Archive for the ‘Timothy’ tag
Titus, the Pastor: August 26, 2012
The text for this lesson is Titus 1:1–2:1; 1 Timothy 1:3–7; 3:1–7; 4:11–16.
Key Point
- As God called Paul to the preaching office for the sake of His elect and their eternal life, so He also called Titus and the pastors Titus appointed in Crete as gifts to His Church.
- Law: Congregations sometimes fail to respect the pastors God has given them. Pastors must be willing and able to rebuke false doctrine and sinful lives, but pastors sometimes shirk these duties, and members sometimes resent when pastors do what they must.
- Gospel: When a pastor speaks the words of forgiveness of sins in Absolution or proclaims eternal life by Christ in the Gospel, it is as “certain, even in heaven, as if Christ our dear Lord dealt with us Himself” (Luke 10:16).Through His pastors, God speaks the Law to hardened sinners so that He can speak the Gospel of forgiveness to them when they repent.
Discussion Points
- Paul lists the qualifications of a good pastor or overseer. What are they?
- How did God work through Paul and Titus, and how does He work through our pastors to care for His people?
- Read also 1 Timothy 4:11–16. In this passage, Paul explains to Timothy why a pastor should know and teach God’s Word. What he says applies to Titus and all pastors including ours. What does Paul say pastors should do? What does Paul say is the result? See verse 16.
- Read 1 Timothy 1:3–7. What does Paul say is the motivation of a pastor?
- In what ways do you think being a pastor might be a difficult job? What do you consider to be great blessings of being a pastor?
- Pastors are gifts of God’s grace. God has given us His Word. He expects faithful preaching and teaching of His Word. He assigns pastors a special responsibility in completing that task. Do pastors always perform their duties and live in their vocation as God expects? Can pastors always be blameless? How does God deal with them?
- Why is this called the Office of the Keys?
- How does God equip you for your role in His kingdom? (2 Timothy 3:14–17)
- Who among your family and friends needs to hear of the love and forgiveness Jesus has won for them on the cross? In what ways might you share the Gospel with that person?
Timothy is Taught: August 19, 2012
The text for this lesson is 2 Timothy 1:1–7.
Key Point
- Though Paul could speak of himself as Timothy’s spiritual father, God had actually raised Timothy in faith through instruction in the sacred Scriptures by his grandmother Lois and his mother, Eunice.
- Law: When children disobey or disrespect their parents, they are not only sinning against God, who gave them parents, but are also ignoring God’s primary means of bringing children to Himself.
- Gospel: Children receive the very gift of heaven when parents bring them to infant Baptism (Acts 2:38–39) and then nurture them in faith by telling them about Jesus and bringing them to His house (Proverbs 22:6).
Discussion Points
- Who first taught you about Jesus?
- What do we know about Timothy’s religious background? (Acts 16:1; 2 Timothy 1:5, 3:15)
- Who are Lois and Eunice? Why were they important enough for Paul to mention to Timothy?
- What truth had Timothy learned from Scripture (2 Timothy 3:14–17)? According to these verses, how does Scripture offer practical instruction?
- Why is it so important that all of Scripture be inspired, or “God–breathed,” as Paul reminds Timothy (2 Timothy 3:16)? As a parent or friend speaking to another about his/her wrongdoing, how does the inspiration of Scripture help you?
- When Timothy was a child, mothers and grandmothers stayed home to raise children, and they lived in their vocation as a wife and mother. How are mothers today similar to and different from mothers of long ago?
- What do you think is the most important job a mom could have? Why is it so important for mothers (and fathers) to teach their children about Jesus?
- How do we get faith? What is the most important thing for us to learn in our life?
- In Ephesians 6:2, God promises well–being to children who respect their parents and other authorities. How can obeying authorities give well–being?
April 29, 2012: Paul and Timothy
The text for this lesson is Acts 15:1–16:5.
Key Point
- Just as many in Paul’s day thought, we think we must do something to be saved. Yet the answer is always Jesus, Jesus, only Jesus, whose resurrection from the dead sealed our salvation and absolved the world.
- Law: I sin when I believe that Jesus is not enough for my salvation, when I think that I must do something, however small, to contribute to my salvation.
- Gospel: Jesus has done it all perfectly for me. My salvation is complete.
Discussion Points
- This lesson is about the constant temptation to change “justification (salvation) by grace alone, through faith alone, for the sake of Christ alone” into “justification by grace + works, faith + obedience, for the sake of Christ + our efforts.” But God’s Word won’t allow such nonsense! How does Ephesians 2:4–10 keep us from adding anything to grace, faith, and Christ?
- According to John 5:24, what is saving faith? What argument does Romans 4:1–8 use to prove that faith is not a human work, but rather a divine gift of grace?
- How does St. Paul show, in 1 Corinthians 15:1–7, that we are saved by Christ alone?
- To cut the foreskin off of a male, though bloody and temporarily painful, does not really seem a major issue. Yet this rite, which God gave to Abraham (Genesis 17:1–14) and required of all Israelite males in the Old Testament, became a divisive issue when Jewish converts to Christianity began to teach in the Church that circumcision was necessary for salvation (Acts 15:1). But more important than the physical act of circumcision is a spiritual issue: being circumcised also obligates a person “to keep the law of Moses” (v. 5). What is so problematic about making obedience to the Law a requirement for salvation? See James 2:10; Galatians 3:10; Acts 15:10–11.
- The Book of Galatians deals with a situation like that of the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15:1–33. A group of legalistic Jewish Christians known as “Judaizers” introduced the idea of salvation by circumcision and the Law into the Church at Galatia. What does St. Paul say to those who are tempted to follow the Judaizers? See Galatians 3:10–14; 5:1–6.
- What arguments against requiring circumcision of Gentile converts are put forth by Peter, Paul, Barnabas, and James at the council? See Acts 15:7–19.
- According to Romans 4:8–14, what was the true significance of circumcision in the Old Testament? How does Paul demonstrate that Abraham was the father of all the faithful?
- Compare Acts 15:28–29 with 1 Corinthians 11:20–22. What would have been the main setting in which the Gentiles’ consumption of “things polluted by idols, . . . what has been strangled,” and from “blood” (Acts 15:20) gave offense to Jewish Christians? In light of 1 Corinthians 6:9–11, 18–20, why would “sexual immorality” (Acts 15:20) in particular be highlighted by the apostles? How were the prohibitions from the council received in Antioch?
- According to Colossians 2:6–15, what sort of circumcision have we all—male and female alike—received? What brought it about? What is our new situation because of it?
August 23, 2009: Timothy Is Taught
Reminder
This week, we change to our new format. The podcast is an interview hosted by the Rev. Todd Wilken of Issues, Etc. Because of this change, the publishing schedule for the podcast will also be different. Podcasts will now normally be posted the Wednesday before each respective Sunday.
The text for this lesson is 2 Timothy 1:1–7.
Key Points
- Though Paul could speak of himself as Timothy’s spiritual father, God had actually raised Timothy in faith through instruction in the sacred Scriptures by his grandmother Lois and his mother, Eunice.
- Law: When children disobey or disrespect their parents, they are not only sinning against God, who gave them parents, but are also ignoring God’s primary means of bringing children to Himself.
- Gospel: Children receive the very gift of heaven when parents bring them to infant Baptism (Acts 2:38–39) and then nurture them in faith by telling them about Jesus and bringing them to His house (Proverbs 22:6).
Context
Paul and the other apostles chosen by Jesus trained and ordained pastors to carry on the ministry of Word and Sacrament in Christian congregations (Titus 1:5). The purpose of the apostolic ministry was and is to deliver “the promise of the life that is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 1:1) to sinners in need of salvation.
May 3, 2009: Paul and Timothy
The text for this lesson is Acts 15:1–16:5.
Key Points
- Just as many in Paul’s day thought, we think we must do something to be saved. Yet the answer is always Jesus, Jesus, only Jesus, whose resurrection from the dead sealed our salvation and absolved the world.
- Law: I sin when I believe that Jesus is not enough for my salvation, when I think that I must do something, however small, to contribute to my salvation.
- Gospel: Jesus has done it all perfectly for me. My salvation is complete.
Context
In the earliest days of the Church, most believers were Jews. Central to their religious life were the stipulations of the old covenant, such as circumcision. Though Jesus fulfilled these laws, many Jewish Christians continued to practice them. When Gentiles began to convert, some believers, including the Christian Pharisees (Acts 15:5), insisted the Gentiles must keep the Old Testament laws to be saved. This was the chief question of this first council: must the Gentiles keep these laws to be saved? The conclusion was, no, they must not. However, so as not to offend their fellow Jewish believers, the leaders advised the Gentiles to “abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality” (Acts 15:29).
