Moronic Arguments

“Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels” (2Tim 2:23).

Rude attacks. Cheap shots. Disgusting vulgarity. Sleazy rumors. Shameless lies. They’re everywhere you turn. Network newscasts. Your Facebook feed. The Twitterverse. The customer line at your local overpriced coffeehouse.

And just when you think this latest campaign couldn’t slide any further down the sewer pipe, there’s another soundbite, another commercial, or another slimy allegation. Is it any surprise that one of the debates was the same night as a WWE pay-per-view? Don’t think it didn’t cross Vince McMahon’s mind to combine the two.

Cool your jets. I’m not gonna use the Bible to endorse or condemn anybody. But if you or either of our presidential candidates are willing to listen to timeless truth, the Apostle Paul has has some incredibly wise words. “Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels” (v23). Don’t get sucked into ludicrous debates that don’t make a difference. Nobody wins. Everybody loses. These arguments just give birth to more battles.

A couple of thousand years before America was a twinkle in the founding fathers’ eye, Paul is behind bars and in chains in Caesar’s SuperMax (2Tim 1:16, 2:9). He knows full well that he’s doing his final days on Death Row in Rome (2Tim 4:6-7). The man from Tarsus scribbles down what will be his letter to his protege Timothy with two purposes. One, he pleads with Tim to come see him one last time (2Tim 4:9, 21). Two, he desperately passes the torch of spreading the message of Jesus to the young pastor (2Tim 2:1-4:5).

What a powerful reminder of the original purpose of what we call the New Testament. It’s really a collection of documents. Some are short bios of Jesus. Most of the others are letters. This is the latter. A letter from one real person to another real person. If we’re going to get a grip on how we’re to read and apply it today, we need to get a handle on what was going down when it was written in the First Century. In this case, it’s one last letter from a mentor to his spiritual son with their eyes locked on Jesus (2Tim 1:1-2).

Before we dig into this verse, let’s go back up the page just a bit. We see this is actually Paul’s third warning in chapter two against getting sucked into a war of words. Call it Word War III. It’s not a prophetic warning about the presidential campaign of 2016. Well, at least I don’t think so. The apostle sounds the first alarm when he tells Tim to make sure folks don’t start a War of the Words which that leaves the church look like a post-apocalyptic wasteland. (2Tim 2:14).

We see the second alert right after that when Paul instructs him to steer clear of “irreverent babble” which not only drives people away from Jesus but spreads like a cancer (2Tim 2:16-17). A couple of knuckleheads named Hymenaeus and Philetus have turned the lives of believers upside down by telling folks they’ve missed the resurrection of the dead.

Which brings us to warning number three. Right after Paul instructs Tim to put on his big boy pants (2Tim 2:22), he cautions him a third time, “Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies” (v23). A closer look at the original language reveals the verb  παραιτεομαι (paraiteomai) which means to beg off, reject, or refuse to listen to someone. It carries the idea of declining an invitation and intentionally ignoring what’s going on. In other words, make your RSVP clear. You are are NOT going to be part of that scene.

Back in his first letter, the apostle tells Tim to decline every invitation when someone wants to peddle any message that’s not grounded in reality. “Have nothing to do with” (Gr. παραιτεομαι/paraiteomai) irreverent, silly myths” (1Tim 4:7). Jesus compares our refusal to God’s kingdom to a man who throws an awesome party but people continually RSVP with regrets. “But they all alike began to make excuses (Gr. παραιτεομαι/paraiteomai)” (Lk 14:18). The writer of Hebrews warns us not to ignore Jesus’ invitation and “do not refuse (Gr. παραιτεομαι/paraiteomai) Him” (Heb 12:25).

It’s like those times we’ve been chatting with someone who suddenly sends the conversation somewhere we want nothing to do with. Rumors start to spread. Reps begin to be ruined. That’s when you hit them with,“Oh, no you di’n’t! Don’t go there!” And from what I’ve seen on Jerry Springer, it’s always more effective if you wag your head with your hands on your hips as you say it. Excuse yourself from the discussion. Make it clear that you will not join in their ridiculous reindeer games. Decline their invitation immediately. RSVP ASAP.

What kind of invitations are we to turn down immediately? Paul describes them as “foolish, ignorant controversies” (v23). Foolish” (Gr. μορος/moros) means something stupid, intellectually weak, irrational, rude, crude or with no respect for God. It’s where we get our word moron. Jesus says any doofus stupid enough to hear His words and fail to apply them is “like a foolish (Gr. μορος/moros) man who built his house on the sand” (Mt 7:26). Christ calls the religious bullies of Israel “blind fools (Gr. μορος/moros)!”

Paul tells the incredibly dysfunctional Corinthians how God loves to purposely picks knuckleheads and “what is foolish (Gr. μορος/moros) in the world to shame the strong” (1Cor 1:27). In other words, He loves to show off by using morons like you and me to embarrass the best and brightest. You see, Jesus and His team of ragtags, losers, and goofballs will beat a roster full of five-star recruits and first-round draft picks every single time. And if we’re going to be morons, let us be “fools (Gr. μορος/moros) for Christ sake” (1Cor 4:10).

The apostle goes further to tell Tim to avoid invitations to discussions which are “ignorant” (Gr. απαιδευτος/apaideutos). This is the only time we find this word anywhere in the entire Bible. I don’t have to tell you that this term paints a very unflattering picture of someone or something stupid, uneducated, untrained, rude, or crude. One commentator named Parry calls it “speculations of a half-educated mind.” In other words, these dipsticks know just enough to be dangerous. (Insert your favorite political joke here!)

What makes these discussions so moronic and dangerous is that there’s conclusion to them. The ESV uses the word “controversies,” which is the Greek noun ζητησις (zetesis). This term doesn’t just describes a heated discussion or dispute, but a forceful expression of differences of opinion with zero chance of seeking a solution. You won’t find anybody willing to agree to disagree. Listen, we all know someone who will argue about anything and everything, including the color of the sky. (If you don’t know someone like that and totally disagree with me, it’s probably YOU!).

Check out how the writers of the NT use this word. John remembers the time folks tried to stir up a fight between John the Baptizer and his cousin. You may have heard of Him. His name is Jesus Christ. “Now a discussion (Gr. ζητησις/zetesis) arose between some of John’s disciples and a Jew over purification” (Jn 3:25). John didn’t take the bait. He drops the mic when he tells everybody that his rep own must be reduced while the Son of God’s must continue to grow (Jn 3:30).

The term shows up a couple of times in Paul’s prequel when he orders Tim to shut down anybody who teaches goofball doctrine because all they do is “promote speculations (Gr. ζητησις/zetesis)” and drive people further from Jesus (1Tim 1:4). 

A little later in that same letter, he tells the young pastor that any spiritual huckster who peddles a counterfeit gospel is not only full of himself but also “has an unhealthy craving for controversy (Gr. ζητησις/zetesis) and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth” (1Tim 6:4-5).

Paul warns us that these arguments are a real lose-lose proposition. Why? Because “they breed quarrels” (v23). The cycle just spins. Lather. Rinse. Repeat. Mudslinging word wars are fertile ground for further conflict. Maybe it’s all the fertilizer (if you know what I mean and I think that you do). Before you know it, you’re in an endless dispute loop. Go ahead and Google “fastest breeding animal.” I don’t care what the interweb tells you. Rabbits, rats, cockroaches, and bandicoots finish a distant second to pointless debates. They give birth to even more battles.

In a note to another one of his direct reports, Paul uses some of the very same language and gives some of the very same orders. He tells Titus, “Avoid (Gr. παραιτεομαι/paraiteomai) foolish (Gr. μορος/moros) controversies (Gr. ζητησις/zetesis), genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels (Gr. μαχη/mache) about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless” (Titus 3:9). Don’t take the bait. Don’t get sucked into moronic arguments. They are a total waste of time.

So what does this mean for you and me 2,000 years later? It doesn’t mean we just crawl into our backyard bomb shelter and just wait for Jesus to come back. There will be times when we should take a stand for Christ. But we need to remember who the real enemies are. If you need a quick refresher, they are Satan, the world, and our own flesh. Notice nowhere on that list do you see democrats or republicans.

Our Savior came to our rescue so that we be active agents of His love and His light in this fallen world. That’s not simply having a warm fuzzy feeling toward folks. It’s actively loving and serving the people God brings into our path. They don’t have to earn it. Remember, we certainly did nothing to deserve His love (Rom 5:8). 

Just before He headed home to heaven, Jesus gave us one last command. “Love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (Jn 13:34-35).

This is NOT a call to excuse yourself from the political process. Be a good citizen who’s fully involved wherever you live. But when someone invites you to join in a endless argument, RSVP ASAP. Refuse the request quickly and clearly. There are always going to be controversies that are nothing more than vicious cycles. Check out how the Message paraphrases Paul’s words. “Refuse to get involved in inane discussions; they always end up in fights” (v23 The Message).

Before you get your undies in a bundle one more time, it’s probably time to turn off the debate and turn on God’s love. That message will get Jesus’ vote every single time.

Blowhards and Windbags

“He is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words” (1Tim 6:4).

Just turn on the radio. Click on cable TV. Go online. They’re absolutely everywhere. Blowhards. Windbags. They absolutely no clue of what they’re talking about. They have a sick obsession with stirring up trouble. There’s nothing they love more than drawing you into a war of words. 

Did you realize this was a problem long before Rush Limbaugh, Rachel Maddow, Sean Hannity, and Ed Schultz? Even before mean-spirited political campaigns. It goes way back. I mean WAY back! Like 2,000 years back. First century Ephesus may have been a crossroads of cultures on the west coast of what we know today as Turkey, but talk radio, 24-hour cable so-called “news,” and the interwebs were nowhere to be seen or heard. But the loudmouths certainly were. Instead of on the air and online, they were stirring up trouble in the church. 

This is exactly the kind of blabbermouth Paul warns Timothy about. “He is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words” (v4). And you thought you were hot stuff when you posted something similar about (insert name of your most hated talk show here) on your Facebook wall. The apostle desperately wants the young pastor not to get suckered in by these arrogant gasbags and their sick craving for controversy. That’s some handy advice for you and me today, don’t you think?

Let’s fire up the Flux Capacitor and set a course for Ephesus in 62-64 AD. Paul is fresh out of prison while waiting for a trial on trumped up charges. He’s made a beeline back to E City where he planted a thriving church before getting tossed in the joint (Acts 19). While the apostle was behind bars, a team of spiritual con artists weaseled their way into the congregation and distracted folks from following Jesus with all sorts of offbeat myths, bottomless genealogical searches, counterfeit spirituality, and downright demonic doctrine (1Tim 1:3-7; 4:2-3). Needing to deal with a crisis in the Macedonian churches, Paul hands Tim the wheel of the Ephesian church to continue the cleanup. As part of the reform, the apostle tells him there’s a zero tolerance policy when it comes to windbags and blowhards.

It probably comes as no shock that the man from Tarsus describes these troublemakers as “puffed up with conceit” (v4). They only want to talk about stuff that doesn’t really matter. These pompous preachers teach a phony gospel that contradicts what Jesus has to say and eventually drive folks further from the Father (1Tim 6:3). Instead of Good News, this is incredibly bad news. When it comes to God’s grace, accept no substitutes!

They are “puffed up with conceit” (v4). Paul uses a Greek verb (Gr. tupho’o) that means to be crazy with conceit, insanely arrogant, and totally bloated with pride. The word literally means to blow smoke. Matthew drops a variation of this term when describing Jesus’ gentle touch as being so delicate as not to extinguish a “smoldering wick” (Mt 12:20). Earlier in this very same letter, the apostle tells Tim that a pastor or overseer “must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit (Gr. tupho’o) and fall into the condemnation of the devil” (1Tim 3:6). In his sequel, Paul warns Timothy to be on the lookout for people who are “treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit (Gr. tupho’o), lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God” (2Tim 3:4).

Sadly, you and I know exactly the kind of windbags Paul’s talking about. They’re really nothing but smoke and mirrors. They’re proof that sometimes when there’s smoke, there’s absolutely NO fire. If that’s not bad enough, they actually fool themselves into believing they’re hot stuff. Now that they’ve duped their followers into buying that big steaming pile they’re selling, their head swells and ego bulges. Yup, they’re smoke-blowers. Gasbags. 

You do realize God won’t put up with anyone who’s pompous, don’t you? “He mocks proud mockers but gives grace to the humble” (Prov 3:34 NIV). Just in case you missed that, Jesus’ kid brother James quotes it again. “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6). And if you missed it a second time, Pete the Apostle hammers that nail a third time (1Pet 5:5). Think you’re all that and a bag o’ chips? Then God is you’re enemy. Just in case you’re wondering, God’s enemies always lose. Every. Single. Time. Why don’t we climb down off your high horse but somebody gets hurt? And by “somebody,” I mean you and me.

A characteristic of a know-it-all is someone who actually “understand nothing” (v4). They may think they’re a walking Wikipedia when in fact they’re nothing more than a “page not found.” Check back to the opening lines of this letter. These particular hucksters don’t know have a clue what they’re talking about (1Tim 1:7). Filling your head with facts doesn’t make you wise. “Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. If anyone imagines he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know” (1Cor 8:1-2). As a matter of fact, knowledge and love are an unbeatable tag team. You may be the smartest one in the room and have more degrees than Fahrenheit, but if you don’t have love, you got nothing (1Cor 13:2). Knowledge minus love equals a big fat zero.

Being humble is being teachable. It’s shutting my big yapper and listening for a change (Prov 12:15; 17:28; 18:2; 29:20). It’s realizing I don’t have the answer to every question or the solution to every problem. It’s turning to God as the ultimate authority. He tells the prophet Isaiah, these are exactly the kind of people He’s after. “But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at My word” (Is 66:2). In His most famous sermon, Jesus says His Dad gives us everything when we realize we’ve got nothing apart from Him. “God blesses those who realize their need for Him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is given to them” (Mt 5:3 NLT). 

These worthless windbags have “an unhealthy craving for controversy” (v4). They have a sick obsession with stirring up trouble. Paul calls it “unhealthy,” which is the Greek word noseo. It means to be sick, unwholesome, or to suffer from a disease. Like certain unnamed talk show hosts, they have morbid desire to argue about everything. I mean EVERYTHING. 

The apostle goes so far as to say they love nothing more than “quarrels about words” (v4). The phrase actually comes from one word in the original language (Gr. logomachia). It literally means “word fights.” We’re not talking about a healthy discussion that draws us closer together and closer to Christ. These are screaming matches. They love to drag someone into the octagon and beat them senseless with a 10-pound Bible and their entire theological library. If that’s you, stop using your study Bible as weapon. Put it down and walk away.

The sad news is that our churches are full of folks looking to argue over every doctrinal difference. Young earth versus old earth. Hymns versus modern worship music. Bible translations. Do I need to go on? Paul reminds Tim in his second letter to “have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies” (2Tim 2:23). “Avoid foolish controversies” because they are a total waste of time (Titus 3:9). These discussions aren’t always bad. But if you’re always arguing and folks hate to see you coming, you might have “an unhealthy craving for controversy” (v4). Do us all a favor. Give it a rest.

You would think hanging out with fellow Jesus followers would be one place we could escape the endless river of verbal garbage from talk radio and politics. While it should be, it rarely is. Paul tells us the sort of folks we should avoid and, if not, send packing. I absolutely love how The Message paraphrases this verse. “Tag them for what they are: ignorant windbags who infect the air with germs of envy, controversy, bad-mouthing, suspicious rumors” (v4 The Message). 

Let's cut to the chase. Don’t be the loudmouth. Don’t be the blowhard. Don’t be the know-it-all. Ask yourself, do you have a sick obsession with stirring up strife wherever you go? Do you argue about every little factoid that doesn’t jive with your personal flavor of theology and doctrine? If so, I’ve got news for you. Paul says don’t be that guy.

Blah. Blah. Blah.

“Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion.” (1Tim 1:6).

“Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion.” (1Tim 1:6).

Blah. Blah. Blah.

Their lips are flapping but they’re not saying a thing. The person talking spews an endless stream of worthless words. We’ve all been sucked into one of these fruitless conversations. Well, it’s not really a conversation in the basic sense. Because they’re only ones doing the talking. Okay, I’ll admit it. I’ve also been the source of them on more than one occasion. It reminds you of the wah-wah-wah-wah of Charlie Brown’s teacher. All noise. No sense. This drone can be much more deadly than anything the U.S. military flies.

Blah. Blah. Blah.

That’s just what Timothy’s dealing with as the pastor of the church in Ephesus. His mentor Paul tells his spiritual son the source of the problem without dropping specific names. “Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussions” (v6). He doesn’t have to name names. Tim knows exactly who’s stirring up trouble. These undisclosed knuckleheads have intentionally turned their backs on Jesus’ message of love for others and started flapping their gums about matters that don’t really matter.

Blah. Blah. Blah.

Let’s be clear about one thing. We’re NOT talking about about folks who have legit questions about what it means to follow Jesus. A lot of people come to faith through a genuine curiosity about what are at best secondary issues when it comes to the true Gospel. We should be on our toes to gently discuss those topics and leverage them as opportunities to assist these seekers to discover what’s ultimately the most important. These are anything but worthless words. Instead, we’re talking about people who really should know better. Folks who intentionally attempt to sidetrack you and me from a deeper relationship with the resurrected Rabbi/Carpenter from Galilee.

If you’re hoping Paul will identify these troublemakers, you can just stop right there. It’s not happening. He simply refers to them as “certain persons” (v6). These are the same “certain persons” he describes back in verse 3. I have a sneaking suspicion they’re co-conspirators with Hymenaeus and Alexander whom Paul has previously kicked to the curb before heading off to Macedonia and leaving Tim in charge (1Tim 1:20). Despite being tossed out on their ear, they left behind a few well-placed followers who are still stirring up trouble. Tim was to shut up and shut down this posse of false teachers who’ve weaseled their way into the Ephesian church. They’ve hijacked the conversation from Jesus’ tsunami of grace in our lives by sidetracking everyone with stuff that’s not only a distraction but destructive to faith in Christ.

The apostle says these undisclosed instigators are “swerving from these” (v6). By “these,” he’s talking about “a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith” that results in love in verse 5. This is a great reminder to each of us about the overriding importance of our personal relationship with Jesus. What’s happening inside me has a direct effect on the outside. King Solomon warns his son, “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life” (Prov 4:23). That’s why Jesus tells His followers that it’s not what you eat and drink but what comes out of your mouth that’s the problem (Mt 15:11). I keep a clear conscience by staying in a state of constant humility and repentance with Christ. And ultimately its about have a legit trust in who Jesus is and what He’s done for me. In other words, I place my faith in what He’s done. Not what I have to do in order to be saved.

These folks have left the Triple Crown of love in their rearview mirror. They’ve “swerved” away from them. Paul uses a Greek word (Gr. astocheo) that means to deviate from, miss the mark, go astray, or get lost. They’ve lost their way. They’ve gotten off course. Think of God’s Word as giving you very specific directions on how to get to very important destination. You make the mistake of thinking you know a short cut. You think you know a better way. You swerve wildly off His well marked route because you’ve got a better idea than God about how to get there. Can you say “epic fail”? Be sure, the Lord will you go where you want. You just won’t like where you end up once you get your “swerve” on.

This wasn’t a gentle turn away from God’s truth either. The apostle writes how these false teachers have “wandered away” (v6). He uses the verb ektrepo, which describes avoiding or twisting away from something radically. It’s actually a medical term that doctors would use to describe sprained ligaments and dislocated limbs. The writer of Hebrews uses that image when describing our walk with Jesus. “Make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint (Gr. ektrepo) but rather be healed” (Heb 12:13). When we turn so quickly away from following Jesus, we’re like an athlete that cuts violently and shreds his knee. We don’t realize we’re tearing our spiritual ACL. 

Let’s listen in and hear exactly what everyone is talking about. I don’t know about you, but I hear a lot of noise but absolutely no content. Paul calls it “vain discussion (Gr. mataiologia)” (v6). It’s the only time this word appears in the NT and literally means words without any oomph. Empty talk. Words without purpose. Fruitless chatter. Blabber that benefits nobody. Just about every different Bible translation comes up with something a little different. “Meaningless talk” (NIV, NRS). “Fruitless discussion” (NASB). “Vain discourse” (YLT). “Idle talk” (NKJV). “Talking foolishness” (NLT). But I think my personal fave is in the good ol’ King Jimmy. “Vain jangling” (KJV). That’s a lot of words to describe nothing but flapping gums. We’re talking about verbs in a vacuum. 

Blah. Blah. Blah.

Don’t get sucked into the wormhole of worthless words. Oh, the topics look tempting, alright. Folks seem to be talking about stuff that matters. But it’s just a smoke screen. It’s just the old bait-and-switch. Yeah, folks may be talking about stuff from Scripture but it actually has nothing to do with the Gospel. How did Noah get all those critters on the ark? Does the Bible have a cure for my IBS? Could Jesus microwave a burrito so hot that even He couldn’t hold it? It just doesn’t matter. What a powerful encouragement that keeping the main thing the main thing is the main thing! 

For folks who have a real curiosity about spiritual issues, let’s use these amazing opportunities to tell them about the Good News of Jesus. The Holy Spirit may just be using what seem to be goofy questions as a means to put them in your path in order to hear all about God’s descending one-way love for us. We need to remember that God is total control of His universe and He can certainly use what we think is the weird and wacky to draw people to Himself.

But don’t let troublemakers hijack you into stupid controversies that aren’t worth a hill of eternal beans. And do whatever you can NOT to start arguments over ridiculous semi-biblical disputes. It’s a waste of words. You’ll end up sounding like Charlie Brown’s teacher. You’ve gotta love the Message’s terrific take on this verse. “Those who fail to keep this point soon wander off into cul-de-sacs of gossip” (v6 The Message). Round and round they go. Where they stop, nobody really cares. 

Blah. Blah. Blah. 

Do You Speak Klingon?

“nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith” (1Tim 1:4)

Do you speak Klingon? What’s your take on Yoda’s species? Do really think Captain America is a member of the Tea Party? Let me get this out on the table from the get go. I’ve paid cash money to watch more than my fair share of movies from the all the sci-fi and superhero franchises. But I have many friends who are so consumed with these fantastic stories you might think they live aboard a starship or in the Marvel Universe. Have they ever sucked you into a black hole of discussion about the impossibilities in the conclusion of “Interstellar”? 

Well if you’ve been hanging around Christians for any length of time, you know our friends who go to ComicCon haven’t cornered the market. Have you walked down the aisle of your local Christian bookstore lately? We’re constantly playing a goofy game of “Pin the Tail on the Antichrist.” You’ve got “The Bible Code” and its whacky sequels. There are books cooking up countless crazy connections between 9-11 and obscure Old Testament commands. You’ll even find authors claiming to find the cure for your irritable bowel in the pages of the Bible. I would say you can’t make this stuff up, but somebody clearly has!

Don’t make the mistake of believing this is some sort of recent fad. Church folks have been cooking up whacked out conspiracy theories for a thousands of years. When we take a look at one of the letters Paul wrote Timothy, we see it was going on at the megachurch in Ephesus. Yeah, THAT Ephesus. The apostle tells his protege that Jesus’ followers should not “devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculation rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith” (v4). Some of the most popular hobbies in the Ephesian church are interminable discussions about urban legends that aren’t in the Bible. Stuff, in the long run, that doesn’t mean a hill of beans. 

These aren’t occasional confabs over coffee at Starbucks. Paul talks about how they “devote themselves” to them. He uses the Greek verb prosecho, which means paying very close attention to something. It can easily be understood as being consumed or even addicted to a particular activity. That makes this a worship issue. Do you spend more time on particular preoccupations than on things that have no eternal significance? We can do this with our smart phones, Facebook, Pinterest, sports, and scrapbooking. None of these is really evil all on their own. But anytime you take a good thing and make it a god thing that’s a bad thing. In a word, that’s idolatry. A certain section of the Ephesian church has unhealthy obsession with debating issues that don’t matter. How about you? What have you allowed to be your personal time suck?

For the Ephesian church, a boatload of their schedule is loaded with debates over “myths” (v4). A closer look at the original language reveals exactly what’s going on. This is muthos, which is fiction, a fable, or made-up story. We’re talking about fairy tales. This term can even mean a wild rumor or whacky conspiracy theory. Imagine a small group devoted to digging into the pages of the Weekly World News or one of the other tacky tabloids at the checkout counter. I don’t know if you realize this or not, but you really can’t believe everything you read on the internet. Shocking, right? 

Apparently these whacky goofball stories are all the rage in the first century church. Later in this letter, Paul tells Tim, “Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths (Gr. muthos)” (1Tim 4:7). A few years later in another note, the apostle warns Tim again how Jesus’ followers are easily distracted and “wander off into myths (Gr. muthos)” (2Tim 4:4). Paul alerts Titus that the congregations on Crete must avoid “devoting themselves to Jewish myths (Gr. muthos)” which pull them away from God’s truth (Titus 1:14). Don’t think the man from Tarsus is the only one who sees these religious fairy tales as something to be avoided. Pete’s the leader of Jesus’ apostles and promises, “We did not follow cleverly devised myths (Gr. muthos) when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty” (2Pet 1:16). 

But that’s not the only unhealthy distraction. Tim’s also trying to put the kibosh “endless genealogies, which promote speculations” (v4). Folks are spending WAY too much time and energy trying to trace their family trees. We all want to tell people about our impressive ancestors. Tell me you haven’t looked back at your ancestors to see if you’re a descendant of royalty or some celebrity. While it’s nice to know all about your memaw and pawpaw, there’s nothing to truly gain by spending hour upon hour climbing your family tree. I don’t know about you, but I’m a little afraid about what I might find along the way. A dive into one of these genealogical rat holes is “endless” (v4). Paul uses a Greek term here (Gr. aperantos) that means something that cannot be passed through. It’s boundless, limitless, and interminable. A series that never stops. It’s a conversation from which there is no escape! You’ve been cornered in a few of those, I’m sure.

All this mindless lip-flapping will simply “promote speculations” (v4). These aren’t so much controversies as distractions. God’s people argue about a boatload of stuff in the Bible that we don’t really have the answers to. How often should we celebrate communion? Should be people be dunked all the way under during baptism? Worship songs or hymns? How loud the music should be? Should we go on? I’ll answer for you. No. Some folks refer to these as open-handed and close-handed issues. There are doctrinal points we need to keep in a kung fu grip. You know the ones. The Trinity. God’s creation of the universe. How we broke His perfect creation. Jesus is the sinless Son of God who died for our sin, was buried, and rose on the third day.  

The main thing is keeping the main thing the main thing. We should put all our efforts into “the stewardship from God that is by faith” (v4). Don’t major in the minors. Let’s avoid speculating on things that we can’t know for sure. Instead, let’s focus on our loving Heavenly Dad, our awesome Big Brother Jesus, and the brothers and sisters we’ll be spending eternity with. That’s the family we need to devote ourselves to. That’s the genealogy that really matters. This is a HUGE reminder that we’re to carefully take care of all that God has given us in Christ. It’s all about our faith in Jesus. What He did for us that we could never do. 

I really don't care if you can shoot the breeze with Worf in his native Klingon tongue. What intergalactic race of beings Yoda is part of, I care not. And I don’t give a hot hoot about Captain America’s political leanings. Instead, how about we spend a good bit of our calendar on what really matters? Who Jesus is. What He has done. Loving those around us. Being a firehose of His grace to everyone we meet.