ADVICE FOR BELIEVERS

“Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity!” (1 Tim. 4:12 NKJV).

This advice given by the apostle Paul to Timothy, a young pastor. It is good advice for all Christians, not just for young people. Just as Timothy was to behave wisely lest his ministry for the Lord Jesus be hindered, so should the Christian behave wisely so that their testimony for the Lord Jesus will not be hindered. The apostle Paul gives six areas of conduct in which the Christian should exemplify Christian behavior.

Conversation – “Example . . . in word.” Good speech is becoming. Improper and vulgar language is despicable and only influences for ungodly behavior. Wholesome speech becomes the Christian and will commend a wholesome lifestyle.

Conduct – “Example . . . in conduct.” The word translated “conduct” means behavior, lifestyle. The Christian is to be more than talk; their walk is also to be an example of the believer.

Charity – “Example . . . in love.” What one loves and does not love says volumes. While the world loves that which is ungodly and sinful, the Christian needs to love the truth, love God, love the Bible, love worship, love the church, and love people.

Consecration – “Example . . . in spirit.” The word translated “spirit” has to do with zeal, devotion, and dedication. The Christian need to show zeal in things other than a ball game. They need to show zeal in spiritual matters. Consecration in spiritual matters is vital for a good testimony.

Creed – “Example . . . in faith.” The Christian ought to reflect a better creed (ethics and principles) than the world. The world says, “If it feels good, do it.” The Christian should instead say, “If God commands it, do it.”

Chastity – “Example . . . in purity.” Here the Christian really need to be different from the world. The world has shameful morals. Yet, the Christian must demonstrate chastity (decency and integrity) in their behavior and lifestyle, instead of acting like the world.

(Adapted from Butler’s Daily Bible Reading 3)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“If our life is not a course of humility, self-denial, renunciation of the world, poverty of spirit, and heavenly affection, we do not live the lives of Christians Law!”

William Law (1686 – 1761)

Church of England Priest, Author and Theologian

Word Study

Fled for refuge

In Heb. 6:18 we read, “That by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us” (NKJV).

“Fled for refuge” is the Greek word katapheúgō (καταφεύγω = kat-af-yoo'-go). It is made up of two words: “kata” which is an intensifier and also means down; and “pheugo” which means to flee. Thus, the word means to flee away to some place for refuge. The phrase “fled for refuge” harken back to the Old Testament “cities of refuge” described in Num. 35:9-15; Joshua 20. The Lord appointed six cities, three on each side of the Jordan, into which a man could flee if he had accidentally killed someone. The elders of the city would investigate the case. If they determined that it was indeed manslaughter and not murder, they would permit the man to live in the city until the death of the high priest. Then he could return to his home. The members of the slain man’s family could not avenge themselves so long as the man remained in the city. As believers, we have fled to the Lord Jesus Christ, and He is our eternal refuge. However, our High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ will never die (cf. Heb. 7:23-25); and we have eternal salvation. No avenger can touch us, because the Lord Jesus Christ has already died and arisen from the dead. This means that our guilt is gone and we are forever free. God’s pledge to the manslayer was secure; His pledge to us is also secure. The Lord Jesus Christ provides the safest place, the hope we count on, the encouragement we need.

Did You Know…

Elijah ran for his life from a woman and then told God he had had enough and wanted to die (1 Kings 19:1-4).

Bible Quiz

What was the disciples’ reaction to the Lord Jesus waking up and calming the storm?

**Answer to last week’s Bible Quiz

Which Old Testament character did the apostle James used as an example to demonstrate how the prayers of a righteous man can have powerful results? Elijah (Jam. 5:13-18).

Prophecies Fulfilled by the Lord Jesus Christ

Silent before His accusers (Psalm 38:13; cf. Matt. 27:12-14)

"But I, like a deaf man, do not hear; and I am like a mute who does not open his mouth. Thus I am like a man who does not hear, and in whose mouth is no response” (Psalm 38:13-14 NJKV).

David was so depressed and afflicted that he felt powerless to respond to these attacks.  And so, like a “deaf... mute” he made no reply to the wicked who plotted his destruction (cf. v. 12). Rather he waited for the Lord to answer his prayer and end their triumphant gloating. In a similar manner, the Lord Jesus remained silent before His accusers. He did not say a word in response to the accusations of the Jewish religious leaders (cf. 26:60-66); this amazed Pilate, who urged Him to defend Himself. And why didn’t the Lord Jesus answer Pilate’s questions? His silence had been prophesied in Scripture, “He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth” (cf. Isa.53:7). Further, the time had come for Him to give his life as a sacrifice for sin. Thus, He had no reason to try to prolong the trial or save Himself. While the Jewish leaders fumed and plotted, and Pilate wondered and thought, the Lord Jesus was in complete control. Nothing would stop Him from completing the work He had come to do.

Did You Know – Christian History

Puritan Peter Wentworth Went to the Tower - February 8, 1576

Peter Wentworth was born in 1524, in Oxfordshire, England. He was a prominent Puritan leader in the Parliament of in Elizabethan England.

Wentworth is remembered for insisting that civil rulers are accountable to God and that public counsel must not be governed by fear. In a time when loyalty to the Crown was often measured by silence, Wentworth believed that true service required clear speech, principled restraint, and a conscience shaped by Scripture. On February 8, 1576, Wentworth rose in the House of Commons at Westminster and delivered a bold defense of free speech and the rightful liberty of Parliament. He warned that royal “messages” and pressures designed to curb debate would prevent faithful counsel, weaken the nation, and tempt leaders to flatter rather than speak what is right. Wentworth did not reject authority; he challenged the misuse of it, urging that governance must welcome honest deliberation for the common good. His stand reflected a Biblical pattern: God’s servants honor office while refusing intimidation. “We ought to obey God rather than men!” (Acts 5:29).

But for speaking so plainly, Wentworth was sent to the Tower of London, a place of imprisonment for political and religious offenders. Wentworth died in the Tower on 10 November 1597. The Christian’s vision of courage is not rudeness; it is reverent steadiness under pressure, refusing to trade conviction for comfort. Wentworth’s name endures because he treated speech as stewardship. His example encourages believers to combine humility with backbone, speaking the truth, seeking the good of neighbor, and accepting that obedience to conscience may bring loss before it bears fruit. While in the Tower he wrote A Pithie Exhortation to her Majesty for establishing her Successor to the Crown, a notable treatise preserved in the British Library. His wife, Elizabeth, who had shared his captivity, died the previous year, and was buried on 21 July 1596.

A Little Humor

The old man told the young children, “When I was your age, we didn’t Google Bible verses. We memorized them or faced the paddle!”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“The Lord Jesus changed a grave situation!”