The BE Series Bundle: Paul's Letters

Be Right, Be Wise, Be Encouraged, Be Free, Be Rich, Be Joyful, Be Complete, Be Ready, Be Faithful

Warren W. Wiersbe

• Publisher: David C Cook
• Year: 2015
• ISBN:
  9780781414661
• Topic: Teologia e religione
• Subtopic: Studi biblici

Experience internationally known Bible teacher Warren W. Wiersbe's commentaries on Paul's letters, now available in one edition. This collection contains: Be Right (Romans), Be Wise (1 Corinthians), Be Encouraged (2 Corinthians), Be Free (Galatians), Be Rich (Ephesians), Be Joyful (Philippians), Be Complete (Colossians), Be Ready (1 & 2 Thessalonians), and Be Faithful (1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon).

• Be Right (Romans): It can be argued that no book of the Bible has had a greater effect on Christianity than the book of Romans. In this classic commentary by Dr. Warren W. Wiersbe, you can refresh your own understanding of this seminal work, Paul's masterpiece letter to the church in Rome.
• Be Wise (1 Corinthians): Be Wise guides us through Paul's first letter to the Corinthians, where he encourages his fellow believers to embrace a life of wisdom and truth.
• Be Encouraged (2 Corinthians): The road of spiritual growth can get bumpy. From the new believer to the seasoned disciple, we all experience frustrations and setbacks in our pursuit of God. Dr. Wiersbe shares words of hope for our own journey of faith.
• Be Free (Galatians): Fully grasp the meaning of the Good News as you realize that God desires your freedom, not your bondage to a list of man-made do's and dont's.
• Be Rich (Ephesians): In this commentary on Ephesians, you will grasp the depth of your wealth as a believer in Christ and learn to live in the victory and thankfulness that comes from knowing you could not have earned it yourself.
• Be Joyful (Philippians): Discover Paul's secret to finding joy in Christ as Dr. Warren W. Wiersbe leads you on a verse-by-verse tour through the book of Philippians. Take notice of Paul's single-minded focus on Jesus and learn how your joy can also be complete in Christ.
• Be Complete (Colossians): Called by many scholars the "most profound letter Paul ever wrote, " Colossians warrants a careful, faithful study. In this short but exciting letter, Paul makes the case for the supremacy of Christ in all things.
• Be Ready (1 & 2 Thessalonians): How should Christ's promised return affect our lives today? Based on 1 & 2 Thessalonians, this study guide balances the prophetic with the practical, and encourages us to live in light of eternity.
• Be Faithful (1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon): Readers will come to a better understanding of the church's role and their own place in the body of Christ, and they will be prepared for the inevitable difficulties of the journey—all while looking forward to a sure reward in heaven.

Contents

The Big Idea: An Introduction to Be Faithful by Ken Baugh

A Word from the Author

1. Stay on the Job (1 Timothy 1)

2. Service—or Circus? (1 Timothy 2)

3. Follow the Leaders(1 Timothy 3)

4. How to Be a Man of God (1 Timothy 4)

5. Order in the Church! (1 Timothy 5)

6. Orders from Headquarters (1 Timothy 6)

7. Our Man in Crete (Titus 1)

8. How to Have a Healthy Church (Titus 2—3)

9. Christians Courageous! (2 Timothy 1)

10. Getting the Picture (2 Timothy 2)

11. What to Do Before It Ends (2 Timothy 3)

12. Last Words (2 Timothy 4)

13. A Tale of Two Cities (Philemon 1–25)

The Big Idea

An Introduction to Be Faithful
by Ken Baugh

If you have ever been to Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, no doubt you have seen Old Faithful. It’s a geyser that shoots up thousands of gallons of boiling hot water about every hour or so. Why is it called Old Faithful? Because it’s predictable—you can count on it going off at regular intervals, because that’s what it has done for hundreds of years. It’s reliable.

Faithfulness is an important character quality found throughout the Bible. For example, Noah was faithful in completing the ark despite public ridicule. Abraham demonstrated faithfulness in offering his son Isaac as a sacrifice to the Lord. Moses was faithful as he led the Israelites out of Egypt and through the wilderness to the entrance of the Promised Land. David was a faithful king who shepherded God’s people. Ruth faithfully stayed with her mother-in-law Naomi after her husband died. Esther was faithful to her people, risking her life by entering the presence of King Xerxes of Persia without being summoned and begging for their deliverance. And on and on it goes; story after story throughout the Old Testament extols this virtue of faithfulness.

Faithfulness is likewise emphasized in the New Testament. Through His parables, Jesus taught the importance of being faithful, drawing attention to the fact that every disciple is a steward and must be faithful with the resources that he or she has been given by God. The apostle Paul echoes Jesus’ words about the importance of faithfulness throughout his letters, especially in 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, and Philemon. In fact, being faithful is the Big Idea that weaves all four letters together.

Timothy, Titus, and Philemon were all trusted colleagues of Paul, men whom he mentored in the faith and charged to carry on the work of the Lord Jesus. Timothy became the pastor of the church of Ephesus, Titus became the overseer of the churches on the island of Crete, and Philemon was a businessman whom Paul led to Christ. Paul instructed each of these men to be faithful to the Lord, regardless of their role. Paul charged Timothy, “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others” (2 Tim. 2:2 NIV). He told Titus to “appoint elders in every town” throughout Crete (Titus 1:5 NIV). And he asked Philemon to be faithful to his runaway slave Onesimus, whom Paul returned to him. Paul was so sure of Philemon’s faithful character that he said, “Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask” (Philem. 1:21 NIV).

Faithfulness is an important concept that runs throughout the Bible and is an essential character trait that God wants each of His children to cultivate. The more faithful we become, the more responsibility God can give us in regard to the ongoing work of the Great Commission.

Our marching orders are clear: As followers of Christ, we are to seize the day, making the most of every opportunity by being wise and resourceful, using the time and money God has given us to invest generously in kingdom-building initiatives. Money and time are the two primary resources that we are to invest, and in order to steward these in the most effective way, we must grow in faithfulness. I believe that all believers can grow in faithfulness as they invest generous portions of their money and time into the work of God.

Let me show you how this works: God provides us with financial resources and asks us to be faithful with our money by investing generously in ministry initiatives that both win people to Christ and build them up in Him. Paul says, “On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made” (1 Cor. 16:2 NIV). Each Christian has a responsibility to give a portion of their income to their local church to carry on the work of discipleship and evangelism. The amount is not as important as the attitude. If our attitude is that our money is our own and we resent God in requiring us to give back to Him, then we have the wrong attitude, and this will hinder our growth in faithfulness. The right attitude comes as we realize every penny we have is a gift from God. James reminds us, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights” (James 1:17 NIV). Everything, including our money, is from the Lord, and as we are faithful with a little, God will give us more.

Now, it is completely okay to use money to buy nice things and enjoy life. We don’t have to live an ascetic life in order to be faithful—we are just not to spend it all on ourselves. So when we give to the Lord’s work with the right attitude and mindset, our ability to be faithful increases. And as our faithfulness increases, God often gives us more to continue to invest His work.

Here is a good question to ask yourself if you want to measure your level of faithfulness in regards to your money: “Am I investing a portion of my income into my local church for the ongoing work of God in my community and around the world?” If you can say yes to that question, you will continue to grow in faithfulness, and God will most likely continue to bless you financially so that you can invest more. But being faithful with money isn’t a get-rich-quick scheme, nor does it obligate God to bless you financially. It is simply the right way to handle the financial resources that God gives you. So money is the first resource every believer is to steward wisely.

The second resource is time. Time is your most precious resource—once it’s gone, it’s gone. You can often acquire more money, but you can never acquire more time. God has given each of us a certain allotment of time in this life, and it’s not very much. That’s why the Lord instructs us to make the most of every opportunity (see Eph. 5:16). As such, God wants you to invest some of your time in ministry, using your spiritual gifts to help other people. Peter tells us, “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms” (1 Peter 4:10 NIV). As you spend time using the spiritual gifts that God has given you, the body of Christ is built up, and people are won to Christ through the proclamation of the gospel.

Again, if you want to grow in faithfulness to the Lord, here is another good question to ask yourself: “Am I investing a portion of my time, using my spiritual gifts to serve others?” If you can say yes to that question, then you know you are growing in faithfulness.

Being faithful pleases God, and it is a virtue that should be increasing in the life of every disciple. But there is one more thing to remember about faithfulness: The more faithful you are to the work of the Lord in this life, the more you will store up for yourself treasure in heaven. I know this may seem like a weird motivating factor, but being motivated by reward is a biblical principle. Paul said to Timothy, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing” (2 Tim. 4:7–8 NIV). Paul believed that his faithfulness was going to be rewarded, and this belief was a powerful motivating factor in his l...