Suffering & Scripture

To conclude our series on Paul's letters to Timothy, our discussion this week centered on 2 Timothy 3:10-17:

You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra—which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me. Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.

Here are some points that guided our conversation:

• In light of v12, it seems that persecution would be a sign that you're doing something right in your Christian life.
• v12 also brings some light to last week's conversation - we must desire to live a godly life. We don't desire suffering for being a Christian per se; instead, we desire the effects of that suffering.
• The book of 1 Peter teaches us much more about suffering.

In contrast to the evil people progressing "from bad to worse," Timothy is commanded to stand/remain (connotation of Greek word used for "continue") in the truth of the Scriptures. How does this description of the Scriptures change how we approach them?

• We see that all Scripture is important. So, we can't pick and choose, and we see the importance of even books like Leviticus.
• We see the importance of God's Word in our life - without it, we are not equipped.
• We see the effects is has on us: it teaches us the truth, corrects us where we are wrong, and trains us in how to live.
• We become convinced that we need to remind ourselves often of how much more valuable it is to invest our energy and time into knowing God's Word than to invest our energies into other things.
• Practical considerations: learn to love God's Word and learn to study it. The more time you put into it, the more your understanding and ability to study it will progress. Also, take advantage of study materials like commentaries.

In closing, here are a few additional thoughts and questions:

What plan do you have for loving and studying God's Word? How can you increase your commitment to God's Word? What obstacles are there to you loving and studying it?

Just to give one idea, I personally want to get into the habit of not only reading God's Word in the morning, but also purposely pausing at other times during the day for a few minutes to remember God's Word and meditate on it.

Share in Suffering as a Good Soldier

For the third part of our series on Paul's letters to Timothy, we moved onto 2 Timothy this week. I read the following quote from John Stott to introduce 2 Timothy:

"The church of our day urgently needs to heed the message of this second letter of Paul to Timothy. For all around us we see Christians and churches relaxing their grasp of the gospel, fumbling it, in danger of letting it drop from their hands altogether. A new generation of young Timothys is needed, who will guard the sacred deposit of the gospel, who are determined to proclaim it and are prepared to suffer for it, and who will pass it on pure and uncorrupted to the generation which in due course will rise up to follow them."

Our discussion centered around 2 Timothy 2:1-7:

You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops. Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.


Here are some points that guided our discussion:

• This passage contains 3 analogies that all highlight different aspects of being faithful to the Gospel and suffering for it. All three require higher levels of discipline.
• The solider analogy focuses on single-mindedness; the athlete analogy focuses on obedience; the farmer analogy focuses on hard work, perseverance, and looking toward the reward.
• The passage also contains a promise - though the content of this passage may seem confusing at first, we are promised that God will give us understanding if we study it. (The same concept should be applied to studying all of God's Word.)

 The Soldier Analogy

• Getting entangled in civilian pursuits may look like focusing on worries outside of our mission, focusing on the cares of this life, and going through our daily routines without having a sense of higher purpose in them. These things distract us from our "battle" and cause us to forget that our lives aren't about just this life.
• If we want to please God, we cannot afford to live like civilians. We must live differently, and therefore we must be strengthened by God's grace (verse 1).
• Soldiers are called to suffer (verse 3). Suffering is all over Paul's letters; in fact, it seems he had greatest intimacy with Christ when he was suffering. James also calls us to rejoice in suffering (James 1:2), yet it seems that we avoid suffering for the most part. 
• Should we be praying to share in Christ's sufferings? And shouldn't we be living our lives in ways that we will suffer for our faith?
• When we look at the New Testament and read about other saints (like Mother Theresa, for example), we see them model this kind of suffering and single-mindedness for the Gospel. 
• Has our faith really been tested that much?
• Have we had Gospel living accurately modeled for us? Furthermore, are we sure that we've been taught by what Paul would call faithful men who have guarded the Gospel (verse 2) that he's fighting for in 1 & 2 Timothy? (Or, conversely, have we been taught a Gospel that isn't faithful to the Biblical picture? We have to remember that the false teachings Paul is combating in these letters are false teachings that have risen up from WITHIN the church, not from the outside.)

 In closing, here are a few more thoughts:

• I purposely left a lot of what we talked about in question form, because I don't think we brought everything to a conclusion last night. And that's good - because I don't think we can tie this up with a neat bow. The picture we see in the New Testament contrasts from the picture of our lives. So what do we do now? Continue working through that.
• We focused a lot on the soldier analogy, but ran out of time before we moved onto much else in the passage. At the beginning of the passage, we see a one-on-one discipleship/teaching model that Paul is instructing Timothy to use. Then we also have two other analogies, an exhortation to study God's Word, and an accompanying promise that God will give us understanding when we do so. Don't miss those parts of the passage.
• I wanted to offer this quote I found in a commentary: "The three images here reinforce the main command to persevere in suffering. But Paul's teaching does not apply only to unusual circumstances. He portrays the normal Christian life. In fact, to judge from the New Testament, it is not the presence of struggle and suffering in the life of the Christian that ought to be questioned, but rather the absence of them." 
• Do you question the absence of suffering and struggle in your life? Shouldn't it bother us that our lives don't match up with what we see in the New Testament?

Fighting the Good Fight

Continuing our series on Paul's letters to Timothy, our discussion this week came from 1 Timothy 6:11-12:

But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.


Here are some questions and points that guided our discussion:

• Feel the weight of Paul's vocabulary: he charges Timothy to flee rather than just avoid, to pursue rather than just hope for, to fight rather than remain passive, and to take hold rather than just touch. Following this charge will require a lot of action.
• In light of this, you must not have the attitude that you're okay where you're at spiritually. Keep fighting to progress.
• The fleeing and pursuing happen simultaneously; the fight consists of both of these elements.

What is the "good fight of the faith"?

• It's a fight for God's kingdom, a fight to know Christ and to please Him.
• It's a good fight because it's for the benefit of God, the benefit of you, and the benefit of others.
• It's a fight to maintain your faith and ultimately to glorify God by doing so. God's glory is something worth our fight.
• It's a fight we engage in by relying on God's Spirit and standing on God's truth. 
• In this passage, Paul is instructing Timothy to flee things that result from false understanding of truth - so having a right understanding of the truth is one way we must fight and flee.
• We must continually seek to have deeper application of the truths we already know, rather than just more advanced knowledge. Don't just move on from something because you've heard it over and over. Know the Gospel; know it well; make it the center of your life.

Here are some other questions you might think about:

• What does the fleeing, pursuing, and fighting that Paul is talking about look like practically? 
• Paul used really weighty language in these verses - does your life demonstrate that you value these things as much as Paul does?
• Look at each of the things Paul tells Timothy to pursue. Why are each of them here in this passage? Which ones do you need to work on pursuing more actively?

As always, feel free to leave comments and questions. If you want to start preparing for next week, go ahead and start reading through 2 Timothy to get a feel for that letter. I'm 90% sure we'll be studying 2 Timothy 2:1-7 next week, so you can focus in on that section particularly.

Training for Godliness

This week we began our series on Paul's letters to Timothy. In 1 Timothy we see a constant interplay between doctrine/understanding of the gospel and conduct/behavior. Do you tend to be better at doctrine or action, and what can you do to make sure you don't neglect the other?

Our discussion centered on 1 Timothy 4:6-10:

If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed. Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; 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. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance. For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.

Questions and points that guided our discussion:

• Many things have some value, but only godliness has value in every way.
• Feel the weight of these verses - the saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance. They toil and strive to this end, and have hope on a living God.
• In regards to the hope of verse 10, refer to 1 Timothy 1:1 - Christ is our hope. Our hope is certain.

How do we train for godliness?

• It requires self-discipline, just like athletic training. We have to "toil and strive."
• Like athletic training, we need a plan which should become progressively more rigorous. 
• The motivation is key: we train because of our hope, not just because we're trying to prove our thankfulness.
• Connect this with the following verses and the rest of 1 Timothy: training involves commitment to good teaching/doctrine and living out the implications of those teachings.

How can you better live out this picture in your life? 

• Have perseverance and faith, because it won't be easy.
• Think about the analogy of athletic training - we sweat and get sore muscles. Training for godliness isn't necessarily going to be pretty and will require sacrifice.

 In closing, here are some questions to challenge you:

Can your pursuit of godliness be described as toiling and striving?
What kind of plan do you have to train for godliness? Does it need to be developed more? How much does it require you to sacrifice and "sweat"?

As always, feel free to post questions or comments.

Contentment

This week's discussion centered on Philippians 4:10-13:

 I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Some points and questions we discussed:

First of all, what's going on in this passage?

• Paul is explaining how he has been in hard times and good times; no matter the circumstance, God has been with him and he is not complaining.
• Paul loves the Philippian church he is writing to, and he is encouraging them by letting them know where he gets his strength from.

What's Paul's "secret" of contentment?

• He knows that God is with him and will bring him through everything. With God's help, he can suffer and he can rely on God in riches, too.
• Paul has the same attitude no matter his circumstance - he lived completely independent of his circumstances and completely dependent on Christ.
• He trusted in God's sovereignty in every situation - in poverty and in riches.

Paul had to LEARN this secret. How do you learn the secret of contentment?

• You learn it by going through different circumstances: when you're rich, you learn to be content in riches; when you're poor, you learn to be content in poverty, etc.
• As you face new situations, remember past experiences and prayers that God has answered in the past.
• Depend on Christ and have union with Him (think John 15:5 - it's much easier to be content when you don't think you have to do everything yourself, but instead depend on Christ as he lives in you). 
• Have goals and passions like Paul's (in his letter to the Philippians, look especially in chapter 3), and it will play itself out as you enter new circumstances.

What obstacles are there to finding our contentment in Christ?

• Having our faith challenged by things like unanswered prayers or a major loss
• Falling into the trap of individualism and becoming independent, even from God
• Believing the world's message that we always need something better and comparing ourselves to others
• Seeing the "wicked" prosper and wondering why we aren't blessed in the same ways
• This topic is dealt with so much in Job and the Psalms: pay attention to the conclusion of Psalm 73 and also how passages like Ephesians 1:3 define "blessing"

In closing, I'll leave you with these questions again: How well are you living out all these things we talked about? In what areas do you need to grow?

Feel free to leave any thoughts or questions in the comments section.

Building on the Rock

This week's discussion centered on Matthew 7:24-27:

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

Here are some of the points and questions we discussed:

What's the point of the passage/what truths can we draw from it?

• Jesus is restating the importance of everything He's just said in the Sermon on the Mount.
• This passage demonstrates that we have a choice between wisdom and foolishness.
• "Streams, floods, and winds" will come no matter what - it's our response and where our foundation is built that makes a difference.
  

Once we understand this passage, what do we do with/how do we react to it?

• Repent of the times we just hear and don't follow God's Word.
  
• Ask God for guidance in following Him.
• Persevere through the storms, remembering that God has provided and has equipped you.
• Know that just hearing God's Word and not practicing it is like just looking at a plate of food and not eating it - you won't get to enjoy it and actually be nurtured by it.
  

What are the rains, streams, and winds in our lives?

• They can be temptations that pull us away from God, taking away our stability.
• Floods/streams that rise may be situations where we're in over our heads.
• They can be worry and anxiety, as opposed to trust in God.
• Recognize the powerful picture here: Someone standing in the midst of a storm, with rain pounding down, floods rising, and winds blowing. No one can withstand that on their own. But by God's power, those who follow Christ do.

What practical measures can we take to make sure we are putting Christ's teachings into practice?

• Remind ourselves of God's Word/Christ's teachings by writing ourselves notes and reminders (using sticky notes, writing on the mirror, putting reminders in our cell phones, etc.).
• Memorize Scripture and meditate on it.
• Discipline yourself in getting into God's Word - though it can seem mundane and routine sometimes, it's during these times that we build our relationship with Him.
• Surround yourself with people who will hold you accountable, challenge you, and encourage you. Be that person to others as well.

And finally, I wanted to add some of my own thoughts.

I chose this as sort of the "kick-off" passage for the semester because I think it really gets at the vision of SG. SG is never meant to be just a Thursday night thing. What we do on Thursdays should impact the rest of your week, so that you are a better disciple on all levels. And a disciple is someone who follows Christ, who puts His teachings into action. This is also the evidence of our love for Christ: "For this is what love for God is: to keep His commands" (1 John 5:3a  HCSB).

In fact, I think love has to precede the following in some way. Following and obeying Christ involve a lot of risk. So there's got to be a strong motivation behind it. Here are some questions to think through that I might have asked if we had more time for discussion:

• What makes us willing to risk for Christ/to trust Him by obeying Him? 
• How has radical trust through obedience been modeled for you? 
• What things are hardest to trust God with, or what would you be least willing to risk in order to follow Christ?

We had a great conversation. But of course, that's not the point. We can hear God's Word and have great discussions about it, but if we don't do anything, we're comparable to the demons (James 2:19-22). So the questions now become, How well are you living out all these things we talked about? In what areas do you need to grow? Let us not be hearers only, deceiving ourselves, like a man who looks in a mirror and forgets what he looks like (James 1:22-25)

As you have other thoughts that relate to this passage/our discussion, add them to the comments of this post. Let's continue to learn from one another.

First Post

Hey there, Brinsfield SEEKers (can I call you that?),


As I shared in our SG time, I'm initiating this blog so that we can take our conversations beyond Thursday night. If we're really going to learn from each passage we're studying, we can't just discuss it on a Thursday night and then leave it there. If we want to be good disciples, we have to live out God's Word and think on it all the time. So I want this to be a resource and an avenue for us to do that. As we discuss passages and you have thoughts or questions later, add them here in the comments.

I simply want this blog to be a tool for you to become a better disciple by sharing thoughts and questions.

Each week, I'll try to include our text, some of the questions and points we discussed, and possibly some resources for looking further into the week's passage/topic.

For now, here's an overview of the passages we will discuss for the semester:
Jan 21 - Matthew 7:24-27
Jan 28 - Contentment as seen in Philippians 4
Feb 4 - Convocation week - A time of worship
Feb 11, Feb 18, Feb 25, March 4, and (tentatively) March 11 - A series on Paul's letters to Timothy
March 18 - SPRING BREAK!
March 25 - A special event with a guest speaker
April 1 - EASTER BREAK!

Anything after April 1st is still up in the air. And obviously, these plans may change somewhat as well.