Timothy (1 Thess. 3:1-3)

This weekend in our study of 1 Thessalonians we learned that Timothy’s primary mission was to be a positive blessing and help to the Thessalonian Christians. He was to strengthen (sthri√zai; cf. v. 13) them, to make them firm and solid in the faith. He was also sent to encourage (parakale√sai; cf. 2:12) them by providing what they needed to fight the good fight of faith, individually and collectively. Much of the ministry of the apostles was devoted to grounding new converts in the faith, a ministry as necessary today as it was in the first century.^[1]  Great sacrifices were made to ensure that follow up and true discipleship took place in the early church and I challenged our church to be willing to do the same.  I am pleased at how many of you have taken that challenge and already begun to implement the things God has laid on your heart.

The fact of the matter is that Paul’s ministry was bigger than Paul.  Without people like Timothy, Paul would have never been as successful in planting churches and building the Kingdom.  Paul mentions Timothy in six of his thirteen[2] books (2 Cor. 1:1; Phil. 1:1; Col. 1:1; 1 Thess. 1:1; 2 Thess. 1:1; Philem. 1. Paul also wrote two letters ( 1 & 2 Timothy) directly to Timothy.  Therefore; we see the presence of this young leader in eight of Paul’s thirteen New Testament letters.  We also know that Paul sent Timothy on some of the most important, and difficult missions his worldwide ministry had to offer. He sent him to:

  

1)   Asia- Acts 20:4

2)   Ephesus- Acts 19:22

3)   Rome- 2 Tim 4:9

4)   Philippi- Phili 2:20-22

5)   Berea- Acts 17:14-15

6)   Macedonia- Acts 18:5; 19:22

7)   Corinth- 1 Cor. 16:10, 2 Cor 1:19

8)   Thessalonica- 1 Thess 3:2

9)   We also know that he went with Paul in his journey through Phrygia, Galatia, and Mysia; also to Troas and Athens[3]

The message for believers today is simple.  Each of us play an important part in God’s Kingdom.  Will we all be famous and well known like the Apostle Paul?  Of course not!  But there are no small ministries in God’s Kingdom.  Timothy used his God given gifts and faithfully fulfilled the mission he was given.  Even though Timothy is not the first person you think of when the New Testament is mentioned, without people like Timothy it is doubtful that we would recognize Paul’s name either.  God is glorified and the Kingdom benefits when we all work together for the greater good.  Do your part, use your gifts, strengthen and encourage those in your circle of influence, and share your faith with as many as possible and you will be amazed at what God can do through you.  If you would like to listen to this message click here and search in the media player for "Timothy"

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^[1]John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck, eds. The Bible Knowledge Commentary: New Testament. Accordance electronic ed. (Wheaton: Victor Books, 1983), n.p.

[2] There is a great deal of debate about how many books Paul actually wrote.  Numbers range from 7-14 books.  For this post Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus and Philemon are considered to be Paul’s writings.  Some include Hebrews in the list as well. 

[3] Easton’s Bible Dictionary, s.v. “Timothy,” n.p.

Soccer and Jesus...

While the World Cup might not be real popular in America, many in the rest of the world set their clocks by it.  From the moment the final whistle blew on the 2010 world cup, fans from all around the world started the countdown to 2014 when the event will take place in South America.  There is a strong Christian movement in Brazil and South America in general right now.  Some in Brazil have already started making plans for evangelism work to take place surrounding the world cup in 2014.  What foresight, vision, and extreme passion these men and women have!  Not for a game, but for eternity.  I wonder what part our church and others in America, might play in this event that captivates the world for weeks and causes millions to flock into the host country from all around the world?  What a stage, what a mission, what an incredible opportunity, Soccer and Jesus who would have thought??? 

Read the Article "Higher Goals" here

Focus on the Females By Dr. James Dobson

With my first daughter on the way, I was intrigued when I saw this article.  Dr. Dobson's book Bringing up Boys was GREAT.  When I heard he was releasing Bringing Up Girls I knew I would want to read it.  Admittedly, I have not yet read his newest book but I plan to in the near future.  The article linked here is something that anyone with girls should read.  And you might want to pick up a copy of Dr. Dobson's books if you have boys or girls. They are worth the small investment.

Doing Things For God 1 Thessalonians 2:2

1 Thessalonians 2:2 NIV ...but with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel...

   When you consider the extreme suffering, persecution, pain, and torment that Paul has faced just before his arrival in Thessalonica one question naturally arises. Why in the world would Paul go to Thessalonica? Why would he go to proclaim the good news and risk more pain, humiliation, or possibly death? Then we naturally think "he must have really loved God to go do this for God." What makes peole like Paul do what they do?  

   The answer is simple, Paul did not do anything for God, instead he did things with God, there is a huge difference between the two.  When I think back on my past and I began to think about all the things I've attempted for God, it is clear that some of them have worked out, but on the other hand many of them have failed miserably as well. When I consider the things I have done with God it is easy to see that not a  single one has ever failed.
    There is a difference between doing things for God and doing things with God. We go out and we think we just need to just go do stuff for God. Wrong. We need to do things with God. Paul says, "With the help of God, we dared to tell you the gospel." Without God's help, these men wouldn't have gone to Thessalonica. If they didn't believe God was in the middle of this mission, and that God wanted them to be in this city, they wouldn't have packed up and headed to the next city. They would have instead gone home, but with the help of God and because God was in it, and because they wanted to participate with God, they went and they dared to tell these people in this new city the gospel.

   May we never go out and try to tell somebody the gospel for God. May we never go out and try to do it because our pastor said we need to or we have to. Instead, we need to go out and do it with God. We know God wants us to do this. We know that Jesus wants all men to be called unto Himself to be saved. That's what's happening here in Thessalonica. The church of Thessalonica, what set them apart was they weren't doing these things for God; they were doing these things with God. May we never forget the difference between the two.

Failure 1 Thessalonians 2:1 NIV

1 Thessalonians 2:1 NIV You know, brothers, that our visit to you was not a failure. 

   Have you ever felt like a failure?  Has anyone ever accused your ministry or something that you attempted to do for the kingdom of God to be a failure?  Let's face it, failure is a part of life and we will all be forced to deal with it.  Paul and his companions had dared to share the gospel while in Thessolanica and now as he ministers in Corinth he receives word that people are claiming that his ministry and his efforts in that city were a failure.

   Some translations translate the word failure a little bit differently because it is a difficult word to translate from the Greek text. If you have a King James Version of the Bible, a New King James, a New American Standard, an English Standard Version of the Bible, they use the word vain. One translation says, "For you yourselves know, brothers, that our coming to you was not in vain." Another translation says, "You know, brothers and sisters, that our time with you was not wasted." The New English translation says, "For you yourselves know, brothers and sisters, about our coming to you. It has not proven to be purposeless."

  The Greek word is kenos, it doesn't just mean wasted, and it doesn't just mean vain, and it doesn't just mean worthless, it means all of the above. It means whatever you put your energy and your effort and your time into turned out to be pointless. It turned out to be ineffective. It turned out to be a waste of time. In other words it turned out to not be worth the effort.

   Paul calls the church to remember that while they were there, the things they did and the things they said and the way they dared to tell them His gospel, made a difference and had an effect on the lives of people all because they dared to share. Because they dared to do that, people's lives had been transformed and a city was in the process of being changed all because Paul and those with him dared to go and tell. They dared to share the gospel. 

   When we dare to tell others the good news we are not promised a 100% success rate.  We are not guaranteed to receive accolades, awards, and the applause of all men.  But we can be certain that the work we do in God's Kingdom is never wasted or pointless.   

My Dad Just Got an Iphone... And I need your advice...

Maybe it's a sign from God but my dad just got an iphone.  I would have never in a million years thought that my dad would own such a stunning piece of technology.  If my dad can use it anyone can.  He had never even had an email, now he has an iphone, crazy!  Ok time to move on to my point.

My friend Geoff Surratt wrote in his recent book, Ten Stupid Things That Keep Churches from Growing: How Leaders Can Overcome Costly Mistakes, the following about Technology:

"Sometimes when we talk about updating technology people will say that Paul didn't need the latest technology to spread the gospel. I think Paul did use the best technology available at the time. He did not write his letters on stone tablets or paint them on cave walls. He often traveled by ship or by horseback rather than by foot. I believe that if Paul lived in the twenty-first century, he would have a blog detailing his missionary journeys, stream his sermons on the internet, and send pastoral emails to the churches in Asia. When he said that he used all means possible so that he might save some, I can't help but believe that would include cutting-edge technology."

At Cowboy Fellowship we have always tried to be up to date on the latest technology without jumping into fads or crazy things that no one else is using.  We were one of the first Cowboy Churches to have a web site, put sermons and other media up for others to download, and as far as I know we are the only Cowboy church that streams live video from our weekend services. We use video and other media in our worship services.  We have cameras to ensure that everyone gets the best view possible as well.  I just wonder what's next?

My dad has an iphone... and with the new ipad now on the market I just wonder what it means for the church.  I can't see myself ever preaching from an ipad, but if I was sitting in church every week as a member I would love to read my bible and follow along with the sermon notes on one.  I wonder if a church app for Cowboy Fellowship would be useful for anyone?  App development has gotten much cheaper and the church app could tie into our live sermon streams, media, podcasts, calendar, online giving, announcements, and much more.  I don't know what all this means, all I know is my dad has an iphone and that has to mean something.  Do you think we should be the first Cowboy Church to have an iphone/ipad app?  Let me know, I really want to hear from you! Leave a comment or email me.

There seems to be an increasing interest among many people about Angels  I read a book many years ago that was very well researched and written entitled Angels: Elect and Evil by C. Fred Dickason.  He covers just about any topic you can imagine when it comes to both good and bad angels.  There is a great deal of scripture in this book to back up each of his points.  I don't consider myself to be an expert on this topic, but if things like this interest you, this book is worth a read.  It really helped me to understand more about Angels.