1 Timothy 1:4 (KJV) Rejecting Genealogies and Focusing on Faith

1 Timothy 1:4 (KJV)

Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do.

 

One of the most important responsibilities of the preacher is to teach others to teach and preach. More importantly is what to teach and preach. Timothy was charged to “charge some that they teach.”  

·       Not all – for not all are called to it.  

·       Not all – for not all are capable of it.  

·       Not all – for not all will do it.  

Charge some. Some others just won’t hold onto sound doctrine.  

 

Among those things he was to charge them with was that they do not give heed to fables, and the matter I want to focus on today: endless genealogies. This is no doubt a reference to the Judaizers. Jews were very focused, for biblical reasons, on keeping genealogies. The problem was that those genealogies had become corrupted through time and the dispersions. I doubt any of the ten northern tribes have a credible record of their genealogies. I doubt they had them in Paul’s day either. Paul did recount his genealogy in Galatians, but then he said he counted that as loss. It was of no matter to him any longer for the sake of Christ.  

 

Now we have groups such as the Mormons, who have made up false claims concerning the lost tribes of Israel, and once again make much of their genealogies.  

 

Even among some Baptist groups, too much is made of the genealogies of churches. I agree that Jesus’ churches trace outside of Catholicism and Protestantism and to the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist. I agree that there is a historical connection between the Anabaptists of old and the Baptists today. But I do not believe that the records are critical to prove. It’s been my observation, and that of most that I know, that those who attempt it are not inclined to be part of the thing the Word of God emphasizes - “godly edifying which is in the faith.”  

Building up, strengthening, and encouraging those of the faith.  

 

Charge some, those who will allow you to do it, to focus on building up the brethren while, at the same time, faithfully holding sound doctrine.

 

#GodlyEdifying  #SoundDoctrine  #PreachTheWord  #FaithOverFables  #BuildingUpTheBrethren  

Rejecting Genealogies and Focusing on Faith: Five Keys to Godly Edification

 

• Are there areas in your spiritual life where you've been distracted by non-essential debates or traditions?

• Edify someone in your church by simply offering a word of encouragement.

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To my readers:

Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 6400 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

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1 Timothy 1:4 (KJV) Rejecting Genealogies and Focusing on Faith

Exodus 9:21 (KJV) Finding Shelter in God’s Word

Exodus 9:21 (KJV)  

And he that regarded not the word of the LORD left his servants and his cattle in the field.

 

I see three, and maybe four, classes of people and their different responses to this plague:

 

The Hebrews 

God supernaturally divided them from Egypt. The plague of hail fell only upon the fields of Egypt. In Goshen, where the Hebrews were, there was no storm. These would relate today to the children of God: people in the world but not of it. What happens in the world around them matters to them, but not in the grand scheme because, in the end, this world is not their home. Ultimately, they look for a city whose builder and maker is God.  

 

The Egyptians who regarded the Word of the Lord and brought their servants and animals into cover  

I don’t think this necessarily meant they had become believers, but at least they were thoughtful enough to take precautions. That thoughtfulness toward the word of God protected the beasts and those people under their care. An illustration of this might be found in the history of the founders of the United States. I don’t think most of them were Christians in the biblical sense of the word, and most of them were unfriendly to Baptists, at least in the earliest days. But they did regard the Word of God, and that regard continues to bless us to this day.  

 

The Egyptians who did not regard the Word of the Lord and left their servants and animals in the fields  

Imagine the suffering and loss that took place among them. I think it’s witnessed in countries around the world where they do not regard the Word of the Lord, and thus the people suffer terrible cruelties. Dictators, despots, and ungodly leaders expose the people of their countries to atrocities unimaginable to sensible-thinking people.  

 

The masters of Egypt, whose choice it was to regard or disregard  

I suppose they all stayed in their homes anyway. The suffering of those outside only affected them as it affected their pocketbook. Like Pharaoh, once they saw the storm had stopped, life went on as usual. They remind me of people who pray to God for relief when they go through a storm, but won’t give Him a second thought once the storm passes by.  

 

In which group are you?  

·       Suffering,  

·       Blessed, 

·       Influencer, or  

·       Child of God?  

 

The lesson of the passage is that anyone in any group can, of their own free will, find perfect shelter and peace in the family of the children of God. If you are not saved, I invite you to allow me the privilege of showing you the way to salvation.  

 

#GodsWordMatters  #SeekShelterInGod  #ConsequencesOfChoices  #TrustInTheLord  #SpiritualSafety

Finding Shelter in God’s Word: Four Crisis Classes

• How have you responded to God's guidance in your daily choices?

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To my readers:

Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 6400 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

Exodus 9:21 (KJV)  Finding Shelter in God’s Word

2 Thessalonians 3:2 (KJV) The Reasonable Faith of Christianity

2 Thessalonians 3:2 (KJV)

And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith.

 

The Bible is an absolutely positive message. The point of it is positive. The plot is positive. The end of it is positive. But the Bible is a realistic message. It tells us where we are and how we got here. It also tells us what the consequences of this position are. These are negative in the extreme.   So it should not surprise us that the Bible also identifies negative characteristics and the relationship they often have with one another.  

 

Our passage addresses three negative men:  

- Unreasonable men  

- Wicked men  

- Men without faith  

 

I take it that it means a specific faith, faith in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

This negative characteristic, “having not faith,” leads to the others.  

 

Unreasonable 

It means out of place, amiss, improper. But it implies being injurious. To be unreasonable tends to the injury of both the unreasonable man and those around him. There is nothing more reasonable than the Christian faith. Begin where we know we are: broken, sinful, corrupt. God provides the only reasonable explanation. Consider the existence of all things. God’s creation is so much more reasonable than the accidental evolutionary explanation of modern science. Even the eternal end of man is reasonable compared to the idea of reincarnation or, worse, annihilation.  

 

Wicked

The word here is in contrast to others translated as wicked. It’s one that means hurtful in effect, as opposed to wicked in character or degenerate. In other words, no one has to be this nature of wicked. Faith cures it.  

 

The Devil is wicked in essential character. He can be nothing else. But with men, this is not the case. Faith in Christ results in a new birth that will turn the most wicked person into a new creature.  

 

The word translated as wicked also implies moral culpability. The wicked man is responsible for and will be judged for his sins. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23). Faith in Christ places the culpability upon Him, where He paid our price on the Cross.  

 

The answer to all wickedness is the reasonable faith placed in Jesus Christ. But since all men have not this faith, it behooves us to pray earnestly one for another, that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men, even as we strive to win them.

 

#FaithInChrist  #ReasonableFaith  #DeliveredFromEvil  #BiblicalTruth  #GospelMessage  

The Reasonable Faith of Christianity: Four Steps to Embracing a Reasonable Faith  

• What’s one way that faith has impacted your life or someone you know?

• Look up evidence for the historical events surrounding Jesus’ life and resurrection. 

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To my readers:

Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 6400 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

2 Thessalonians 3:2 (KJV) The Reasonable Faith of Christianity

Exodus 8:9 (KJV) When God’s Timing Matters Most

Exodus 8:9 (KJV)

And Moses said unto Pharaoh, Glory over me: when shall I intreat for thee, and for thy servants, and for thy people, to destroy the frogs from thee and thy houses, that they may remain in the river only?

 

Adam Clarke says, “These words have greatly puzzled commentators in general; and it is not easy to assign their true meaning.” I don’t suppose it will be any easier for me. The definition for the Hebrew word includes gleam, boast, explain, assign, and glory. A paraphrase that might make sense would be, “Enlighten me, when shall I intreat for thee...?”

 

The difficulty comes from our preconceptions concerning the word “glory.” It’s being used in a way we wouldn’t normally, so we have trouble wrapping our heads around it. We tend to associate the word with a deifying nature: “God doesn’t share His glory,” and “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”[1]

 

Among others, the translators of the King James Version could have used “enlighten”, “explain”, or “assign”. This is one of those places where we are challenged whether they were mistaken. I don’t think so. I believe God led them, if for no other reason than to give us pause to think about the passage.

 

Moses obviously had the upper hand in this situation. It was Pharaoh who asked him to remove the frogs. But Moses, rather than using the opportunity to his advantage, turned the authority back to Pharaoh: “You are over me. Explain to me when you would like me to intreat the Lord to remove the frogs.”

 

God never gives us permission to assume authority over those who have it.[2] We must never use our God-given strengths as a means to go over the heads of those with recognized authority. Trust the Lord. He will work in His own time and then only He will receive glory.

 

#BibleStudy  #ExodusCommentary  #ScriptureExplained  #KJVStudy  #BiblicalAuthority 

When God’s Timing Matters Most: Why Moses Deferred Authority

---

[1] 1 Corinthians 10:31

[2] Romans 13:1 (KJV)

Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.

• How can you demonstrate greater humility and respect in your daily life?

• Take a moment this week to reach out to an authority figure—be it a supervisor, a teacher, or even a family member—and express your appreciation for their role.

👉 Join our community in studying God’s Word and strengthening your faith.

To my readers:

Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 6400 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

Exodus 8:9 (KJV) When God’s Timing Matters Most

2 Thessalonians 2:1 (KJV) Misconceptions About the Rapture

2 Thessalonians 2:1 (KJV)

Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,

 

I think Albert Barnes has a right understanding of this verse as he writes, “It means, respecting his coming… As his views had been misunderstood or misrepresented, he now proposes to show them that there was nothing in the true doctrine which should create alarm… And by our gathering together unto him—there is manifest allusion here to what is said in the First Epistle, 1 Th 4:17, ‘then we shall be caught up together with them in the clouds;’ and the meaning is: ‘in reference to our being gathered unto him, I beseech you not to be shaken in mind, as if that event were near.’”

 

The Word of God appeals to the doctrine of the coming of the Lord and our rapture and gathering together as believers with the Lord when He comes.

 

But I disagree with Barnes’ final assessment that they had misunderstood him to mean the day is near. What the Word of God says in verse two is, 2 Thessalonians 2:2 (KJV)

That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.

 

There’s a huge difference between “near” and “at hand.” In the one case, we see the day approaching. That’s a blessing. That’s an encouragement. In the other, the day is upon us—it’s happened. That would have been a tragedy because it would have meant the gathering together of the saints had already taken place and they had been left behind.

 

The implications are enormous and quite relevant in our current time, when so many have misunderstood the Bible to teach Christians will go through part or all the Tribulation. Second Thessalonians is in the Word of God to clarify and correct that misunderstanding. Before the Tribulation begins, before the man of sin is revealed, the Lord will come, as taught in 1 Thessalonians 4, and gather all the believers together with Him in the air.

 

And that is why we need not be shaken. There is no need to fear His coming because when that happens, we will be gathered to Him and escape the Tribulation. I’d be careful and pull away from anyone teaching otherwise.

 

#RaptureReady  #BibleTruth  #JesusIsComing  #BlessedHope  #EndTimesTeaching  

Misconceptions About the Rapture: Why Our Gathering Together Gives Us Hope

• What excites you most about Christ’s return?

• Live with anticipation, trusting in His promise and sharing that hope with others.

👉 Join our community in studying God’s Word and strengthening your faith.

To my readers:

Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 6400 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

2 Thessalonians 2:1 (KJV) Misconceptions About the Rapture