• Bible Studies

    Titus 3

    After challenging Titus to deal with false teachers, promoting sound doctrine, the responsibilities of the elders, young men, older women, and slaves, he closes his letter with how Titus is to remind and teach.  Chapter 3 is a recap in a way as well as new challenges for Titus. Paul does not stop challenging everyone around him until the very end of his letters and his life! “Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men.”  Obviously, Paul had never run for…

  • Bible Studies

    Titus 1

    “Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ for the faith of God’s elect and the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness – a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time, and at his appointed season he brought his word to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior.” I was in Silicon Valley this week meeting with geneticists, venture capitalists, and people who are thinking about, among other things, the ethics of how technology and science are creating futures that are both wonderful…

  • Bible Studies

    2 Timothy 3:16-17

    We don’t hear much about doctrine today. I’m not sure I heard much about doctrine when I was growing up. We knew we were Baptists and thought we knew what that meant but didn’t. We learned our doctrine from our hymns. We knew about propitiation from “Washed in the Blood” and “Nothing but the Blood”. We knew about the sacrificial death of Jesus from “The Old Rugged Cross”. We knew about forgiveness from “Just As I Am” and about grace from “Amazing Grace”. In their defense the influence of those songs has lasted for a lifetime. I’ve heard thousands of sermons and Sunday School lessons but it’s “It Is Well…

  • Bible Studies

    2 Timothy 2:14-26

    Part of Timothy’s responsibility as a teacher is not only to introduce new things but to remind people of what they already know. Most of us already know enough new things but we need to be reminded of what we know already – and we don’t always appreciate it. I need to be reminded constantly to take out the garbage, keep doctor appointments, change the oil on the car, and a host of other small things that make up a normal life. Sometimes I need to be reminded of larger things just like the people of Israel. They needed to be reminded they served one God and him alone. They…

  • Bible Studies

    2 Timothy 2:1-13

    Paul is in the final years of his life when writing to Timothy. They have been hard years filled with persecution, prison, suffering, deprivation, endless travel, argument, and controversy. Yet, they have also been years of deep and long-lasting relationships with friends, converts, churches, and disciples like Timothy. But Paul’s life has been one of extremes. His deepest friendships remained intact but some who have been friends and supporters have abandoned or turned on him. We can read about those in the other letters but it is clear here that “everyone in the province of Asia has deserted him.” That’s not the way to finish life, is it? But, as…

  • Bible Studies

    1 Timothy 6

    There are times I wish Paul had been content with giving Timothy sermon tips but, instead, he has tackled some of the major areas of controversy today. A few weeks ago, it was the role of women in church. Today, it is three in a row: slavery and freedom, false teaching, and wealth. I’ll be glad when we are done and we can move on to 2 Timothy and Paul’s final words to his beloved friend. ”All who are under the yoke of slavery should consider their masters worthy of full respect, so that God’s name and our teaching may not be slandered. Those who have believing masters should not…

  • Bible Studies

    1 Timothy 4-5

    If you wanted a neat summary of these two chapters it would probably be: character. We might call it godliness, or setting an example, or virtue.  Both of these chapters are concerned with the development of character. First, in the life of Timothy himself because the character of the leader is critical to the character of the organization.  How does he develop character? Having a good conscience – not an overactive conscience that results in losing all the joy in life by eliminating as much as possible that might lead to sin.  That is why we have the picture – although often false – in our minds of the old…

  • Bible Studies

    1 Timothy 2

    We should have had this lesson last week when Franklin Graham’s call to pray for President Trump specifically was all in the news.  As you would expect, I had trouble with that because of Franklin’s deep partisanship and attachment to this particular President.  I don’t recall his asking for special prayer for President Obama, President Clinton or President Bush but I should probably leave that one alone and just focus on the text that calls for us to pray for all people as well as authorities. It’s easy to concentrate on our American authorities and only reinforce our narrow identity as American Christians.  It’s almost as easy to hold up…

  • Fred's Blog

    Repaid by Love

    Listen to “Repaid by Love” by Fred Smith   Stories come in all shapes, don’t they? Today, there is an industry devoted to people anxious to understand their personal narrative and the arc of their lifelong story. What is the plot of my life? For others, it is merely a collection of anecdotes compiled as multiple stories. They have a beginning and an end. They may or may not be related to other stories in an individual life. Some lives, in fact, are anthologies of these anecdotes but not a single narrative. For a few, there are life-defining stories that are more than anecdotes but not as defined as a…