The Zombie Apocalypse

Long before "Night of the Living Dead," "World War Z," and "The Walking Dead," the Apostle Paul warned Galatian believers of the Zombie Apocalypse (Gal 5:15).  

Hearing the news of what was happening in the churches of Galatia, he knew that the reality of what was happening there was much more gruesome than anything created by Hollywood schlockmaster.

A little context.  Paul and Barnabas made not one but two swings through the cities of Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra and Derbe in what is now modern day Turkey (Acts 13:13-14:23).  

They told everyone there about Jesus, both Jews and Gentiles.  The radical Rabbi/Carpenter from Nazareth is the long awaited Messiah who has completely fulfilled and obeyed the Mosaic law.  

Christ came not only to save His chosen people but the entire world.  Just after Paul and Barney headed home, a group of false teachers called the Judaizers roll into these towns.  

Falsely claiming to be part of apostle's posse, they infiltrate the churches and convince these new believers that Jesus may brought us into His kingdom but it's up to us to stay through through religious rule-following (Gal 1:6; 2:4; 3:1).  Specifically, circumcision (Gal 5:2-11).  

The former Pharisee is so furious about the situation that he says if these spiritual snake oil salesmen are so hepped up on circumcision themselves, they ought to cut EVERYTHING off (Gal 5:12)!!

The Judiazers' counterfeit gospel goes against the freedom we have in Christ that Paul preached everywhere he went (Gal 5:1, 13).  Jesus lived and died under the law in order to be completely obedient to it.  

There's no way we could ever live up to that impossible standard.  God commanded us, "Be holy, for I am holy" (Lev 11:44; 1Pet 1:16).  We don't stand a snowball's chance of doing that apart from what Jesus has done for us.  

The result of the the freedom we have in Christ should lead us to loving and serving one another (Gal 5:13-14).  We're to love God and love others.  We're to have a "Me Third" attitude (Eph 4:31-32; Col 3:5-8).  

But these false teachers and their perverted preaching of self-salvation has taken the focus off of Jesus and others put them back in the mirror.  The result is the Galatian Zombie Apocalypse.

"But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another" (v15).  Instead of living a life of love and freedom in Jesus, the Galatians have turned on one another.  

Most commentators say the language here describes how a pack of wild animals attack and feed.  Paul paints a pretty gory picture.  

First he uses the Greek verb δακνω/dakno.  It means to rip and tear with teeth.  Think gator.  Think shark.  

Next he uses κατεσθειω/katestheio.  This describes something completely eaten.  It was often used when talking about birds.  Think vultures on a carcass.  

Finally we see the verb αναλισκω/analisko.  This term refers to something that's all gone.  Once the attack is complete, there's nothing but a greasy spot where the victim used to be.  

For some of you this conjures up the image of a feeding frenzy on the Discovery Channel.  For others, it sounds like the glassy-eyed undead relentlessly chomping away at their victims.

Paul is warning not just the Galatian churches but churches everywhere against a Zombie Apocalypse.  This is what happens when we take our eyes off of Jesus, the Founder and Perfecter of our faith (Heb 12:2) and begin staring at our own navels.  

The apostle saw it coming (Acts 20:29-30).  When the focus becomes our own sanctification, we so easily fall into what Tullian Tchividjian calls Christian narcissism.  It becomes all about me.  

We suddenly become self-centered, self-focused on our self-salvation.  Instead of born again believers, we're the walking dead.  And nothing stands in our way.  We chew and devour each other.  

Christian cannibalism is not a pretty sight.  It happens to churches everywhere.  Paul is warning us all of what happens when we stop loving each other and serving each other.  

It's the Zombie Apocalypse.

©2012

Jay Jennings

One of These Things Is Not Like the Other

Paul is working like the Dickens to convince the Galatians that a team of false teachers have sold them a pile of garbage.  Actually it’s worst than that as he explains here in verse 12.  To follow their teaching about the law is the exact opposite of trusting in what Jesus has done.

In other words, one of these things is not like the other. Let’s call it the Gospel according to Sesame Street.

The apostle couldn’t be any more clear when he writes, “But the law is not of faith” (v12).  When we trust in the law to save us, we’re actually trusting in ourselves.  It’s a bootstraps gospel.  I can do this on my own.  I don’t need any help from anybody else.  Leave me alone.

It’s the idea that if I simply follow the rules and dow what I’m told, I can be the captain of my own salvation.  Yeah, right.  Paul has just flipped back to Deuteronomy 27:26 to let us know that any slip up in keeping the law is total failure.  It’s all or nothing.  Perfection is the standard.

Once again, the Apostle Paul plops open the OT to make his point.  If the false teachers want to play that game, then game on!  He quotes Leviticus 18:5, “The one who does them shall live by them.”  He explains that if you choose to save yourself through rule following, God says you’re on your own.

But we’ve already seen that this is a dead end street.  No one can live a life of perfect obedience to the law.  

Okay, there’s one Person who did it. Jesus of Nazareth.  The God Man.  The radical Rabbi from Galilee.  The sinless Son of God lived the perfect life that we could never live.  Then He died the death we should have died.  He became sin for us so that we could actually become God’s righteousness (2Cor 5:21).  

When we trust in the law, we trust in our own strength.  When we trust in Jesus, we trust in what He has done that we could never dreamed doing on our own.

Paul is saying that the purpose of the law is to humble us and to break us.  It’s a wall that we slam into at full speed to let us know just how flawed and sinful we are.  We’re the bug.  It’s the windshield.  We need a Savior.  We need Jesus.  I need Jesus!  You need Jesus!!

This also applies to any of our own self-salvation projects.  That includes my beloved “quiet time,” as well as church attendance, serving at church, and any general doing-goodness that I hope will impress God.

There’s just one problem.  In a letter to some friends in a place called Philippi, Paul says that any of that is just a big steaming pile compared to knowing Jesus (Phil 3:8).  

Will I trust in God?  Or will I trust in myself?  One of these things is not like the other.  One of these things is not the same.

©2012

Jay Jennings

Building the Fire

“and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation in Christ Jesus” (2Tim 3:15).

We’re a real fire in the fireplace kinda family. I’ve got nothing against folks who want the no-fuss and no-muss of gas logs. But a stack of ceramic logs that never moves with flames in the same place just doesn’t cut it at our house.

Real fires with real wood take time. You don’t just flip a switch. You don’t just flick your Bic on a big log and start the blaze. You need some paper, a little kindling, and smaller pieces of wood. It takes preparation before you light things up. But when all conditions are perfect, you stand a great chance of a great fire.

Did you know that raising your child to be a follower of Jesus is similar? Let me be straight up about this idea. It belongs to Matt Chandler. But I know a good line when I steal one. Matt says parents should stack all of the spiritual kindling around their kids in the hopes that when the Holy Spirit ignites them, they will burn hot and bright.

Flipping through the Spiritual Scrapbook

Paul says something very similar to Timothy in the very last letter of his life. On Death Row in a Roman prison, who could blame the apostle for reminiscing with one of his favorites? He looks back on Tim’s explosive growth as a follower of Jesus. The former Pharisee knows it goes way back before the young pastor came to place his faith in Christ. “And now from childhood you you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (v15).

The man from Tarsus is flipping through the pages of Tim’s spiritual scrapbook. He recognizes how God used his protege’s family to expose him to Scripture from the time he was an infant. They stacked the kindling. They got the wood ready.

No parent can make their kid a follower of Christ. Only God can do that. But we can stack the kindling. We can make things flammable. That’s what the people did for Timothy as he was growing up. They stacked the kindling. And Once God lit the match in Tim’s life, look out!

Baby Talk

Just how old was Timothy when this began? Was it when he was big enough to go to Sunday School? Surely he had to be mature enough to understand the big ideas of the Bible, right? Would you believe it began when he was a baby? Dare I say, Tiny Tim? Okay, probably not.

Paul reminds him “how from childhood” (v15) the process began. He uses a Greek term we translate “childhood” (Gr. βρεφος/brephos) that describes baby, a very small child, infant, even an unborn child or fetus. It implies the time a child before they are finished nursing.

Check out the other uses of βρεφος/brephos in the NT. Dr. Luke purposely selects this word when telling the story of John the Dunker in utero (Lk 1:41, 44). The good doctor also describes the newborn Jesus when retelling the story of the angel’s instructions to the shepherds to look for a “Baby (Gr. βρεφος/brephos) wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger” (Lk 2:12). Sure enough, the shepherds found the proud parents and their “Baby (Gr. βρεφος/brephos) lying in a manger” (Lk 2:16).

Paul’s buddy Peter uses the term when talking about immature followers of Jesus. “Like newborn infants (Gr. βρεφος/brephos), long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation” (1Pet 2:2). Proper nutrition is critical for the early childhood development. That includes proper spiritual nutrition of God’s truth. And that’s exactly the kind of nourishment Tim received when he was still an itty bitty baby back in Lystra.

Mom and Memaw

This backs up what we read in the opening lines of this letter. Paul recalls Tim’s spiritual heritage when he writes about how the young pastor has “a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure dwells in you as well” (2Tim 1:5). He points out how both Mom and Memaw spiritually invested in Tim’s life. They started early. VERY early!

What a powerful reminder that it’s never to early to start stacking the spiritual kindling in the life of child. Can’t you just picture what it was like in his earliest days? His mom singing sweet worship songs to her newborn baby. Grandma Lois telling her grandson all about the goodness of his gracious Heavenly Dad. Growing up Jewish themselves, they were simply doing what God had commanded through Moses. When it comes to passing along God’s Word, “You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise” (Dt 6:7).

Don’t get all freaked out and think you need to come up with some sort of formal Bible study or daily devotion for your kids. Just make it a regular part of your everyday life. While you’re sitting around. While you’re riding in your car. While you’re putting them to bed. While you’re at breakfast in the morning. You see, we can build the fire anytime and anywhere.

Thanks to both Eunice and Lois, Tim has “been acquainted with the sacred writings” (v15) since before he could walk. The language here in the original language points to something more than general awareness of Scripture. Tim and his Bible are much more than casual acquaintances. The Greek word οιδα/oida points to an intimate relationship with someone or something that leads to appreciation and respect. Let’s just say the Bible at Tim’s house didn’t spend much time on the bookshelf.

Mad Skills

Tim’s mother and grandmother saw the incredible value in the Scriptures “which are able to make you wise” (v15). Paul uses a word here (Gr. σοφιζω/sophizo) which means a whole lot more than just stuffing your head full of facts, dates, and meaningless details. This is all about pursuing knowledge which can be applied. It’s becoming skilled.

God’s Word is not some dusty book full of weird fairy tales. It’s incredibly practical. First of all, it’s God’s written revelation of Himself. The more we learn about Him, the deeper our relationship grows with Him. The result is the realization of just how desperately we need Him. That’s the kind of wisdom it provides. These are the kind of mad skills we all need.

Sure there’s all sorts of very practical tips in places like Proverbs. But Jesus is so much more than an awesome life coach. He’s my Savior. He’s my Lord. He’s my God. Scripture provides the most practical wisdom I’ll ever find anywhere. My need for Jesus. My need for His grace. When I’m regularly exposed to God’s Word, there’s a really good chance that everything will eventually all click together.

When the Lightbulb Comes on

The lightbulb that eventually turns on is actually the Light of the World. That’s what Paul means when he says Scripture is just what Tim needed “for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (v15). Jesus is the exclusive source of salvation (Acts 4:12). The one and only access to our Heavenly Dad is through His one and only Son (Jn 14:6). There may be a single point of spiritual rescue but it’s available to anyone and everyone. Because of God’s overflowing love for us, anyone who goes all in on Jesus gains immediate access to eternal life (Jn 3:16). He welcomes all comers.

We place our “faith in Christ Jesus” (15), not in ourselves. I can’t save myself. It’s just not possible. Don’t believe me? God invites us to take a shot at self-salvation by following His rules. You’ll find them listed in painful detail in what we call the Old Testament. It would have been the only Bible people like Lois, Eunice, Tim, and Paul had back in the day.

Saving Yourself by Following the Rules

The rules God gives in Leviticus alone are so complicated it will make your head hurt. I can barely read through the levitical laws much less obey them. So let’s just cut it back to what we call the Ten Commandments (Ex 20:3-17; Dt 5:7-21). I may think I’m a good person because I’ve never killed anyone or had an affair. But that’s only two out of ten. Give me a polygraph on the other eight and I’m in a world of hurt. I’m a train wreck when it comes to God’s Top Ten.

But hey, that’s the Old Testament. It’s all about a mean ol’ God full of judgment and wrath. Surely the God of the New Testament has softened up in His old age. Isn’t that where we find all that talk of love, mercy, and grace? Isn’t Jesus all warm and fuzzy? For Pete’s sake, you’ve seen the pictures of Him carrying a lamb on His shoulders, haven’t you?

Jesus Raises the Bar

There’s just one problem with that. It’s called the New Testament. In His most famous sermon of all time, Jesus doesn’t lower the bar but raises it so high that we could never dream of clearing it (Mt 5:1-7:29). In His Sermon on the Mount, our Savior tells the crowd to not make the mistake of thinking He’s tossing the OT in the trash can (Mt 5:17). Think the Law was impossible? Take a run at these new rules!

Suddenly getting angry is equal to murder (Mt 5:21-22). A wandering eye is equal to an affair (Mt 5:27-28). Get the idea? The good news is that Jesus also says that while He’s not rewriting the rulebook, He is going to obey all of them for us. “I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Mt 5:17). The Rule Maker becomes the Rule Keeper.

The CT Scan Can’t Cure

So what does all of this have to do with Paul’s words to Timothy about “salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (v15)? The big idea is that God’s story that we read throughout the Bible is all about how desperately we need a Hero and God’s promise to send Him. Both the OT and the Sermon on the Mount are like spiritual CT scans that reveal my sin. No matter how often they’re used, they can’t heal. They only diagnose.

The Gospel is the cure. The grace of Jesus is the remedy. He does for us what we can never do for ourselves. He lives the perfect life of obedience to God’s Law that we fail to live. He dies the death for our sin on the cross that we should have died. He rises to the glorious resurrection life that we certainly don’t deserve. We also place our trust in His loving leadership as our Lord.

Caution: Flammable!

When we see Jesus as the Hero of God’s story in Scripture, the fire ignites in a big way. It takes time to stack the kindling in people’s lives. Instead of driving folks away with a long list of rules, begin carefully building spiritually flammable materials in their lives. Tell them about God’s incredible goodness. Point out how He loves us so much that He sent His Son for us.

Do this for your kids. For your grandkids. For your neighbors. For the weird guy in the next cubicle at work. For golf buddies. Will it seem weird and awkward at times? Probably. But take the time stack the kindling. Take the time to build the fire. Don’t be surprised when God lights them up! Watch out! Caution: Flammable!

Prehistoric Grace

“who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of His own purpose and grace, which He gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began” (2Tim 1:9).

Let’s turn back the clock. Back before there were laptops and smartphones. Back before America was a twinkle in our founding fathers’ eye. Back before the cross. Back before the dinosaurs. Back before Adam and Eve snuck their sinful snack. Let’s turn back the clock before there was even a clock. 

Did you realize that’s when God saved you? According to Paul, it was God “who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of His own purpose and grace, which He gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began” (v9). Maybe you thought he saved you during Vacation Bible School when you were seven. Or maybe during the altar call at the bonfire on the last night of Christian youth camp. I’ve got news for you, it was WAY before that. So long before that you and I had absolutely nothing to do with it.  

Forget Jurassic Park. God rescued me with prehistoric grace.

Here in 2nd Timothy, Paul writes to his protege as the clock ticks down on the apostle’s life. The apostle sits on Death Row at the notorious Mamertine Prison in Rome. He fires off one final note as he walks the Green Mile (2Tim 4:6-7). Paul begs Tim to hit the road and come see him one final time before it’s too late (2Tim 1:4; 4:9, 21). In this last minute call for help, he reminds us of how God came to our rescue and called us long before we could ever answer. 

The prisoner/apostle tells Tim how it is God “who saved us and called us to a holy calling” (v9). “Saved” has become such a part of the Christianese lingo that we’ve lost so much of it’s original meaning. It’s the Greek verb sozo, which describes a rescue from danger or bringing someone out from certain death. When Peter tried waterskiing without a boat and began to sink, he yelled to our Savior, “Lord save (Gr. sozo) me!” (Mt 14:30). We desperately needed saving after our first parents believed the lie of a satanic snake and thought God was holding out on us (Gen 3:1-7). The result? God’s perfect creation is broken and we’re the ones who did it. The universe needs fixing and we need to be rescued. One look at the internet every morning reminds of that horrible truth.

While the crime scene tape was still up in Eden, God promised to send a Hero to help us. He would send One who would eventually crush Satan’s skull (Gen 3:15). The rest of Scripture tells the Big Story of our Big Savior. That’s entire point of Bible. God the Father would eventually send His very own Son to save our bacon. The Second Person of the Trinity would leave the luxury of the heavenly palace and make the ultimate dumpster dive into the deep end of our sin. It’s the greatest search and rescue mission the universe has ever seen. Who saved us? God saved us.

Our Creator didn’t just drag us onto the bank and walk away. He wasn’t done with us. He also “called us to a holy calling” (v9). Seems straight from the Department of Redundancy Department, doesn’t it? A closer look at what Paul has to say reveals a very powerful and personal invitation to a very important assignment. God has “called” you and me. The original text uses a word (Gr. kaleo) which means to invite, summon individually, or select for a specific task or new relationship. God’s call isn’t some random invitation. This is no piece of metaphysical junk mail randomly addressed to “occupant.” 

Jesus personally asks us to join Him in His one-of-a-kind work. “A holy calling” (v8). You might think Paul is just talking about priests, nuns, bishops, preachers, and pastors. You know, professional Christ followers. Did you realize there’s really no secular/sacred divide when it comes to work? As believers, you and I are just as much on the receiving end of God’s holy calling as anyone wearing a collar, habit, pointy hat, or blow-dried mullet.

In other words, God has a job for us to do no matter what kind of job we have. We’re to be shiners of His light and spreaders of His salt whatever we do and wherever we go. We’re ALL called. Every single follower of Christ. You. Me. Us. Them. We’re all ministers. Paul’s buddy Pete likes to tell every believer, “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called (Gr. kaleo) you out of darkness and into His marvelous light” (1Pet 2:9). No seminary degree required. Kinda changes your approach to work, doesn’t it?

While every follower of Jesus actually works for God, He doesn’t save us “because of our works” (v9). Think you’re up to saving yourself? All you have to do is follow everyone of God’s rules, laws, and commands. If you’re keeping score at home, there are 613 in the Old Testament. Add to those another 1,050 commandments in the New. And make sure you maintain 100% obedience. According to Jesus’ kid brother James, whoever “fails in one point has become accountable for all of it” (James 2:10). Raise your hand if you’ve got a perfect score. Anyone? Bueller? Bueller? I didn’t think so.

So what’s the point of God’s commands if they’re not a to-do list for self-salvation? Think of His law as a diagnostic tool like an MRI or X-Ray. These amazing medical machines can’t cure you, but they certainly can tell the doctor what’s wrong. Paul tells believers in Rome, “For by works of the law no human being will be justified in His sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin” (Rom 3:20). The law of God diagnoses our sin sickness. Our prognosis is terminal. 

There’s only one cure. What God’s law diagnoses, God’s Gospel heals. Or in Paul’s words, we’re only saved “because of His own purpose and grace” (v9). The word we translate as “purpose” (Gr. prothesis) literally describes something put in place prior or set down before everything else. It’s the idea of a publicly announced plan or something placed in full view for everyone to see. Think of a mission statement you see on a lobby wall in a business. God saves us because it’s His publicly announced mission. It’s His purpose. It’s His plan. You gotta love it when a plan comes together!

He comes to our rescue as a result of His “grace” (v9). Here’s yet another word we throw around the church that it loses it’s oomph. Grace is God’s totally undeserved and overflowing goodness to us. Remember, we’re rebels against His kingdom who deserve punishment (Eph 2:1-2, 12; Col 1:21). But while we were still shaking our fists in rebellion, Jesus came to save us (Rom 5:6, 8, 10). God isn’t some Scrooge when it to His grace. He loves to “show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one can boast” (Eph 2:7-9). I need to stop bragging about what I’ve done and start celebrating at what He’s done!

God cooked up this crazy plan of saving us by His grace a long time ago. So long ago that there was even any time. This happened when “He gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began” (v9). Just in case you missed His jaw-dropping generosity the first time, here it is again. The Great Giver lavishes it on us (v9). He gives us His Son (Jn 3:16). His Son gives us His life (1Jn 3:16). The Father and Son give us the Spirit (Jn 14:15-31). And because He gives, we’re to give. Stop being so stingy. With your time. With your talents. With your treasures. He gave them to us so we could give them away. We’re blessed to be a blessing.

Jesus did for us what we could never ever do for ourselves. While we’re complete failures at God’s rule-following, He’s a total Rock Star. In His most famous sermon of all-time, Christ announced He didn’t come as some sort of cosmic loophole to the law, but to do what we couldn’t. “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Mt 5:17). Paul says it this way. God is BOTH the “Just and the Justifier” (Rom 3:26).

What does this mean? I can’t save myself. I would have a better chance of trying to jump to the moon (and I’ve got the vertical leap of a hippo!). But when I place my trust in Jesus, everything changes. He lives the perfect life I can’t. He dies the death for my sin I should have died. He rises to the new life I don’t deserve. That’s what God “gave us in Christ Jesus” (v9).

This all went down “before the ages began” (v9). Paul’s original phrase here (Gr. pro chronon aionion) gets translated several different ways:

“Before the world began” (KJV, NKJV).

“Long before the world began” (NLT).

“Before the beginning of time” (NIV).

“From all eternity” (NASB).

“Before times eternal” (BBE).

“Before the times of the ages” (YLT).

In other words, this all happened before God invented the measurement of time and started the clock. If you’re wondering, that’s a long time ago. A VERY long time ago! This is prehistoric grace!!

This isn’t the only place where the Bible talks about how God got to work saving us before the clock starting ticking. A few years back, Paul wrote to his Ephesian friends about God’s prehistoric grace. “He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and blameless before Him” (Eph 1:4, emphasis added). He didn’t just choose us B.C. but B.T. And by B.T., I mean “before time.” You see, when your the Eternal Creator and the Inventor of time, you can do this kind of thing.

What He started before He started the clock, He promises to finish before time runs out. “God knew what He was doing from the beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love Him along the same lines as the life of His Son. The Son stands first in the line of humanity He restored. We see the original intended shape of our lives there in Him. After God made that decision of what His children should be like, He followed it up by calling people by name. After He called them by name, He set them on a basis with Himself. And then, after getting them established, He stayed with them to the end, gloriously completing what He had begun” (Rom 8:29-30 The Message).

Forget Jurassic Park. God rescued me with prehistoric grace.

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?

The Gospel According to Cheap Trick

“This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1Tim 2:3-4).

“I want you to want me.” Any Cheap Trick fans out there? If you love the 70s like I do, you can sing this little ditty from memory. (As a matter of fact, it’s probably running through your head right now.) This track is all about some dude’s desperate crush on a girl who simply doesn’t feel the same way he does. It’s what literature calls unrequited love. 

So what in the name of pop rock does this Cheap Trick tune have to do with Paul’s first letter to Timothy? Here in chapter two, the apostle tells his spiritual son just how much God desires a relationship with the people He made in His image. “This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (v3-4). Let me be clear. I’m NOT saying God has some desire to sing lead for a rock band. But it doesn’t take much imagination to hear the song of His heart for those who are far from Him. He wants us to want Him. Call it the Gospel according to Cheap Trick.

Before anybody freaks out over this comparison of Almighty God and a random rock song, let me be clear. God may want us to want Him, but He certainly does NOT need us to need Him. He doesn’t need anything. As God, He’s absolutely satisfied in Himself. For heaven’s sake, the Godhead is made up of the Trinity. The Father, Son, and Spirit have the most awesome relationship the universe will ever know. God didn’t create the human race out of some dysfunctional loneliness. Far from it. He created us as an act of overflowing goodness. End of disclaimer. We now return you to your regular programming.

Paul begins the second chapter of his letter to the pastor of the Ephesian megachurch with an encouragement for us to pray. Pray in every way possible for every person you can think of (1Tim 2:1). Use every tool in the prayer tool box. Use every club in the bag. The best thing you can do for someone is to talk to your Heavenly Dad on their behalf. More specifically, let’s lift up our governmental leaders (2Tim 2:2). The purpose is so we can be good citizens and be a blessing to our community. 

The apostle goes on to say, “This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior” (v3). He uses the Greek word apodektos which the ESV translates as “pleasing” (v3). It only shows up twice in the entire Bible, both right here in this epistle (1Tim 5:4). The term literally means to gladly receive something from another. When we pray for others, God doesn’t begrudgingly take these petitions like kid getting a pajamas on Christmas morning.

We need to remember that God is particularly pumped to get prayers for others, especially for our leaders. He loves to see His people living peacefully, quietly, godly, and dignified lives. Or in the words of The Message, “This is the way our Savior God wants us to live” (v3 The Message). What do you get the God who has everything (and I do mean EVERYTHING!)? How about prayers for others?!? The Lord is excited to receive them! They’re always the perfect size and always the right color. Unlike that frightfully ugly sweater you opened last Christmas. No, really. I love it. I’ve always wanted a pullover with a cat wearing a Santa Claus costume. Really.

Paul then drops the same title he used in the opening line of the letter. “God our Savior” (v3, 1Tim 1:1). It’s a powerful reminder that we desperately need outside intervention in order to be saved. Let’s be clear. We can’t save ourselves. I can’t. You can’t. Neither can Billy Graham. Just in case you’d like to give self-salvation a shot, all you have to do is obey every single law in the Bible. Every. Single. One. You see, God set a standard of spotless perfection. Despite this impossible goal, just about everyone one of us gives it a go at some point in our lives. Some of you are STILL trying. In the words of the great philosopher and theologian Dr. Phil, “How’s that workin’ for ya?”

That’s where “God our Savior” comes in. We can’t save ourselves. As the sinless Son of God, Jesus left the comforts of heaven to perform the ultimate search and rescue mission. He dove into the dumpster of sin we made of God’s perfect paradise. He lived the perfect life that we failed to live. He died the death for our sin that we should have died. He rose to new life that we don’t deserve. “God our Savior” came to our rescue. He did for us what we could never dream of doing for ourselves. 

Our Savior God “desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (v4). The key word here is “desires,” which is the Greek term thelo. It describes a desire, a wish, or a want. If you asked God what He really wanted, this would be at the top of the list. In His heart of hearts, He desires that every single person would turn to Him for salvation. Or in the words of Cheap Trick, He wants us to want Him.

And God wants ALL of us to want ALL of Him. Before you think we’re going all Calvinistic or Arminian, just stop right there. Save that debate for another day. Later in this very letter, Paul tells Tim, “We have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially this who believe” (1Tim 4:10). His heart is to rescue everyone. Every. Single. Person. It’s only those those who place their trust in Jesus who realize His grace. The Message has an awesome take on this truth. “He wants not only us but everyone saved” (v4 The Message). Every. Single. Person.

This all ties into the timing of Jesus’ spectacular encore. Who wouldn’t love be alive to see that?!? Paul’s buddy Peter says it’s Christ’s heart of compassion that delays His return and final judgment of sin. “The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2Pet 3:9). He’s not late. He’s simply waiting for every person possible to turn to Him. He wants ALL of us to want ALL of Him. 

That’s not all. God wanted you to be saved more than you did. He wants your friends and family to be saved more than you do. He cares for people more than you do. He loves people more than you do. You might think the Old Testament is all about a wrathful God who just can’t wait to fling one of His supernatural lightning bolts when we mess up. Far from it. “Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord GOD” (Ezek 18:23, 32). Our disobedience absolutely breaks His heart. He wants us to want Him but there’s just on problem. We continually reject His offer of the everlasting life preserver.

So why doesn’t God the Savior simply save everyone? He IS God after all. If He’s almighty and wants everyone to be in His kingdom, why doesn’t He just do it? It all goes back to the beginning. And when I say “beginning,” I mean “in the beginning” (Gen 1:1). When He made us in His image (Gen 1:26-27), He gave us the ability to choose. Now our sin has horribly corrupted our choices. Inherent in that choice is possibility to NOT choose God.

You see, He didn’t make us robots who are programmed to follow and obey Him. He wants us to want Him. How cruel would God be if He rescued those who don’t want any part of Him? It’s said that the gates of Hell are locked from the inside. Those who reject Jesus actually choose to be there. To drag everyone who turns their back on Christ to spend eternity with Him would be brutal. The best way to understand what this is the Gospel according to Cheap Trick. He wants us to want Him. 

God saves us when we “come to the knowledge of the truth” (v4). Not just the facts, but the truth. You don’t experience His rescue by simply memorizing historical data about the existence of some radical Rabbi/Carpenter from the boondocks of Galilee. We trust in who He is and what He’s done for us. We trust in THE Truth with a capital T. As Henry Blackaby says, Truth is a Person. 

Jesus Himself left no doubt about it when He boldly told His disciples, “I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (Jn 14:6). Not a truth. THE Truth. Christ is the wisdom of God in human flesh (1Cor 1:24). We experience that Truth when we follow Him obediently. Or as the Amplified Bible says, that’s when we “perceive and recognize and discern and know precisely and correctly the [divine] Truth” (v4 AMP).He wants us to know the Truth. He wants us to want Him.

So what does God want us to want to do with this? You and I need to realize that there’s no one in the universe who desires for people to be saved more than God. You may have a white hot burning passion for certain people in your life to know Jesus. But that’s a smoldering cinder compared to the fire in the heart of Christ for them. And His love isn’t limited to just the folks on your list. His heart is for very single person you lock eyes with to step under the waterfall of His grace. 

Remember, He loves the entire world so much He sent His Son to the rescue (Jn 3:16). Whatever you do, don’t stop praying for them. Don’t stop telling them about our Savior. Don’t stop loving them. He doesn’t. Don’t give up on them. He doesn’t. He won’t force them using some sort of supernatural submission hold. He longs for every one of us to willing desire a relationship with Him. He wants them to want Him. He wants you to want Him. He wants us to want Him. It’s the Gospel according to Cheap Trick.

Turning Enemies into Friends

“though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief” (1Tim 1:13)

I need you to use your imagination for a moment. And I need you to crank it up to 11. Picture the number one enemy of the Christian faith suddenly switching sides and becoming a spokesperson for the Son of God. Try to wrap your brain around the idea of an enemy like Osama bin Laden unexpectedly spreading the love of Jesus across the planet instead of trying to wipe His followers from the face of the earth. Hard to imagine, right?

That’s EXACTLY the kind of guy that Jesus chose not only use to spread His Gospel throughout the Roman Empire but write most of the New Testament. In a letter to Timothy, Paul reflects on his wrap sheet. “Though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief” (v13). The apostle knows without a doubt he didn’t make a mistake. He realizes he wasn’t simply misguided. He didn’t just say “my bad.” He was a rebel with a cause against Christ. Despite all of that, Jesus overwhelmed His enemy in His amazing mercy. What a great reminder that our Savior loves to qualify the disqualified. That means me. That means you.

It’s easy to loose sight of Paul’s background when we see him at this point in his life. He’s Christ’s handpicked apostle to non-Jews everywhere. When he’s not in jail for upsetting local authorities with the Gospel, he’s always on the road telling everyone who will listen that the resurrected Jesus is the Hero sent straight from heaven to save the world. But before he was Paul, he was Saul. Before he was an apostle, he was an assassin. Before he was a missionary, he was a murderer. Before he was Jesus’ biggest proponent, he was Jesus’ biggest opponent. It’s a great reminder of the turnarounds our Savior loves to pull. He’s not looking to make good people better. The Son of God didn’t just water in to wine. You've heard of frenemies. Jesus loves turning His enemies into His friends.

Paul has nothing to hide from his spiritual son. He’s left Tim in Ephesus to pastor the growing megachurch there while he heads off the Macedonia (1Tim 1:3). The apostle gives his protege specific instructions to shut down a team of false teachers who are stirring up trouble (1Tim 1:3-7). The man from Tarsus knows all about what it means to be against the Gospel. He devoted himself to that cause for years. At the time, he sincerely believed he was doing the right thing. He was sincerely wrong. What did it get him? The realization that he was “blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent” (v13) of God. Just in case you were wondering, God beats His enemies. Every. Single. Time. The Generals have a better chance against the Globetrotters.

The apostle readily admits that he once was a “blasphemer (Gr. blasphemos)” (v13). This is a person who defames another in general and someone who speaks against God more specifically. But this is the idea of someone who openly insults another. A slanderer who trashes your reputation. In today’s culture, we call it hate speech. It’s literally someone who hurts another with their words. Now you can’t really injure Almighty God with what you say. The truth is the only person you’re really hurting is yourself. 

Paul also transparently tells Tim that he was a “persecutor” (v13) in the past. He uses a Greek term (Gr. dioktes) that paints portrait of a person preoccupied with causing others to pain (say THAT three times fast!). It comes from a verb that means to chase swiftly or hunt down. The book of Acts doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to Paul’s relentless pursuit of Jesus’ followers. He led house-to-house raids (Acts 8:3; 9:1). He mercilessly tortured many right in the synagogue (Acts 26:11). He had martyrs’ blood on his hands as well (Acts 22:4; 26:10). Paul comes clean to the Galatians about how he “persecuted the church God violently” (Gal 1:13). The apostle doesn’t shy away from his days as a Christian hunter.

If that doesn’t make your skin crawl, the apostle formerly known as Saul lays his cards on the table as a former “insolent opponent” (v13). This describes someone who is a violent aggressor. But it’s even worse than that. There’s arrogance and superiority involved. It’s someone with a superior attitude who mistreats others out of their own rebellion against God’s truth. Think hate groups like the KKK who intentionally look down on their enemies and do what they can to wipe them off the map. Before Jesus saved him, Paul saw little to no value in anyone below him in the religious pecking order. 

Oh, how times and hearts have changed. The jaw-dropping turnaround started a few years back when this Hebrew up-and-comer was on one of his patented search-and-destroy missions to Damascus. That’s when the resurrected Christ made it clear to Saul that when he persecutes His church, he persecutes Jesus personally (Acts 9:4-5; 22:7-8; 26:14-15). Once God shined his holy light of truth on Paul’s life, he saw his sin for what it really was. He saw himself for who he really was.

That was the very moment when Paul “obtained mercy” (v13) from His Savior. He uses a verb (Gr. ele’eo) that is less about a judicial ruling in his favor but receiving compassion or pity. Over and over, it’s what people tossed aside by society would plead Christ for. Two visually impaired men chased after Jesus and shouted, “Have mercy (Gr. ele’eo) on us, Son of David” (Mt 9:27). You and I would probably put this torturer and terrorist at the top of the most wanted list, NOT God’s mercy list. But in a letter to the Roman church, Paul reminds believers of what God said to Moses. “I will have mercy on (Gr. ele’eo) whom I have mercy (Gr. ele’eo)…So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy (Gr. ele’eo)” (Rom 9:15, 16). We need to remember that God showers His compassion on those He chooses. We don’t earn it. We can’t earn it. Our man Paul knows that better than most.

Saul/Paul quite simply did not understand who Jesus was and what He had done, or in his words, “because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief” (v13). As a member of the Pharisees, he believed it was up to him to save himself by building up a religious resume so impressive that God had to accept him (Phil 3:4-7). His admission of ignorance is not an excuse or an attempt to rationalize all he had done. Until Jesus blindsided him on the highway outside Damascus, this rising Jewish rock star was defending his religion against these whacky radicals. 

Like so many people around the world today, he mistakenly believed HE was on a mission from God. He was convinced this movement called the Way was clearly headed the wrong way. But the confrontation with Christ flipped on the light switch. Paul then realized that the only thing that matters is a personal relationship with Jesus and everything else was nothing more than a big steaming pile (Phil 3:7-9).

So what can we take from these words written from a mentor to his protege more than 2,000 years ago? What can we learn from this verse? Don’t miss the fact that Paul confessed. Throughout the New Testament, we see that he confessed early and often. Once Jesus shines His holy light on his life, the apostle understood exactly who he was and what he had done. Then he said it out loud. His sin was all out in the open.    

Confession brings our sin out from hiding. Funny thing. What seems so scary and mean in the dark becomes kinda wimpy when we drag it into the light. Horror movies are so horrible in the daytime. When we keep our sin secret, we carry it alone. Jesus’ little brother James knew the importance of confessing our sins to our closest spiritual brothers and sisters (James 5:16). Find a trusted crew of believers and open up. Reveal your mess. Disclose your dirt. Divulge your darkness. Stop carrying your secret crap all alone. Owning up to our sin also puts the focus on Jesus and His goodness…as it should be. In case you forgot, it’s not about you. Don’t impress. Confess. It’s what happens when Jesus turns us from one of His enemies into a friend.

Shining through the Cracks

“In accordance with the Gospel of glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted” (1Tim 1:11)

It’s over. Everything is ruined. And what’s worse, I’m the one who ruined it. Ever been there? Ever taken that disgusting and depressing look back at your own life and seen nothing but a dumpster of destruction, most of it self-inflicted? If your world was a little league game, someone should have used the mercy rule. It’s painfully obvious that it’s “Goodnight. Game over. Drive home safely.” 

If that’s you, meet my friend Paul. A few years back, everybody knew him as Saul of Tarsus. One of the rising stars of Judaism. He was so fired up about his religion that he was going to rid the planet of a pesky sect of people claiming that a radical Rabbi from the boondocks. He cheered when his buddies spilled the blood of a Jesus follower named Stephen. He became a one-man wrecking crew against this so-called Way. Arresting some. Torturing some. Even murdering others. 

But Jesus transforms Saul the murderer into Paul the missionary. God’s grace flips the script in a wacky way that is almost unbelievable. In a letter to his protege Timothy, the former Pharisee describes this radical transformation as “in accordance with the Gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted” (v11). The beauty of Paul’s story is how incredibly Christ used him despite his sordid history. Someone did institute the mercy rule for the terrorist from Tarsus. That Someone was Jesus. He also used the grace rule, drenching His newest apostle in His descending, one-way love just at the point he didn’t deserve it. So just when you and I think we’re useless, we’re the most useful. The Gospel allows God’s glory to shine through our brokenness.

Tim has had a front row seat to watch Jesus work in and through the man he knows as his spiritual dad (1Tim 1:2). He hopped aboard the Gospel party wagon during Paul’s second expedition around the Mediterranean Rim at a tour stop in Lystra (Acts 16:1-5). Talk about perfect timing. That was right before God threw the doors of Europe open to the message of Christ for the very first time (Acts 16:9-10). If you think the Beatles’ invasion of the U.S. was something, check out what went down in these first cities when the Gospel came to town. 

Philippi (Acts 16:12-40). 

Thessalonica (Acts 17:1-9). 

Berea (Acts 17:10-15). 

Athens (Acts 17:16-34). 

Corinth (Acts 18:1-17).

Chances are Tim was part of Paul’s team when he rolled into the massive Asian seaport of Ephesus and set up shop for three years (Acts 20:13). Now several years later, the apostle has left his righthand man to pastor the growing megachurch there while he takes the message of Jesus to Macedonia once again (1Tim 1:3). Paul just can’t stop telling everyone he meets everywhere he goes about “the Gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted” (v11). Jesus took His adversary and made him His apostle. So, do you still think you’re useless?

Paul will talk your ear off about “the Gospel of glory” (v11). So just what exactly is the Gospel? For a lot of us who grew up in the church, the term has become more familiar than the Jello salad your aunt brought to every potluck in the fellowship hall. “Gospel” is the Greek word euaggelion, which literally means “good message” or “beautiful announcement.” Back in the day, a messenger would hustle back from the war with the announcement that the home team has gotten the W in battle. That’s why some folks translate it as good news. But it’s not just good, it’s GRRRRRREAT!!! Jesus has personally just put the smack down on our sin for the win. Yeah, that qualifies as GREAT NEWS!!!

You did hear all about it, didn’t you? It’s such GREAT NEWS, we really can’t hear about it enough. Jesus did for us what we could never dream of doing for ourselves. According to God’s standard, we’re supposed to live a perfect life. When we didn’t, Christ did it for us. As a result of our rebellion, we were supposed to die. Instead Jesus died on the cross in our place. We desperately need new life, but there’s no way as the walking dead that we can climb out of the grave on our own. Once again, the Son of God walks out of the cemetery for us. And if that’s not awesome enough, Jesus declares that there’s absolutely nothing we have to do to STAY in God’s kingdom. I told you it was GREAT NEWS!!! 

Compare that with the crap the team of spiritual hucksters have been peddling to Ephesian believers. According to their counterfeit gospel that says we have to work to stay saved. Jesus may have gotten us in, but we have to do everything we can to stay there. Their gospel garbage isn’t GREAT news. It’s not even okay news. What they’re selling is awful news. Just as it’s impossible to get into God’s kingdom without Jesus help, there’s no way we can stay in without Him. See, I told it wasn’t such good news.

This incredible announcement of Christ’s victory on our behalf is a dazzling reflection of God’s own goodness. Paul describes it as “the Gospel of glory” (v11). The Greek word for “glory” (Gr. doxa) absolutely sparkles in meaning. Think radiance, brilliance, splendor, and majesty. It’s what Bill Murray and the boys in “Stripes” like to call the ol’ razzle dazzle. God’s glory is spectacular. It’s jaw-dropping. The former Pharisee should know. The resurrected Jesus literally blindsided him with the brilliance of His glory when Paul was on one of his infamous search-and-destroy missions to Damascus. “Since I could not see because of the brightness (Gr. doxa) of that light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me and came into Damascus” (Acts 22:11). The glory of Christ shocks us and drops us to our knees. Glory will do that to you.

Make no mistake just Whose news this is. It’s God’s Gospel. He’s the Author. It was His idea. He came up with something so wild, so crazy that nobody else in the universe could have dream up this ridiculous plan. His Good News totally shocks the angels (1Pet 1:12). The false teachers didn’t cook it up. Paul didn't make it up. It’s God’s Gospel. He holds the copyright. As the saying goes, it’s often imitated but never duplicated. It’s His and His alone. But the awesome thing is that He’s not stinging with His message. God is ready to share it with anyone willing to put their faith in Jesus. Did I mention this is GREAT NEWS?!?!?!?

If this isn’t crazy enough already, guess who Jesus personally drafted as His number one spokesperson to non-Jews. If you said “Paul,” you win the prize! The apostle tells Tim how our Savior has “entrusted” (v11) with this blockbuster news. When Paul made a trip to the home office in Jerusalem, church leaders “saw that I had been entrusted with the Gospel” to non-Jews while Peter had similar marching orders to tell Jewish people that Jesus is Messiah (Gal 2:7). God believed in what He could do through Paul, not because of anything Paul brought to the table. God believed in what He could do through him because of God’s own faithfulness. Remember, Jesus is faithful even when we’re not (2Tim 2:13).

Jesus handpicked the former terrorist despite his sorted history. Or maybe BECAUSE of it! Paul’s brokenness provides cracks for God’s Gospel to shine through. That’s exactly what he wrote to the Corinthians about. “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us” (2Cor 4:7). It’s NOT about the jar. It’s about Jesus. It’s about letting His Gospel shine in and through us. The Gospel allows God’s glory to shine through our brokenness.

So what about you? If Christ can use Paul, why can’t He use you? Maybe you think your long list of mistakes disqualifies you from serving Jesus. Think again. How does your resume stack up to the apostle’s? Persecuted any Christians lately? Hunted down Jesus’ followers in your spare time? Tortured them? Murdered them? Didn’t think so. On the other hand, we all have our stuff. We all have our failures. We all have our mistakes. But let Jesus glow through the cracks. You see, the Gospel allows God’s glory to shine through our brokenness.