A Charge to Live, 2 Timothy 4:1

A Charge To Live

2 Timothy 4:1 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge:

Paul had told Timothy to be a workman approved by God. He was to remain faithful to his call and to take a stand against godlessness. He warned him about those who would rise up in the church to teach falsehoods and work to get others to do the same. After all this, Paul says... I give you this charge... (we'll save the specific charge for next time...) I give you this charge he says... And as you contemplate your calling, keep in mind that Jesus knows you, he is your judge, and he will return one day. This charge Paul was about to give was of great importance. His task would affect the souls of many into eternity. When Jesus returns, he will establish his kingdom and sit and judge all peoples of the world. Many of their destinies would be determined through Timothy's faithfulness.

K and A, the destinies of many also lie in your hands. If you are not faithful to God and his call, they may never make it to the kingdom and will be lost for eternity. I know that is a heavy statement, but it is true. Live out the charge you have been given, do the good you know to do, for it is a eternal importance to you and to others!

~Dad

Song:
  A Charge To Keep I Have (Old Wesley Hymn)

Jesus Will Return, 2 Timothy 4:1

Jesus Will Return

2 Timothy 4:1 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge:

We know that Jesus knows all, and we know that one day he will judge all. He will return some day and both the living and those that have preceded them in death will stand before the Judge to give an accounting of what has been done in the body. Then, he will separate the good from the bad and send the bad to everlasting torment.

But, that is not the only reason for his return. No, He is coming back in the clouds to meet those who know him. He will come and take them to be with him forever. In the last day, he will create a new heaven and a new earth, and his people shall be with him forever.

K and A, Christ shall appear one day, arriving on the clouds, coming for you! You will be called by the trumpet to meet him in the air! Jesus knows you and is coming for you. You have been washed by the blood of the Lamb and will be separated out from the rest to be with him in glory. Keep your clothes clean so that you have the right to live forever!

~Dad

Jesus Knows, 2 Timothy 4:1

Jesus Knows

2 Timothy 4:1 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge:

Jesus went up into Heaven and sat down at the right hand of God the Father. And one day, those that have believed on Jesus shall go to be with him forever. We will be in the presence of God. What a joyous and wonderful time!

But what about now?... Jesus is back with the Father but we are left here. :(   That sounds sad... but it is not! For,even now, we are in the presence of God. When Jesus left, he went back to heaven and sent the Holy Spirit to be with us. We are now in the presence of Jesus here on earth. We can be assured that he is here, for he promised to send the Spirit. He is here. When we do wrong , he is here to convict us, so we know the difference between sin and righteousness and choose not to fall into judgement. We can trust him to guide us into truth.

K and A, be assured that Jesus knows all. You are in his presence, right here, right now. When you do good, he knows and is pleased. When you do wrong, he knows and will convict you of your sin. You may think he leaves it slide, but do not think for a moment that he did see or that he doesn't care. He does. Do what is right and just. Care about other's needs. Reach out to help them both physically and spiritually. Jesus knows what how you love and serve others and will reward you for it, both here and in eternity.

~Dad

Jesus Our Judge, 2 Timothy 4:1

Jesus Our Judge

2 Timothy 4:1 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge:

And the charge is... will discuss that next time. Today, we need to discuss our loving God, the one who reached out to us when we could care less about him, the one who was willing to look past out sin and love us before we loved him, the one who died for us even though we were rebellious. Yes this is the one whom we will discuss. Jesus was and is all that, yet he will also, one day be our judge. This loving, patient, friend, who is willing to forgive what we have done against him and his father, this same person, will be the Judge of all. That day, he will not excuse our wrongs, he will not reach out any longer. That day he will judge what we have done, and that day we will either enter into his joys or be thrown into the lake of fire!

K and A, Heaven and Hell are real! How you respond to Christ now will determine where you end up on that day. Jesus, the judge, is part of his character. You must never forget that. The teaching of today is that this loving God would not send people to hell, or that if you just accept him, you're good to go forever. Do not be fooled. Matthew 25 tell you how you will be judged, according to what you have done for him and in Revelations 20, if your name is found in the Lamb's Book of Life. Remember it is not just a once and done prayer of salvation... it is a life surrendered to Christ. Remain in his love, daughters, and he will remain in you through eternity!

~Dad

Thoroughly Equipped, 2 Timothy 3:17

Thoroughly Equipped

2 Timothy 3:17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

It's faith. It s all about faith. It is faith plus nothing. Nothing but faith! I have heard that erroneously  preached and talked about way too often. Sad, because Scripture is full of examples and statements and commands that require Christians to work for the night is coming, to do the will of the Father. Good works are the sign of our faith. They go hand in hand. If you do not have good works, your faith is dead. This is why righteousness is so important, for right living equips us for every good work. Doing what is right enables us to do good for others. That is the a major outworking of our faith... serving others by helping them in their time of need, whatever it may be. The more we are equipped, the more ways we can help those in need.

A and K, prepare yourself to do good works. You are created by God to do just that! Preparation comes through living a righteous life. If you aren't good on the inside, you cannot be good on the outside. Consider the needs of others and be Christ to them. Carry their burdens. Love them. Help where you can. The more thoroughly you prepare, the more ways you can help!

~Dad

Song:
  Work for the Night is Coming
  Work for the Night is Coming (in case you prefer English)

God's Word Is Useful, 2 Timothy 3:16

God's Word Is Useful

2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness

When the Bible talks about the Scripture, it is referring to the Old Testament. Today we equate the canonized New Testament to the Old, and believe it also is the Word of God. There were certain qualifiers placed on the books that would be included in what we call the Ne Testament. You can find other "lost" books out there, and they have many good teaching and truths, but they did not pass the test to be included. Just because they were claimed to be written by Godly first century followers of Christ, those books did not pass the test. There are a lot of godly books written by great men of the faith today, yet we certainly do not include them as God's Word.

That said, the Old and New Testament have been shown reliable, and we believe them to be inerrant in their original forms. We can trust them to make us wise for salvation. But we also use it to show us how live out our faith. In this verse, Paul was referring specifically to the Old Testament. What is the Old Testament good for?... For:

• Teaching us how to live our lives for Christ
• Rebuking us so we know we are doing wrong
• Correcting our ways so we change our actions and do right
• Training us so we avoid sin in the future

A and K, many people avoid the Old Testament. You would be foolish to do so. In there lies the heart of God. Christ did not come to earth to abolish the teachings of the Old Testament, he came to fulfil them! You must take the Old Testament in light of the New Testament. Remember that they are not opposing texts but complimentary ones. God did not wake up one day and say, I've changed my character. Throw all that old stuff out. I want to try something new. No, he uses the characters and situation of the past to teach us how to live. God does not change his mind like man. He continues to love mankind, reach out to us, desires to free us, provides a way for us, communes with us, and will one day will be with us forever. Sadly that is only true for some. I pray it is true for you. It will be, if you use all of the Bible to teach you how to walk in righteousness.

~Dad

Born A Christian - NOT, 2 Timothy 3:14-15

Born A Christian - NOT

2 Timothy 3-15 and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

There are some people who think that because their parents are Christians or that they grew up in church and went through catechism, they too are Christians. Well, as it has been said, God doesn't have any grandchildren. The Scriptures only make you wise for salvation. They do not save you. It matters not how early in your life you heard the Good News or how often you have done so, salvation comes through faith in Jesus Christ, believing that he alone paid the price for your sins. No heritage nor any amount of memorized Scripture can save you. It is a personal decision you commit to. One that is to be lived out everyday.

A and K, each of you have chosen Jesus as the way of salvation. Good choice! In fact, that is the only choice to make if you want your sins forgiven and you want to live with Christ forever. You had an advantage over more than 95% of the people in the world. You grew up in a Christian home and in church. You have been taught truths that most never heard. But, what are you going to do with that privilege? My first hope is that you live it your entire life. Then, my pray is that you pass it along to the next generation. Make your home a place where the holy Scriptures are seen and heard. Teach your children even before they are born, so that they too can learn them from infancy. And finally, make your home and your life a living Word for others to see, that they too may know the way of salvation. Living your faith is like salvation itself, it is your choice to make. Continue the heritage...

~Dad

Song
  Jesus Paid It All (piano with lyrics)