FIVE Minutes with Phil

17 The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching. Who are these elders Paul is referring to? Everyone who is involved in directing the affairs of the church. It's about church leaders. I think this would be a good time to talk about John Maxwell's Five Levels of Leadership. At the most basic level, lea...

16 If any woman who is a believer has widows in her care, she should continue to help them and not let the church be burdened with them, so that the church can help those widows who are really in need. In some ways, this seems like an odd way for Paul to conclude this section on aiding widows who are need, but it was most likely in direct response to some of the things that he knew were going on....

4 So I counsel younger widows to marry, to have children, to manage their homes and to give the enemy no opportunity for slander. 15 Some have in fact already turned away to follow Satan. This is a repetition of Paul has already said - it's better to marry than to burn, and it's better to do something worthwhile and productive. I don't think I need to go into detail, but there are a co...

11 As for younger widows, do not put them on such a list. For when their sensual desires overcome their dedication to Christ, they want to marry. 12 Thus they bring judgment on themselves, because they have broken their first pledge. 13 Besides, they get into the habit of being idle and going about from house to house. And not only do they become idlers, but also busybodies who talk nonsense, sayi...

11 As for younger widows, do not put them on such a list. For when their sensual desires overcome their dedication to Christ, they want to marry. 12 Thus they bring judgment on themselves, because they have broken their first pledge. Welcome to this week's episode of Timothy My Son, as we continue to look at Paul's teaching of his spiritual son, addressing issues regarding widows, but givi...

9 No widow may be put on the list of widows unless she is over sixty, has been faithful to her husband, 10 and is well known for her good deeds, such as bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the Lord’s people, helping those in trouble and devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds.   It's interesting that there is actually a list. Apparently, this isn't about meet...

7 Give the people these instructions, so that no one may be open to blame. 8 Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.   Timothy, I know there is an endless list of things you need to be teaching to your flock. Some of them are very theological, some are very high-minded, and even feel sometimes li...

5 The widow who is really in need and left all alone puts her hope in God and continues night and day to pray and to ask God for help. 6 But the widow who lives for pleasure is dead even while she lives. Put your hope in God and live, or seek pleasure and you are already dead. That pretty much sums up what these 2 verses say. They are specifically referencing widows, but they apply to everyone. It...

3 Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need. 4 But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God. So, what's the need? In these verses, Paul begins with the blanket statement, "Give proper recognitio...

Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need. In Paul's first letter to Timothy, chapter 5, beginning at verse 3, he takes the next 13 verses to talk about the relationship between widows - those women whose husbands had died - and their families, and the church. There are cultural differences between the days of the early church, just as there are between cultures in the wor...

One of the great loses in our society as a whole is the loss of respect for one another. Apparently, it's nothing new! I know that when I was growing up, I was taught to respect others, especially those in authority. Teachers were Mr. This and Mrs. That. Most people at church were Mr., Miss, or Mrs. But then a level of familiarity increased, and we began to use first names more. I'm not co...

Last fall, Elsie and I celebrated our 51st anniversary - 51 years of wedded bliss. Okay, it wasn't all bliss. We have survived 50 years of being married. No, it's better than that, but it wouldn't have happened without perseverance. We refused to give up. When Dave (our oldest) and Maia first got married, they moved to Phoenix. After their first year, we visited them, and during our tr...

15 Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. 16 Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers. "What you do and who you are speak so loudly, I can't hear what you say." Hypocrisy is a very real thing - but please, don't pretend it's only in the...

In many ways, pastors are expected to be jacks of all trades. When we were pastors of our first church in Toronto, by necessity, we did everything. 1. Lead the church 2. Teach the church 3. Count the offering 4. Account for the finances - balance the books 5. Do the banking 6. Lead the Sunday School 7. Lead the women's ministry (that was Elsie's job) 8. Lead the vision process - purpose, m...

6 If you point these things out to the brothers and sisters, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished on the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed. 7 Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. 8 For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the...

15 Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. 16 Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers. I think another John Wooden quote is appropriate here: “Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while you...

15 Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them , so that everyone may see your progress. 16 Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers. John Wooden is the greatest NCAA basketball coach, having won 10 championships with his UCLA Bruins over a 12 year span. That's incredible! One of Wooden's best kn...

15 Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. 16 Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers. "Watch yourself!" And "Jesus is watching!" Being diligent means being attentive, paying attention, because it seems everything is on a slippery slope. I...

What do you know about spiritual gifts? And what do you know about YOUR spiritual gifts? Once upon a time, I knew next to nothing about spiritual gifts. I knew about the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came upon humanity, along with a hurricane, with tongues of fire coming upon each head (which sounded strange), and then all the people praising God in all their native languages. But I certa...

One of my fondest memories of my Dad is the many times that I would walk up the stairs to our bedrooms, look in Mom and Dad's room, and see my Dad sitting at a round card table, sitting on one of those folding chairs that came with the table, hunched over his Bible, writing notes. The table had stacks of books on it, as I remember it - all to help him better understand the Bible, so he could t...

In the 1990's, we visited Willow Creek Church near Chicago a number of times. Willow Creek was the vanguard for the Seeker Driven model of church growth, with almost everything they did on weekend service designed to communicate with those who had not yet made a commitment to follow Jesus. As you would expect, there was lots of criticism, as there always is when anyone is trying something new....

How do you set expectations for people?   Well, I guess it starts with the question, what is it I want them to do? If I was picking players for a volleyball or basketball game, I would tend to go with the taller players - such as Pascal Siakim, who is 6'9" tall and earns $33M US per season playing for the Raptors. But former Raptor Kyle Lowry, at a measly 6', is no slacker.   If it wa...

11 Command and teach thesethings. 12 Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. 13 Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. 14 Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you....

Why do people work?   The first thing that obviously comes to mind is to put food on the table, a roof over our heads, and to care for our families. But when you think about it, those are more of what are we working for, rather than why do we work.   The reason you do things is important. In his excellent books "Start With Why" and "The Infinite Game," Simon Sinek make a very p...

There are a lot of saying out there.   "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush."   "A stitch in time saves nine."   "Practice makes perfect."   While most may be true, they're not necessarily true all the time. I remember meeting a golf pro once who said, "Practice doesn't make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect." He's got a point - if...