Air Date May 1, 2016: This week on the show we talked some more about the conference as well as the small group follow up sessions we will have afterwards.
faith
Live Life Unfiltered – Evangelism, Accountability, Discipleship
This week’s topic is one that is sort of a cross post from my other blog, Unfiltered Ministries. There I started with the question of what is “Unfiltered” and as I worked on those posts I realized that most of what I found can apply to men and being the spiritual heads of their homes. What we will look at this week has application no matter if you are married, single, divorced, widowed, with kids, or not; every man can learn from this to be a better spiritual leader in their home and in their relationships. Unfiltered came from the concept of preaching the whole word of God, which while not written exactly in the Bible the concept appears in both Old and New Testaments. The one passage that sticks out to me is part of Paul’s farewell address to the Ephesian elders in Acts 20:27 where he states, “I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.” You see as men we are to be the spiritual leaders in our homes, no matter what, and that means to our wives and kids, if we have them, or in a dating relationship we should be able to boldly proclaim that we did not shrink from proclaiming the full counsel of God to those around us. So what does this look like? Well to me I then looked at what Paul wrote to Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:2-5, “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.” Today we will look at verse 2, “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.”
Preach The Word
So the first thing we notice in Paul’s command to Timothy is that he is to preach the word. Now what many of you may be thinking is getting up on a stage and preaching a sermon; this is not fully what Paul is getting at. Rather what Paul is saying is that we need to proclaim God’s word. We are to be heralds spreading the message of the Gospel to any who would listen. This means sharing our faith with those we meet in daily situations. The thing is this will serve as an example to our families for them in turn to follow, as they see you sharing your faith it will help make them realize the importance and need for them to share their faith as well. You see as a spiritual leader in our homes we need to lead by example.
In Season And Out
Paul next mentions that we need to be prepared “in season and out of season.” What this means is that we need to be ready to at the drop of a hat be able to impart to someone the wisdom and knowledge that the Holy Spirit gives to us. Yes there are times when we may need to spend time and prepare what we are going to say, these are the times when it is in season. Then there are the times when “preaching the word” is more providing that simple word of encouragement when a friend is feeling down, those times were what is said is more spontaneous, this is preaching out of season.
Reprove, Rebuke, Exhort, Teach
Paul finishes off this thought by telling Timothy to “reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.” What Paul is getting at is to correct false teachings, confront or point out sins that need to be confessed, and encourage others. What we see here points some to the concept of accountability as well as discipleship. As believers we need to be one be willing for other believers to help hold us accountable, as well as be willing to hold others accountable. One thing I will point out is that living a life unfiltered discipleship, evangelism, and accountability all go together hand in hand for helping us to mature spiritually as well as to be the spiritual leaders in our homes that God wants us to be.
Go Therefore – You Are Not Alone
In looking at the Great Commission as found in Matthew 28:18-20 we have looked at the appetizer of how Jesus is the one in control. Then last time we got the main course of the command and call to evangelism. Today we will look at the dessert of how Jesus finishes off the Great Commission, “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” You see I call this the dessert of the Great Commission because what Jesus says is just like icing on the cake.
I Am With You
What Jesus is saying here to one degree reiterates how He started out by essentially telling the disciples not to fear. The placement of the fear though is different. He started out by telling the disciples not to fear those in authority, because He has all the authority. Now Jesus is basically telling them not to fear being alone, because He will be with them. He was reassuring His disciples that while they may not see Him, and they may be isolated from each other they will never be alone. This is a promise that even today we can lean on, we are never alone. If because of your faith your friends and family turn away from you, you are not alone. If while sharing the Gospel you are persecuted, you are not going through it alone. No matter the circumstances or what is going on Jesus is right there by our side and we can take comfort in that.
So What Are You Going To Do?
Unlike most of these posts I want to pose the question of what are you going to do? Remember first Christ is in control and has all authority and power so we have nothing to fear regarding those in authority, and Christ is with us so we can take comfort in that we will never be alone. So are you willing to go and share the Gospel? Are you willing to tell those you daily encounter about your faith? Are you willing to help those that you lead to faith grow in their faith? Remember this is the Great Commission not the Great Suggestion, these are our marching orders.
Table Talk – Episode 43 – The Christian Life
April 22, 2016: This week we discussed what it is like to live out our faith.
Table Talk is a weekly gathering of men in the Pinellas Park area from different denominations and backgrounds. We meet every Friday morning from around 6:30-8:00 at the Egg Platter restaurant. It is located at 6767 US Highway 19 North in Pinellas Park. If you happen to be in the area feel free to come out and join us for a time of fellowship and Bible study.
Go Therefore – Share The Gospel
Last time we started out by looking at the Great Commission as found in Matthew 28:18-20 and how Jesus starts out by basically telling the disciples not to fear because He is in control. Today we will look at what Jesus says next, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” This is the main part of this version of the Great Commission, if it were a meal this would be the steak and potatoes of what Jesus has to say, where what we saw last time was the appetizer and next time we will look at the dessert.
Make Disciples
The first part of what Jesus tells his disciples here is to, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.” This is the first part of evangelism and really what many of us think about when we evangelize; the sharing of the Gospel. You see Jesus presents this command to evangelize as a progression, first we are to go and share the Gospel. I could go into a big debate on how some look at “go” as being active or passive, as either intentionally going out to share our faith or just sharing our faith in the day to day; but regardless of how you look at it the outcome is still the same we are to share our faith, that never changes. There are some people that may be more comfortable going out and doing street evangelism, where they approach complete strangers and share the Gospel, these people actively go and make disciples. Other people have a more relational approach and share their faith through their day to day relationships with others, this is more of the passive approach of going; they share as they go about with their normal daily routines. Is one way better than the other, no, if you go with the method of sharing the Gospel that suits your personality you are working towards fulfilling the Great Commission, you just have to remember to above all else share the Gospel.
Baptize
The next thing Jesus commands is that after sharing the Gospel we are to, baptize them. Let me say right now there is nothing magical about baptism and you do not need to be baptized in order to be saved, just look at the thief on the cross. The thing however is with baptism we are making an outward profession of an inward change. In other words through being baptized one is telling the world that they have come to faith in Christ, that they have put their trust in Him as the forgiveness for their sins. You see in the progression once we share the Gospel, if they decide to give their heart to Christ the next step is for them to publicly show their faith. He wants people to be ambassadors out there promoting the Gospel not secret agents hiding in the shadows.
Teach
Jesus finishes off his command with “teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” In other words discipleship is the next logical step after evangelism. Once we have shared the Gospel and they have come to faith we need to help teach them and help them grow spiritually. I know this is one area I am somewhat passionate about because after I came to faith in Christ it was years before I was really taught what that meant. To neglect teaching would be like telling a child 2 + 2 = 4 and then expect them to perform advanced Calculus; it just is not going to happen, they need to be taught. Our faith is the same way we need to be taught by those more experienced as well as teach those less experienced.
Becoming God’s Man Radio Show Episode 21 – Conference Preview
Becoming God’s Man Ministries has a weekly radio show that airs on WTIS Inspiration Radio 1110 AM on Sunday mornings at 8:35 AM in the St. Petersburg area. You can also stream it off the WTIS website.
Air Date April 24, 2016: This week we got a preview of what Ray Ellis, Bobby Petrocelli, and Ellis Hodge will be talking about at our next conference on May 7, 2016.
Go Therefore – Who Is In Control?
Last week we looked at the concept of discipleship this week we will look at the start of the process, evangelism. As believers we are given the command to go and make disciples, to go and spread the Gospel to others. There are a number of passages that have taken on the title we often give to the call of the believer to evangelize, this title is the Great Commission. Each of the Gospels and the book of Acts have a different phrasing of the Great Commission but each of them have the same basic concept of how we are to go out and spread the Gospel to the world. The two most well known Great Commission passages are probably Acts 1:8 and the one we will look at this week, Matthew 28:18-20. “And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’”
Jesus Came
The first thing I want to point out is how it starts, “Jesus came and said to them.” At this point the disciples had been with Christ for over 3 years, and saw him arrested and killed on a cross. This Jesus that came to them was the resurrected Lord and they knew what he was going to say would be important. But it wasn’t just that Jesus had a command for them, but He came to them, He approached them where they were to give them this message.
Fearful Disciples
The reason behind Jesus coming to them was up to this point the disciples were hiding out. They were scared of what the Jewish leaders and the Roman government would do to them for following Jesus. They had just seen their leader arrested, put on trial, and executed in a time frame of less that 24 hours; they were afraid they would be next. It is because of this fear that makes the first thing Jesus tells them make sense, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” You see Jesus starts by telling them don’t worry about the Jewish leaders or even what the Romans will do, I am the one in control. With Jesus having the authority nothing will happen that is not in God’s plan, and if we are working in God’s will we have nothing to fear. You see when I think of evangelism the first thing that comes to my mind is fear, I am scared of how people will react to the message and I am scared for my safety; but Jesus basically tells us there is nothing to fear. He understood that fear would be a major obstacle regarding evangelism so before giving the disciples the command to go out and spread the Gospel, he addressed their fear. You see one thing we need to remember when we share the Gospel is that no matter what happens or how people react, God is in control.
Training in Godliness – The Value
So in discipleship we saw how we are both a student and a teacher. Then we saw it is important to know the teachings to avoid as much as what we need to focus on, and how it is an effort we need to always be making to keep our focus towards the things of God. Today we will look at why it is important to train ourselves in godliness. 1 Timothy 4:8 goes on to say, “for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” Paul had just told Timothy that rather than focusing his attention on silly myths, he should be training himself in Godliness, now Paul goes into the reasoning behind this.
Personal Training
The first thing Paul points out is using personal, physical training as an example of why it is important to train ourselves in godliness, “for while bodily training is of some value.” When we train our bodies there are a number of benefits that we will gain. We will be overall healthier as often with physical training we are promoting habits that are healthier, such as proper eating. We find we may have more energy as I know with a diet and exercise change I am not as sedentary as I used to be. It can also lead to more strength and endurance, as when you lift weights you are building muscle to where you can lift more weight, or lift smaller amounts for longer periods of time.
Godly Training
The thing with training in godliness is there are some similar type of benefits that can be mentioned. Your spiritual health will improve because as you focus more on God and allow the Holy Spirit to work in your life the less you end up being like the world. Your spiritual strength and endurance also get boosted as you find it easier to turn to God rather than to give in to temptation, not that you won’t sin but that you start to sin less. But training in godliness does not end just with benefits in this life, like physical training will; but we also gain benefits in the life to come. You see as we train in godliness, as believers, we are also building up our reward in heaven. This is why Paul mentions that, “godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.”
Table Talk Episode 42 – Testimonies
April 15, 2016: This week Pastor Sam was out and we got to hear the testimony of a couple of the guys there.
Table Talk is filmed Friday mornings from 6:30-8:00 at the Egg Platter on US 19 in Pinellas Park, FL. If you happen to be in the area and interested in joining us please come; all men are welcome regardless of denomination.
Training in Godliness – Avoid the Unprofitable
This week we have been looking at discipleship and last time we saw how as a disciple we end up becoming both a student and a teacher. We are to be both learning from those more experienced, while teaching what we have learned to those less experienced in the faith. This time we will look at 1 Timothy 4:7, “Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness;” You see last time we saw how as disciples we are both teachers and students. One thing about that is in the role of a teacher we are also learning at the same time. We see where we have been making mistakes and learning to correct them as we teach. It is in our self examination while teaching that we learn of these “irreverent, silly myths” which we are to avoid.
Silly Myths
Paul commanded Timothy to avoid silly myths, or in other translations godless myths, worldly fables, or old wives’ tales. Paul is telling Timothy first to stay away from teachings that were not in line with the Word of God; instead they contradict it. Paul also calls them as mentioned old wives’ tales, or as being fit only for old women. In a time when women were not given the opportunity for education, Paul was essentially stating that such teachings would gain following by the most uneducated and unsophisticated individuals.
With disciples being a teacher to others, we need to be cautious of teachings that go against God’s word; by Paul telling Timothy to have nothing to do with them, it is not for Timothy to outright ignore them but to not be influenced by them. While as disciples we are to not have anything to do with false teachings; we do need to be aware that they are out there, as well as what they are. It is when we as disciples stick our head in the sand regarding false teachings that the enemy gains a foot hold in those we are discipling as well as often times ourselves.
Train for Godliness
The next thing Paul tells Timothy is to grain himself for godliness. This is a concept we will look further into next time. For now Paul is telling Timothy rather than putting your focus on the false teachings, focus on God’s Word and God Himself. You see as we turn our eyes towards God, our attitude and desires change to where the false teachings do not appeal to us. The only issue is because of our sin nature we do not want to instinctively look towards God, which is why Paul uses the word train. We have to make an intentional effort to focus ourselves on God, and much like with any athletic training it will get easier as we progress but we still have to work at it.