Beyond The Four Spiritual Laws

[Beetow]

• 2Tim 2:23 . . Refuse foolish and ignorant speculations, knowing that they produce
debating.

Not all speculation is forbidden; only the kind that's absurd and uneducated.

I seriously doubt that 2Tim 2:23 is addressing one's IQ, but rather, the propensity
of some to shoot from the lip without really knowing what they're talking about
and/or having the slightest basis for their perspective.

So; if Christians are to refuse foolish and ignorant speculations, then they really
ought to avoid spouting their own too.

Anyway, the focus is upon debating which, at its worst, are typically running gun
battles, food fights, and/or perpetual bull sessions that never get to the bottom of
anything. Classical debates are quite a bit different. Neither side interrupts the
other, nor shouts to be heard, nor strives to get in the last word; rather, opponents
take turns to present what they believe to be evidence supporting their argument
until there comes a sensible point in the discussion when both sides "rest" which is
a legal term for concluding all arguments when neither side has any new evidence
to submit.

Classical debating is peaceful and orderly whereas running gun battles, food fights,
and perpetual bull sessions typically deteriorate into quarreling, anger, frustration,
animosity, malice, reciprocity, recriminations, antagonism, and hurt feelings.

"Conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ." (Phil 1:27)
_

 

[Beetow]

• 2Tim 2:24a . . The Lord's bond-servant must not be quarrelsome

note: The Greek word translated bond-servant means slave; ether voluntary or
involuntary. Bond servants are different than captive slaves. A bond servant is
typically someone who's entered into a service agreement without compensation;
usually to satisfy a debt.

Although the choice to translate the Greek to indicate a bond servant was probably
done so arbitrarily, it fits the Christian concept of one's allegiance to Christ.

As regards quarrelling:

Sometimes it's best to follow Han Solo's advice and "let the Wookie win one". In
other words; when one is wise; two are happy. Be the wise one and pick your fights
carefully. Don't expend your energies on hot button topics; they'll just lead to
anger, frustration, demeaning comments, and flaming remarks.

Especially avoid getting into discussions with obtuse individuals driven by a rather
annoying propensity to challenge everything you say simply because they thrive on
perpetual debating that never gets to the bottom of anything.

Another thing: Do we really have to be right all the time? People are entitled to a
second opinion so let them have one. It's good diplomacy; which can be defined as
skill in handling affairs without arousing hostility, i.e. tact.
_

 

[Beetow]

• 2Tim 2:24b-26 . . The Lord's servant must . . be kind to all, apt to teach, patient
when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps
God may grant them a change of heart leading to the knowledge of the truth, and
they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the Devil, having been
held captive by him to do his will.

The all in "be kind to all" really should be taken to mean all in Christian
congregations rather than all in the world. The reason being, according to Eph
4:11-16, Christ doesn't dispense his servants for the world's benefit, rather, for his
body's benefit.

For the above reason; Sunday school teachers need to treat the people in church
who oppose them with the same sympathy and consideration as they would
patients in a mental hospital who lack the faculties to know what they're doing
and/or to think for themselves; hence the instructions to be kind, gentle, and
patient because according to the last words in that passage, those folks are
entangled in a bit of paranormal activity not easily overcome.
_

 

[Beetow]

• 2Tim 3:12-15 . .You, however, continue in the things you have learned and.
become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them; and that from
childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the
wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

The "sacred writings" upon which Timothy cut his teeth are of course the Old
Testament's collection; which Paul affirms is useful to Christians.

"Whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction that we,
through patience and the encouragement of the scriptures, might have hope."
(Rom 15:4)

note: The Greek word for "hope" in that passage is elpis (el-pece') which means:
to anticipate (usually with pleasure and confidence). In other words: elpis hope
doesn't entail crossing your fingers and praying for the best while in the back of
your mind dreading the worst. No; elpis hope entails having something to look
forward to with the bold unreserved expectation of obtaining it.
_

 

[Beetow]

• 2Tim 4:1-2 . . I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus--
who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom
preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort,
with great patience and instruction.

Preaching and teaching are areas where pastors must take the reins. They can't
wait until their boards take a vote on it. No, the pastor's vote is the only one that
counts because left to themselves, congregations (and boards) are just like any
other flock of dim-witted sheep: they're prone to wander.

"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to
have their ears rubbed, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance
with their own desires; and will turn away their ears from the truth, and will turn
aside to fiction." (2Tim 4:3-4)

Once somebody adopts an error for themselves as the God's truth, they like to hear
it reinforced, over and over again so they feel good about themselves rather than
feeling like a fool for thinking a certain way.

That mindset is very difficult to correct. So, like it's said; the best remedy is
prevention; hence the instruction to "preach the word' lest by preaching something
else a pastor's congregation gets their heads full of wrong ideas, and from then on
they tune out everything that opposes those ideas and/or fails to reinforce them.
_

 

[Beetow]

• 2Tim 4:5a . . Be discreet

Webster's defines "discreet" as: using good judgment, caution, and prudence.

Human nature can be so inconsistent. Though most adults have fairly good
judgment, they oftentimes do things that are contrary to their better judgment and
make foolish choices (especially on Black Friday) because they don't always use
their heads but instead yield to their feelings; and everybody knows that one's
feelings, by and large, are mostly incoherent.
_

 

[Beetow]

• 2Tim 4:5b . . endure hardship

Some of the aspects of hardship are adversity, mischance, misfortune; danger,
hazard, peril; affliction, trial, tribulation; drudgery, toil, travail; discomfort, and
distress. Feelings of isolation and loneliness are a part of that too. Nobody really
cares to sympathize with somebody when they're at the top of the food chain.
Pastors comfort others, but who comforts the pastors? Hardly anybody; though
maybe his wife; if she's the type.

The lives of Christ's pastors are not supposed to be a piece of cake. If they're doing
their jobs in a way that pleases The Lord, pastors will have some struggles.
Hardship comes with the turf; it's a given when Christ's pastors serve him faithfully
and effectively.

The reason being that a pastor is essentially a shepherd. Well; according to Jacob,
that job was a rough career path back in the day.

"Thus I was: by day the heat consumed me, and the frost by night, and my sleep
fled from my eyes." (Gen 31:40)

Part of the reason that tending sheep was rough in Jacob's day is because a
shepherd was essentially a security guard, constantly keeping an eye out for
rustlers and predators. That part alone was a 24-7 task; not to mention monitoring
the herd so none of them wandered off; as sheep are prone to do. It's no wonder
Jacob lost a lot of sleep outside in the fields; and when you throw in exposure to
the elements; a shepherd's life was really not one to be desired.
_

 

[Beetow]

• 2Tim 4:5c . . do the work of an evangelist

The koiné Greek word for "evangelist" is euaggelistes (yoo-ang-ghel-is-tace')
which means: a preacher of the gospel.

Here in America, we typically think of evangelists as guys like Billy Graham and
Louis Palau. But according to Paul, pastors are supposed to be evangelists within
the walls of their own churches rather than on the road.

My ex-Catholic wife begged and cajoled her Catholic father to accompany her to a
Baptist church back in the 1970's before we met. On that particular Sunday, of all
days, the pastor spoke about money; especially giving it to support his church and
its programs.

My father-in-law was disgusted, and commented afterwards: Baptists are no
different than Catholics; all they care about is money. He never went back. Had
that pastor spoken about Christ instead of money, my father-in-law might have
returned.

The same goes for tongue services, political activism, and people dancing with
rattlesnakes, shouting, shrieking, rolling on the floor and fainting in the aisles. That
kind of stuff is entertaining but certainly not conducive to fulfilling Christ's
command to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything
I have commanded you. (Matt 28:18-20)

Sunday morning services are a mission field right here at home. A sharp pastor will
make sure that visitors leave his church with a full hour of real gospel preaching to
think about.

Paul described pastoral evangelism as: fulfilling their ministry. (2Tim 4:5)
_

 

[Beetow]

• Titus 2:2 . . Older men are to be temperate, dignified, sensible, sound in faith, in
love, in perseverance.

The Greek word for "older men" is presbutes (pres-boo'-tace) which means: an old
man. Presbutes is different than presbuteros, which refers to church officers; e.g.
deacons (1Tim 5:17).

I used to get my watches serviced by an aging repairman at a local mall until the
day finally came when I could no longer tolerate his manners. He was around
seventy-five years old, cantankerous as can be, and perpetually cross. I often felt
like asking him if he ever gave any thought to his future. You know, heaven is a
place of peace. A hateful man like that repairman would not only never fit in there,
but it wouldn't be fair to the others to permit him in their world.

"Cantankerous" can be defined as: habitually ill-humored, irritable, disagreeable,
bearish, cankered, cranky, cross-grained, dour, morose, sour; crabby, cross,
crusty, huffy, petulant, prickly, snappish; dyspeptic, ill-conditioned, thin-skinned,
complaining, and ill-natured.

A Christian man in old age really ought to be a sweet, mellow guy: a pal and a big
brother for the younger ones rather than somebody they'd prefer do the world a
favor by stepping in front of a bus.
_

 

[Beetow]

• Titus 2:3a . . The aged women likewise, that they be in behavior as becomes
holiness: not traducers,

Traducers are particularly ugly human beings; especially the kind that misrepresent
their own friends and say things about them that their friends would never
approve; thus needlessly disparaging their friends' reputations save for the pure
pleasure of having something to say about somebody.

Traducers aren't regular gossips, no, they're malicious gossips. Webster's defines
malice as: a deep-seated, often unexplainable desire to see another suffer. In other
words, traducers like to hurt people for no reason other than that it's gratifying.
One could hardly characterize malicious gossips as either good or discreet.

"not addicted to much wine" (Titus 2:3b)

A sensible amount of wine isn't forbidden. It's the alcoholic consumption of wine
that's a no-no.

One of the problems associated with booze is it's negative effect upon the heavy
drinker's judgment, and also the sometimes strange way they interpret reality.

"teaching what is good, that they may encourage the young women to love their
husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being
subject to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be dishonored." (Titus
2:3c-5)

Too many young women in America have been trained for marriage by militant
feminism. Far from teaching younger women to respect their husbands, feminism
teaches the younger women to stand up to their husbands; and rather than be
keepers at home, feminism has them out seeking means to compete with men and
break the so-called glass ceiling; and rather than love their children, feminism has
them dominating their offspring in a home-life society structured on divisions of
labor, command and control, tyranny, and regimentation. Those behaviors certainly
can never be categorized as honoring the word of God.

The biggest road block to feminism-trained women becoming true disciples is The
Lord's gender. You see, at the heart of women's hostility towards men is the drive
to resist male supremacy. Yet the very lord and master of Christianity, the supreme
male in the universe; demands death to a woman's self interests, and her
subordination to His monarchy.

"If you want to be my follower you must love me more than your own father and
mother, wife and children brothers and sisters-- yes, more than your own life. And
you cannot be my disciple if you do take up your own cross and follow me." (Luke
14:26)

In The Lord's era, crosses were for executions. So when he told his disciples to
"take up their own cross" it meant stifling their own way; viz: it was a call to
abandon self interests, and comply with their Master's wishes.

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as
living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-- this is your spiritual act of worship. Do
not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the
renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is
-- His good, pleasing and perfect will." (Rom 12:1-2)

That mandate runs 180° counter to modern feminism's self-aggrandizing attitude
that homemaking is oppressive and demeaning to women, and that respect for
one's husband is somehow abusive; which is obviously an attitude that vilifies the
word of God instead of honoring it.

Christian marriage and motherhood are not for militant females; no, marriage and
motherhood are for grown-up, mature, emotionally stable women; and I'm not
talking about years of life; no, even some 35 and 40 year-old women often fall
short of being grown-up. Their association with men is on no higher a level now
than when they were the 17 year-old, self-absorbed insolent brats they were in
high school.
_

 

[Beetow]

• Titus 2:6 . . Similarly, encourage the young men to be sensible.

Just in case the young women were feeling a bit persecuted; Paul switches over to
the guys and urges them to be just as sensible as the girls; in other words: to love
their wives, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, and
good; that the word of God not be dishonored.

Chastity is getting to be almost non-existent in America as more and more male
celebrities engage in extra-marital affairs. Not all that long ago Governor Kitzhaber
here in the state of Oregon was shacking up with a woman right in broad daylight
in the governor's mansion and cared not what anybody thought about it.

Former US President Clinton messed around with women while he was in office, and
former New York Governor Elliot Spitzer was discovered to be seeing expensive
escorts which eventuated in his resignation. So Christians really can't depend upon
America's leaders to set the example for young men.

Paul urged Titus to "encourage" the young men in his church to be sensible; which
is quite a bit different than hounding them or getting on their backs. There's an
awful lot of young men out there today with metal pinned in their faces and tattoos
on their necks, taking ecstasy, smoking pot, joining gangs, using meth, shoplifting,
and missing school because the adults in their lives refuse to let them grow up at
their own pace.

Many years ago, before I was even interested in having a family of my own, there
was a cartoon in the newspaper comics called Rick-O-Shay. Rick was sheriff in a
small town out in the olde west. Well, he had a son that was a bit immature and
Rick was concerned the boy was never going to amount to anything and he didn't
know what to do about it.

So, while he was complaining about his son to his good friend Hipshot Percussion (a
local gunfighter) Hipshot interrupted and gave Rick some very good words of
wisdom. He said (in so many words): Instead of frettin' about turning your son into
someone you can admire, why not instead try and find out who he is and go with
that?

Relentless criticism and ridicule, unreasonable expectations, zero sympathy, and
disapproving everything they think, say, or do are the surest ways I know to ruin a
young man's attitude and drive him far, far from home and from their parent's
religion.
_

 

[Beetow]

• Titus 2:7-8 . . In all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds, with
purity in doctrine, dignified, sound in speech which is beyond reproach, in order
that those who oppose us may be put to shame, having nothing bad to say.

Young men today desperately need morally sound role models because you can't
just disapprove their life-style and not show them an alternative; and the best way
to do that is by your own example; viz: instead of preaching to youngsters with
words; preach to them with your lifestyle.

note: It's very important for church officers to practice what they preach because
conduct unbecoming reflects on Christ. (cf. 2Sam 12:14)
_

 

[Beetow]

• Titus 2:9-10a . . Bond slaves are to be subject to their own masters in
everything, to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, not pilfering;

A bond slave is someone who has sold themselves into slavery for any number of
reasons. But the one aspect I would like to dwell on is pilfering because this is a
serious problem for employers here in the USA.

The koiné Greek word for "pilfering" is nosphizomai (nos-fid'-zom-ahee) which
means to squirrel something aside for one's self: viz: embezzle; which Webster's
defines as: to appropriate (as property entrusted to one's care) fraudulently to
one's own use.

Embezzling isn't limited to strictly stealing money; no, it's also the misuse of an
employer's property such as company cars, office materials and office equipment,
and/or shop materials and shop equipment; including water and electricity.

My last job before retiring was as a civilian employee with the US Army Corps of
Engineers in the Portland Oregon district. It was a violation of Federal law for us to
even take anything out of a dumpster, or use a battery charger to jump-start our
cars, or even to so much as pump up a low tire on our cars with the air produced
by a government air compressor. We were definitely not supposed to use the
government's computers for surfing the web or composing personal e-mails.

Everything on the facility where I worked was US Government property, including
the trash, and could not be used in an unofficial capacity without first obtaining
special permission. Violators were subject to prosecution for Fraud, Waste, and
Abuse.

Unofficial use of office computers alone is costing employers multiplied thousands of
hours of wages and benefits paid to employees who are online during the work day
for personal reasons. The most outrageous case I heard of at work was a lady
downtown in the district office who was caught conducting her Mary Kay cosmetics
business via a US Government computer; and on official time no less.

Those are things from which Christ's followers are ordered to cease and desist.
_

 

[Beetow]

• Titus 3:2 . . malign no one, be non-contentious, gentle, showing every
consideration for all men.

The Greek word for "malign" is blasphemeo (blas-fay-meh'-o) which means: to
vilify, defined by Webster's as: to lower in estimation or importance, and/or to utter
abusive statements against. In other words; blasphemeo is talking about tearing
people down and changing people's impression of them; mostly for the worse.
There's a lot of that goes on in the world of politics.

It probably goes without saying that the kind of vilification were talking about here
is mean-spirited and unwarranted. For example; is it tearing a Ponzi scheme mogul
like Bernie Madoff down to say that he's a louse of marginal integrity who can't be
trusted with other people's money? No; the man has been proven to be exactly
that.

"non-contentious" refers to peaceable; i.e. not ready to fight at the drop of a hat.

"gentle" actually means mild, i.e. temperate: exercising self restraint; viz:
controlling one's impulses.

"showing every consideration" is simply making an effort to avoid hurting people's
feelings for no good reason. This no doubt includes common courtesy along with
keeping a civil tongue in one's head.
_

 

[Beetow]

• Titus 3:8 . .This is a trustworthy statement; and concerning these things I want
you to speak confidently, so that those who have believed God may be careful to
engage in good deeds.

To "speak confidently" implies speaking with an assertive, "no buts" attitude; viz:
the things a preacher teaches his congregation should not be open to debate and/or
perpetual bull sessions that never get to the bottom of anything.

The Greek word for "deeds" is very common throughout the New Testament; more
often translated "works" than deeds. We're not talking about Boy Scout kinds of
deeds but just simply the spiritual morality of one's day to day conduct; viz: a life
that pleases God instead of one that irritates Him to no end.

"Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of
redemption." (Eph 4:30)
_

 

[Beetow]

• Titus 3:9 . . Shun foolish controversies, and genealogies, and strife, and disputes
about the Law; for they are unprofitable and worthless.

The "law" in question is the covenant that Moses' people agreed upon with God in
the Old Testament. Disputes generally revolve around its interpretation and its
correct application. The Lord stipulated the formation of a panel of lawyers to
interpret the law for those among His people who lacked the wherewithal to do it
for themselves (Deut 17:8-13).

But since Christians are outside the covenant's jurisdiction, then they can get by
without those lawyers to interpret it for them; and besides; when you consider
there are nine Justices on the US Supreme Court who seldom agree unanimously
on anything, how much chance do you reckon a panel of seventy has of reaching a
consensus?

One of the "foolish controversies and genealogies" I would highly recommend that
believers avoid is Rome's roster of so-called apostolic successors. Don't even go
there. It's unprofitable, futile, and pointless to strive over something like that. Pick
your battles, and make sure your conflicts accomplish something truly useful for
Christ. And besides; the Vatican has much bigger problems within its walls and its
dogmas than that one.
_

 

[Beetow]

• Titus 3:10-11 . . A man that is an heretic after the first and second admonition
reject; knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of
himself.

The Greek word for "heretic" is hairetikos (hahee-ret-ee-kos') which means: a
schismatic; which is someone in your very own church who causes dissent,
rebellion, division, discord, and disharmony.

Webster's defines a heretic as: 1) a dissenter from established church dogma;
especially one who disavows a revealed truth, and 2) one who dissents from an
accepted belief or doctrine; viz: a nonconformist.

We are former Catholics turned Protestant. However, we don't fit the definition of a
heretic. We're what's known in Christian circles as apostates; viz: defectors; which
Webster's defines as people who forsakes one's cause, party, or nation for another
often because of a change in ideology.

Heretics don't usually defect; but remain inside to foster insurrection: to undermine
hierarchy, to bring about reform, to weaken unity, and to cause division. Every
church has its fair share of heretics and they can be very disruptive in a Sunday
school class.

The Greek word for "reject" is paraiteomai (par-ahee-teh'-om-ahee) which means:
to beg off; viz: deprecate, decline, and shun. In other words, don't give heretics the
time of day, i.e. don't engage them in discussions related to resisting your church's
leadership, its management practices, and/or its curriculum.

Some religions, e.g. Jehovah's Witnesses, practice total shunning; viz: not only in
church, but outside too; even in homes and families. That's pretty extreme and I
really don't think Paul means we should go that far with it; instead limit our
shunning to matters related to church life rather than regular life.
_

 

[Beetow]

• Philemon 1:1-25

In the little communiqué to his friend Philemon, Paul went to bat for a runaway
slave named Onesimus. By all rights, Philemon could legally, under Roman law, put
Onesimus to death; but as Onesimus' fellow believer, and his sibling around the
table in God's home, Philemon was duty-bound to a higher calling.

Onesimus ran away prior to his conversion to Christianity. When he converted, and
became Philemon's fellow believer, the nature of their association took on a whole
other dimension; viz: every one of the commands that I've posted up till now, in
regards to believers associating with one another, came into play at the moment of
Onesimus' conversion.

He and Philemon would never again relate to one another the same as before
Onesimus' conversion. Where once Onesimus and Philemon were merely fellow
men; in Christ they became siblings, and both will one day sit side by side, shoulder
to shoulder as equals around the table in God's home.

"For perhaps he therefore departed for a season, that thou shouldest receive him
forever; not now as a slave, but above a slave, a brother beloved, specially to me,
but how much more unto thee, both in the flesh, and in The Lord?" (Philem 1:15
16)

Onesimus no doubt became a pleasant asset as a conscientious Christian because it
wouldn't be necessary for Philemon to ever again beat an honest day's work out of
him.

"All who are under the yoke of slavery should consider their mastersworthy of full
respect, so that God's name and our teaching may not be slandered. Those who
have believing masters are not to show less respect for them because they are
brothers. Instead, they are to serve them even better, because those who benefit
from their service are believers, and dear to them." (1Tim 6:1-2)
_

 

[Beetow]

• Heb 2:1-4 . .We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have
heard, so that we do not drift away. For if the message spoken by angels was
binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, how
shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? This salvation, which was first
announced by The Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. God also
testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit
distributed according to His will.

note: The pronoun "we" probably refers specifically to Jews because, in essence,
that's to whom and for whom the letter was penned. (Heb 1:1-2)

I don't think the words "drift away" imply apostasy; not in this case anyway. No;
it's more like a curious crowd that gathers around a soap box speaker, and little by
little, man by man, boredom sets in-- the audience begins dispersing and people
move on to find something else to do. That would be akin to attending a Billy
Graham crusade for its entertainment, and a month later totally forgetting
everything he talked about.

btw: The passage above mentions angels. Stephen verified that Moses received
the Law at the hands of angels (Acts 7:53) but if you go back and read that story,
you won't find any celestial beings in the picture other than Jehovah and that's
because the Hebrew word for angels doesn't always speak of personages.
Sometimes it speaks of apparitions; for example: smoke, fire, earthquakes,
thundering, and loud horns. (Ex 19:10-20, Ex 20:18, Heb 12:18-21)
_

 

[Beetow]

• Heb 3:1 . .Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider
the apostle and High Priest whom we acknowledge: Christ Jesus

The "holy brethren" are Moses' people as per Deut 14:2 and Ps 135:4; and the
"heavenly calling" very likely refers to the nation that God promised to make of
Abraham as per Gen 12:1-2, Gen 13:14-16, and Gen 22:16-18.

The Greek word for "consider" is katanoeo (kat-an-o-eh'-o) which means: to
observe fully; viz: to study; to examine.

You know, giving Christ a cursory glance as if he were a curiosity or a brief
distraction leads nowhere. His purpose and his mission are just too extensive for
that sort of once-over approach.
_