03 Aug August 2nd Weekly Devotional
Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith, (1 Timothy 1:5a)
Are you wondering why the Lord’s church where you worship is not growing? Whether it be in body, or in Spirit?
Are you wondering how to turn it around?
Paul, through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, has told us how to do it, and it is as simple as that.
Paul is writing to his beloved son in the spirit, Timothy. Timothy is his favorite. He left him to minister to the church at Ephesus when he went on to Macedonia.
Now Ephesus was not just some random church with little significance. Ephesus was a pivotal church hub on the western coast of then Asia Minor that served as a sort of headquarters for the first century missionaries to meet, regroup, and go forth.
Before being left in Ephesus, Timothy has been in training for 12-15 years with the greatest teacher of the gospel, outside of Christ Himself.
Paul has just finished commanding Timothy not to teach any other doctrine, but that which is the truth. Do not focus on Greek knowledge that amounts to nothing. Do not focus on Jewish lineage or history or tradition that amounts to nothing.
You teach godly edification which is in the faith.
You teach godly encouragement, in THE Faith.
This is WHAT you do, teach godly encouragement in the faith.
AND this is HOW you do it.
You do it with LOVE FROM A PURE HEART, from a GOOD CONSCIENCE, and from a SINCERE FAITH.
That’s all there is to it. Teach the truth with a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith.
You have to be GENUINE.
Because fake ain’t going to cut it Timothy. People have to KNOW you care, that you love them, and that you want salvation for them. You want them to live forever in heaven with Jesus, the Father, and all the other saints, and you.
You can be in a prime location Timothy. You can be in the busiest city. You can live in a growing community, towns, cities, jobs a plenty, schools a plenty, houses going up and being filled as fast as they can build them, and your church can be steadily on the decline, because although you may even be teaching or preaching or presenting the “truth”, you lack the pure heart, you lack a good clear conscience, and you do not have a sincere faith.
Sounds sort of like a Pharisee doesn’t it? Jesus would say in Matthew 23:3 of those hypocrites, “Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do.”
In the 2nd letter that Paul writes to his son, in the third chapter, he warns him of those who are inside the Lord’s church, who on the outside, may appear righteous, but he warns Timothy to beware.
They hold a form of godliness, but deny its power. They creep in and take advantage of spiritually weak individuals, who may even be loaded down with sin.
Timothy, From such people turn away!
Hold fast the pattern of sounds words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. -Paul, by the Holy Spirit. (2 Timothy 1:13)
He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
So during a busy week, hold fast the pattern of the truth of the Gospel of Jesus, and when you do it, do it with love from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith.
