JustJeff

Inspired scripture is God's Word (God breathed) revealed to us by and through the Holy Spirit. God breathed the Word and there is no doubt about the Word's authorship. It is the only source of authority and if it is not inspired it is profane. The Holy Spirit will always confirm the Word to be truth.

Fear of rejection or harm causes us to withdraw from opportunities to witness. When we pick up our cross daily we are effectively "crucifying" ourselves. As the Lord died in the flesh on the cross so do we when we follow His command. With self out of the way we are free from all fear.

Whenever we allow the flesh to overide the Holy Spirit we at once become hypocrites. Our failure to recognize and correct our error can cause us to establish traditons which lead to religion. Religion has no power as power comes from the Spirit and is the reason so many are falling away.

To teach is to reach. It cannot be done by being arrogant, combative, boastfull, indignant, or holier than thou. It is needfull to be the opposite of all of these and, most of all patient. When the teacher is fully versed on the subject matter it is then that he or she should be most effective. And, when you are lead by the Holy Spirit, it is when the Lord is in control.

As we have only one set of plates I don't relate to the metaphor. What I do see is that we all must get rid of sin in our lives by crucifying our flesh in order to become vessels fully acceptable to our Lord.

A skilled worker, or professional, is able to dissect the needs to do the job set before them. This would mean that in order to present an acceptable finished product, they would have to be expert in the details required to reach the highest standards. As teachers of the gospel we must be no less prepared. Our standards must be to the highest degree possible as we are teaching to help our students reach the Highest. Rightly dividing the Word means to have a thorough understanding of what we have to do in order to convey the message to the unskilled. This is a great responsibility.

As a veteran I can relate to things military. In order to complete a mission one must go through all conditions, no matter how difficult or impossible they may seem. The army that can conquer adversity wins. The same holds true for God's army.

God forbid that we should preach the truth! Why risk scaring one precious dollar (oops, I mean soul) by telling that real Christianity involves pain and suffering like crying for the murder of the unborn innocents? Why not prepare the church for the negative reaction that real Christians receive from the world when they walk the walk and talk the talk? Timothy was perhaps lonely and not prepared for the onslaught that came upon him and the same is true today. Our leadership is safe behind the pulpit and doesn't know how to properly teach witnessing, which is gained by experience so, those brave brothers and sisters who do go out are not prepared for what the enemy sends their way. When you suffer for the gospel and Christ great is your reward! I cannot possibly recount the victories nor the bliss that the Lord gives to you in His outpouring of joy. You have to get some yourself.

In order to advance the gospel forward and maintain it's integrity it is necessary to always being in a mentoring mode. We do not always know who God will choose for a given post nor who He will gift for that post. So, in everything that we who teach do, we should teach. And, as we lead, let us lead by example.

Christ is the source of Paul's fearlessness and the gospel is entrusted to God to guard.

There is nothing in Christ that is negative (to the saved). There is therefore no condemnation when we walk in the Spirit. When stirred up, the Holy Spirit takes away our guilt and shame and gives us the boldness necessary to carry out our vocation as Christians. Paul's focus on Christ and the laying on of his hands reminds Timothy, and us, of the gift that lies within us against which no power can withstand.

I experienced cowardice and shame whem I first came to the Lord. I attribute this to my lack of knowledge, uncertainty and fear of the unknown in terms of a response to my witness. This has all faded away over the years as I grew in wisdom, understanding and knowledge all of which are guided and powered by the Holy Spirit.

This is a difficult question. There have to be other questions asked. Does the person want the gifts or the world? Has the gift truly been imparted? Is the person committed to the fullness of the Lord or is satisfied with a mere taste? Grain or weed? Discern and respond as lead by the Holy Spirit.

The agape love of Christ cannot change. Without it we are empty vessels subject the the mechanics of the flesh. With it we are new every morning and our message is always fresh and postive. It comes with the Holy Spirit.

The best way not to love money is to be poor. That is to live humbly which is to be focused on and depending upon God for everything. It is truly amazing how little one spends when we call upon our Heavenly Father for our needs. Generosity is giving what you can without hurting yourself. Donate with your head, not over it.

When a person who is not accustom to having money starts to acquire it and the power that comes with it they may desire more of both. People who do have money seem to want more as with those who lost much with the huge ponzi schemes that cost them millions. The great god money is never satisfied. Once you get into the game he's got you. Once again the way to avoid such an entrapment is to be content with what you have. Don't get greedy and try to earn on what you have. Live on what you earn. 2 Cor 9: 8-10: "And God is able to make all grace (every favor and earthly blessing) come to you in abundance, so that you may always and under all circumstances and whatever the need be self-sufficient (possessing enough to require no aid or support and furnish in abundance for every good work and charitable donation). As it is written, He (the benevolent person) scatters abroad; He gives to the poor; His deeds of justice and goodness and kindness and benevolence will go on and endure forever (Ps 112:9). And (God) Who provides seed for the sower and bread for eating will also provide and multiply your (resources for) sowing and increase the fruits of your righteousness (which manifests itself in active goodness, kindness, and charity). (Isa 55:10, Hos 10:12)." AMP Many people who donate to our ministry give food, clothing and other items because they can ill afford to part with limited cash. In Paul's day the situation would have been the same. Our heavenly Father truly knows what we need and blesses us accordingly when we give from our heart, not with the intent of gaining because we tithe.

Contentment has nothing to do with trying to improve one's lot. Contentment is about excepting what you have and who you are in society. If you are a day laborer you can choose to go to a school of higher training to earn more, elevate your social standing (as you see it) and yet, live within your means based upon your current income. You may not, however, be in a position to change your skill level so Paul is teaching us to live within our means. Many churches are comprised of mixed congregations with many professions and related income levels. The carnal person often has a "keep up with the Jones' " mentallity and tries to put on an image like them. We are in a financial crisis because too many people, including a lot of Christians, extended themselves beyond their ability to pay, all because they wanted to keep up with society as painted by TV, movies and the internet. They weren't content to go shopping at the discount stores, instead opting for high end things. Now where are they shopping? Depending upon God to supply our needs even if they may not be what everyone else has, is humility 101. We find that worrying less about how society perceives us gives us a closer perspective of how Jesus needs us to be. Being content with what we have and who we are enhances our spirituality and lessens our needless worries. That makes it possible to concentrate on our Christianity and, is the way to godliness.

A sure fire way to keep the tithes flowing and the pews full is to preach that God will give back to you multiples of what you give to Him. In our carnality we think that to be blessed by the Lord is to be made financially secure and that is simply not true. God blesses us according to the riches of His glory (Eph 3:16, Col 1:27) and that translates to spiritual wealth. In Matt 6:8 Jesus clearly tells us the the Father gives us what we need, not what we want. Ministries are falling to the left and to the right because the only ones who prosper from prosperity messages are the ones doing the preaching. This creates false Christians who worship God for what they expect Him to give them for their service. When it doesn't happen they are disappointed and many fall away from the faith. Remember; "God is a Spirit; and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth ' (John 4:24).

During Paul's time slavery was an accepted way of life. He was not condoning slavery rather than acknowledging that it was. He was encouraging Christian slaves that while in bondage in the flesh, they were free in the spirit. Likewise, Christian masters were to treat them as brethren, though slaves. As Christianity spread so did the word of freedom. William Wiburforce and others began the end of slavery in the western world. Someday, all will be free.

When choosing and elder that person should be one who is well qualified and has proven themself to be conformed to sound doctrine. This will avoid situations that can arise when someone is an immature Christian and person.

Fear and an unwillingness to cause confrontations are the same then and now. People just do not want to deal with untastefull matters concerning elders and would rather ignore the issues and suffer the consequences.

If an elder is a full time worker for the Lord and is solely dependent upon the church as a means of survival then that person should be compensated for their commitment. Deut 24:5, 1 Cor 9:9, 1 Tim 5:18

Instead of putting our elderly parents in an old folks home we should care and nurture them as they did for us on our youth (repaying our debt). This was the law of the Hebrews and preached by Christ (Matt 15:4-6). It is an expression of our faith. To deny our responsibilty is to be as a non-believer.

What is attained by our human nature is of the earth; earthly. What is attained by the Spirit is of heaven; heavenly. Only by the Spirit can we attain the likeness of Christ which is godliness and it is this which leads the true church.

Godliness is exibiting all of the fruits of the Spirit in our character which can only be developed by walking in the Holy Spirit and feeding ourselves with the word. Strict morality is an appplication of the flesh while godliness is of the Spirit.