Thursday, November
21, 2013, 6:00 a.m. – the Lord Jesus woke me with the song “Draw Me Close to You” playing in my
mind. Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read 1 Timothy 1 (NIV).
Myths and Such
As
I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may
command certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer or to devote
themselves to myths and endless genealogies. Such things promote controversial
speculations rather than advancing God’s work—which is by faith. Vv. 3-4
A myth is “a widely held but mistaken belief” (Encarta). A
myth can be based in stories passed on from generation to generation, or it can
be based in family or cultural tradition, or it can be merely something that is
believed by many people, but that is not true. Generally speaking, those who
propagate these myths are people in positions of trust and/or in public
positions of authority and/or respect, such as parents, pastors, teachers, public
officials and the news media. This is why the Bible tells us that we should
test everything, and why it often warns us against those who teach what is
false, and why it encourages us to be discerning and to be seekers of truth,
and why it says we should not put our trust in humans, but in God. Not
everything that claims to be true is true.
One myth I know of that is widely believed, for example, is
that the church building (physical structure) is the “house of God,” and that
when we go inside the physical building we have somehow now entered into the
house of God or into God’s presence, and that the sanctuary (physical room in
the building) brings us more into his presence, and that Sunday, particularly
Sunday morning, is the Lord’s day and the day we are to worship with other
believers, and inside “God’s house,” too. Yet, scripture teaches that we, the
Body of Christ, are the Lord’s temple, that his Spirit dwells within us, and
that we are to worship God in Spirit and in truth every day, and that the early
church met from house to house and in the temple courts daily. So, the presence
of God is within each one of us, not inside a physical building, and we can
meet with the Body of Christ any day in the week and anywhere for teaching,
prayer, fellowship and the breaking of bread, and that is church.
The main “false doctrine” I believe that is being propagated
in today’s church is one of “easy believism,” i.e. a false grace absent of true repentance, dying
to self and sin, and being transformed in heart and mind of the Spirit of God
(new birth); and absent of
putting on Christ in his true righteousness and holiness, following Jesus
Christ in surrender and obedience to his will and commands – all in the power
of the Spirit of God within us as we yield control of our lives over to Christ
for him to live his life in us and out through us. This false grace teaches a
diluted gospel to make it more appealing and acceptable to the world, yet what
it really teaches is a broad/wide road that leads to destruction, not the
narrow road that few enter which leads to salvation and eternal life with God
(See Matt. 7:13-14). By leaving out these critical components of the true
gospel (See Lu. 9:23-25; Eph. 4:17-24; and Rom. 6, Ac. 26:16-18, et al), these
false teachers are giving people a false hope of salvation based upon a lie,
and they are condemning their adherents to eternity in hell, because they did
not tell them the truth, so that they could be truly saved. The truth is:
For
the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches
us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live
self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for
the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus
Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify
for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. ~ Titus
2:11-14
Some Have Departed
The
goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good
conscience and a sincere faith. Some have departed from these and have turned
to meaningless talk. They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know
what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm. 1 Tim. 1:5-7
Some have departed (deviated; diverged; strayed; wandered;
or digressed) from a pure heart, a good conscience and a sincere faith. Instead
they have turned to meaningless, empty, useless and/or mere talk and deception.
They are rebellious people who follow after their own fleshly desires, rather
than following after the Spirit of Christ. Some may give off a pretense of
religion or faith in Christ, but they are professors only whose lives deny and
reject Jesus Christ. They have a form of godliness, but they deny its power in
their lives. Some lack true conviction, so they may be easily swayed by various
differences of opinion of humankind and/or may go back and forth between truth
and lies, as if on a see-saw. Some may speak the absolute truth, at times, yet
not know from personal relationship or experience what they are talking about
or what they so confidently affirm, because it is mere talk (pontificating),
and thus is deception and is hypocritical. They may just be copying what they
hear others say. Scripture says: “They are detestable, disobedient, and unfit
for doing anything good” (See Tit. 1:16; cf. Tit. 1:10). And, these are
oftentimes the very ones who are teaching myths and false doctrines, so be
careful and be discerning.
We
know that the law is good if one uses it properly. We also know that the law is
made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and
sinful, the unholy and irreligious, for those who kill their fathers or
mothers, for murderers, for the sexually immoral, for those practicing
homosexuality, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else
is contrary to the sound doctrine that conforms to the gospel concerning the
glory of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me. Vv. 8-11
Shown Mercy
I
thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me
trustworthy, appointing me to his service. 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. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly,
along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
Here
is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into
the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I
was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display
his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and
receive eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only
God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Timothy,
my son, I am giving you this command in keeping with the prophecies once made
about you, so that by recalling them you may fight the battle well, holding on
to faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and so have suffered
shipwreck with regard to the faith. Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander,
whom I have handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme. Vv. 12-20
Some of those who have “departed” from the true faith may be
among those who are true believers in Jesus Christ but who have since strayed
away from the truth to follow after the lies, and thus they need to return to
their Lord in full assurance of faith and a good conscience. Yet, some of those
who have deviated from a pure heart and sincere faith may be among those who
have been taught the truth of the gospel, perhaps from infanthood, but who have
never truly said “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and thus have never yielded
their lives over to Christ Jesus in order to
live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in the power and strength of
His Spirit within them. In other words, they have not truly accepted the grace
of God into their lives, but perhaps only a false grace. They may have a form
of godliness in their lives, but it may be surface only. They are in need of a
true relationship with Jesus Christ which understands that the gospel teaches
we must die to our old lives of living for self and sin, and we must be
transformed in heart and mind of the Spirit of God away from sin and Satan and
toward following after Christ in his true righteousness and holiness. This IS
the working of the Spirit of God, and not of our own flesh or good deeds, but
we must yield to his work in our lives, i.e. we must cooperate.
So, if you know that you are truly in Christ Jesus, yet you
also know that you have not been living what you say you believe, and you know
you have been making compromises with your faith in order to please your flesh,
I pray today that you will return to your Lord Jesus with a pure heart, a good
conscience and a sincere faith which honors God with your life.
Yet, if you know that you are a mere talker, who gives lip
service only to your Lord, and you know that you lack true conviction, and so
you go back and forth between truth and lies as if on a see-saw, and you know
that your true lifestyle and behaviors do not match what you say you believe,
then I pray today that you will turn your heart and your life completely over
to God/Jesus Christ in full surrender to his will for your life, that you will
die to sin and self and that you will allow the Spirit of God to transform you
in heart and mind so that you can live a life that is holy and pleasing to God
(not perfect, but yielded and submitted).
Draw Me Close To You
/ Donnie McClurkin
Draw me close to You
Never let me go
I lay it all down
again
To hear You say that
I'm Your friend
You are my desire
And no one else will
do
'Cause nothing else
can take Your place
To feel the warmth of
Your embrace
Help me find a way
Bring me back to You
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