A man named Timothy is a coworker in ministry alongside the apostle Paul, known for being the young apprentice with whom Paul engages in mentorship. In 1Timothy, Paul is greatly concerned with the authentic teachings of the true Gospel of Jesus Christ, and the danger of misinformation of false teachers in his era. Over two millennium, our concern was hardly wavered – are we not still concerned about reality and discerning what is ‘fake news’? This was a rightful concern then, as it is now. What then does the minister, Paul, recommend as attributes when discerning teachings of God? That the work of God would be advanced through sincere faith, a good conscience, and pure heart. Thus, these are qualities for which we can pray! In the whole of Scripture, it is clear that God’s hope for humanity is that we would rightly desire God – above anything and everything else. There is no other Gospel than Christ.

A man named Timothy is a coworker in ministry alongside the apostle Paul, known for being the young apprentice with whom Paul engages in mentorship. In 1Timothy, Paul is greatly concerned with the authentic teachings of the true Gospel of Jesus Christ, and the danger of misinformation of false teachers in his era. Over two millennium, our concern was hardly wavered – are we not still concerned about reality and discerning what is ‘fake news’? This was a rightful concern then, as it is now. What then does the minister, Paul, recommend as attributes when discerning teachings of God? That the work of God would be advanced through sincere faith, a good conscience, and pure heart. Thus, these are qualities for which we can pray! In the whole of Scripture, it is clear that God’s hope for humanity is that we would rightly desire God – above anything and everything else. There is no other Gospel than Christ.

A man named Timothy is a coworker in ministry alongside the apostle Paul, known for being the young apprentice with whom Paul engages in mentorship. In 1Timothy, Paul is greatly concerned with the authentic teachings of the true Gospel of Jesus Christ, and the danger of misinformation of false teachers in his era. Over two millennium, our concern was hardly wavered – are we not still concerned about reality and discerning what is ‘fake news’? This was a rightful concern then, as it is now. What then does the minister, Paul, recommend as attributes when discerning teachings of God? That the work of God would be advanced through sincere faith, a good conscience, and pure heart. Thus, these are qualities for which we can pray! In the whole of Scripture, it is clear that God’s hope for humanity is that we would rightly desire God – above anything and everything else. There is no other Gospel than Christ.

Paul’s journeys are arduous and complicated, as evidenced when he arrives in Jerusalem. There he is met with persecution, in which he is presented before the Sanhedrin to be tried; and he is ultimately arrested. Throughout
it all, Paul’s dedication to the Way, the Gospel of Christ, is grounded in his experience of his conversion which he takes the time to present in speech before crowds of people. It is his very testimony and recalling this conversion that initiates this persecution upon himself. We are to look at Paul and his trial, arrest, and release from prison as an example of what clinging tightly to the Gospel is worth – with God on our side, we never go about the work of the Way alone.

Paul’s journeys are arduous and complicated, as evidenced when he arrives in Jerusalem. There he is met with persecution, in which he is presented before the Sanhedrin to be tried; and he is ultimately arrested. Throughout
it all, Paul’s dedication to the Way, the Gospel of Christ, is grounded in his experience of his conversion which he takes the time to present in speech before crowds of people. It is his very testimony and recalling this conversion that initiates this persecution upon himself. We are to look at Paul and his trial, arrest, and release from prison as an example of what clinging tightly to the Gospel is worth – with God on our side, we never go about the work of the Way alone.

A deeply gratifying experience is to have people in your life in whom you can trust. Of course, Paul tells us that Christ is our hope and is worthy of our steadfast trust forever. But in addition, like us, Paul has confidants and trusted partners in whom he refers to throughout his letters. When concluding his text to Romans, Paul takes the time to thoughtfully thank them in appreciation, and send onward his greeting of grace and peace. Among those listed are prominent women: Phoebe, Priscilla, Mary, and Junia, among others. The radicality of this gesture lies within the historical context of 1st century AD in the Greco-Roman empire: a place and time in which women were treated without any respect, dignity, equality, or worth. The choice that Paul makes when entrusting Phoebe, a leader in the church as a deacon whom he calls ‘sister’, to carry his long letter to the Romans is no small task. Paul refers to Priscilla as a coworker in Christ Jesus. What does this mean for the Christian movement? It takes all of us. Diverse people, united in mission.

A deeply gratifying experience is to have people in your life in whom you can trust. Of course, Paul tells us that Christ is our hope and is worthy of our steadfast trust forever. But in addition, like us, Paul has confidants and trusted partners in whom he refers to throughout his letters. When concluding his text to Romans, Paul takes the time to thoughtfully thank them in appreciation, and send onward his greeting of grace and peace. Among those listed are prominent women: Phoebe, Priscilla, Mary, and Junia, among others. The radicality of this gesture lies within the historical context of 1st century AD in the Greco-Roman empire: a place and time in which women were treated without any respect, dignity, equality, or worth. The choice that Paul makes when entrusting Phoebe, a leader in the church as a deacon whom he calls ‘sister’, to carry his long letter to the Romans is no small task. Paul refers to Priscilla as a coworker in Christ Jesus. What does this mean for the Christian movement? It takes all of us. Diverse people, united in mission.

A deeply gratifying experience is to have people in your life in whom you can trust. Of course, Paul tells us that Christ is our hope and is worthy of our steadfast trust forever. But in addition, like us, Paul has confidants and trusted partners in whom he refers to throughout his letters. When concluding his text to Romans, Paul takes the time to thoughtfully thank them in appreciation, and send onward his greeting of grace and peace. Among those listed are prominent women: Phoebe, Priscilla, Mary, and Junia, among others. The radicality of this gesture lies within the historical context of 1st century AD in the Greco-Roman empire: a place and time in which women were treated without any respect, dignity, equality, or worth. The choice that Paul makes when entrusting Phoebe, a leader in the church as a deacon whom he calls ‘sister’, to carry his long letter to the Romans is no small task. Paul refers to Priscilla as a coworker in Christ Jesus. What does this mean for the Christian movement? It takes all of us. Diverse people, united in mission.

The best part about a team is that each individual member brings something unique to the collective whole for the purpose of advancing toward the team’s goal. Paul’s writings serve to spread this idea in the early Christian faith as he encourages the hearers of his letter to the Romans to not only discern their individual gifts (given graciously to them by God), but moreover to put them in action. Here, ‘the team’ is the body of Christ. As Paul has written before, a key element of his ministry is focused on unifying a diverse group of people, to advance the mission given to him by Christ. How can one ever endure this mission if they are lost in conforming to the (fleeting, faulted, and frail) pattern of this world...no, rather we must be “transformed by the renewing of [our] minds” as he writes in Romans 12:2!

The best part about a team is that each individual member brings something unique to the collective whole for the purpose of advancing toward the team’s goal. Paul’s writings serve to spread this idea in the early Christian faith as he encourages the hearers of his letter to the Romans to not only discern their individual gifts (given graciously to them by God), but moreover to put them in action. Here, ‘the team’ is the body of Christ. As Paul has written before, a key element of his ministry is focused on unifying a diverse group of people, to advance the mission given to him by Christ. How can one ever endure this mission if they are lost in conforming to the (fleeting, faulted, and frail) pattern of this world...no, rather we must be “transformed by the renewing of [our] minds” as he writes in Romans 12:2!