Cooking in God's Kitchen

“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” (1Tim 4:6).

Great cooks become great cooks because they have a great love for great food. They love it and want to share it with others. You know their names. Wolfgang Puck. Anthony Bourdain. Bobby Flay. For heaven’s sake, the TV Food Network dishes them up 24/7/365. 

A couple of thousand years before Gordon Ramsey threw his first kitchen tantrum or Guy Fieri ever drove up to a diner, drive in, or dive, Pastor Timothy was serving up delicious portions of God’s Word to the followers of Jesus in Ephesus. In a letter to his spiritual son, Paul encourages Tim to serve up the same scrumptious Gospel meals he grew up eating. “If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed” (v6). God’s grace isn’t just great tasting, it’s great for you.

This is a big change from the junk food the Ephesian believers have been getting recently. Instead of the truth about who Jesus is and what He’s done, a team of false teachers has been cooking up all sorts of unhealthy garbage (1Tim 1:3-4). Myths. Speculations. Worthless ancestry research. These lying hucksters have intentionally lied to folks about self-salvation by subtraction (1Tim 4:1-3). Don’t get married, they say. Avoid certain foods, they say. In other words, live the monk life. Yeah, doesn’t sound very appetizing to me either.

After giving the boot to the spiritual con artists, Paul tells Tim to get the people of Ephesus back to on a nutritious diet. He’s to “put these things before the brothers” (v5). A lot of scholars have their undies in a bundle over just what “these things” are. Are they the things in the preceding verses (1Tim 3:16-4:4)? Are they the things mentioned once we get to chapter 5? I say both. Tim is to fill their plates with “these things” we read all throughout the letter. 

Don’t make the mistake of thinking the apostle is leaving the ladies out of the loop here. Most translations simply say “brothers” or “brethren.” This was first century language for every believer in the fellowship. What a great reminder that we’re aren’t a social or civic club like the Elks or the Kiwanis. We’re a family. God’s family. Through the work of our ultimate Big Brother Jesus, God has adopted us as His sons and daughters. 

Paul sees the importance of basic nourishment for God’s people. The ESV translates the Greek verb hupotithemi as “put.” But there’s a bit more to it than that. It’s a compound word that literally means to “under (hupo-) lay (-tithemi).” It pictures placing under or laying down something. The term carries the idea of basic instruction and foundational teaching. Tim needs to rebuild the church and must start with a new foundation. It’s first things first. Back to the basics. From a spiritual nutrition standpoint, this is the bottom of the Food Pyramid. 

It’s imperative to have a strong foundation to your faith. Know who Jesus is. Know what He’s done. We’re trusting in the fact that He lived the perfect life we failed to live. We’re trusting that He died the death for our sin we should have died. We’re trusting that He rose to the new life we don’t deserve. Those are the footings of our faith. Trust in Christ and His completed work. 

When a pastor like Tim cooks up regular meals using the meat of solid teaching, he “will be a good servant of Christ Jesus” (v6). “Servant” (Gr. diakonos) paints a picture of an attendant, minister, and helper. Earlier, Paul uses the same word describe a deacon (1Tim 3:8,12). It also describes a waiter who serves food and drinks. Back in the very first church, the apostles needed hardworking dudes full of God’s Spirit to make sure everybody was getting food (Acts 6:3). The man from Tarsus sees Pastor Tim as the attentive server delivering the needed nourishment of God’s Word to the church. 

Tim has been “trained in the words of the faith of the good doctrine that you have followed” (v6). So maybe you’re not exactly buying all these food images. Well, check out what Paul says here. In the original language, “trained” is the verb entrepho. It means to nourish or feed oneself on needed sustenance. That’s why it is sometimes translated as nurture or rear. You’ll only find this word in two places ancient Greek lit. Here in Paul’s letter to Tim. Also in one of Plato’s writings. Just another reminder that the apostle was VERY well read. You could say he was a voracious reader. See what I did there?

Paul reminds his protege that he’s grown up at the training table of God’s Word. Now he’s to prepare meals for the followers of Jesus in Ephesus. In the sequel to this epistle, the apostle reminds Pastor Tim of this again. “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 Jesus Christ” (2Tim 3:14-15).

Every follower of Jesus should have the taste for God’s Word. It shouldn’t just be limited to teachers and preachers. Let’s regularly read the Bible. Study what God has to say. Meditate on His truth. Remember, this isn’t to fill your head with all sorts of facts and figures. It’s to deepen your relationship with the One who came to your rescue. 

A pastor fulfills God’s call on his life by preparing and delivering scriptural meals to the followers of Jesus that are doctrinally nutritious. Like a great chef, Tim has a passion for the food found in God’s Word and he can’t wait to share His goodness with believers. Messages and Bibles studies are like trips to the training table. Lots of protein. Packed with nutrients. It’s spicy and anything but bland. If you love to eat it, make a point of learning how to prepare it. Who knows, you may be the next great chef in God’s kitchen.

It's ALL Good!

“For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer” (1Tim 4:4-5).

Somewhere along the line we fell for a lie. We bought into the goofy idea that God is holding out on us. For years, I pictured Him as some supernatural Ebenezer Scrooge. Knowing Jesus meant no fun. I thought accepting the Good News was goodbye to the good stuff. 

But nothing could be any further from the truth about the Truth. God is the ultimate Giver. It’s at the core of who He is. He gives so we can enjoy. John Piper likes to say, “He is most glorified in us when we are the most satisfied in Him.” He gave us Creation to enjoy. He gives us His Son so that we may have overflowing and abundant life to enjoy. God is the Great Giver. It’s ALL good!

There are folks who try to perpetuate the lie of a stingy God. They try to tell us that the only way to true holiness is through denial and rejection of anything that brings us pleasure. It’s the doctrine of “if it feels good, DON’T do it!” It’s self-salvation by subtraction. Self-righteousness by rejection. They dupe us into thinking the way to please God is by grabbing a monk’s robe and taking a vow of poverty. I hate to think “Celibate Good Times” is the number one tune down at the local monastery. 

Religious con artists have been selling this scam for centuries. False teachers had distracted the followers of Jesus to avoid not only marriage and the all-you-can-eat buffet (1Tim 4:1-3). Don’t touch this. Don’t eat that. Don’t even think about enjoying anything. Self-salvation by subtraction. Self-righteousness by rejection. 

Paul says that may sound super duper spiritual but it couldn’t be any further from what the Great Giver has for us. “For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer” (v4-5). He’s no Almighty Miser. God is the Great Giver! He gives so we can enjoy. It’s ALL good!

The apostle makes his point to Pastor Timothy by going back to the beginning. Not the beginning of the letter. Not the beginning of the year. I mean THE Beginning. Creation. “For everything created by God is good” (v4). Paul flips back to the opening pages of Scripture when our Creator gets busy crafting the universe. Grab a front row seat for the first moments of history. Each time our great big God speaks, great big stuff happens (Gen 1). Light. Night. Day. Oceans. Land. Outer Space. Plants. The Sun. The Moon. Animals. Our first parents. It’s all good!

I mean, it’s ALL good. Every. Single. Thing. If God made it, it comes with a supernatural stamp of approval. Moses makes the point six times in Genesis (Gen 1:10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31). Paul drives it home once again to Tim. “For everything created by God is good” (v4). In case you’re wondering just how much of God’s handiwork he’s talking about, the apostle says “everything.” This is the Greek word pas. When you do an exhaustive word study using all the lexicons and dictionaries, you find out it means “everything.” The whole enchilada. It’s ALL good!

The ESV uses “created” to translate the original Greek ktisma. It describes the result of God’s creative activity, any creature or part of creation. The term emphasizes forming and shaping out of nothing. God started from scratch…except WITHOUT the scratch! He generously created the entire universe from total nothingness. Smart folks who know Latin call it ex nihilo. That simply means “out of nothing.” Creation didn’t come with a starter kit. The recipe is simple. God+Nothing=Everything. And it’s ALL good!

Paul’s words here in verse 4 echo the scene at end of God’s first work week. On Friday afternoon, our Creator kicked back to take it all in. “And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day” (Gen 1:31). Forget an endorsement from Consumer Reports. Don’t worry about a five-star review on Yelp. God gives creation His divine stamp of approval. Take His word for it. When he creates everything. It’s ALL good!

So where did we get the wonky idea that God is stingy and that a lot of stuff is taboo? Once again, let’s go back to Eden and check in on our first parents. Let me refresh your memory. Our Creator had given them the entire garden to enjoy with the exception of the fruit of one single tree (Gen 2:16). God graciously rolled out the red carpet for them to the greatest all-inclusive resort the universe has ever seen. And do I need to remind you about the part where their naked (Gen 2:25)? Yeah, it’s ALL good!

That’s when satanic snake conned Adam and Eve into thinking God was holding out on them (Gen 3:1-5). Just a quick observation here. If you happen to run across a talking snake, run away and run away quickly. But they didn’t. They listened. They rebelled. They ate (Gen 3:6-7). In the process, they fractured humanity’s relationship with God and invited sin into His perfect creation. The result was a broken world. And we’re the ones who broke it. “Everything created by God is good” (v4). Whatever is bad about the universe is our fault. 

Flipping back to 1 Timothy, Paul tells Tim that “nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving” (v4). If God made it, it’s good. There’s no list of banned foods or activities. Sure, there was that time Yahweh gave Moses dietary restrictions for His chosen people (Lev 11). But that all changed the day God dropped a giant picnic blanket down in front of Peter filled with all sorts of kosher AND non-kosher goodies (Acts 10:11). Not once, but three times. The disciple Jesus called Rocky told our gracious God thanks but no thanks (Acts 10:14). The heavenly voice made it clear to Pete, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean” (Acts 10:15 NIV). In other words, bacon is back on the menu.

Whatever God makes, we’re shouldn’t reject but receive and ENJOY! We’re to be grateful to the Great Giver. Paul instructs us to do so “with thanksgiving” (v4). This is the Greek noun eucharistia, which means gratitude, appreciation, and recognition of the gift. It’s where Roman Catholics get their term Eucharist for the Lord’s Supper. The word literally means “good (eu-) grace (-charistia).” Good gracious is God gracious! Be grateful to the Great Giver for everything He provides. Thank Him for it all because it’s ALL good!

The apostle writes that all our Creator gives us “is made holy by the word of God and prayer” (v5). Does reading the Bible to my peanut butter sandwich and then praying over it do the trick? I’ve got a sneaking suspicion here that “the word of God” here isn’t talking about Scripture. Remember the method Yahweh used to create back in Genesis 1? “And God said” (Gen 1:3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 24, 29). He simply made the divine command and stuff happened. “And it was so” (Gen 1:7, 9, 11, 15, 24, 30). Everything from nothing simply through the incredible power of God’s words. He created it all holy by His very words. 

One of the most important ways that we acknowledge the goodness of His gifts to us is through “prayer” (v5). There’s no real magic in saying grace before you eat. You won’t find that command anywhere in the Bible. But it IS a wonderful opportunity to thank our Great Giver for all that He’s done. Jesus thanked His Dad for the seven fish sandwiches He used to unleash a seafood buffet for 4,000-plus people (Mt 15:16). Tell God how much you grateful you are for His generosity. Thank God. It’s ALL good!

So how do we apply Paul’s words here in a letter to a first century pastor? First of all, remember that “everything created by God is good” (v4). Don’t buy the lie that He’s holding out on us. He’s MUCH more generous than we could ever believe. Receive His good gifts. Don’t reject what He has for you. Life is to be enjoyed! 

Jesus didn’t come to give you a bland and narrow life. “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (Jn 10:10). Life overflowing. Life without limits. Now don’t miss the point that He gives us give us restrictions and guidelines for our own benefit. The beauty of obedience to His rules for life lead to abundance. Who saw THAT coming?!? Thank our Great Giver. The bottom line in applying this truth? Life is to be enjoyed! It’s ALL good!

Monk Life

“who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth” (1Tim 4:3)

Tupac dropped mad rhymes about Thug Life in the ‘hood. You’ve seen those Salt Life stickers on rear windows of SUVs. (Just wondering, are you REALLY a disciple of the Salt Life just because your grandma and grandpa own a beach house?) Disciples of Sheldon Cooper are livin’ the Nerd Life. 

If you hung out on the mean streets of first century Ephesus, you would have known all about those rolling the Monk Life. I’m not sure if they had a sticker on the back of their chariot, but these folks went out of their way to let you know they were SO much holier than you because of what they didn’t do. Call it self-salvation by subtraction. Living the Monk Life meant living the single life. It also meant making a big deal about their diet.

Monk Life had made it’s way into the Ephesian church. Thanks to a heads up from the Holy Spirit, Paul saw it coming. He tells Timothy not to be fooled by appearances. They teach a demon doctrine while in disguise (1Tim 4:1-2). You know these hucksters are lying when their lips are moving. They spew so much fiction that they wouldn’t know the truth they tripped over it walking down the street. They are false teachers “who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth” (v3). Forget Monk Life. Live the True Life. Enjoy the Grace Life.

It’s hard to imagine what a hot mess the church at Ephesus has become in just a few short years. The Apostle Paul personally planted the congregation drink a three-year run in the big city on the west coast of Asia Minor (Acts 19; 20:31). Folks flocked from all over the region to hear about Jesus. At some point, a posse of spiritual grifters weaseled their way into the church and distracted the followers of Christ with all sorts of whacky “myths and endless genealogies which promote speculations” (1Tim 1:3). 

Paul began the reform by kicking out two of false teachers named Hymenaeus and Alexander (1Tim 1:20). When the apostle has to hit the road for Macedonia, he appoints his protege Timothy as the new lead pastor with instructions to finish the job of cleaning up the mess they’ve made (1Tim 1:3-7) and finding godly leaders (1Tim 3:1-13). 

While we don’t know exactly who these self-righteous tricksters are, the former Pharisee gives us a few hints. They “forbid marriage marriage and require abstinence from foods” (v3). Some folks believe they could be an early form of Gnosticism. They had the goofy belief that the real world was evil. (I’m NOT talking about MTV’s “Real World.” It may not be evil but it certainly has NOTHING to do with Jesus!) Gnostics thought the only way to true salvation was by turning your back on everything physical. For instance, they didn’t believe God would get Himself all dirty by taking on human flesh since it was so sinfully yucky.

Other scholars have a sneaking suspicion that Paul’s talking about the Essenes and Therapeutae. These were both Jewish denominations that lived like monks in desert monasteries. They called it the Contemplative Life. Not exactly bumper sticker worthy, now is it? The Essenes set up an outpost just up the mountain from the Dead Sea in Qumran. That’s where we discovered what are known as the Dead Sea Scrolls. The Therapeutae gave up property, sex, and certain foods. Whether it’s the Gnostics, Essenes, or Therapeutae, it was all about self-salvation by subtraction. They were all about keeping out the big, bad world and it’s evil influences. They were all about living the Monk Life.

You haven’t met a Gnostic, Essene, or Therapeutae but these folks are still around. No, you won’t drive past the First Gnostic Church or Essene Community Fellowship in your neighborhood. But there are plenty of people who believe the only way to please God is by insulating yourself from the fallen world. They say things like, “We don’t smoke and we don’t chew or go out with girls who do!” Catchy, yes. Biblical, no. 

Do I really need to remind you of the sort of riffraff Jesus like to hang around? First century fundamentalists had a problem with His social circle. Two thousand years later, they are still plenty of fundies out there. You’ve probably seen them picketing somewhere or boycotting something. As a friend of mine says, fundamentals have no “fun,” too much “dam,” and not enough “mental.” Some of the greatest threats to grace come from INSIDE the faith!

At first glance, Monk Life sounds pretty stinkin’ super spiritual! I mean, doesn’t Paul endorse biblical singleness (1Cor 7:25-35)? Didn’t our Savior want us to take a zero tolerance policy on sexual immorality (Mt 5:27-30)? Wasn’t Jesus personally a proponent of fasting (Mt 6:16-17; 9:14-15)? Didn’t God Himself lay down some uber strict dietary laws to His people (Lev 11)? This is exactly how cults get started. They sprinkle just enough Scripture on their whacky ways to make it sound both biblical and believable. 

First of all, they “forbid marriage” (v3). There’s just one tiny problem with it. What God has to say all throughout the Bible. I’m pretty sure Yahweh didn’t drop the ball when He married Adam and Eve (Gen 2:23-25). God clearly sees marriage as a mysterious picture of Jesus’ relationship with His own bride, the church (Eph 5:22-32). The writer of Hebrews instructs us, “Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled” (Heb 13:4). Just because there are plenty of jacked up marriages out there doesn’t mean it should be avoided. I’ve got bad news for those repping the Monk Life. Marriage is good idea because it’s God’s idea. 

These first century fundies “require abstinence from foods” (v3). The idea here is probably avoiding certain meat products. Let’s be very clear here. Paul is not throwing folks under the bus who follow certain diets for health or philosophical reasons. However, going gluten-free doesn’t get you closer to God. Vegan is NOT a denomination. Well, at least it shouldn’t be! The apostle is warning against the idea of trying to save yourself through dietary restrictions. Hey God, look how holy I am! I’m putting down the Little Debbie cakes and filling my plate with kale and tofu!! I hate to tell you but I don’t think He’s all that impressed.

Food and faith are constant source of tension in the New Testament. Paul filled three entire chapters on it when answering questions from the Corinthians (1Cor 8:1-10:33). Dietary restrictions led to a HUGE apostolic showdown between Peter and Paul in Antioch (Gal 2:11-14). The apostle tells the Colossian church that all of the kosher food rules God gave Moses were simply a sneak peek at the coming Messiah (Col 2:16-23). It even led to a massive meeting back at the home office in Jerusalem (Acts 15). Church leaders eventually decided that non-Jewish followers of Jesus don’t have to order from the kosher menu.

According to Paul, these rules go against the incredible goodness of our gracious and giving God. All of these things are part of the universe He “created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth” (v3). The apostle says the key to the whole deal is seen in Creation. God created the universe for us to enjoy (Gen 1:26-29; 9:3)! He is a Giver! His universe is to be enjoyed. Stewarded and cared for yes, but absolutely to be enjoyed.

If you’re buying what the false teachers are selling, the see God as a supernatural tease who tempts us with the good stuff only to tell us it’s evil. In their view, He’s like the cranky fisherman in the Stat Farm insurance commercial who dangles a dollar just out of reach. “Oh, you almost had it! You gotta be quicker than that!” Just the opposite. He’s an amazing Father who’s the source of every good gift we have (James 1:17). Jesus says our Heavenly Dad can’t wait to showers His kids with good gifts (Mt 7:11).

We’re grateful recipients when we trust in His goodness. We realize there’s nothing we can do to earn His love. We don’t impress God by staying single or eating paleo. As a matter of fact, we may be missing out on the overflowing life He has for us if we do (Jn 10:10). Our holiness gauge doesn’t rise or fall according to what we give up or deny ourselves. When we place our trust in the One who lived, died, and rose on in our place, our grace tank is always full. 

Don’t let anyone dupe you into thinking the way to God is a poverty gospel. That’s as dangerous as the prosperity garbage that’s all the rage these days. It’s NOT about Monk Life. It's NOT about self-salvation by subtraction. It’s living the True Life. The Overflowing Life. The Grace Life. I wonder where I can find one of those stickers?

Burn Victims

“through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared” (1Tim 4:2)

God gives us potholders and oven mitts for a reason. If only I remembered to use them more often. Too many times, I’ve grabbed something on the grill or a scalding skillet and created painful moves worthy of winning “Dancing with the Stars.” More like “Dancing with the SCARS!” A big downside of these incendiary incidents is the lack of feeling in my fingertips…at least after the searing pain subsides. Did I mention the pain? For a few hours, I can’t feel anything.  

Did you know Paul talks about burn victims in a letter to his protege Timothy? He tells the lead pastor of the Ephesian church how a team of false teachers have so much scar tissue that they’ve lost all feeling. Folks are being fooled from following Jesus “through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared” (v2). They’re phonies and liars who’ve ignored their God given warning system so long that it no longer works. Hypocritical liars with cauterized consciences. In other words, burn victims creating more and more burn victims.

Yeah, the whole scene in the church of Ephesus is indeed a nasty dumpster fire. A posse of religious hucksters weaseled their way into the congregation and distracted believers from the grace found only in the Gospel. As Paul heads off on his next assignment in Macedonia, he appoints Tim as the new lead pastor. He gives Tim a two-point to-do list. Step one, get rid of the arsonists and extinguish the blaze (1Tim 1:3-7). Step two, take steps to insure no future fires by putting godly leaders in place (1Tim 3:1-13). 

These burn victims hide behind a disguise. Paul says they do it “through the insincerity of liars” (v2). The original language here is VERY enlightening and rather frightening. The word that the folks behind the ESV translate as “insincerity” is hupokrisis. It’s where we get our word “hypocrisy.” It describes someone who’s pretending to be somebody they’re not. They’re incognito. They’re in disguise. They’re not who they say they are.

Back in the first century, it described the performance of an actor in a play. When you went to a play in the Greco-Roman world, all the actors would wear masks. Think of your favorite stars wearing heavy makeup and prosthetics to play characters in the X-Men franchise. That’s Kelsey Grammer?!? You’ve GOT to be kidding me! I don’t know about you, but I can barely recognize them.

Jesus had little time for religious bullies who hid behind masks. He could see right through the heavy makeup and then called ’em as He saw ’em. They looked good on the outside but were actually “full of hypocrisy (Gr. hupokrisis) and lawlessness” (Mt 23:28). He warned His followers to be on red alert for “the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy (Gr. hupokrisis)” (Lk 12:1).

God’s Word isn’t just calling out these Ephesian phonies. We’re ALL to take off our masks and makeup. Stop pretending to be somebody you’re not. Stop acting like you’ve got your stuff together. Stop trying to earn the Oscar for righteousness. God sees right through it. He knows EXACTLY what’s behind the heavy makeup. He knows me better than I know myself (Ps 139:1-6). He’s the only Person that ultimately matters. We perform for an Audience of One. Take off the mask.

The religious con artists don’t just look like somebody they’re not, they sound like somebody they’re not. They’re “liars” (Gr. pseudologos). The Greek word literally means “false (pseudo-) words (-logos).” It describes when you say one thing when you’re actually up to something else. You know when one of these fakes are lying when their lips are moving. Insert joke about politicians here. 

Just in case you’re new to this whole God thing, He’s been against lying for a long time. A REEEEEEALLY long time! He even included a law against it in His Top Ten (Ex 20:16; Dt 5:20). Remember, He’s a God who cannot lie (Titus 1:2; Heb 6:18). As followers of the One who is the very personification of Truth (Jn 14:3), we’re not to lie. Paul tells his buddies in Colossae that we stop fudging facts after Jesus makes us new (Col 3:9). So stop lying. Stop shading the truth. Stop the spin. Once we place our trust in our Savior, the masks must come off and the lies need to stop.

That’s clearly something the Ephesian false teachers didn’t see as a high priority. Remember, these are the snake oil salesmen who are spreading the demonic doctrine that’s doing all the damage among the believers there (1Tim 4:1). Like Dorothy pulling back the curtain on the Wizard, Paul rips off their disguise and shows the world who they really are. Mask wearing lie spewers. 

The apostle points out that the false teachers have a much deeper problem. They’re “consciences are seared” (v2). The conscience is the warning system God places in every human being. It’s that awareness we have of the cultural values and norms. Our inner sense of right and wrong. Let’s be clear. It is NOT the Holy Spirit. It is NOT the voice of God. But when alarms start buzzing in your conscience, it’s probably a good idea to slow your roll. God calls the followers of Jesus to “love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith” in Jesus (1Tim 1:5).

The Ephesian phonies have ignored the warnings so long that their “consciences are seared” (v2). You may want to put on the Ove Glove before we take a closer look at the verb here. It’s kausteriazo. The term almost sizzles when you say it. It means to brand with a red hot iron, cause to be insensitive, deaden sensation, and even harden. It’s the source of our medical term “cauterize.” That’s when a doctor uses a red hot medical instrument to stop the bleeding or close a wound. The procedure creates scar tissue and destroys nerve endings. The result is a lack of sensation in the area. You can’t feel pain. As a matter of fact, you can’t feel anything.

As if things aren’t bad enough already, the mask wearing lie spewers have cauterized consciences. I love how the old King Jimmy translates this phrase. They’ve “branded in their own conscience as with a hot iron” (v2 KJV). They’ve become insensitive to the alarm system God has placed in each one of us. When we fail to obey the warnings and God’s commands, we create spiritual scar tissue. We destroy our spiritual nerve endings. When we refuse to listen to the warnings from our conscience over and over, it becomes easy to ignore what’s going on. We end up with a cauterized conscience. We’re burn victims. And the burns are actually self-inflicted.

Paul saw it happening before in Ephesus. He warned the church there to watch out for unbelievers who “have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity” (Eph 4:19). When we ignore our God given alarms, we’re headed for BIG trouble. The warning lights are flashing for a reason! We build up callouses. Spiritual scar tissue makes it impossible to realize I’m headed for trouble. Or as the Message puts it, “Those liars have lied so well for so long that they’ve lose their capacity for truth” (v2 The Message).

Remember Fire Marshal Bill? Jim Carrey’s character on “In Living Color” had third degree burns and clearly bad at his job. He continually warns folks about the dangers of fire. “Let me show you something!” But his demonstrations always, shall we say, went up in flames. Once Paul pulls off the masks of these liars, he reveals these goobers are nothing more than first century Fire Marshal Bills. Burn victims with self-inflicted wounds who are looking to burn you too!

The D-Day of Grace

Operation Overlord

June 5, 1944. Hitler had a death grip on Europe. Evil reigned. The Allies needed to do something drastic. Something radical. 

They decided an overwhelming invasion was the only way to turn the tide of World War II. For months, they extensively planned and prepped for what they codenamed Operation Overlord. It was the eve of D-Day. 

Making Military History

What happened the next morning changed everything. The invasion of Nazi-occupied France along the Normandy coast would be one of the largest military maneuvers in history. 

The numbers on June 6th alone are staggering: 156,000 soldiers; 5,000 ships; 11,000 aircraft. The Allies assaulted 50 miles of beaches with odd names like Omaha, Juno, Utah, Gold, and Sword. 

The Huge Cost

The Normandy invasion radically swung the war in favor of the Allies. Evil was on the run. Freedom advanced rapidly throughout the land. The Nazis surrendered less than a year later. 

But it came at a huge cost. More than 4,000 Allied troops died that day. Thousands more were wounded or MIA. In the end, Allied troops did for the citizens of Europe what they couldn’t do for themselves. All because of D-Day. The invasion that changed it all.

Operation Incarnation

Flip the pages of history back a few thousand years to the day before another world-changing invasion. We’re not really sure of the exact date, but we’ve given the day a name. 

Luke describes a few of the details in his biography of Jesus (Lk 2:1-7). It’s codenamed Operation Incarnation. The eve of the D-Day of Grace.

Philip Yancey calls the birth of Christ "a daring raid by the Ruler of the forces of good into the universe's seat of evil." 

A Radical Maneuver

Sin had a death grip on the world. Evil reigned. God needed to do something drastic. Something radical. The Godhead decided an overwhelming invasion was the only way to turn the tide of the war on sin and death. 

For eternity, God extensively planned and prepped for Operation Incarnation. It was the eve of Christmas.

An Undercover Invasion

What happened the next day and night changed everything. The undercover invasion of Roman-occupied Israel would be one of the smallest and unassuming maneuvers in history. 

The numbers of people involved are barely a blip on the radar screen: One carpenter, his pregnant fiancé, and their unborn baby. With God’s guidance, they traveled from a backwater town in Galilee to a place called Bethlehem, Joseph’s ancestral home.

Cards and Carols

The birth of Jesus has become the stuff of cards and carols. A cute little baby. A soft manger of hay. A barn full of fuzzy animals quietly watching the visitors from Nazareth. Angels sweetly singing. Shepherds worshiping in wonder. 

The little town of Bethlehem may be still. The night may be silent. But make no mistake. It’s going to get really messy. It’s going to be really bloody. This is an invasion. Christmas is the D-Day of grace.

God Gets Personally Involved

Before God’s invasion, our situation was hopeless. We desperately needed outside help. It was going to take more than a massive amphibious assault to come to our rescue. 

It was going to take God Himself getting personally involved. Jesus left the comforts of the heavenly palace and took on human form to storm the beaches and gain our freedom (Jn 1:14).

Saving God's Enemies

But here’s the crazy thing about the D-Day of Grace. We’re not just the ones being rescued but God’s enemies as well! Imagine Eisenhower sending troops into Europe not just to defeat the Nazis but save them too. 

And that’s exactly what God did. We’re His enemies (Rom 5:10; Col 1:21). Rebels and terrorists against His kingdom. And He didn’t wait until conditions were perfect or we got our act together. Christ came while every one of us were still sinners (Rom 5:8).

The Invasion that Changed It All

God’s invasion radically swung the war in favor of love and grace. Evil is on the run. Freedom is advancing rapidly throughout the land. But it comes at a huge cost. The one and only sinless Son of God died for you and me. 

In the end, Jesus did for you and me what we could never do for ourselves. All because of Operation Incarnation. The D-Day of Grace. The invasion that changed it all.

©2015
Jay Jennings

The Spirit Called It

“Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons” (1Tim 4:1).

Babe Ruth pointed to centerfield and called his shot in the World Series. Broadway Joe Namath guaranteed the Jets would pull the unthinkable upset and win the Super Bowl. Don’t say they didn’t tell you ahead of time. 

But that’s nothing compared to the Holy Spirit’s bold stone cold prediction of religious con artists duping folks into walking away from Jesus. In a letter to the pastor of Ephesus Community Church, Paul reminds him that the Third Person of the Trinity saw this coming. “Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons” (v1). Members of the Ephesian church have bought their spiritual snake oil and turned their back on Christ. As heartbreaking as it is, the Spirit called it.

It wasn’t that long ago that the church in Ephesus was a shining city on a hill for God’s glorious Gospel. The Apostle Paul personally planted this congregation during his third international tour with the message of Jesus (Acts 19:1-41). He worked his tail off in the town, building into the lives of believers there for three years (Acts 20:31) before moving on to Europe. 

Oh, how things have changed in less than ten years. False teachers weaseled their way into leadership positions in the Ephesian church. They suckered the gullible with a false gospel that has nothing to do with God’s grace. Paul begins the massive reform of the fellowship by kicking out the despicable duo of Hymenaeus and Alexander (1Tim 1:20). 

Before he could complete the cleanup, the Lord sends the apostle on his next assignment in Macedonia. He passes the baton and the broom to his protege Timothy as the new lead pastor in Ephesus. Tim’s to-do list has just two items. Two incredibly important items. First, stuff a sock in anyone who continues to distract folks from following Jesus (1Tim 1:3-7). Second, find godly people to fill the immediate leadership void (1Tim 3:1-13). 

The sad thing is that Paul saw it coming a few years back. As he was swinging through the area on his way back to Jerusalem, he met with elders of the church to warn them. “I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away disciples” (Acts 20:29-30). Read those words again: “from your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things” (emphasis added). He knew he was face-to-face with some of the very men who would one day tear down all that God had used him to build. This was going to be an inside job!

So how did Paul know way back when this was going to go down? The Holy Spirit tipped him off. “Now the Spirit expressly says” (v1) this would happen. If you’re not familiar with the Spirit, or as some people call Him the “Holy Ghost,” you may be a little freaked out right about now. Don’t worry. We’re not headed into weird world of seances and spirit guides. The writers of the New Testament make it clear the Holy Spirit isn’t a heaven sent poltergeist. 

A few VERY important points about the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is a Who, not a what. He is a person. He’s not an impersonal Force that needs to be awakened, my young padawan. He’s fully God. Just as much God as the Father and the Son. Once Jesus returned to heaven, the Spirit comes to each live in each and every person who places their trust in Christ (Rom 8:11). 

The Spirit on a personal mission to empower God’s people and shine the spotlight on our Savior. The Apostle John says there’s one unmistakeable litmus test of God’s Spirit at work. “By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God” (1Jn 4:2-3). So if someone tries to convince you the Son of God never became human, run away. Run away FAST!

The Third Person of the Trinity is all about making the Second Person universally famous. Jesus knew the Spirit of God would be a game changer when it comes to His teaching. He told His posse how the Spirit will “bring to remembrance all that I have said to you” (Jn 14:26). And the Spirit is still reminding followers of Jesus about God’s truth two thousand years later.

But can we really believe the Holy Spirit? Jesus personally attests that He’s totally trustworthy. As a matter of fact, He gives the Third Person a little nickname. “The Spirit of truth” (Jn 14:17). According to Christ, the Spirit of God is just passing along to you and me what He hears the Trinity chatting about. “When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth, for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak, and He will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take what is Mine and declare it to you” (Jn 16:13-14).

God’s Word has tons more to say about God’s Spirit but hopefully that will give you a better perspective on the One who’s called the shot in Paul’s letter to Pastor Tim. In this particular case, the Spirit has tipped the apostle off about how “some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons” (v1). If there’s any good news in all this, it’s the fact that only “some” will give the Heisman to the Gospel, not all. Work with me. I’m trying to find a shred of hope here. 

Some percentage of folks “will depart the faith” (v1). The verb here is aphistemi, which is to fall away, stand off, stand aloof, go away, or withdraw from. It’s a compound word that literally means to be separated (ap-) and firmly established (-histemi). We get the word “apostasy” from it. Think of someone who’s tossed in the towel for good. They’ve quit. Punked out. They’ve made up their mind and they’re not coming back, no matter what you tell them.

Paul personally knew all it. Remember when John Mark bailed on the apostle and Barnabas when he “had withdrawn (Gr. aphistemi) from them in Pamphylia” (Acts 15:38). We find out later that John Mark may have gone AWOL on the mission trip but never turned away from Jesus. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been around to write the Gospel of Mark! The man from Tarsus begged Jesus to take away a painful thorn. “Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave (Gr. aphistemi) me” (2Cor 12:8). He prays that it’s gone and never coming back! 

The writer of Hebrews actually warns us about the possibility of similar apostasy as the Spirit predicted to Paul. We’re alerted to the danger of “an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away (Gr. aphistemi) from the living God” (Heb 3:12). These are not people who simply have doubts. Let’s face it. We ALL have questions. Don’t pretend you don’t. So relax. Every believer has some bit of unbelief on this side of eternity. That’s why we need to preach the Gospel to ourselves every single day. But we’re warned about folks who’ve tossed in the towel for good. They’ve quit. Punked out. They’ve made up their mind and they’re not coming back, no matter what you tell them.

This all happened when folks were “devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons” (v1). Lying spirits. Demon doctrine. In case you’re wondering, these are NOT the kind of voices you want whispering in your ear. What makes this garbage so dangerous is that they sprinkle just enough Jesus on it to make it seem biblical. Sadly you can find some of this tripe at your local Christian bookstore. Anything that ultimately takes the focus off of what Jesus has done and tells you what you have to do is demon doctrine. 

Jesus Himself saw these con artists coming. “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves” (Mt 7:15). Hmm. Let’s see. Who wears “sheep’s clothing?” Shepherds! They’re infiltrating the church and licking their chops like bloodthirsty wolves. These phony pastors draw you in with their nifty slight of hand and draw you away from Jesus. If we don’t have a clear view of who Jesus is and what He’s done, these false teachers can sucker you and me as well. 

But that’s part of the genius of the Holy Spirit. He saw it coming from a mile away. He tells Paul who tells Pastor Tim and every reader of this letter. The Spirit totally called this one. 

Music and the Messiah Mega Mystery

“Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory” (1Tim 3:16).

There’s just something about music that touches your soul. Dare I say “magic?” Hear a great hook and you’re humming it in your head all day. Ever try to remove a Taylor Swift ear worm? Catchy lyrics will burn into your brain for a lifetime. I’m occasionally tormented by Steve Miller’s square-peg-in-a-round-hole rhyme “Abracadabra, I wanna reach out a grab ya.” 

God knows the power of music. For heaven’s sake, it was His idea! There’s even an entire book of the Bible called the Psalms that’s basically a boxed set of the greatest worship hits of all time. So it’s no surprise there are songs and music all throughout both the Old and New Testaments. Did you realize Adam sang when he got his first look at Eve (Gen 2:23)? I’m pretty sure that’s biblical support for why chicks dig musicians. While we don’t know the melodies, we can read the words. The lyrics are chockfull of great truth. 

Here in his letter to Timothy, Paul quotes the lyrics of a first century worship song. You have to wonder if it was originally recorded by St. Christopher of Tomlin. “Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by the angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory” (v16). It’s musical take on the Messiah Mega Mystery.

The apostle writes his spiritual son while he’s on the road in Macedonia. Paul has appointed Tim as the lead pastor of the Ephesian megachurch. A team of false teachers have distracted folks from the Gospel. It’s Tim’s job to clean up their mess (1Tim 1:3-7) and find a new lead team (1Tim 3:1-13). The man from Tarsus may be suggesting that the pastor make sure a particular tune be put back in the worship set list. The words a loaded with the truth about Jesus.

Before he gets to the lyrics, Paul makes the point that everyone can agree that the idea of Christ as Messiah is a Mega Mystery! “Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness” (v16). The word “confess” (Gr. homologoumenos) literally means “to all say the same words” about something. It’s one thing we can all agree on. There’s no question is hard to figure out.

Just how big is this? It’s “great” (v16). Paul uses the word mega. It probably won’t take a PhD in biblical languages to figure out what that means. Huge. Mammoth. Extraordinary. Overwhelming. Whatever we’re agreeing on, it’s gonna be Mega!

At this point, the apostle drops one of his all-time favorite terms. He throws it around a LOT! He uses is 20 times if you’re scoring at home (Rom 11:25; 16:25; 1Cor 2:7; 4:1; 13:2; 14:2; 15:1; Eph 1:9; 3:3-4; 3:9; 5:32; 6:19; Col 1:26-27; 2:2; 4:2; 2Th 2:7; 1Tim 3:9; 1Tim 3:16). But “mystery” doesn’t quite mean the same thing for us as it did back in the first century. Musterion actually describes something hidden for a long time that’s now disclosed. Think mystery revealed!

Nineteen out of 20 times that Paul uses the word “mystery” (Gr. musterion), he’s not talking about a what but a Who. God’s Mega Mystery is the identity of the Messiah. When the apostle drops the the term, it almost always involves some aspect of God’s rescue mission and sending His Son to do it. He writes to the multisite church in Colossae that Jesus is “the mystery (Gr. musterion) hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to His saints” (Col 1:26). The ultimate “knowledge of God’s mystery (Gr. musterion), which is Christ” (Col 2:2). The apostle made it his life’s mission “boldly to proclaim the mystery (Gr. musterion) of the Gospel” (Eph 6:19). The central point of “this mystery (Gr. musterion), which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col 1:27).

Even after God reveals the Mega Mystery of Messiah Jesus, it’s still hard to wrap your head around! I think we can all agree on that! Paul then quotes six lines of lyrics from a song in his letter. Six simple lines soaked in truth of who our Savior is and what He has done for us. We’ll run through them quickly but will only scratch the surface on some unfathomably deep theology.

“He was manifested in the flesh” (v16). This opening line lets us know “He” is Jesus. The verb translated “manifested” (Gr. phanero’o) means to make known, reveal, cause to be seen, or show. We’re talking about the incarnation. Christ became human by adding humanity to His divinity (Phil 2:6-8). It’s what we celebrate at Christmas. Rocky the Apostle says Christ existed “before the foundation of the world but was made manifest (Gr. phanero’o) in the last times for the sake of you” (1Pet 1:20). Paul tells the Colossians that the clearly visible Jesus “is the image of the invisible God” (Col 1:15). John the Apostle writes, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (Jn 1:14). In other words, God revealed the Messiah Mega Mystery when Jesus came to earth.

The second line tells us Christ was “vindicated by the Spirit” (v16). The Holy Spirit made a surprise appearance at Jesus’ baptism proving exactly who He is (Mt 3:16-17; Mk 1:10-11; Lk 3:21-22). That’s exactly the moment the weird, bug-eating prophet John the Baptizer found out his own cousin was actually the sinless Son of God (Jn 1:32-34). The Holy Spirit declared Jesus to be the Son of God at His resurrection (Rom 1:4). The Spirit acts like one of those blue checkmarks you see on the Twitter accounts of celebrities and newsmakers. They’re verified. The Third Person of the Trinity verifies that this Carpenter/Rabbi from the boondocks is the long-promised Messiah.

Jesus was also “seen by angels” (v16). God’s angel army exploded in the night sky over Bethlehem the night Jesus made His grand entrance (Lk 2:13-14). Wow! Talk about walkup music!! A pair of God’s angelic messengers were there to tell the women that Christ’s tomb was unexpectedly unoccupied (Lk 24:4-6). Peter tells us that the angels are so blown away at what Jesus is doing to rescue us that they can’t take their eyes off of the action (1Pet 1:12). If the Gospel is broadcast in heaven, it’s must-see TV for the angels!

The next line Paul quotes says Christ is “proclaimed among the nations” (v16). “Nations” here does NOT mean a sovereign political state like the U.S. or Russia. The Greek word ethnos describes racial groups. Think of the largest social and cultural unit which you can divide the people of the world. It’s where we get the term “ethnicity.” And that’s probably a great way to understand it. In the Greco-Roman world, this term meant non-Jews. The Good News of Jesus is taken to every demographic subset and people group on the planet.

Paul knew all about that personally with his tours of the Mediterranean Rim telling everyone he met that Jesus is Messiah for not just the Jewish people but every race and culture. And why not? The resurrected Christ personally handpicked the former Pharisee for the job (Acts 9:15; Gal 2:7). Don’t make the mistake of thinking this was just Paul’s gig and nothing for us to worry about. Before He headed back home to heaven, Jesus told all of us to “make disciples of all nations (Gr. ethnos)” (Mt 28:19-20). And unless you’re Jewish, Paul is talking YOUR inclusion into God’s kingdom right here. 

The song goes on to sing about how Jesus is “believed on in the world” (v16). To believe in Jesus is not just admitting He is an historical figure and not just some Middle Eastern myth. We don’t so much believe in Jesus. He’s not Santa Claus or the Tooth Fairy. We believe ON Jesus. Think putting all our trust upon Him. We trust in the fact that He lived the perfect life that we couldn’t pull off. We trust in His death on the cross that should have been ours. We trust in His resurrection life that we don’t deserve. 

We trust in what He’s done that we could never dream of doing for ourselves. He takes our sin and hands us His perfection (2Cor 5:21). The incredible opportunity to place our trust in our sinless Savior came through His Father’s great love for us. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (Jn 3:16).

The last line of the lyrics land with the Lord’s launch. Christ was “taken up in glory” (v16). As if His resurrection wasn’t stunning enough, Jesus lifted off and headed home to heaven in front of a huge crowd in the suburbs of Jerusalem (Lk 24:50-51; Acts 1:2, 9). While He’s there, our Savior preps the place for our arrival (Jn 14:3). Jesus is also interceding on our behalf with His Dad (Rom 8:34; Heb 7:25). And while it’s not included in this particular song, Christ is coming back for one final incredible encore. He’s far from finished.

We’ve only cracked the door on the “mystery of godliness” (v16) in these six lines of lyrics. While God pulled the curtain back on who He is by sending His sinless Son to save us, there’s only so much we can wrap our heads around on this side of eternity. That’s why they call it the Messiah Mega Mystery. And they wrote a song all about it!