Category: suffering and sickness

Tips to Timid Timothy to Tolerate Troubling Times #5

Thursday, December 5, 2013

“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7 KJV).

We have often heard the expression “timid Timothy,” but have you ever wondered why he was timid?

Timothy was despised because of his young age (1 Timothy 4:12), he was imprisoned for Jesus Christ at least once (Hebrews 13:23), he was facing intense opposition from false teachers (1 Timothy 1:3-11), and he suffered “often infirmities” (1 Timothy 5:23). Now, Paul, his dear friend and brother in Christ, is in prison again. Timothy is beset with troubles, troubles, troubles! He is weary, mentally and emotionally distressed. He wants to give up.

If Timothy is to survive the troubles yet to come (more false teaching, and worst of all, Paul’s execution), his mind must be corrected, reminded of God’s truth, and this farewell letter from Paul will accomplish just that. Today’s Scripture is excerpted from the Apostle Paul’s final epistle. If ever Timothy needed to remember his identity in Jesus Christ, it is now!

The Holy Spirit, writing through Paul, is preparing Timothy to handle the impending death of his good friend, and the increasing doctrinal errors within the Body of Christ. The Church the Body of Christ needs Timothy to “be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 2:1), to remain faithful in the message of God’s grace and pass it on to “faithful men” who will teach others also (verse 2), to “endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ” (verse 3). He needs not abandon God’s people when they need godly, mature leadership. The apostasy that is already occurring—the forsaking of Pauline grace truths and the embracing of the (Scriptural) Mosaic Law—is nothing new (2 Timothy 1:15).

Timothy needs to be reminded of today’s Scripture, three concepts that are key to handling all troubles. Let us discuss these three provisions that God has given Timothy (and us!) in Christ, and how they can sustain him (and us!) amidst those troubles of life….

Tips to Timid Timothy to Tolerate Troubling Times #4

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7 KJV).

We have often heard the expression “timid Timothy,” but have you ever wondered why he was timid?

Let us read today’s Scripture in its context (Paul writing to Timothy): “Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy; when I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also. Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God” (verses 4-8).

Timothy was a young man when he trusted Jesus Christ alone as his personal Saviour. His grandmother and mother had educated him in the Scriptures (cf. 2 Timothy 3:15). Before Paul first met him in Acts 16:1-3, Timothy had a respectable testimony among other Christians. Thereafter, Timothy faithfully served with Paul in his ministry amongst the Gentiles: Paul had ordained Timothy to function in that ministry as a “secondary” apostle (“the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands;” 2 Timothy 1:6). In the context of today’s Scripture (see previous paragraph), Paul is reminding Timothy of his ordination (which he evidently forgot because of his dire circumstances).

Timothy is now ashamed: he wants to surrender to the opposition. The persecution, the false teaching, his young age, and now Paul’s imprisonment, have distracted Timothy (Satan’s goal). He is not thinking like God has designed a Christian to think, and today’s Scripture is the key to him handling the opposition as a mature Christian….

Tips to Timid Timothy to Tolerate Troubling Times #3

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7 KJV).

We have often heard the expression “timid Timothy,” but have you ever wondered why he was timid?

Satan, God’s arch-nemesis, has implemented—and is still employing—various clever strategies (“wiles,” “devices,” et cetera) that hinder God’s purpose for creation. Although most professing Christians are completely ignorant of how Satan schemes and deceives, he is very much aware of what they are supposed to be doing (and he works tirelessly to keep them unlearned).

For those Christians who do know what God is doing, and they are, by faith, doing the same, Satan has a two-fold plan of assault. Firstly, he will attempt to mislead the Christian and get him or her to water down God’s Word (message). If the Christian does not compromise, then Satan will attack the Christian (messenger). Although this is true throughout the Scriptures, acknowledging Satan’s implementation of it in Paul and Timothy’s ministries is needful in comprehending today’s Scripture.

Paul was committed to faithfully transmitting—preaching, teaching, and writing—the doctrines of God’s grace. Satan understood that he could not get Paul to corrupt God’s Word, so then he began to use evil men—kings, priests, emperors, and common unbelieving Jews—to physically hinder Paul’s ministry (as documented throughout the book of Acts; cf. 1 Thessalonians 2:14-16).

In the context of today’s Scripture, Paul is in prison for preaching an “illegal” religion in the Roman Empire (2 Timothy 2:8,9). Satan is attempting to use Paul’s troubling circumstances to discourage him and Timothy. In addition, Timothy’s young age causes older “educated” people to criticize and disregard his ministry: Paul encouraged Timothy, “Let no man despise thy youth” (1 Timothy 4:12). Timothy has faithfully held to God’s Word rightly divided, just as Paul had instructed him (1 Timothy 1:3-11), but the constant opposition is beginning to greatly weary him. Timothy is beginning to shy away, wanting to give up. The false teachers have intimidated him to near-silence.

Now we see why Paul wrote what he did in today’s Scripture….

In Every Thing Give Thanks

Thursday, November 28, 2013

“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18 KJV).

Dear saints, take a moment this Thanksgiving to learn a valuable lesson from the Holy Scriptures!

God wants “all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:3,4). To be “saved” here means you have been rescued from the penalty of sin (hell and the lake of fire), and that you have a home in heaven, because you have trusted the death, shed blood, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ as sufficient payment for your sins. To “come unto the knowledge of the truth” is when a person who has trusted Christ, begins to understand why God saved him or her, and how God will use him or her for His glory. Although soul salvation is instantaneous, spiritual maturity is a life-long process (that is especially true regarding handling difficulties, the grace way!).

It is human nature to avoid difficulties and stress, to flee them, rather than confront them. This self-preservation is advantageous, particularly in “life or death” situations. However, running from troubling circumstances is not the way God has designed our life in Christ to function. Today’s Scripture says, “In every thing give thanks,” not “For every thing give thanks.” We do not thank God for our troubles; we thank God while we are enduring those troubles. This is tough, I know, but it takes time for us to learn it. Even the Apostle Paul had to learn this.

“Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:11-13).

Be thankful in every thing. God’s grace is sufficient for you, dear saint, in all of life’s circumstances. When you learn this, you are “[coming] unto the knowledge of the truth.”

*Excerpted from our Thanksgiving 2012 Bible study with the same name. That study can be read here or watched here.

A Refuge in the Storms of Life

Sunday, November 17, 2013

“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13 KJV).

Here is an encouraging study for our dear Christian grace brethren in the Philippines….

We greatly rejoice in our Lord Jesus Christ, having recently received electronic reports that you, our Filipino grace brethren in Christ, are still accessing our online studies. You have survived the recent mega-typhoon, and you are now privileged with this opportunity of sharing the Word of God’s Grace with your kinsmen in the flesh, who need its hope and joy now more than ever. May you bring our Saviour and Lord Jesus Christ, the Person whose grace now sustains you and whose peace now comforts you, to them, that they too can be equipped in Him to endure all of life’s trials, troubles, and tragedies.

Brethren, we cannot imagine what struggles you are facing, but rest assured, you are on our hearts, and you are in our thoughts and prayers. On behalf of the Christian grace believers here in the United States, I can assure you that we are sending donations to assist you in recovery.

Most importantly, we greatly encourage you to “be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 2:1). The Apostle Paul—himself in a prison in Rome—wrote in today’s Scripture that he learned to be content, no matter what his circumstances:

“Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:11-13).

Whether we have everything in the material world or we have nothing in the material world, we are still “complete in [Christ]” (Colossians 2:10). Our souls are still secure forever, and Christ has equipped us to handle all of life’s issues until we leave this world. Quoting a dear Christian brother, “You can endure because you will endure!” 🙂

“The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.”

Big Brother Versus Heavenly Father #1

Monday, November 4, 2013

“…for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me” (Hebrews 13:5c,6 KJV).

Big Brother is watching; Heavenly Father is, too!

In this world of increasing technology and communication, there is growing discussion about “government spying” and “government tracking.” Even some Christians fear making online purchases, owning “smart” cell phones, or even maintaining a Facebook account, lest “big brother’s eye” see.

Although prudent, this apprehension can—and often does—lead to extremes. Yea, such a mindset generates all sorts of peculiar behavior. Eventually, we will draw the curtains and huddle in dark corners of our homes, we will hide in underground bunkers, and we will relocate into the wilderness, jumping to safety just before the evil world system grabs us!

When the Christian is browbeaten by and swept into this paranoia (fueled by the “quality” news reports of the mainstream media), he or she is unwittingly playing into Satan’s deception. He or she becomes more focused on Satan’s world system, thereby failing to appreciate the deliverance that God has promised him or her in the Lord Jesus Christ! It seems like some Christians have more interest in their government coming to get them before their God comes to get them. This should not be, dear saints.

Have we forgotten about our security and victory in Jesus Christ that we so often proclaim? We are too busy thinking about this hopeless world to remember our hope in Jesus Christ, too depressed to have the joy of the Holy Ghost, and too disturbed to have the peace of God. Satan could not be happier; the Christian is helping further his policy of evil!

In today’s Scripture, the writer of the book of Hebrews reminds the believing Jews in the (future) seven-year Tribulation period that, although they are living in the worst period of human history, they should not fear the government of man. We would do well if we looked at this doctrine from Israel’s program, and notice the parallels in the program God is operating today….

Strength in Weakness

Saturday, November 2, 2013

“My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9 KJV).

When you realize God’s grace is all that you have, then you realize that God’s grace is all that you need!

Yesterday, I visited Brother “G.” for the first time since his wife of 55 years died Wednesday. He knows that she is present with the Lord, but understandably, he is lost without her. In his own words, “I know the verses, but they seem like ‘just words’ right now.” In his own strength, he cannot make it; but God’s grace is more than enough to get him through it.

Beloved, knowing the verses is easy, but applying them to life is hard. Our old sin nature rejects God’s Word, as the Apostle Paul delineated in Romans 7:22,23: “For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.”

Paul, as a saved individual, took pleasure in God’s Word in his spirit (spiritual body). However, he still lived in a physical body—“the body of sin” (Romans 6:6)—that was genetically related to Adam (the origin of man’s anti-God nature). You are strongly encouraged to read Romans chapter 7 in its entirety, but suffice it to say that Paul labored in vain to live the Christian life in his own strength. Sin would defeat him every time, and he lamented in verse 24: “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?”

The solution to this “flesh-walking” is Romans chapter 8: “walking after the Spirit.” We study the Bible rightly divided for ourselves, and no matter what circumstance in life, we, by faith, allow the indwelling Holy Spirit to then work in us using the verses that apply to those specific circumstances. We are weak; Jesus Christ is strong. “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13). In Christ, we are equipped to handle every situation, good or bad, and He will live His life in us if we let Him.

Where Was God? #7

Friday, September 20, 2013

“Why standest thou afar off, O LORD? why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble?” (Psalm 10:1 KJV).

One of the most common questions ever asked….

Jesus Christ said of Israel, “Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe” (John 4:48). Signs, miracles, and wonders are the nation Israel’s birthright: in Psalm 74:9, Israel confesses they are “our signs.” Paul wrote, “For the Jews require a sign” (1 Corinthians 1:22a).

Rather than seeking visible and audible proof of God’s working today—angelic visitations, miraculous healings, financial deliverance, “small still voices,” et cetera—we walk by faith. When writing to and about us in this the Dispensation of Grace, Paul wrote, “(For we walk by faith, not by sight: )” (2 Corinthians 5:7). Jesus Christ stated, “Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed” (John 20:29).

Where is God during tragedies? He is working in and through us Christians using His Word, that those troubles not destroy us. The way God intervenes today is by directly (yet invisibly) working in our inner man: He takes His rightly divided Word that we study and believe, and His indwelling Holy Spirit uses it to transform us from the inside out. Read 1 Thessalonians 2:13: “…the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.”

God gives us strength (Philippians 4:11-13) and grace to bear those troubles (2 Corinthians 12:7-10). Philippians 2:13: “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” Paul prayed: “That he [God] would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man” (Ephesians 3:16). See 2 Corinthians 4:16-18.

Jesus Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords, is exiled today. He is sitting at His heavenly Father’s right hand in glory. Until He returns to earth and deposes Satan and his minions, this “present evil world” will continue as is (Galatians 1:4; cf. 2 Corinthians 4:4). Let us remember that we have hope: we Christians are not here forever, and while we are here, the Lord is in us and here with us! 🙂

Where Was God? #6

Thursday, September 19, 2013

“Why standest thou afar off, O LORD? why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble?” (Psalm 10:1 KJV).

One of the most common questions ever asked….

When God does not react to situations, especially tragedies, the way people expect Him, He is accused of being “negligent.” They consider how He visibly and directly intervened and rescued people from various dangers in Bible times. Since He does not do this today, people erroneously conclude that He must be unconcerned, that He is judging us for un-confessed sin, et cetera.

This outlook results from a rather simple error—a failure to approach the Bible dispensationally. We are not Israel, so by going to the Bible verses written to and about Israel in an attempt to discover what God is doing today with us, is simply a dangerous—and, quite frankly, satanic—method of handling the Scriptures. To ignore the verses written to us, and to “name and claim” the verses not written to us, is dishonest. We cannot make God do something He is not doing: He is not operating Israel’s program today.

God is not using extra-biblical methods (circumstances, angels, feelings, emotions, “visions,” et cetera) to reveal His will to us—we have God’s complete, written, and authoritative Word, the Holy King James Bible (Ephesians 1:9,10; Ephesians 3:4; 2 Timothy 3:15-17). Specifically, Jesus Christ is speaking to us through Paul’s epistles, Romans through Philemon, for those 13 Bible books are God’s Word written to and about us Gentiles (Romans 11:13; 1 Corinthians 14:37). Today, God is dispensing grace, not law (Romans 6:14,15). God is currently forming the Church the Body of Christ, not the nation Israel (Ephesians 2:13-22). Today, God is forming a heavenly people, not an earthly people (Ephesians 2:6,7).

In this the Dispensation of Grace, members of the Church the Body of Christ endured bodily sickness and other difficult circumstances (Romans 8:18-25; 2 Corinthians 11:22-30; 2 Corinthians 12:7,8; 2 Thessalonians 1:3-7; 1 Timothy 5:23; 2 Timothy 4:20). Rather than God removing those troubles, He gave those Christians strength, hope, and grace to bear them (Romans 8:24,25; 1 Corinthians 10:13; 2 Corinthians 12:9,10; Philippians 4:11-13). In Christ, we are equipped to endure “all things….”

Where Was God? #5

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

“Why standest thou afar off, O LORD? why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble?” (Psalm 10:1 KJV).

One of the most common questions ever asked….

The psalmist, like many today, wonders and inquires of God’s whereabouts in times of trouble. Actually, Psalm 10 is a prayer of imprecation: it is the prayer of a believing Jew living during the (future) seven-year Tribulation, a prayer in which that believer is beseeching the Lord Jesus Christ to appear and judge the wicked who are severely oppressing and mercilessly executing His people, to avenge the deaths of His believing remnant in Israel.

Actually, the Apostle John, centuries later, elaborated: “And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: and they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled” (Revelation 6:9-11).

Notice, in the future, the souls of the slain Tribulation saints will be in heaven, begging the Lord to no longer delay in avenging their deaths. Now we understand why the psalmist, still alive on earth, says what he does in today’s Scripture. Jesus Christ cannot come back and judge the earth in His righteous indignation until Satan’s evil world system has fully run its course.

Concerning us in this the Dispensation of Grace, Christ’s delay is advantageous to lost people. Jesus Christ Himself is truly the only hope planet earth has. Before He pours out His wrath and rids the world of Satan’s influence, He will continue to be “longsuffering” so people can escape that impending wrath by faith in Him (2 Peter 3:3-9,15,16). Jesus Christ is purposefully tarrying.

Until Jesus Christ returns to make every wrong right, God offers us a wealth of resources in Christ to cope….