1 Timothy 4: The Lord loves all mankind

The false masters were spreading a different message: not to marriage, not to eat certain foods. Paul shows a loving God:

4 For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude; 5 for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer.

The loving God, loves all mankind:

10 For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have set our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all mankind, especially of believers.

Salvation is open to every man and woman. It happens for those who believe in Jesus, our savior and Lord.

1 Timothy 3: Christian leader qualifications

The church in Ephesus had false masters, bad leaders. Paul addresses the qualifications of the leaders that should take place the bad leaders. The message/teachings of the bishops/masters were crucial. The focus of the message:

16 This Christian life is a great mystery, far exceeding our understanding, but some things are clear enough:
He appeared in a human body,
    was proved right by the invisible Spirit,
        was seen by angels.
He was proclaimed among all kinds of peoples,
    believed in all over the world,
        taken up into heavenly glory.

1 Timothy 2: the false leaders and their followers

Paul wrote to Timothy:

11-15 I don’t let women take over and tell the men what to do. They should study to be quiet and obedient along with everyone else. Adam was made first, then Eve; woman was deceived first — our pioneer in sin!—with Adam right on her heels. On the other hand, her childbearing brought about salvation, reversing Eve. But this salvation only comes to those who continue in faith, love, and holiness, gathering it all into maturity. You can depend on this.

Are these verses to be applied as a commandment to all churches? Perhaps no. Suppose that the false leaders in chapter 1 had deceived women who began to spread these false teachings. Suppose that these women were being more and more vocal in the church to the point of commanding men. Timothy had to control these women in order to fix the church, to make them remember that Jesus must be in the center of their lives.

1 Timothy 1: a toxic church

Paul was released from his prison, in Rome. Timothy is in Ephesus taking care of a toxic church. Evil leaders in the church are naturally inclined to their our honor and glory. In Ephesus, they were focusing in details of the Bible (genealogies, for instance) instead of focusing that Jesus came to save sinners. In doing so, they appeared to be wise, while in fact they were distancing the congregation from the faith and love. Timothy was in a very difficult situation: to oppose influential leader and to make the church return to the core of the gospel:

5-7 The whole point of what we’re urging is simply love—love uncontaminated by self-interest and counterfeit faith, a life open to God. Those who fail to keep to this point soon wander off into dead ends of gossip. They set themselves up as experts on religious issues, but haven’t the remotest idea of what they’re holding forth with such imposing eloquence.

Ephesians 6: Armor of God: Atack and defense

A Christians is a new creature - governed by Jesus who becomes a target of the evil forces, therefore he must resist its attacks:

13-18 Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.

Imagine a pastor who is calling many to Jesus. If he falls, he becomes a joke or a flag against Christians. Even if he doesn't fall, evil can lie and accuse therefore, it is imperative to pray hard and long and to live in community, in a church supporting each other.

Ephesians 5: Ordinances

There are many commands in Ephesians 4-6. We read:

14 For this reason it says,
“Awake, sleeper,
And arise from the dead,
And Christ will shine on you.”
15 So then, be careful how you walk, not as unwise people but as wise, 16 making the most of your time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not get drunk with wine, in which there is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your hearts to the Lord;

Before conversion, I was dead in my sins but after believing in Jesus, I was called to arise from the dead and receive Christ's light. In Christ's light, I am aware of my actions. I am retired, so it is easy to waste my time, but I am called to make the most of my time, because the days are evil. How to make most of my time? Grow in love, show love to my family, taking care of wife and children and to repent when I fail in my mission.

Ephesians 4: Orders to Christians

In Ephesians 1-3, a Christian is someone planned by the Lord before creation, he was dead in his sins, incapable of search the Lord but Jesus came and opened a new age when gentiles are called to be united in the assembly of the saints.  In Ephesians 1-3, the Lord is doing all the work of salvation; but in Ephesians 4, a Christian is called to put off his former nature and put on the new life in Jesus. Is this transformation in hands of men? No. I know by myself that I was very egoistic; but somehow, Jesus broke this excessive focus on myself only. This freedom enables me to put off my former life; but I have to align my new heart and make some effort to adjust my life with my calling. I also must remember that I am not alone. The Spirit is in me, working in me, changing my heart and enabling me to be more and more like Jesus, however it is possible that I grive the Spirit:

30 Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

I don´t want to grieve the Holy Spirit, but I am aware that I do it many times. I repent and I am confident that my seal, the Spirit, is still with me for the day of redemption. So, in a way, I am day by day changing clothes. I was called to put off my old self, and put on the new life in Jesus, everyday. 

Ephesians 3: Mystery revealed.

Paul was chosen by the Lord to reveal a great mystery:- gentiles are also chosen to serve the Messiah.

4-6 As you read over what I have written to you, you’ll be able to see for yourselves into the mystery of Christ. None of our ancestors understood this. Only in our time has it been made clear by God’s Spirit through his holy apostles and prophets of this new order. The mystery is that people who have never heard of God and those who have heard of him all their lives (what I’ve been calling outsiders and insiders) stand on the same ground before God. They get the same offer, same help, same promises in Christ Jesus. The Message is accessible and welcoming to everyone, across the board.

Paul was a pharisee, proud about his Jewish heritage. As a pharisee, he saw non Jews as people outside the covenant, lost in their idolatry and somehow despised by him. However, by grace, the Lord Jesus chose Paul to reveal a mystery that could never foresee. Jesus filled Paul with love, and Jesus enabled Paul to love the gentiles, to the point of being persecuted by other Jews for opening the covenant to non Jews.
It is like a religious person, grown in a church, who despises Muslims, and one day, by grace, he understands that he is loved by Jesus and want to spread that love to Muslims.

Ephesians 2: From being dead to being a workmanship.

1 And you were dead in your offenses and sins, 2 in which you previously walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.

I was dead (nekros) in my sins; but the Lord looked to me:

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 

I wasn't saved because I became good but because the grace made me believed in the Messiah, with a purpose:

10 For we are His workmanship/Poiema, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

I was created in Jesus for good works. I am getting old, I am aware of my strong tendency to be egoistical, but I am beginning to acknowledge that others are images of the Lord despite being very imperfect. I am beginning to root for others.  

Ephesians 1: A new identity

Paul prayed for the Ephesians:

15-19 That’s why, when I heard of the solid trust you have in the Master Jesus and your outpouring of love to all the followers of Jesus, I couldn’t stop thanking God for you—every time I prayed, I’d think of you and give thanks. But I do more than thank. I ask—ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory—to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for his followers, oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him—endless energy, boundless strength!

Now I am retired, and even though I had been reading the Bible along years, I still need to know more God personally, I still need  to grasp the way of life God has for me and the boundless greatness of God's power toward me who believe. I want to see the kindness and power of the Lord in order to praise more the Lord for the king Jesus in my life. 

Philemon: Jesus, the king of peace

Paul intercedes for Onesimus - a fugitive slave. By law, Onesimus shoud be severely punished or even killed by Philemon, his master. Paul argued that Onesimus met him (in Rome) and now, he is a Christian, a brother in Jesus, therefore Paul asks Philemon to treat Onesimus graciously. Onesimus carried two letters: to Colossians and to Philemon. 

I imagine Onesimus carrying this letter, surrendered to Jesus. He didn't know what expected him, but he was in peace, confident that the Lord is in control. 

The life of Onesimus and Philemon were changed by Jesus - the king of peace.

Colossians 4: Prayer

2-4 Pray diligently. Stay alert, with your eyes wide open in gratitude. Don’t forget to pray for us, that God will open doors for telling the mystery of Christ, even while I’m locked up in this jail. Pray that every time I open my mouth I’ll be able to make Christ plain as day to them.

My everyday thoughts are somehow egoistical. If I were Paul, in prison, I would prayer for deliverance. Paul main's concern is to proclaim the gospel. It reminds me the Lord's prayer: "your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.".
The more I admire/praise the Lord, the more I will desire what the Lord aims. 

Colossians 3: new life

3-4 Your old life is dead. Your new life, which is your real life—even though invisible to spectators—is with Christ in God. He is your life. When Christ (your real life, remember) shows up again on this earth, you’ll show up, too—the real you, the glorious you. Meanwhile, be content with obscurity, like Christ.

My old life, centered in me, is dead. My new life is becoming more and more like Jesus. However, this transformation is not passive, through magic; and it is not also based on my own efforts, legalistic. It is a transformation that begins in the mind, in believing that Jesus is in me.

Colossians 2: Reality in Christ

Jesus is the King who conquered to us a new life so that we became citizens of the kingdom of God. The Colossian church was under attack. Bad teachers were teaching how to be more "holy" through circumcision, keep the Sabbath, kosher food, etc.
We read:

16-17 So don’t put up with anyone pressuring you in details of diet, worship services, or holy days. All those things are mere shadows cast before what was to come; the substance is Christ.

18-19 Don’t tolerate people who try to run your life, ordering you to bow and scrape, insisting that you join their obsession with angels and that you seek out visions. They’re a lot of hot air, that’s all they are. They’re completely out of touch with the source of life, Christ, who puts us together in one piece, whose very breath and blood flow through us. He is the Head and we are the body. We can grow up healthy in God only as he nourishes us.

Paul warned: We are holy through Jesus because he is the substance, while diet, Sabbath, etc. are only shadows of Jesus. There is a strong trend in our human hearts to find some holiness in our own effort, but this is a lie. We are made to look to Jesus.

Colossians 1: the Son

The central message of the gospel is Jesus, the Son of God, the revelation of the Father.

15-18 We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen. We look at this Son and see God’s original purpose in everything created. For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels—everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him. He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment. And when it comes to the church, he organizes and holds it together, like a head does a body.

18-20 He was supreme in the beginning and—leading the resurrection parade—he is supreme in the end. From beginning to end he’s there, towering far above everything, everyone. So spacious is he, so expansive, that everything of God finds its proper place in him without crowding. Not only that, but all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe—people and things, animals and atoms—get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies, all because of his death, his blood that poured down from the cross.

Jesus is the Alpha and Omega. I was created by Him (alpha) and for Him (omega). Through his death, I am reconciled with the Lord. Through his resurrection, I have a new life. 
Paul wasn't the missionary who planted the Colossian church, but he wants that the church looks to Jesus because He will sustain them from derailing from the gospel. 

Philippians 4: I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

Paul is in jail, in his house at Rome. He thanked the Philippians because they sent him a financial aid. However, he wrote::

11 Not that I speak from need, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. 12 I know how to get along with little, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. 13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. 14 Nevertheless, you have done well to share with me in my difficulty.

Paul has joy even in the jail because the Lord strengthens him. I remember that I decided that I had to have my own business. I remember that I was very sad because I didn't manage to create a business to me. I had many other targets that I didn't achieve. Paul knew that the Lord was in control of everything, even to his moments in prison. Paul had joy and commanded the Philippians to have joy:

4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! 5 Let your gentle spirit be known to all people. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and pleading with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Blessed is the one who surrenders to the Lord.

Philippians 3: what are you proud about?

Paul used to be proud about his lineage, education, and specially, his devotion in following the Torah.
The citizens of Philippi had advantages such as being considered Romans to the point of not paying taxes. A good Roman would declare that "Caesar is Lord!"
A Christian is proud of not what he does, but of what he received: justification by faith, made holy by faith.
A Christian is citizen of Heaven, and a Christian declares that "Jesus is Lord!".
A Christian is one who is the process of being transformed to the image do Jesus, to the point of resurrect from the dead:

10-11 I gave up all that inferior stuff so I could know Christ personally, experience his resurrection power, be a partner in his suffering, and go all the way with him to death itself. If there was any way to get in on the resurrection from the dead, I wanted to do it.

Philippians 2: Power - corruption vs holiness

 Philippians 2: Power - corruption vs holiness

Lord Acton wrote in 1887: "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely". When man has power, he tends to use in his own favour - man is evil and do everything to keep in power; however, the Lord has power, and He uses in a very different way. Paul wrote about Jesus:

5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, as He already existed in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 therefore emptied Himself by taking the form of a bond-servant and being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death: death on a cross. 9 For this reason also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Jesus is our great king and our great model. He decided to abandon the power, to become weak (as a human) and serve us, sinners, instead of doing what every man does - use the power in his own benefit. We, Christians, should use the gifts of the Lord to serve others instead of serving ourselves. Imagine a world full of Christians: a very good place to live in.

Philippians 1: Prison

Paul was in jailed in Rome. Timothy was with him, in his house. Paul was missionary that loved the churches that he planted. Perhaps, I would ask to myself: "What would the Philippians would think of him? Would they be ashamed of Paul? Would they understand that the Lord was in control of everything?"; but Paul was much more focused on preaching the gospel, even in prison:

12 Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel, 13 so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the praetorian guard and to everyone else, 14 and that most of the brothers and sisters, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear. 15 Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ even from envy and strife, but some also from goodwill; 16 the latter do it out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel; 17 the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives, thinking that they are causing me distress in my imprisonment. 18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in this I rejoice.

Paul was also focused on the Philippians. 

9-11 So this is my prayer: that your love will flourish and that you will not only love much but well. Learn to love appropriately. You need to use your head and test your feelings so that your love is sincere and intelligent, not sentimental gush. Live a lover’s life, circumspect and exemplary, a life Jesus will be proud of: bountiful in fruits from the soul, making Jesus Christ attractive to all, getting everyone involved in the glory and praise of God.

Paul wanted to see Jesus more and more in the Philippians, he prayed for them to grow in love.

Romans 16: Greetings to the Jews and gentiles

Paul sends greetings to Jews (Herodion, Andronicus and Junias) and many gentiles as for instance Phoebe, from the church at Cenchrea - a port in Corinth. Probably, Paul was writing the letter from Corinth and sent it to the Romans by Phoebe; thus Phoebe had to be welcomed in a house in Rome. Paul asked the church to treat her well.
There were others with Paul, including Jews such as Jason and Sosipater.


17-18 One final word of counsel, friends. Keep a sharp eye out for those who take bits and pieces of the teaching that you learned and then use them to make trouble. Give these people a wide berth. They have no intention of living for our Master Christ. They’re only in this for what they can get out of it, and aren’t above using pious sweet talk to dupe unsuspecting innocents.

The purpose of the disciples of Jesus is to live for the Master, but there were people using pious sweet talk to be accepted as Christians while in fact they were there to take advantage of the church. Paul said to avoid them. It is difficult to imagine such council being given today in a pulpit.

25-26 All of our praise rises to the One who is strong enough to make you strong, exactly as preached in Jesus Christ, precisely as revealed in the mystery kept secret for so long but now an open book through the prophetic Scriptures. All the nations of the world can now know the truth and be brought into obedient belief, carrying out the orders of God, who got all this started, down to the final detail.

Paul knew all the Old Testament, but now, through Jesus the Old Testament was fulfilled, opening the blessings of the Lord to all nations.