know how we should live, how we should serve others, how we should be sharing the Good News of the Gospel and how we should be growing and maturing in our faith . . . and YET, we aren’t in such a big hurry.  But if we knew for sure he was coming soon, I’m fairly certain our priorities would change.  Paul reminds the Thessalonians that Christ is returning.  Are you ready? – Cindy

1 THESSOLONIANS

AUTHOR:   The apostle Paul, along with Silvanus (Silas) and Timothy (1:1).

DATE:  Around the early 50s AD – perhaps Paul’s earliest letter.

IN TEN WORDS OR LESS:  Jesus will return to gather His followers to Him.

DETAILS, PLEASE:  In this letter to another church he helped found (see Acts 17), Paul teaches on the second coming of Christ, apparently an issue of some concern to the Thessalonians.  Paul describes how Jesus will return but doesn’t say exactly when.  The important thing, in his words, is that you would walk worthy of God, who has called you unto his kingdom and glory” (2:12).

QUOTABLE:  For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first. (4:16)

UNIQUE AND UNUSUAL:  1 Thessalonians contains two of the Bible’s shortest verses: “Rejoice evermore” (5:16) and “Pray without ceasing” (5:17).

SO WHAT?  The Thessalonians were told to live right in view of Jesus’ coming return.  With the passage of two thousand years, don’t you think it’s more important for us today?

Colossions

Posted on by Cindy Pirtle

Beware of false teaching.  It was happening in Colosse and it happens today.  But, you ask, how will I know if it is false teaching?  Read your Bible, pray daily and ask for wisdom, put God first in your life – and if you are doing all those things, you should KNOW that it is false teaching.  There are those that listen to certain false teaching all the time, they repost it on Facebook and you ask why don’t they know that it is false?  All I can say is, Read your Bible, pray daily and ask for wisdom, put God first in your life. – Cindy

COLOSSIONS

AUTHOR:  The apostle Paul, along with Timothy (1:1).

DATE:  Around early 60s AD

IN TEN WORDS OR LESS:  Jesus Christ is supreme – over everyone and everything.

DETAILS, PLEASE:  False teaching (enticing words – 2:4) had infiltrated the church at Colosse, apparently causing some people to add unnecessary and unhelpful elements to their Christian faith.  Paul sent this letter to remind Christians of the superiority of Jesus over Jewish rules and regulations (2:16), angels (2:18), and anything else.  Jesus is “the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature” (1:15).

QUOTABLE:  Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. (3:2)

UNIQUE AND UNUSUAL:  Paul mentions a letter to Laodicea (4:16) that apparently did not make the cut as New Testament scripture.

SO WHAT?  “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men . . . and not after Christ” (2:8).

Philipians

Posted on by Cindy Pirtle

Joy.  It is not the same thing as happy.  Happy is a smile, a good feeling.  Joy is a state of euphoric being.  Joy is glad, satisfied, sated, humored, content, pleased, jubilant, cheerful, blissful, excited and exuberant all together and MORE.  Joy is what you feel when you know that God loves you so much that He sent his Son to die for you so that all your sins are washed away in His eyes and that you will enter the kingdom of heaven for eternal salvation!  In Philippians, Paul mentions joy or rejoicing 16 times!  Today, Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, REJOICE! – Cindy

PHILIPPIANS

AUTHOR:  The apostle Paul, along with Timothy (1:1).

DATE:  Around early 60s AD

IN TEN WORDS OR LESS:  “Friendship letter” between the apostle Paul and a beloved church.

DETAILS, PLEASE:  With 16 references to “joy” and “rejoicing,” Philippians is one of the apostle Paul’s most upbeat letters – even though he wrote it in “bonds” (1:13).  Paul thanks the church at Philippi for its support (1:5) and encourages its people to “rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice” (4:4).

QUOTABLE:  For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. (1:21)

UNIQUE AND UNUSUAL:  Though unity is a common theme in Paul’s letters, he singles out two Philippian women, Euodias and Syntyche, pleading that they be of the same mind in the Lord. (4:2)

SO WHAT?  When we live in the joy of the Lord, “the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (4:7).

Ephesians

Posted on by Cindy Pirtle

The church.  We think of a building, somewhere we go on Sunday (you do go, right?).  But Paul reminds us that the church is the body of Christ.  Not the literal body.  As you become a Christian, you become one with Jesus and all of us together represents his body here on Earth – the church.  There is a praise song with lyrics, “If we are the body, why aren’t our arms reaching . . .”  The song is a reminder that if we call ourselves the body of Christ, the church – we need to remember to act like it.  So today, remind yourself – “I am part of the body of Christ.  I have read in the Bible how Jesus acted and treated others.  Today, I will act like it!” – Cindy

EPHESIANS

AUTHOR:  The apostle Paul (1:1)

DATE:  Around AD 62, toward the end of Paul’s life.

IN TEN WORDS OR LESS:  Christians are all members of Jesus’ “body” – the church.

DETAILS, PLEASE:  Paul had started the church in Ephesus (Acts 19) and now explains in detail the church members’ relationship to Jesus Christ – so that they “may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ” (4:15).  Through Jesus, God has reconciled both Jews and Gentiles to Himself (2:11-18).  This new life should result in pure, honest living in the church and in the home (chapters 4-6).

QUOTABLE:  By grace you are saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast. (2:8-9)

UNIQUE AND UNUSUAL:  Paul tells servants (slaves, in today’s language) to “be obedient to them that are your masters” (6:5).  Why?  Because God will reward such behavior (6:8).

SO WHAT? In him (Jesus) you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. (2:22)