Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers. (KJV, 2 Timothy 2:14)

I’ve often heard this text used to discourage detailed debate about the meaning of Scripture passages, or even to devalue highly precise Bible study. Is this what Paul’s warning to Timothy here is about?

First, observe that whatever “striving about words” is, Paul clearly saw it as something that threatened Timothy’s ministry. Timothy is to “charge them before the Lord” not to do this. Second, the activity is doubly discouraged as lacking in value (“no profit”) and also as causing damage of some kind to hearers (“subverting”). Third, the activity apparently involved individuals in at least two roles: the “strivers” and the “hearers.”

So what activity is being forbidden here? What is meant by “strive not about words”?

The Thriving Church
Dr. Dean Taylor

More information: https://www.mbaoc.org/2024-annual-meeting.html

Only a small fraction of the heroes of D-Day live on today to keep its memories alive, as we commemorate the 80th anniversary of that signal event which, to a large degree, saved the world from tyranny.

“Our sons, pride of our Nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion, and our civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity,” prayed President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in his radio address on June 6, 1944. “Lead them straight and true; give strength to their arms, stoutness to their hearts, steadfastness in their faith.” Roosevelt famously distributed New Testaments (also containing the Psalms) to the troops.

“Notably, the increase in the share who are upper income was greater than the increase in the share who are lower income. In that sense, these changes are also a sign of economic progress overall.” - Pew

A questionnaire for gathering feedback on worship services - 9 Marks

“Matt 25 includes a formulaic repetition of six actions the nations must take to be judged as sheep. It is guidance on how the nations receive the messengers!” - SBC Voices

“Merchan’s jury instructions were determined more than a week ago following arguments between prosecutors and Trump’s legal team. Despite Trump’s team arguing that jurors should be required to agree on a single underlying crime, Merchan sided with prosecutors, who argued that such special treatment would deviate from the standard application of the law.” - The Dispatch

“A humble man, his point was that work often seemed like a necessary evil…. But is this how we should think of our jobs, as meaningless?” - Ligonier

“Desecration can take many forms, but it is always characterized by certain things: a delight in dehumanizing those made in God’s image; and an absence of gratitude to God” - Carl Trueman

“Before these conversations, I’d never considered the spiritual significance of the lobby as I came and went from worship. Merely having this pointed out to me has—in no time—created a more grace-filled heart posture as I approach this preworship and postworship pass-through.” - TGC

“Series creator Dallas Jenkins told RNS The Chosen LLC and Angel Studios had ‘different ideas of how to interpret both the contract and what’s going to sustain us in our future.’” - RNS

“Louisiana lawmakers gave the bill final approval Tuesday evening with a 79-16 vote in the state House of Representatives…. The law is likely to receive legal challenge.” - Axios

“Christians are more likely (23%) than pastors (9%) to call AI ‘encouraging.’ Approximately one-third of pastors (34%) find AI ‘constructive’ with 23 percent of Christians in agreement.” - RNS

Related: What Does Using AI For Good Look Like? - Barna

A review of Dispensationalism Revisited: A Twenty-First Century Restatement,* edited by Kevin T. Bauder & R. Bruce Compton, Plymouth, MN, Central Seminary Press, 2023, 294 pages, paperback.

This book was written to commemorate the life and teaching of Charles A. Hauser, Jr, a man who did not have a high profile ministry but who had a big impact through his faithful service to the Lord, and the tributes at the back of the book are not to be missed.

“Profiting from the weakness and misfortune of others is no way to treat a neighbor.” - World

“when ‘Christian nationalism’ becomes a slogan, it’s easy for Christians in America to miss the responsibility we are called to. The people and communities who need to see Bad Faith are, unfortunately, the ones least likely to watch it.” - Jared Stacy

“proponents have often cited a June 2023 report…. When extrapolated to the then-figure of 47,614 cooperating churches (now 46,906), the report estimated 1,844 female pastors serving in 1,225 churches.” - Baptist Press

“Carl Trueman’s point has merit. It is essential for Christians to not simply become an arm of those vying for political power. On the other hand, Christian congregations must remember that they stand in a long line of saints who took civic duty seriously.” - Providence

It may seem odd to suggest that the book entitled Apocalupsis does not belong to the genre of literature commonly referred to as apocalyptic. Nonetheless that is my suggestion here. The term employed in the title of the book denotes a revelation or disclosure.¹ While this particular revealing or disclosing describes a broad swathe of eschatological events, it is not its own literary genre.

Apocalyptic as a genre is described as “characteristically pseudonymous; it takes narrative form, employs esoteric language, expresses a pessimistic view of the present, and treats the final events as imminent.”² Henry Barclay Swete (Cambridge), even while arguing that Revelation is apocalyptic literature, admits that the book differs from that genre, in that the book of Revelation (1) is not pseudepigraphic, (2) engages a specific audience (seven churches), (3) has a significant church focus, rather than a purely Israel nation-centered focus, and (4) includes notes of insight and foresight that are more indicative of inspiration than is found in earlier extra-biblical apocalyptic literature.³

“I am becoming concerned that we are witnessing, in the recent ascendency of the ‘premodern’ in contemporary evangelical literature, the triumph of Barth and ultimately of Gnosticism in the evangelical church” - Mark Snoeberger

“Over the years, the verse has held as a precious promise to parents that if they do everything right, their kids will turn out right. It has also been used as a guilty club to beat up parents who are feeling defeated over the choices of a rebellious child. Both responses are a misinterpretation and a misapplication of the text.” - P&D

“About six-in-ten U.S. adults (62%) already say they are worn out by so much coverage of the campaign and candidates, while 35% say they like seeing a lot of this coverage.” - Pew

“the so-called tunics of St. Peter and St. John the Evangelist have been subjected to a full restoration and carbon-dating analysis by experts at the Vatican Museums.” - RNS

“The unknown psalmist speaks on behalf of God’s people of all times, declaring that God has done great things while honestly affirming, ‘You have made me see troubles, many and bitter.’” - Randy Alcorn

From Lectures to My Students: A Selection from Addresses Delivered to the Students of The Pastors’ College, Metropolitan Tabernacle

First Series, Lecture X
By C.H. Spurgeon

Read the series.

“There are no easy answers here. In thinking about the juxtaposition of mental-health issues and church discipline, we want to be wary of two extremes.” - Desiring God

“If the issue is the title, then churches with women called ‘pastors’ can come into compliance by simply changing their title… If the issue is function, then the SBC Credentials Committee must investigate job descriptions, church governing documents, work records and personnel policies of local churches to determine if a woman is functioning as a pastor.” - Baptist Press

“The bipartisan ‘Revising Existing Procedures on Reporting via Technology’ (REPORT) Act amends federal laws concerning the sexual exploitation and abuse of children, including expanding the kinds of content electronic communication and cloud computing companies must report.” - Daily Citizen

“Reasons are the explanation for why you started holding a position or taking an action…. Rationalizations are facts, arguments, principles, etc., that you offer to justify a conclusion you have already reached.” - DBTS Blog

“In the wake of various sexual abuse scandals, many churches are weighing the importance of background checks in their hiring processes and working to find the way to best protect children within the church.” - The Baptist Paper