Links for today’s readings:

Read: Ezekiel 32 Listen: (5:30)
Read: 1 Timothy 4 Listen: (2:05)

Links for this weekend’s readings:

Read: Ezekiel 33 Listen: (6:03), Read: 1 Timothy 5 Listen: (3:22)
Read: Ezekiel 34 Listen: (5:11), Read: 1 Timothy 6 Listen: (3:16)

Scripture Focus: 1 Timothy 4.12-16

12 Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. 13 Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. 14 Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you. 15 Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. 16 Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.

Reflection: Your Ephesus Needs a Timothy

By John Tillman

Timothy faced dangerous “wolves” in a dangerous city. (Acts 20.28-30)

Timothy was young. He did not fit neatly into any racial or cultural box. His mixed Greek and Jewish heritage helped him connect two different worlds but also isolated him from both of them.

He led the church in Ephesus, the third-largest Roman city, with a temple to Artemis four times the size of Athens’s Parthenon. When Paul’s teaching threatened commerce surrounding Artemis worship, the city rioted. (Acts 19.23-28)

Paul left Timothy in Ephesus specifically to address false teaching. (1 Timothy 1.3-5) The wolves Timothy dealt with were hypocritical liars and conspiracists, whose constant lies burned away their consciences. Paul described the malicious myths they perpetuated as the teaching of demons.

One way Paul expected Timothy to counter false teaching was by watching his own “life and doctrine.” Today, we’d say “orthodoxy,” what you teach, and “orthopraxy,” what you do. Our faith must match our works. We may not all be church leaders, but we still face dangerous “wolves,” with burned-away consciences. Hypocritical liars and conspiracists seem more prevalent than ever.

It sounds exciting to fight off dangerous wolves or doctrines of demons. But Paul’s instructions to Timothy remind us we fight with plows, not swords, and cultivation, not destruction. (Isaiah 2.4; Micah 4.3) We bring forth goodness from the Earth, not spill blood into it. The world may riot. We must root ourselves in the example of Jesus and Paul.

How do we do this? Read and teach the scripture with both supernatural giftings and practical diligence.

Read and teach the scripture. (v 13) “I read the scripture but I’m not a preacher.” You are to someone. Someone listens to you in small groups and conversations. Someone reads your social media posts, even if they never comment or “like” them. So read and teach.

Cultivate your gifts through the Holy Spirit. (v 14) A prophetic word was spoken about Timothy, but that did not mean Timothy just coasted. He had to cultivate, not neglect, his gift. Paul later wrote to “fan into flame” the gift. Cultivate your gifts both spiritually and practically through prayer and practice.

Make diligent progress. (v 15) Paul expected Timothy to progress, to improve, in ways that were visible and evident to all. Demonstrate diligence in solving problems and, like a math problem, show your work and the work of the Holy Spirit.

Be Timothy to your Ephesus. Embody truth in a world of lies.

Divine Hours Prayer: The Refrain for the Morning Lessons

Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. — Psalm 92.12

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Autumn and Wintertime by Phyllis Tickle.

Read more about Hypocrites, Conspirators, and Old Wives Tales

When people we know or admire slide into cultish conspiratorial thought, it’s painful. In a very real way, we lose them.

Read more about Facing Wolves

In hunting for “wolves” we can injure a lot of sheep. People who hunt wolves often become wolf-like themselves.

Links for today’s readings:

Read: Ezekiel 31 Listen: (3:31)
Read: 1 Timothy 3 Listen: (2:103)

Scripture Focus: 1 Timothy 3.16

Beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great:
He appeared in the flesh,
was vindicated by the Spirit,
was seen by angels,
was preached among the nations,
was believed on in the world,
was taken up in glory

Reflection: Christless Forgiveness is the Absence of Justice

By John Tillman

One reason our culture so often rejects forgiveness and mercy is that, without Christ, the definition of forgiveness is unappealing and unjust.

Most dictionaries define forgiveness as stopping our feelings of resentment, stopping our desire for evil to be punished, or canceling debts without repayment. Those who forgive simply are expected to keep living with damage that will never be restored. With this concept of forgiveness, no wonder our culture rejects forgiveness as unjust.

Forgiveness is unjust, if forgiveness is simply letting evil succeed.
Forgiveness is unjust, if victims are never heard and no one ever answers for their pain.
Forgiveness is unjust, if what was damaged is never restored.
Christ-less forgiveness is the absence of justice.

Without Christ, forgiveness is anarchy. However, Christ offers a unique definition of forgiveness and justice entirely dissimilar from ours. He does not cancel our debt; he pays it. He does not stop wanting to punish sin and evil; he takes sin into himself, crushing and destroying evil. He does not force us to change our feelings; he puts a new Spirit within us.

Christ is the miracle of justice and forgiveness in one glorified person. He alone is able to complete the cycle of justice. He convicts the guilty, pays the penalty, restores the victims… Jesus doeth all things well.

Christ alone grants us this kind of forgiveness, justly providing recompense for the victims of our sinfulness by his suffering on the cross. Yet, there is more. Christ not only grants this forgiveness to us, he expects and empowers us to pour out this type of forgiveness to others.

This weekend, pray this hymn from Paul’s letter to Timothy. In this first-century hymn, Christ is described as “vindicated,” meaning found to be just or righteous. This celebrates that the forgiveness offered by and through Christ is just and righteous. Christ is the mystery from which godliness springs. He is our source of all godliness, including just forgiveness.

“Beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great:
He appeared in the flesh,
was vindicated by the Spirit,
was seen by angels,
was preached among the nations,
was believed on in the world,
was taken up in glory.”

Christ is the only source of truly just forgiveness. Every other kind of forgiveness is simply winking at evil.

Divine Hours Prayer: The Call to Prayer

The Lord is King; let the people tremble; he is enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth shake. — Psalm 99.1

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Autumn and Wintertime by Phyllis Tickle.

Read more about Maintain Love and Justice

May God himself expose those who assume justice cannot penetrate their defenses.

20240411

Read more about Our Merciless Culture

Our world is desperate to explain away Christian forgiveness as something else.

Scripture Focus: 1 Timothy 4.2-11
2 Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. 3 They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. 4 For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 5 because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer. 

6 If you point these things out to the brothers and sisters, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished on the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed. 7 Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. 8 For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. 9 This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance. 10 That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe. 

11 Command and teach these things.

Reflection: Hypocrites, Conspirators, and Old Wives Tales
By John Tillman

Paul and Timothy addressed rumors that Jesus had returned and the final resurrection had already occurred. These Gnostic, dualistic, conspiracists forbade the continuation of normal life and demanded the end of marriages, work, and other norms. 

We might think anyone would be silly to believe such nonsense until we look around at our own era. Wild rumors, old wives tales, conspiracy theories, and extremism are as rampant now as then.

Some conspiracy theories are political, talking about secret corruption and why you can only trust particular sources. Some are economic, talking about who is profiting, who is losing, and who is really to blame! Some involve justice, talking about statistically rare crime as rampant or statistically frequent crimes as unimportant. Some are religious, talking about who’s secretly a heretic, a Fascist, a Marxist, or a liberal. (Yes, theological conversations are constantly invaded by politicization.) 

Conspiracies conveniently prevent questioning their assertions. “If you question it, you must be part of it! You are one of them!” Empathy is banned. Nuance is forbidden. Outrage is applauded. Extreme action is justified. The commonality to every conspiracy theory is this: Fear all others. Trust only us.

When people we know or admire slide into cultish conspiratorial thought, it’s painful. In a very real way, we lose them. They are consumed, eaten up, by their cultish obsession.

Paul challenges Timothy to continue to point out the truth, even in the face of shameless, unconscionable lies. This is for the sake of the church and for the sake of the brothers and sisters in his community.

We should warn people against and help people escape cultish conspiracies. Even when “flesh and blood” oppose us, our struggle is not with them. (Ephesians 6.12) There are spiritual forces that we can only oppose with the gospel and prayer. 

Godless myths float about looking for someone to devour. (1 Peter 5.8) Deceiving spirits crouch by our doorways and devices hungering to master us. (Genesis 4.7) Hypocritical liars spin every “fact” to benefit them. (1 Timothy 4.2) They forbid us from good things painted as bad and bid us adopt wicked things painted as good.

“Train yourself to be godly,” Paul says. Without this training, not only can we not help others, we are susceptible. The escape from conspiratorial cults begins with this: Fear no human. Trust in Jesus. Continue pointing to truth, no matter how many point in the other direction.

Divine Hours Prayer: The Request for Presence
In you, O Lord, have I taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in your righteousness. — Psalm 31.1

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Summertime by Phyllis Tickle.

Today’s Readings
Judges 3  (Listen 4:30)
1 Timothy 4 (Listen 2:05)

Read more about Facing Wolves
In hunting for “wolves” we can injure a lot of sheep. People who hunt wolves often become wolf-like themselves.

Submit a Readers’ Choice post!
#ReadersChoice is a time for you to share your favorite Park Forum posts from the year.
What post helped you grieve?

Scripture Focus: 1 Timothy 1.13-14
13 Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. 14 The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

Reflection: Our Merciless Culture
By John Tillman

The mercy and forgiveness offered to Paul is staggering, scandalous, and in our own time, practically impossible.

One of the least Christian things about American culture today is how we feel about forgiveness and mercy. We frown at forgiveness in general, but to forgive someone who harmed you or to forgive someone outside one’s tribe or group, is anathema. If you want to be an outcast, forgive someone outside your political party, your race, or your gender.

Every culture is a bit cynical about mercy and repentance. Reasonable skepticism is justifiable. Even the apostles didn’t accept Paul until Barnabas spoke up for him. The type of mercy extended to Paul and many others in scripture would never be tolerated or allowed today. 

Our culture has become anti-mercy, going past skepticism and walking into the wilderness of hatred and retributive violence. In recent years, when people have offered public forgiveness to individuals that everyone agreed did not deserve it, our world wouldn’t tolerate it. We are opposed to forgiveness. We go beyond refusing to forgive—we label forgiveness and mercy, not just foolish, but evil.

A culture that is invested in and glorifies hatred, retribution, payback, and vengeance cannot allow an act of mercy to stand as a simple act of mercy. It must be critiqued and spun. Media and pundits immediately will attempt to twist it, politicize it, and discount it.

Our world is desperate to explain away Christian forgiveness as something else. It must be enabling evil. It must be the result of racism. It must be a naive and foolish gesture. It must be anything other than Christian, gospel forgiveness. Never that.

Otherwise, we might be forced to set down our weapons of vengeance. Otherwise, we might be forced to question our treasured value of total war against our ideological enemies. Otherwise, we might have to abandon our “ends justify the means” political machinations. Otherwise, we might be forced to admit we need mercy ourselves.

Our world would like to pretend that it hates mercy because it cares for victims. But it requires it’s victims to stay victims, suffering eternally. Healing or restoration doesn’t fuel hatred, only pain does. Our culture’s interest in victims is mostly as fuel for hatred. Our world hates mercy because it loves hate.

As Christians, we must defeat hate by truly caring for victims and by forgiving in shocking and scandalous ways.

*Forgiveness and mercy do not mean abandoning the pursuit of justice through the law. It also does not mean asking victims to be quiet or to stop sharing their pain and their stories. For a short brush-up on the tension between forgiveness and justice, see this Veritas Forum video with Rachael Denhollander.


Divine Hours Prayer: The Refrain for the Morning Lessons
It is not the healthy who need the doctor, but the sick…and indeed I did not come to call the the virtuous, but the sinners. — Matthew 9.12-13

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Summertime by Phyllis Tickle.

Today’s Readings
Joshua 24 (Listen 5:49)
1 Timothy 1 (Listen  2:59)

Read more about When God Has Mercy…Will We?
Jonah held his bitterness so deeply that the depths of the sea couldn’t wash it away and the sun couldn’t burn it away. How deeply will we hold on to ours?

Share a Readers’ Choice post!

#ReadersChoice is the time for you to share your favorite Park Forum posts from the year.
What post helped you better understand scripture?
https://forms.gle/dfa88nayaEEqiy9X7