Forge Church

Jonah was a prophet of Yahweh in the nation of Israel, after the 10 tribes split off of Judah, and worshipped the gold calf idols in Hebron and Dan. God's message was to Ninevah, in Assyria, one of Israel's enemies, that had made Israel a vassal nation. We all know the plot line for Jonah, but let's press in to Holy Spirit for what lies behind the plot.

Paul finishes his epistle to Timothy, and through him, to the Ephesian churches, with exhortations to Timothy to flee the false teachings and passion for quick wealth, while pursuing righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness. Then Paul turns to Timothy and imparts a title, "Man of God," on him while urging him to fight the good fight of faith. Then he addresses those in the churches that have wealth, and how to use it. He closes with "Grace be with you" to Timothy.

Paul addresses Timothy with the needs in the churches of Ephesus brought about by slaves and masters in the congregations. He then shifts over to pointing out a further set of errors by the false teaachers, this time in relationship to financial greed.

Paul is instructing Timothy, by Holy Spirit, regarding Church Discipline in the churches of Ephesus. Those Elders who lead well, teach the Word of God with passion and clarity, are due the double honor of financial support and honor for their position. Those elders charged with sin are to be accosted by two or three witnesses to clarify the events leading up to the accusation. If they repent, so be it. If they will not, they are to be rebuked in public. Paul urges Timothy to take great are of his own life, land to not lay hands quickly on repentant church folk.

Paul's words to Timothy about caring for the many widows in the churches of Ephesus laid down principles for the church for the next 2000 years. A widow could not inherit her husbands estate, and that put her before her family, threw her into the marketplace to make a living, or into destitution. Paul lays out categories of need to help Timothy and leaders discern how to care for those most vulnerable in the churches.

Paul turns from dealing with the issue of false teachings, to charging Timothy how to minister to leaders of the house churches and their groups as a pastor and overseer in the midst of confusion and persecution. Those wisdom words apply to us as well.

Verse 16 of Chapter 3 probably should be the first verse of Chapter 4. In that verse, Paul records the elements of the mystery of godliness, that mystery that was hidden until the coming of Christ. In six lines, Paul lays out the essence of the life of the Risen Messiah. In chapter 4, he launches into instructions to Timothy regarding the core false teachings that were plaguing the house churches Timothy was pastoring.

Paul continues to instruct Timothy how the house churches of Ephesus are to be led. Qualifying men and women will have met the list of 15 qualifications that are here in Chapter 3. The problems that arise is that translation committees that help publish English language Bibles have chosen to trust other English translations over the Greek Text of Chapter 3. Here is a treatment of the text that is faithful to the Greek manuscripts.

The Apostle Paul is instructing Timothy how to lead in times of persecution and confusion. Pau, with a fatherly, gentle manner, tells the women in the house churches in Ephesus that they too are to pray, to dress so as not to draw attention to themselves, to sit quietly and learn all they can, at that time. Further, Adam was created first, and sets the stage for men in the churches to lead and protect the women. Women's salvation (SOZO) does not come from their fecundity, but from THE child-bearing of the Messiah, through whom men and women are saved.

The Apostle Paul tells Timothy where to start....with prayer! Then he lays out 4 distinct prayer forms, which together please the Lord God. The hook in praying for all men is that Timothy is to pray for Nero, and all others in authority. Nero has launched a genocidal plan to remove Christians from the earth. Paul says: Pray for him, because God wants all mankind to come to the knowledge of the truth and repent.

Pau begins with his own testimony of savage sins against the church, and his experience of God's mercy and grace, knowing that Timothy needs those words to be strengthened to pastor the house churches in Ephesus. Paul commands Timothy to draw on the prophecies spoken over him, and his faith and good conscience to campaign against false teaching and false teachers. Paul give an example of how church discipline works.

How does the blood of Jesus, which was spilled in 11+ places as he moved towards the cross, relate to the resurrection that we celebrate on Easter? Enter into heaven's shout!

Why was Jesus of Nazareth on the road down the Mount of Olives towards Jerusalem on the first Day of the week before Passover, in AD 32? The olt of a donkey that he rode was not a war horse, but the Passage in Zechariah 9 says he was there as the son Of David, representing a Kingdom that the crowd did not recognize. Even while he was fulfilling prophecy, he was viewed as disposable and hated.

Timothy, whose name means "he who honors God" had been with Paul on Missions Journeys for 12 years, when Paul urged him to stay behind in Ephesus, to pastor the house churches. Quickly, Paul wrote a letter to Timothy, with his directives on how to deal with false teaches and false doctrines. Paul then laid out the reason the Law Of Moses was set in place so that those who rejected God would have a mirror to see their desperate state.

As we begin to study 1st Timothy, we need to remember that Timothy had been a faithful ministry partner with Paul through his missionary journeys in Asia and in Macedonia, Corinth, and Rome. When Paul asks Timothy to remain in Ephesus to shepherd the Church and confront false teachers, Paul knows that Holy Spirit made Timothy adequate for that assignment. We are about to be infused with that Holy Spirit adequacy as we study under Paul's encouragement, for our individual assignments.

Daniel 10, 11, & 12 are a unit, with the same Angel speaking to Daniel. Here in Chapter 12, there is the statement that great suffering is coming to Israel, greater than at any time since thy became a nation. But, the Archangel Michael will stand up and fight for them. Daniel is told of a coming rescue for his people. and a resurrection from the dead for the righteous as well as the wicked. He is instructed to seal up the prophecy and keep it until the end of days. The 3 1/2 year prophecy is repeated out of the mouth of the pre-Incarnate Messiah, who swears an oath by the Living God that the prophecy is true.

Daniel 11 is filled with 135 fulfilled prophecies from the time of Cyrus to the time of Antiochus Epiphanes. Those are followed by more prophecies of the rise of the "little horn," the Anti-Christ, who will defeat the King of the North and the King of the South and their forces.All this was spoken by an Angel to Daniel that he might know the future of his people, Israel.

Daniel is standing by the Tigris River when confronted by a Theophany, an appearance of the pre-incarnate Christ. He is dropped to the ground, but lifted by a Messenger angel sent from the LORD to inform Daniel of what his vision about future warfare meant. The Messenger from God had been in battle for 3 weeks with the prince of Persia, a fallen angel, who resisted God in all ways. Finally, Michael, the archangel came to war with the prince of Persia and got the messenger released. Chapter 10 is the introduction to the Chapters 10-11-12 unit.

Chapter 9 of Daniel has 2 parts. The first is a radical repentance led by Daniel for the sins and rebellion of Judah and Israell against Yahweh. AS he begins to pray, God sends Gideon with His answers for Daniel. The summary of what is coming is God's plan to finish transgression, to make an end to sin, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up prophecy and vision, and to anoint the most Holy. The last 3 are yet to come. Then Gabriel lays out the 70 weeks of years.

Old Testament Prophets would present a long term prophecy and a short term prophecy. Here in Chapter 8 of Daniel, he is given two short term prophecies to confirm the long term prophecy of chapter 7. He sees the destruction of the Persian Empire, and the four kingdoms that will take what Alexander's Greek Empire won. One of those four would see a figure rise that abuses the Jews, blasphemes God, and dies. Antiochus IV Epiphanes prefigures the little horn of chapter 7, the Anti-Christ.