Discipleship and Church

The book 1Timothy is a book that talks about the qualifications of a church, specifically the leaders in the church.

What hit me the most about this is with regard to prayer. In chapter 2 Paul instructs Timothy and the church in what they are to be praying about, and how to pray for them. Paul says that we should pray for ALL men, specifically kings in authority. This couldn’t be more vital for today. With elections coming later this year and the tension between the United States and Muslims, this kind of prayer is needed. We are to pray for all people; so I ask you, when was the last time you prayed for the members of ISIS?

When is the last time you prayed about the fallen people of this world desiring that they would come to know Christ’s love towards them?

This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth- 1 Timothy 2:3-4 

The second thing that I enjoyed learning about is the leaders of the church. Paul goes in detail the kind of people that should be overseers and Deacons. There are 14 qualifications for overseers, and 8 qualifications for deacons. We should all strive to be leaders in our church; this doesn’t mean that we will all be pastors by any means. It was helpful to me to read through all of these qualifications and seeing where I line up and where I fall short.

Everyone should read through 1 Timothy chapter 3 and see what they can improve on and learn.

1 Timothy is a book of discipleship, leadership, and prayer. 

Belief and Truth

So, for today’s post my heart is full of passion but also my heart breaks. This week we have been talking a bit about other religions. We covered a wide variety of religions including: Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Mormonism.

As usual, class was fairly casual. As we were discussing these religions it was easy for us, as Christians who know the one TRUTH, to pass judgment. So, we all laughed and I found myself giving a little chuckle too. Then, it hit me. It hit so hard and for the rest of the class time, and the following 2 days, I no longer was laughing and my perspective had been completely changed.

This is what hit me: people actually believe these things. To them it’s not just some crazy story or made up myth, but to them it is TRUTH. They live their lives believing in these things. They dedicate themselves to it, sometimes even more than the Christians who know the real TRUTH do. No longer did I laugh at how crazy this was... now my heart was broken on how far from the truth and the love of Christ these people are.

We shouldn't be laughing at this. It should make us weep and take action. We should desire even more to share the gospel and to share the TRUTH to everyone. As those who know the TRUTH, we should share with those who open their arms to us and to those who bring hostility. This week we have learned about these religions and their origins. But what I have really learned: is to understand these people and to show them the Truth, in love and with the desire to one day see them praising God for all eternity.

 We find it crazy and even humorous that people can believe what they believe. Whether it is the belief in a god that supports murder or a belief in an elephant god, the fact is that everyone needs to hear the ultimate TRUTH. As Christians we need to look at everyone with the perspective that they are made in the image of God and are His children, whom He loves and desires a relationship with.