Week 12 (Days 351-358): Young people in the Church

Hey Bible readers! Welcome to TBR Deep Dive. I'm Kirsten McCloskey and I'm Emma Dauder. And we're super excited that you are with us this week. We are going to go through some of our questions from our Bible reading this week. I'm so excited especially for this first question. Oh, amazing. Let's get going with it then. Okay, so question number one comes from day 355, specifically Hebrews 4.12 and the question is how can a book be living an active? Such a good question. Such a good question. This is so, wait. I'm so excited. So excited. Let me read the verse. You're right. I can wait. Let me read the verse. Emma's very excited, which is great. Okay, so Hebrews 4.12, for the word of God is living an active sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. So jump in, Emma. Tell us how can a book be living an active? Yes. Okay, you know I was an English major in college. Yes, I was too. So you know well, there's book people, people who love books. That's right. And they love books because, especially fictional books, because stories seem to transport you. They take you into the world of that book, that text. But the difference between, let's say, good fictional book, like Chronicles of Narnie, a line in the which in the word drip, great book, great story. The difference between that in the Bible is that the word of God, the Bible scripture, it carries the life of its author, meaning not that the author's legacy lives on, but that the text itself is living, it is capable of producing change in its reader. Yep. Because the Holy Spirit uses the scriptures to awaken our hearts and produce spiritual growth. And so when people talk about reading the Bible, we don't say, hey, read the Bible because it's the right thing for Christians to do. Yeah. That's a true statement. Right. It is the right thing for followers of Jesus to read His Word. Yeah. But part of why we read the Bible is because that is an instrument that the Spirit uses, that God uses to change our hearts. Right. It does not have any. It does not have any. It does something. So there's this, I mean, that's what distinguishes it from any other books. Like when you finish a good story, you get to the end. And if it's a good ending, you're like, oh, that was such a good ending. But then you're kind of sad. It's over. It's like, I'll never experience that again. But with the Bible, we could read it again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and have an encounter with God. Yep. It's so different. So this means when we approach scripture, we can approach it expecting it to change us, like expecting God to move in our hearts and the great practices to pray as we open our Bibles each day following along with TBR. God, what do you want to grow me in today? What do you want to show me today? Is there anything you want to convict me of? This time is yours. I'm here to not just check a box. Yep. I'm here to meet with you. Yep. That's awesome. So what's interesting in this specific passage from Hebrews is when it's referring to God's word, it's speaking really pretty generally about what we call general revelation, which is the way that God shows Himself to us and to the world. Now we see and experience this kind of revelation primarily through the Bible, which is actually referred to as special revelation. So we're kind of seeing like both angles here as we look at this, which I think is really cool. Wait, why do you say general revelation? So because I think of general revelation as like nature, creation and nature. Yes, but it's also about just I think the principle of God as a living and active God who is speaking. And so his word just being seen through everything. Does that make sense? So it's like saying the principles of God's word play out in the world around us. Yes. And when Hebrews is, if you think about the beginning of Hebrews, when it's like long ago, and in many ways God spoke, so it's, it's about the way that God has always been revealing Himself. And so consistently throughout history. Yes. The way God has been revealing Himself throughout history is consistent with what Scripture says. Yes. And that Scripture, so we see Scripture as this more special specific revelation of God's word and God's presence in the world. But it doesn't, it doesn't necessarily have to be only that if that makes sense. Yeah. Like Psalm 191, the heavens declare the glory of guys, the skies proclaim the work of your hands, the Scripture affirms. Yes. God revealing Himself to humanity through creation. And I think also it's when we're talking about God's word being alive, it's because God is alive. It's because that's who God is. And that's what we celebrated Easter. Yes. Exactly. Like it's the contrast between what we see so often in His word, which is the false idols or false doctrines, these things that are, that are not true and specifically like in the Old Testament false idols, they, they can't speak. No. They can't hear it. They can't do anything they're made by humans versus God who created everything. Who's alive. And so His word is effective. It's powerful. It can produce change like what you were talking about. It reveals what's going on inside. So Hebrews 412, compared Scripture to a sharp sword that can cut through every layer of pretense, exposing hidden motives, unspoken thoughts. And that's part of how God transforms us by bringing to light what we might not see ourselves or what we might be trying to hide. And when a passage can fix us, it's super important that we don't rush past it, but that we pause and talk to God about it and let Him do the heart work. Like am I approaching the Bible, expecting it to be alive? Yeah. Or am I approaching the Bible, thinking maybe something will stand out, but I just need to do this because it's the right thing to do. It's two very different experiences when it comes to reading the Bible. And I think just one other thing about this is that there are so many things in Scripture that we read that are hard to quantify. Like it's hard to just kind of put your finger on it. But that's where faith comes in, where this is something that we believe by faith, that this, these books, the one book, the Bible, and then all the books in them, that these are authoritative, that their God's word. Like that is something that for some people might be an area where it challenges your faith a little bit. And that's okay as long as you continue pressing in and recognizing, no, what this book says is true is true. And I'm going to hold on to that and believe that. That's good. Yeah. God's word also guides us and equips us for what's ahead. Yeah. So I think it's also important to add, it's not just a record of the past. So yes, as you just said, all the smaller books within the big book, the Bible are true totally. But these are also a lamp for a path and a light to our feet, right? So did I get that right? A lamp? No. A light for a path and a lamp unto our feet? Yes, thank you. I would. Do you ever know what's not? No, no, no, what a thing you got to. No. Can you, would you say it? No. I'll keep going. Keep going. Somewhere out there knows. That you know. Yes. I'll have to look it up either. Okay. But I wanted to say too, just thinking of like a personal example in my own life is that when, so I did a Bible school many years ago where we read through the entire Bible in nine months and we studied it very in depth. And when I think about the person I was when I went into that Bible school and the person that I was when I left, like I was not the same. And so I think we've, for those of you that again are going through the Bible for the first time or even the fifth time or wherever you're at in your journey, I think you can look, I would hope that you'd be able to just pause and look back a little bit and be like, whoa, this doing this has changed me. Being in the word like this has changed me. And that's just proof of it being elected. And that's also, you know, God's Word speaks freshly into our circumstances. So I'd imagine there's people who are doing TBR, they're reading through the Bible. And they've probably, some of them read through the Bible before. Yeah. And it's very possible that you can read the same verse that you did 10 years ago. And it's going to address a situation in your life now in a completely new way. The meaning of the text isn't changing, but you're encounter with the text may have. Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. Yeah. Got anything else? No, I think that's it. Keep studying the Bible. Yes, exactly. That's a message. Study it by yourself. May I think you're at you. Study it with others as a spirit to guide you. Awesome. Yes. All right. OK. I could stay on this question for the whole episode, but I will take us to the next one, which comes from day 351, Philippians chapter 2. The question is, what does it mean that Jesus didn't count quality with God a thing to be grasped? Philippians 2 5 through 6 says, have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ, Jesus? Who? Though he was in the form of God, did not count quality with God a thing to be grasped? Yeah. This is a great question. So I think the main point of what Paul is trying to do here and the surrounding context of Philippians 2 is Paul is talking specifically about Christ's attitude and then his example as he lived on earth. So his attitude and his example. And even we might want to look at just a few, just a few verses earlier starting in 2, 3 where Paul says, do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others as more significant than yourself. And so this whole passage is pointing the Philippian church towards the example of Christ humility and then Paul gets into what exactly that looked like into 6, which is, what the verse that we're talking about. So although Christ was God, is God, he was willing to embody human flesh, being fully God and fully man in order to serve. So I mean, this is incredible. Christ came to the world that he created to show us how to live, to serve amongst us and to die on our behalf. Like, wow, what humility that shows and that should be our mindset as we're living on our faith, like humility. It's a really big, it's a really big call, but it's, yeah, it's just something, it's so important for us. And I think one commentator put it this way, which I think is really helpful. This passage may mean that Christ did not think of his equality as something to use for his own advantage. So that's where we get the selfless nature. It's not, he wasn't trying to use that to demean anyone or to put any, you know, like, it was all out of selfless love. Yeah, yeah. Good. And the big name for the Elijah O'Brien's out there, the big name for this concept is called Kenosis, K-E-N-O-S-I-S, Kenosis, and it's that emptying. He emptied of himself, Kenosis. Yeah. I have some thoughts. Yeah. Okay. Keep going. So Jesus is fully God and he has always been fully God. He has also always been equal yet with God. But when he came to the earth, he didn't, came to earth. He didn't cling to his rights and privileges as God or use them for his own advantage. Yes. And he gives a key distinction. And the Greek word for grasped can mean held onto tightly or used for personal gain. And so this is the idea that Jesus didn't treat his divine status like a prize to be shown off for a tool to make his life easier. He wasn't about himself. Yes. Instead, he emptied himself. Yep. Kenosis. Yep. Not by giving up being God, but by willingly laying aside the visible glory and the privileges of heaven. By taking on the limits of a human body. Yeah. And I think just to pop in here for a second, I think one thing that's also helpful to keep in mind is that when Paul's writing this, he's maybe not necessarily thinking about all the trinitarian implications of what he's saying. Like obviously what he's trying to talk about humility. Exactly. Humility of Jesus is what he's trying to describe. Right. And that's really important. Here's to God, you bring this up because there's also a very important heresy called the Kenosis Heresy. And that's when this passage is taken to an appropriate trinitarian application. And it's wrongly, the Kenosis Heresy wrongly teaches that Jesus empties himself of his divine identity, meaning Jesus emptied himself, emptied himself of his godly power, wall and earth, and still performed miracles. And the conclusion that just drawn from this is if Jesus emptied himself of his divine power and performed miracles, then we're just like Jesus and we can perform miracles too. Okay. But the problem with that is that one, it ignores the Holy Spirit. And that's not what anywhere else, any other passage in the Bible, you're not going to find a single passage that teaches that about miracles or about Jesus. Jesus never stopped fully being God. He just chose to limit the keyword limit, how he used his divine power. So he could live as a real human man, but his miracles likely still flowed from his divine nature. He is God. Yeah, that's a great, great distinction. And then you take this one step further. If you say, yeah, I actually think the Kenosis Heresy is right. I do think Jesus gave up his divine nature. You got a huge problem because if Jesus gave up his divine nature and wasn't fully God, then the man who died on the cross pier sins was just a man and did not have the power to overcome sin in the grave. So it's so important that we recognize that the message on the gospel depends on the fact that the one who died for us is fully God and man at the same time. Yep. So yeah, got a little fired up. This is about his humility. It's about humility. Yeah, not the Trinity. Yeah. That's very good. Good distinction. Great. Okay. Should we move on to the next question? I think we should. Okay. Awesome. Next question comes from day 352 and specifically first Timothy 5, 3 through 16. So a long passage here, we won't read the whole thing, but we'll summarize. But this question is, does this section in first Timothy mean that my church should have a program for supporting whos? Okay. So just a quick summary here, in first Timothy 5, Paul is going through, he's writing to Timothy and he's giving some very specific instructions about widows in the church and qualifications for who should be given financial support, honoring them, what that looks like, who should be included in that and who should not be included in that? Totally. And you read that this week, so you'll look at that. Yeah. If you're a woman and your husband has died, the church should probably care for you, but there's some qualifications to be qualified for that care. So Paul's a ketymathy. The church should honor and help widows, but this needs to be done in an orderly way so that the right people, the people who really need the help get it. Yep. And the goal was to make sure they're cared for. Yeah. It was a very loving gesture. So if the church resources were used, you had to check some boxes to get to the church saying, yes, your widow, you're going to get support. Yeah. So families first, if the widow has grandchildren, they're responsible for taking care of that widow before the church steps in. Yep. A true widows, the church should focus on widows who have no family at all to focus them. There was a widow list, so some widows could be put on an official list for ongoing care and service, but they had to meet some qualifications over 60, faithful and marriage, known for good works, and then younger widows. Instead of being put on the list, it seems Paul's encouraging them to remarry, have families, and keep being busy with good things. So this doesn't necessarily mean that your church needs to have the exact same structure and qualifications. There's some things that culturally may be different for us today. But there's interesting because I mean, I don't know what my church does. For this particular population. Yeah. So I think this is something where maybe some churches are emphasized, but it does seem like, okay, there's maybe a more broad practical application here versus this. Totally. So like, and what could it look like? It can, my church, we have a church database, and as a staff person, I can see in the member database, if you're single married, divorced widowed deceased, and if you're deceased, you wouldn't be marked as a member. There's at least a system to identify those people, but I think the care of the individual is going to depend on a lot of different, yeah, different factors. So that said, there are some important implications. Yeah. So one would be, I think arguably the most important here is that the church knew who belongs to it. So you can't decide which widows the church should help unless you know who's a part of the church family to help them. And you've got to know who in the church is a widow. So this question can only arise if you know that there are multiple widows with varying family circumstances and multiple widows at varying ages. So there was, there was a driving, it seems like belief or just system that those who are leading the church knew who was in it. And then we see that the early church had an organized system for care. So they knew who was in the church and they were organized when it came to ministering to the needs of the people. Yeah. The list of widows wasn't random. They're again, they were qualifications and also implies records and ongoing oversight. Yeah. And so this also shows us that the church didn't just react to needs almost like impulsively or oh my gosh, here's since now, widow, let me take her and get all the stuff for her. There was structure. There was more intentional care than a abrupt reaction. And they structured, structured their ministries or their care structures might be a better word to care for the widows in their situation wisely and fairly. Yeah. And one thing I just want to point out too is that in this section, there's also clarity about the families of widows helping them. And I think that's a really important application point to bring forward too. It's that yes, there was a lot of structure and organization within the church to help the widows who really needed the help. And the families, so this would be children and grandchildren. And even it seems like later in the passage, maybe other women who were so maybe like a sister or something. So the immediate family around the widows should be the ones who are responsible for taking care of them. And that's a big deal because it really demonstrates Christians living like Christians. Like these people were meant to take care of their family so that the church could take care of their spiritual family who didn't have that immediate family to care for them. And so I think that's something to really consider in our day and age of like, are you caring for your own family? And does your church and by extension you care for the marginalized because this would be a marginalized, marginalized, marginalized, marginalized, any marginalized people group, specifically here at widows, but just those that are a part of the church that really do need the help. Because it's fortunate. Exactly. And this is the heart of God. Throughout the whole Old Testament, you see repeatedly God calling out that he cares for and looks after the widows and the orphans and those marginalized. You also see here the church leaders overseeing yes spiritual care for the congregants of the church, but also practical care. Yes. Like the role of the church leader was to provide or help facilitate practical care for the church members. So Timothy as the church leader was responsible for yes, managing and overseeing and protecting sound doctrine. But he also had a role in the daily care system. Because Paul felt it necessary to tell Timothy about who qualified for it. Yeah. Well, and one thing that I always think is funny about that is this is not a big book. And Paul takes a huge, like a big chunk out of this book to talk about this. And so we might kind of initially read over it and skim over it, but there are really important practical applications. And like Paul thought it, Paul saw fit to take the, what is he writing with a quill? The quill. Well, he's probably. Yes, exactly. Yeah, he's crying. But Paul thought, okay, no, this is important and I need to lay this out because we're trying to again, like bring order instructors to this church. So yeah. So I definitely think no, does your church have to have specifically a program for widows? Not necessarily, but also why not? If they're a marginalized people group in your church or if there's widows that are in need, why not have something for them? Like we know that this is a group that God cares about. Just a thought. That's a good thought. Great. You ready for the next question? This one comes from day 353 in Titus chapter three. The question is, how can I devote myself to good works, but not work for my salvation. And Titus 3.8 says, the saying is trustworthy and I want you to insist on these things so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people. Yeah, great. So I think a big part of this is understanding, believing and living like you believe you've actually been saved by grace. Knowing that you did nothing to earn your salvation, knowing that it's a gift, this should then motivate us to love and serve God and others. Yeah. And so it's, yeah, we work from salvation, not for our salvation. Exactly. It's keeping that at the forefront of our mind. The good works are a result of salvation because we have been changed. We have been transformed by the love of God. And it's always like the balance. We must know that we have been saved through nothing that we have done. And we also must know that because our lives have been completely changed, there are good works for us to do. And there are things that should prove that salvation, that that has actually taken place. Totally. Titus 3.8 comes right after, not before, but after Paul reminds us in verses 4 through 7 that we're saved only because of God's mercy, not because of anything we've done. Ephesians 289 says the same thing. Yep. Good works are their response to salvation, not the cause. Yep. Exactly. Right. It's cool because for those of you again, I feel like I've said this a couple times in this episode, like you're reading through the Bible, I guarantee you that God is changing you. And I guarantee you that you're able to see some of these good works in your life, like whether it's you've become more patient, you're more trusting of God, you're less prone to jealousy, you're not lying. Like you can see that change and those are good works, like that change in you and the way that that is lived out in your life. So Amen. Yeah. I think of it like this. You don't water a plant to make it alive. You water the plant because it's already alive. Oh, I love that. So when we think about our own lives in the same way, when Jesus saves you, He gives you new life. Yes. And that new life produces growth. Good works. So devoting yourselves to good works is a way of saying, thank you to God and showing His love to others who are dead and desire to become alive. It's a good witness. Yeah, it's a great witness, but it doesn't replace what Jesus already did to save you and make you alive. Right. You are alive and your works aren't going to change them. Yep. Of course. But I think some questions that could be helpful as people are maybe sorting through this themselves is, am I trying to pay God back or thank Him? Like when I do good things, why am I doing this? Is it to pay Him back or thank Him? Another would be, do I get proud or puffed up when I do good? Or am I giving God the credit for my good works? And then the third would be in my securing God's love even when I fail to do the good works. Am I reminding myself what is true of my identity in Him? Because we will fail. We won't do this perfectly. Yeah. Those are really good. Those are really good questions. Yeah, that's helpful. It's, I was just thinking about the person who might really be wrestling with this or maybe instilling doubt. And I think that's a fairly common experience. So if that's you, you're not alone. But I was also thinking, hey, this is a, sometimes an assurance of salvation, conversation that our salvation is not based on what we do. And I think of first on five, where John writes, and this is the testimony that God gave us eternal life that you may know that you were saved. And I love any, any talks about, in fact, let me just pull it up. I'll read the passage. He talks about how we are saved. He says, and this is the testimony that God gave us eternal life and this life is in his son. Whoever has the son has life, whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. You're like a dead plant. That's the end of everything. And then he says, I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God. So he's talking to people who are already saved. Yeah. So I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life. And so if somebody out there is hearing this conversation and they're thinking, oh no, my works, maybe I'm not, I'm not showing a lot of good works. So my lifestyle isn't reflecting that I'm saved or they're thinking, I know that I'm saved, but I'm failing to do good works. The good news is as you're standing before God is not dependent on your works. And you can know that you are saved if you've placed your faith in Jesus's life, death, resurrection. Very good. I think I'm ready for the next question now. That's my last thing. In my last point. All right. Our next question. So this comes from day 352. Also from 1 Timothy 412. How can someone be confident if others don't take them seriously? So from 1 Timothy 412, which reads, let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. The NLT translation can also be helpful. So let me read that. Don't let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, in your faith, and your purity. So we live in a culture where a lot of people don't take Christians seriously regardless of age. So our culture, yes, loves to stereotype young people, specifically so true. Though this is true, though this culturally can be true of Christians in general, let's focus on the young people. Yeah. So I'm a next generation arises. There's the cycle in our culture where we automatically look down on them. So when millennials were the youngest, Gen Z and Gen Alpha, they weren't on the scene, yeah. Everyone who was older did not like millennials. They made fun of them too. Then you get Gen Z and Gen Alpha. They're labeled as glued to the screens, the iPad kids, lazy, unable to work. And Paul's words to Timothy should cut through that cultural presupposition. Yeah. Paul's words to Timothy as Christians undermine our cultural attitude about young people. Yes. Don't let anyone look down on them because they are young. Yep. Don't let anyone look down on you, young people, because you are young, but set an example. Right. And I feel like that's the key. Yeah. It's like, it's not just, oh, no one gets to look down on you. Yeah. I mean, you should believe in young people, live differently. Right. So that they can't look down on you. Exactly. Right. Set that example. And it's, that's important because respect isn't earned by arguing against these labels or just saying, hey, this cultural trend that still exists today to look down on young people is wrong. Respect is earned by living in a way that proofs them wrong. Yes. Respect is earned by speaking with kindness and truth, acting with integrity, loving people well, trusting God, living a pure life. And when you do that, you're not just challenging stereotypes. You're also showing what's possible when someone walks faithfully with God or when a young person takes God seriously. Right. Well, and I think, so again, it's Timothy was younger. And so that's specifically what Paul is writing to in this context. But he was supposed to be a spiritual example for the church in Ephesus. And he was also supposed to clearly live out his Christian character. And that's a call for everybody. Yeah. You could insert into there, don't let anyone look down on you because whatever the thing is because of X because you're a lastborn child, because you lost your job because you totaled the blank. Right. You could fill in the blank, but set that example both in your spiritual life and in the way that you live that out. It's about godliness and it's about practical Christian living. And so if he was going to be Paul's calling Timothy to be exemplary in all these ways and then it wouldn't matter that he was young or it wouldn't matter that he was whatever fill in the blank. It's, it's a real confidence isn't about everyone else taking you seriously. It's about knowing who you are in Christ and living in a way that proves that. So if your confidence is rooted in what others think, you're always going to question. But the only way that it can be stable and consistent is if it's built on the firm, immovable foundation that is Christ. And in Matthew 7, 24 through 27, we read about the two kinds of foundations that our lives can be built on, the sand, the rock. And the same can be said of our confidence. Our identity must be in Christ, which means we have to look to Him and take our eyes off ourselves, which I think is also interesting. Yeah. And the way that we look at the history of stereotype for the younger generation is narcissism. Like they're obsessed with themselves, they love themselves, they don't think of others. And this versus encouraging Christian young people to do the exact opposite. Yeah. And Paul is giving Timothy five positive commands that I think, yep, they're positive. That's so good. They're like, do this. And so I think that's a great, it's just kind of a great checkpoint for us. So Paul says to Timothy, be an example in these five ways. In what you say, so be careful and considerate of what you say both in private and in public, both of those settings. Be an example in the way you live. So live in a way that honors God. And then be an example in your love. So Timothy's love for God and his love for others should demonstrate that he was helpful. He served. He put others first. He was walking humbly with the spirit. Fourth, be an example in your faith. So the way that you trust God, the way that you rely on God, the way that you follow God's lead. And then fifth, be an example in your purity. So do you obey God? Do you avoid sin? Does your life look holy in what you do? That's good. And so I think if you're loving God and you're living out these, these examples that Paul was calling Timothy to do, then you can be confident. You're on track. Yeah, you can't control other people's opinions, but you can control your own behaviors. Right. And you have the spirit who empowers you to live out all of those things. Yep. I also think there's some like misnomer's here. So being confident doesn't mean being the loudest. It means living in a way that shows you know and follow Jesus. Respect is often earned over time through a consistent character. Yeah. And that's the moment of doing the things on that list may not change your reputation. Right. So expectations. Yeah. This often comes with consistency. Yep. And confidence and leadership stems from God's character, not from chasing everyone's approval. So you're a young person and you're trying to lead. That can be a really great and healthy desire. But are you desiring that because you've had an encounter with God and he is moving your heart to tell others about him and lead him lead them to you or are you doing it because you want the older people to like you? That's really different. Yep. And that's not a pure heart. So there's some. Yeah. I don't know. Off the dome. Yeah. Misnomer's there. Very good. So we got awesome. Well, thank you for taking a deep dive with us. We will see you next week as we continue to read, understand and love the Bible and the God who wrote it. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.