Friday, June 26, 2015,
4:56 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song, “When I’m With You.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read 1 Timothy 2 (NASB).
Entreaties and
Prayers (vv. 1-4, 8)
First
of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings,
be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that
we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. 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…
Therefore
I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and
dissension.
An entreaty is a plea. A plea is “a serious and emotional
request for something” (M-W), such as a call (cry) for help, or a humble, passionate
and/or ardent appeal for mercy. These are not “God bless so-and-so” types of
prayers, nor are they routine and emotionless repetitions. Often these types of
prayers are accompanied by tears, anguish of heart and mind, and distress over
situations going on in people’s lives or in the world around us. They can be
requests for God to intervene in certain situations, or prayers for wisdom to
know how to respond in particular circumstances. They can be appeals for human
hearts to turn to God in faith, or for the wandering Christian to return to his
or her first love. They may be petitions to God for the healing of a loved one
who has been diagnosed with terminal cancer, or for a child who has left the right
way, and is in living in open rebellion, to come to his or her senses, and to
be brought back to God, and to walk in the way of the Lord.
These types of prayers are not demanding or lacking in
reverence (respect, honor) of Almighty God. They are humble and submissive. We
don’t come to God with a list of demands and ask him to do something about
them, and/or to ask, in a demanding way, why it is that he is not doing
something, meaning doing something our way, and in our timing. This is also not
about “give me, give me” this or that, nor is it about a “wish list” of things
we want in order for us to feel happier and more fulfilled. These types of
prayers come from the depths of our souls, and are usually prompted by some
serious situation which requires or which necessitates such ardent prayers to
God for his divine intervention. Often such situations, which lead us to this
type of praying, will also help strengthen us in our own faith, and in our walks
of obedience to our Lord, in surrender to his will, and in our own resolve to
persevere and to persist, even despite the situations over which we are praying
still continuing for some time, without apparent (visible) answers to our
requests.
We are to be in submission to those God has placed in
authority over us, with biblical exceptions. In other words, if any authority
asks us to disobey God, then we have the right to refuse, because God’s law,
rule, and authority always trumps man’s, and we are NOT to disobey God. Daniel,
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, as well as the apostles were prime biblical
examples of those who were in submission to authority, but who had to obey God
over man when man was demanding of them that they disobey God. Yet, even a
refusal to obey man over God can be done respectfully.
And, we are to pray for those in authority over us. We
should, I believe, first of all pray that our leaders will come to know Jesus
Christ, and will walk in obedience to him, so that they serve the people
according to God’s ways. Yet, we know that God is the one who places people in
positions of rule and authority, and we know that he even puts evil kings in
place, at times, because he uses them to serve his purposes in the lives of his
people, and in the lives of all people living on the earth. In those cases, I
don’t always know how to pray, other than I will pray “Thy kingdom come, Thy
will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Or, other than just praying for
their salvation, I will also pray that God will fulfill his purposes through
the lives of these leaders, and that he will accomplish his will in our lives
through their leadership.
Yet, obeying these leaders, and praying for these leaders,
should never mean worshiping them, or following them over God, or closing our
minds and eyes off from seeing evil where evil truly exists. Jesus always
taught obedience to human authority, but he also stood up to those in authority
who were abusing their authority, and who were leading the people astray. He
exposed their lies and deceptions, because he didn’t want his followers to be
deceived. So, we should obey and pray for those in authority over us, yet
always obey God over man, and we should never give our unquestioning loyalty
and devotion to any human authority, but we should always pray for wisdom and
discernment to recognize evil, lies, and deceptions for what they are, so that
we can reject what is false and cling to what is truth. As well, God is the
only one deserving of our worship and unquestioning devotion, loyalty, and allegiance.
We are to be followers of God, and not followers of mankind.
Gave Himself a Ransom
(vv. 5-7)
For
there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ
Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper
time. For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the
truth, I am not lying) as a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.
All of us who are born of the Spirit of God, who are being
saved by God’s grace, and who are being transformed by God into Christ’s
likeness, have the Spirit of God living within us. We are the body of Christ,
the church. We are, thus, the light of the world and the salt of the earth, and
we are to not hide our lights, but we are to let them shine before humans. We
are Christ’s servants and witnesses, and those who are to go out into the world
and to make followers of Christ of people of all nations, baptizing them, and teaching
them to obey Christ’s commandments. We are to snatch people from the flames,
and turn sinners from the error of their ways, so they may be saved. So,
although not every one of us is called of God to be an apostle, and not all of
us can serve in positions of authority within the church, we can all tell
others about Jesus’ saving grace to us, so that they may be saved.
Because we were all born with sin natures, due to the Fall
of Man in the Garden, we are, apart from faith in Christ, without hope and without
God, and destined to spend eternity in hell. So, Jesus Christ, God the Son,
came to earth, took on human flesh, and died on a cross for our sins. He was
resurrected from the dead, so that we might have new lives. Then, he ascended
back to the Father, sent his Holy Spirit to indwell his followers, and is one
day coming again to take us to be with him forever. When he died, our sins died
with him, and were buried with him, but when he rose from the dead, he
conquered our sin, death, hell and Satan. By faith in Jesus Christ we can be
forgiven of our sins, restored to fellowship with God, and be given eternal
life with God both now and forevermore. By faith we die with Christ to sin, we
are transformed in heart and mind of the Spirit of God, and we are resurrected
with Christ to new lives, “created to be like God in true righteousness and
holiness” (See: Eph. 4:17-24; cf. Ro. 6-8; Gal. 2:20; 1 Pet. 2:24-25; Ac.
26:16-18).
Living in Submission
(vv. 9-15)
Likewise,
I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly,
not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments, but rather by
means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness. A
woman must quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness. But I do not
allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet.
For it was Adam who was first created, and then Eve. And it was not Adam who
was deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression. But women
will be preserved through the bearing of children if they continue in faith and
love and sanctity with self-restraint.
I believe this is one of the most difficult passages of scripture
to interpret in the Bible, or else it is one of the most controversial, and is
thus often avoided. First of all, I believe the instruction here on how women
are to dress is cultural, to some extent, yet we can learn from what is taught
here in principle. We are to dress ourselves with proper clothing, modestly and
discreetly. We should not purposefully draw anyone’s attention to parts of our
bodies, which are sensual in nature, by revealing too much, or by wearing
extremely tight-fitting clothing, which then just accentuates our female forms,
and which might tempt men to lust after us. Instead, we should adorn ourselves
with godliness, holiness, goodness, kindness, generosity, thoughtfulness, love,
mercy, joy, and faithfulness, etc.
Women, of which I am one, should follow the instructions in
scripture on the subject of authority and submission. God is over man (and
woman), and man is over woman. Women should not be in positions of authority
over men, nor should they be in positions as teachers (instructors) over men within
the church, especially as regards authoritative instruction, such as we have
received from Jesus and from the apostles. We should receive instruction quietly
and with entire submissiveness. This Greek word for “quiet” is the same as was
in verse 2, where we read that we (all believers) are to pray for all people, so
that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.
This word “quiet” means peaceful, restful, and calm. It is
the opposite of boisterous, clamorous or raucous. In other words, we women are
not to cause a disturbance in the church by being loud and unruly or by usurping
authority over men, but we should be submissive, reverent, and calm. And, all
of us, by praying for all people and for those in authority over us, i.e. by
taking these matters of concern to God in prayer, it helps us to remain calm
and dignified, to not become raucous or clamorous, and to lead godly lives,
because we are bringing our burdens to God. This, however, does not mean we
submit to what is sinful, or that we put up with what is clearly false teaching,
or as women, that we are restricted from teaching or using our spiritual gifts for
the edification of the body of Christ. There is just a proper order and place
for things, and we must follow that order.
Women can teach women, and they can teach children, and they
can post their quiet times with God on the internet where anyone can read them,
but where they have no authority over any man, but are subject to the
authorities that exist on the internet itself and on various websites. After
all, the gifts of teaching and prophecy were given to women, too. Jesus used the woman at the well to spread the
gospel to men, and God used the women at the tomb to take the good news of the
resurrection to men (Christ’s disciples), and it was ok for Priscilla and
Aquila to approach Apollos and to take him aside and to quietly instruct him in
some matters of the gospel on which he was not yet well versed. In the case of
the women at the tomb, they were acting under the authority of God. In the case
of Priscilla and Aquila, she was acting under the authority of her husband and
God. The woman at the well merely responded in excitement to what Jesus told her
about himself, and she wanted to tell others, but this was God’s plan, which is
why Jesus spoke with her.
The Holy Spirit gifts women just as he does men, and he has
a place for each of us in the body of Christ so that we may encourage and
strengthen one another in the faith. So, we need to pray, and we need to be in
submission to authority, and we need to act under the authority of God, and not
be raucous and unruly, but to obey and honor God in all ways.
When I’m With You
/ An Original Work / April 22, 2011
When I’m with You, Lord,
hear my cries.
Soon I’ll be with You,
by Your side.
Harken to me;
Lord, hear my plea
When I’m with You
and You’re with me
Precious Savior, Lord,
and my friend,
Life with You
has no final end.
I’ll reign with You
eternally
When I’m with You
and You’re with me.
Father, God,
my only desire.
Your word is in me
like a fire.
I’ll sing Your praise
all of my days
When I’m with You
and You’re with me.
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