This Sunday we’ll be finishing up our study in 2 Timothy…we’ll be looking at chapter 4, verses 9-22. (The Message)

In his concluding comments, Paul addresses a lot of different people.  All of those hard to pronounce names are things we could easily skip over…but each of them has a back story…and each of those people effect Paul in ways that could be considered painful.  Think about what those ways may be.  In the relationships you have in life, how do you manage the things that cause you pain.  Does the fear of being hurt ever tempt you to avoid relationships…or even the community of the church?

Stuff to think about…stuff we’ll explore this Sunday.  See you then!

There are so many differing styles and structures when it comes to the church…from small, traditional, country churches to sleek, multi-site mega churches, and everything in between.

How can we know what God intended the church to be like?  Is there any way to know if the church is doing and prioritizing what God intended it to do in the first place?

This Sunday we’ll look at 2 Tim 4:1-8 (the Message), and we’ll consider Paul’s challenge to Timothy and the church in Ephesus as it applies to us, as 21st century American Christians.

What seem to be the priorities Paul emphasized in these verses?  Is it about doing, or being, or believing…or all of the above? 

Here’s an interesting article from Relevant Magazine that may help facilitate your thinking about this subject.

What are your thoughts on the subject?

Read 2 Timothy 3:14-17  (Message)

Christians make a big deal about the Bible.  Well, I should say most Christians.  Ever wonder why?  It’s the best selling book of all time, it was the very first book published on the Gutenberg press and has been translated into over 2,ooo languages.  It is a compilation of 66 books written over a span of 1,500 years by over 40 different authors in 3 different languages.

So…what’s the big deal about this book?  What does Paul describe as the purpose of Scripture*?  What does the Bible mean to YOU?  How do you use it, what does it provide for you?  I’d be interested in knowing.

 

*The Scriptures of Paul’s writing would most likely have been the Old Testament canon, the earliest forms of the Gospels (most likely Mark, though he quotes Luke, so some early form of that as well) and some of the letters that circulated then, which later became canonized as the New Testament in the 2nd century.  You can read a brief, simplified account of that process here.

Hey!  I’m back on track…whew!  After a summer full of kids getting married and other kids moving…I got out of the habit of updating Wonderwhat.  But…here I am now…fit and wheezing, ready to post the previews for Sunday’s teaching at Eastgate.

This Sunday we’re continuing our study in 2 Timothy.  We’ll be covering 2 Tim 3:1-13  

¹ But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: ² For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, ³ unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, ⁴ traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, ⁵ having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! ⁶ For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, ⁷ always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. ⁸ Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith; ⁹ but they will progress no further, for their folly will be manifest to all, as theirs also was.   
¹⁰ But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance, ¹¹ persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra—what persecutions I endured. And out of them all the Lord delivered me. ¹² Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. ¹³ But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. (2 Timothy 3:1-13, New King James Version)  Also in The Message

Paul uses some harsh words here…(with props to Ford who set the stage for this last week in his message “Harsh Words” ) describing some of the bad motives and attitudes and actions that can sometimes characterize a church.

I’ve said many times before, church is a dangerous place.  We are most vulnerable when we gather with a community of those who are supposed to be following the teachings of Christ.  We want to belong, we want to have a safe place to be open and honest about ourselves…we want to be able to trust that those who lead us do so with our best in mind.  Sadly, that’s not always the case, as Paul makes clear.  Often, that’s the basis we use for abandoning church altoghether…I know it was my basis for a while.  Yet, Paul doesn’t encourage us to be isolated in the midst of these dangers…rather, we are challenged to be aware and alert about them so we can navigate through them safely.

There are some real hazards we must be aware of when it comes to our involvement in the church.  What are some of the things you can glean from what Paul says here…what are the hazards?  What is the challenge to us…how do we handle them?  What does this mean to us in real life application…how do we use this?

Stuff to think on.  See ya’ Sunday!