Getting CrossFit

“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 full acceptance” (1Tim 4:7-9).

Happy New Year! I’m sitting here writing to you on the first morning of 2016. Let me make a couple of predictions about the coming months. First of all, people will pack local gyms as they resolve to get rid of those unwanted love handles. Second, you won’t  be fighting for a treadmill or elliptical machine in February. 

In a letter to the lead pastor of Ephesus Community Church, Paul encourages Timothy that there’s no time better than the present to hit the spiritual gym. “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” (v7-8). It takes intense training to live a godly life on both sides of eternity. It’s time to hit the spiritual gym. Get CrossFit.

The apostle wants Pastor Tim to focus on his own spiritual fitness as they work together to get the Ephesian believers spiritually healthy again. A team of false teachers have been serving up nothing but religious junk food (1Tim 1:3-7; 4:1-3). These hucksters sprinkled just enough Jesus on their teaching that it seemed like truth. Think taco salad. Tasty? You betcha! Healthy? Not so much.

A critical point in our training regimen is to stop woofing down the Twinkies and Ding Dongs of phony religion. “Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths” (v7). Paul once again points out the danger of any teaching that distracts you from following Jesus. It’s anything “irreverent” (v7). The word here (Gr. bebelos) describes something ungodly, profane, or vile. It carries the idea of being over the edge or having gone too far. 

We need to avoid “myths” (v7). The term in the original language is muthos, which means a fanciful story that’s not true or a tall tale that often tells stories about supernatural beings or cult heroes. Think urban legends. The false teachers have been spreading this garbage for quite a while (1Tim 1:4). Don’t get sucked back into them again. This is exactly the warning Paul gives Tim a second time in his second letter (2Tim 4:4). Peter goes out of his way to say the apostles aren’t cooking up “cleverly devised myths (Gr. muthos)” about Jesus (2Pet 1:16).

We all have friends who are over the top in their love of stuff like the Marvel Comic Universe and Star Wars. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with doing a little cosplay or going to Comicon. Just be careful that you’re not fooled into letting the Force be with you instead being filled with the Holy Spirit. You need to put down the light saber and open up the Sword of the Spirit!

Step two is “train yourself for godliness” (v7). Here’s the big idea in this passage. If you were at the health club, they would probably have this painted on the wall as motivation. The word “train” is the Greek verb gumnazo, which means to exercise with discipline, intensity, and focus with the goal of increased strength. It’s the source of our word gymnasium. 

This sort of spiritual training is disciplined and focused. It’s not erratic. It’s not hit or miss. It’s not messing around with aerobics one day, free weights the next, and a little hot yoga the day after. Don’t just flip your Bible open just read at random. Read through entire books. Do studies on topics like prayer or worship or righteousness. Let your training have a routine and a purpose. That’s what it takes to be CrossFit.

I have to tell you that gumnazo originally meant to train naked. Yeah, you read that right. This part of the application is totally up to you. I personally choose to do my morning devotions in no less than my pajamas. But there is an idea here of being laid bare before the Lord. As we study His Word, let everything in you be exposed to God’s truth. Nothing is hidden from your Creator (Ps 139:1-6). While we want to keep our clothes on at the gym, let’s bare all before Almighty God…spiritually speaking.

The focus of our intense, spiritual training is “godliness” (v7). You can translate the word here (Gr. eusebia) as godly life, reverence, or piety. It literally means “good (eu-) worship (-sebia).” This may come as a shock to some of you, but worship isn’t just a set list on Sunday morning. Worship is a lifestyle. We worship well when we put into practice God’s truth. We worship well when we live what we say we believe. We don’t just know God’s commands, we DO God’s commands! One of the goals for a follower of Jesus is to live a “peaceful and quiet life, godly (Gr. eusebia) and dignified in every way” (1Tim 2:2).

Paul does tell Tim that “bodily training is of some value” (v8). Staying in good physical condition has it’s place. Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit (1Cor 6:19). We need to be a good steward of that temple. We should take good care of the only physical body God has given us. But remember, you can’t turn back the clock. Don’t turn exercise and appearance into an idol. 

While it’s good to stay in physical shape, “godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come” (v8). We live a life of good worship to our Savior when we do what He commands. Obeying God is ALWAYS the right thing to do! It’s worthy it every single time. But we have to train with focused intensity. Let’s continually go back to Scripture and hold ourselves up to God’s holy and perfect standard. Let’s connect in Gospel community with other believers for encouragement and accountability. 

At this point in the letter, Paul makes sure Tim and anyone else reading this letter realizes getting CrossFit is a really big deal. “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance” (v9). There’s a pretty good chance this was a catchy slogan in the early church that summed up important doctrine. The apostle uses it several times in his personal letters to his pastor/proteges (1Tim 3:1; 2Tim 2:11; Titus 3:8). Folks can trust this truth. You can take it to the bank. Getting regular spiritual exercise isn't just a great idea for the here and now but for the hereafter.

Don’t miss the point that godliness is of value both now and in eternity. Remember, eternal life starts NOW! Our relationship with Jesus allows us to tap into God’s promise of everlasting life long before we face physical death. We’re able to enjoy God’s overflowing and abundant life on this side of eternity (Jn 10:10). This happens when we follow His rules and laws for life. God’s not a cosmic wet blanket and party pooper. His guidelines are the key to tapping into His overwhelming goodness. They’re guardrails to keep you and me out of the ditch. There’s blessing in obedience, just ask King David. “Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in His commandments” (Ps 112:1). Why not worship well now and enjoy God’s goodness here and now? We do that by getting CrossFit.

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. 

Fakes, Imitations & Cheap Knockoffs

“no devoting themselves to Jewish myths and the commands of people who turn away from the truth” (v14)

My wife and I were walking through the funky, cool neighborhoods of lower Manhattan a few years ago. We love Greenwich Village, Little Italy, and Chinatown. But something surprised us when my wife was looking at purses one tiny shop. The lady behind the counter made her an offer. “We can make it Fendi for you.” What’s she talking about? My lovely bride said, “No, thank you” and we walked out the door. I didn’t have a clue what was going on. Deb let me know that the woman was willing to turn one of the store’s generic purses into a designer bag. Yeah, I’m a little slow on the uptake. For just a few dollars, my wife could have walked out with purse with a Fendi logo. Well, at least one that LOOKED like a Fendi. That was just one of many stores that had to be making a fortune selling fakes, imitations, and cheap knockoffs. 

Here in this letter, Paul tells Titus to shut down a team of false teachers that are peddling a message that sure sounds like the Gospel. It sounds religious. As a matter of fact, it sounds VERY religious. They’re talking about all sorts of Jewish stuff. They sure seem to know what they’re talking about. There’s only one problem. It’s NOT the Gospel. It’s NOT about Jesus. Using a lot of religious mumbo jumbo, these snake oil salesmen aren’t drawing people closer to Christ but farther away. They are selling fakes, imitations, and cheap knockoffs.

One factor that makes any false teacher dangerous is when they seem to know what they are talking about. That’s the case with these Cretan con artists. You see, they’re members of what Paul calls the “circumcision party” (Titus 1:10). They’re Jewish Christians who believe that non-Jews must convert to Judaism before they can even think of following Jesus. This isn't the first time the apostle has run into such crazy talk. It happened in Galatia. Even Paul’s pals Peter and Barnabas got caught up in that mess (Gal 2:7-13). It’s hard for us to wrap our brains around what a huge controversy this was for the new church. Eventually they called a meeting at the home office in Jerusalem to figure out what to do (Acts 15). The leadership team decided that if God was bringing in Gentiles without making them become Jews first, who were they to get in His way.

The false teachers are dazzling these new Cretan Christians with a lot of scriptural hocus pocus. One of the rabbits they pull out of their hat are “Jewish myths and commands of people who turn people from the truth” (v14). They talk at length about stuff that sure sounds churchy and religious. They drop a lot of important sounding theological words. There’s just one little problem. It’s NOT true! It’s NOT God’s Word! And the same thing is still going on today. You’ve heard about this stuff. Kabbalah. The Bible Code. The Daniel Diet. The Search for Noah’s Ark. Folks get caught up in a lot of crap that sure seems religious but actually has very little to do with the Gospel. They’re just fakes, imitations, and cheap knockoffs.

We all need to take a step back and take a long, hard look at what’s being taught. Ultimately, is the message focused on Jesus? Is it telling us who He is and what He’s done? Is it drawing deeper and deeper into a relationship with our Savior? Are we being encouraged to focus on the Author and Finisher of our faith (Heb 12:2)? Or are we simply being fed a big pile of religious sounding hooey? Is it all just spiritual smoke and mirrors? Here’s the bottom line, the entire Bible is about Jesus. He’s THE Hero of THE Story. Don’t major in the minors. As Stephen Covey says, “Keep the main thing, the main thing.” And the Main Thing is JESUS! When we spend all of our time looking at the trees with a microscope, we miss the beauty of the forest of the Gospel! Don’t fall for fakes, imitations, and cheap knockoffs.

Based on a True Story

“For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty” (v16).

“Based on a true story.” How many times have you watched a movie that started with some sort of claim that it was “inspired by actual events”? The problem is that Hollywood tends to play fast and loose with the facts. By the time the story hits the screen at a theater near you, the motion picture has little in common with the story that inspired it. Pete reassures us that he and the boys haven’t jacked around with history. This is based on a true story. They aren’t making this stuff up. 

And why would they? The story of Jesus is already tough to swallow. God becomes a man when He’s born to a teenage girl and a blue-collar carpenter in a backwater village in first century Palestine. He grows up to claim He’s the long-promised Messiah through some of most radical teaching the world has ever heard. And if that’s not enough, Jesus performs one miracle after another. Healing the sick. Feeding the hungry. Raising the dead. He saves His best for last when He Himself walks out of the graveyard after being dead for three days. There’s no reason to sweeten this story. It’s crazy enough already!

Right out of the chute, Pete lets us know that they haven’t fallen for “cleverly devised myths” (v16). He uses a Greek word here (sophizo) that means to invent, skillfully craft or cunningly create. Nobody has manufactured the story of Jesus. No PR firm has put their creative spin on who He is and what He’s done. Pete’s not part of some elaborate conspiracy to dupe the public into following this dude he calls the Christ. What he and the other apostles have been telling the world are not “myths.” The Greek term muthos describes a fable, a legend or some manufactured narrative invented to explain something unknown. As a matter of fact, Pete’s buddy Paul made it clear that if we believe in Jesus, we’re supposed to steer clear of “irreverent, silly myths (Gr. muthos)” (1Tim 4:7).

This is incredibly important considering the context. The apostle is writing this letter for the expressed purpose of shutting up and shutting down a team of false teachers who’ve infiltrated the churches in northeast Asia Minor (2Pet 2:1). Pete knew the false teachers would try to discredit his letter. They would accuse him of making all this stuff up. Can I be blunt? Thank you. Jesus isn’t Santa Claus. He’s not the Easter Bunny. He’s not the Tooth Fairy. Jesus Christ is a real, historical figure. Historians like Josephus who didn’t think He was Messiah wrote about Him. There’s no question about the existence of this radical Rabbi/Carpenter from Nazareth. And if Pete and the boys were spinning tales about Christ, wouldn’t they make themselves look a little better? If I’m Peter, I’m leaving out all that stuff about Jesus calling me Satan. There’s no way I’m including the whole denying my Savior three times at His darkest hour. That’s because Pete’s story isn’t about Pete. It’s all about Jesus. He’s the Hero of the story. As a matter of fact, He’s the Hero of the entire Bible!! This is based on a true story. Peter’s not making this stuff up.

At this point, Pete narrows the “we” down from the Twelve to Jesus’ inner circle of James, John and himself. When you check out the following two verses, you see that he’s talking about the Transfiguration (Mt 17:1-8; Mk 9:2-8; Lk 9:28-36). Peter, James and John were there for Jesus’ miraculous mountaintop meet up with Moses and Elijah. Talk about a summit meeting! When they talk about what happened on the mountain, they talk of “the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (v16). Because of the grammar in the original Greek, we probably should translate this as “the powerful coming” or “the coming in power.” Could he talking about Jesus’ second coming? Pete talked about it in his prequel (1Pet 1:3-7, 13; 4:13). Not this time. Check out Jesus’ own words about His Transfiguration in Mark’s Gospel. “Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power” (Mk 9:1). A lot of folks have huge problems with this verse in Mark because all of Jesus’ crew died before He returned. But what if He was talking about the amazing sneak preview on the mountaintop with Moses and Elijah? Don’t forget that Mark’s Gospel is almost certainly Peter’s version of Jesus’ life told through Barnabas’ cousin. In other words, Pete’s talking specifically here about what he and the Sons of Thunder saw with their own eyes that day. This is based on a true story. He’s not making this stuff up.

While they are there on the mountain, God pulls back the curtain to give the boys a sneak preview of Christ’s divine glory. Pete says they saw it all with their own eyes. “We were eyewitnesses of His majesty” (v16). So what exactly went down that day? According to Mark, Jesus “led them up a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them, and His clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could ever bleach them” (Mk 9:2-3). Sure sounds like they “were eyewitnesses of His majesty.” But that’s not all. Then Moses and Elijah show up in their own dazzling duds to talk to Jesus (Lk 9:30-31). What was the subject of the discussion? “His departure” (Lk 9:31). His death on a cross. His exodos. The very same Greek word Pete uses when talking about his own impending death back in verse 15. If that’s not wild enough, then Father God makes His own appearance in a thick cloud that covers the summit. “This is My beloved Son; listen to Him” (Mk 9:7). Jesus’ Dad gives His Son the greatest “that’s my boy” the universe has ever heard! When the smoke clears and they open their eyes, “they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only” (Mk 9:8). Let’s review. Sparkling appearance. Moses and Elijah. The voice of God. All three of these to confirm that the Rabbi/Carpenter from Galilee is indeed the one and only Son of God. Messiah. The God Man. This is based on a true story. Pete’s not making this stuff up.

So why is this such a big deal? A lot of folks get hung up on the crazy stories in the Old Testament. Talking snakes. Worldwide floods. Fire from the sky. I gotta admit, some of it has hard to wrap your head around. But Pete points us back to Christ. He wants us to know what he saw and what he heard firsthand. Jesus claimed to divine. He said He was the Hero whom God had promised to send. He taught like no one else. He performed mind-blowing miracles. He predicted His death. He predicted His resurrection. And it happened just as He said it would. Peter and Jesus’ other followers were so blown away by what they had seen that they traveled the world telling everyone about Him. They were willing to risk their lives for what they saw and heard. That doesn’t happen over “cleverly devised myths.” I don’t know about you, but I’m not putting my life on the line over a fairy tale. 

This is based on a true story. Pete’s not making this stuff up.