Have Nothing To Do With…

I was reading the Pastoral Epistles recently and came across this repeated instruction from Paul to Timothy: “Have nothing to do with…” (Gk: paraiteomai). It appears in all three of his pastoral epistles, including his letters to Timothy and Titus. This phrase also appears in his letter to the church at Thessalonica. It is as if the apostle could see that we needed multiple "Wrong Way" signs when it comes to being quarrelsome. There are slight differences between these admonitions, but it might be helpful for us to consider them in this season.

"Just to be clear" Photo: Greg K Dueker 2024

1 Timothy 4:6-8

For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.

If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed. Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.

This first statement of avoidance was made in the larger context of false teaching and false worship/devotion in the “later times” (v.1) as some “depart from the faith”. What God has created is good and should be received with gratitude. However, some advocated rejecting such good things in an asceticism of false spirituality. There seems to be a contrast in this passage between what is good— God’s creation received with thanksgiving, words of the faith, good doctrine, and proving to be a good servant of Christ—and what is not good such as “irreverent, silly myths” (v.7). In essence, Paul was saying, “Don’t waste time with bad ideas and bad practices.” Such ideas and practices are bad because they…

• Refuse what God has generously provided.
• Reject what God has consistently taught.
• Recenter spirituality on what we do rather than on what God has done.
• Relish what mankind has devised, regardless of truth.

Let’s combat such worldly distractions by receiving with gratitude what God has done and said. Far be it from us to add or subtract from the gospel message, to think that we have something to do with our salvation.

 

2 Timothy 2:22-26

So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. ²³ Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.

The second avoidance passage is directed at “foolish, ignorant controversies” (v.23), seemingly in parallel with “flee youthful passions” (v.22). Why? Because the Lor’s servant must not be quarrelsome. Why? Because Jesus wasn’t quarrelsome, despite his harsh words for abusive leaders. This instruction is a mantra for us to embrace each day as we contemplate texting, emailing, or posting anything online! To his credit, Pastor Karl Vaters has been reminding us of this by posting verse 23 on Twitter/X every day since February 9, 2019! I’ll let you do the math on how many days that has been. If you took away the foolish, ignorant controversies, how many social media feeds would remain intact?

The Grinch's Heart is Changed

This passage is so incarnational and redemptive in its approach to ministry. It looks for people to be set free! Does verse 24 describe our lives? Are we, who claim to be the Lord’s servants, living as directed?

“And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness.” (v.24-25a)

This five-fold admonition could be remembered by starting with a fist and then opening it up one digit at a time, starting with the thumb, until you have an open hand.

1. Not quarrelsome (thumbs up, not an angry-faced emoji)
2. Kind to everyone (not pointing a finger gun at others)
3. Able to teach (not cussing in anger)
4. Patiently enduring evil (awkward until you can straighten the last finger)
5. Correcting opponents with gentleness (not much harshness in a pinkie finger)

Where the goal is not to win an argument but to see a soul respond to the loving truth of the Gospel.

I remember a wise teacher in a rather contentious field who, unlike many of his associates, refused to schedule debates with opponents because he believed that debates didn't allow opponents to change their minds without losing face. However, he would do unlimited question and answer sessions in hostile environments to teach kindly and without quarrelsomeness. With this approach, students and other instructors could have more freedom to follow the evidence, not just defend their faulty ideology.

Titus 3:1-11

Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. 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. But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned.

Who was this passage addressed to? Titus was pastoring in Crete (1:5). What do we know about the Cretans? What were their tendencies? Many were “insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers” (1:10) and the classic self-identification, “One of the Cretans, a prophet of their own, said, ‘Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.’” (1:12) Paul’s entire letter to Titus addresses the issue that the badly needed kindness of Christ (3:3-7), that we have received, should change the way we live. Part of that change has to do with the content and means of your communication with others. We should not hate others, nor should we teach as doctrines the foolish ideas of fallible people.

In verse 9, it lists several behaviors to avoid, “for they are unprofitable and worthless.” James uses the word “worthless” to describe the religion of someone “who doesn’t bridle his tongue.”

In verses 10-11, the avoidance shifts from the behaviors to the person “who stirs up division,” because such dividers are “warped and sinful.” We have different cultural norms today, for we tend to praise dividers as heroic figures rather than warped and sinful. I think that even in this avoidance, we are not to rush to judgment, for Paul states that this should only happen after two separate warnings. Sometimes a prophetic correction takes a bit of time to sink in.

Sadly, this passage has been misused against those working to unite the church by confronting hidden sins. Accusations of sexual abuse or other abuses of power by supposed spiritual leaders are not included in verse nine’s topic ban and fall clearly in the purview of earlier chapters. Paul consistently addressed such issues as wrong and those who do them should have no part in the leadership of the church. Paul is not discouraging the rooting out of hidden sins but rather exposing the hidden sin of dividing the body, which should be one in Christ. By the way, in Old Testament narratives, the shunning of prophets never ended well for those in power.

What do we do when we disagree about what makes “a foolish controversy,” which should be avoided? I would like to offer two suggestions.

1. St. James’ wisdom tests are helpful to determine is something is foolish (James 3:13-18). For more on this, see my post, In The Meekness of Wisdom.
2. Ask ourselves, are we pushing others away from Christ and each other, or are our efforts encouraging each other to draw closer in trust, dependence, and good works? If so, then repent!

2 Thessalonians 3:13-15

As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good. If anyone does not obey what we say in this letter, take note of that person, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed. Do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.

Photo by Dan Meyers on Unsplash

This final Pauline avoidance passage tempers the statement so that we are not waging war in some kind of old-fashioned shunning of adversaries but as a brotherly warning. Even in disagreement, we are still related. Are we becoming weary in doing good? Then we need to strengthen our weak arms and feeble knees in the Grace of God and keep going… together.

Matthew 27:17-23

So when they had gathered, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” For he knew that it was out of envy that they had delivered him up. Besides, while he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much because of him today in a dream.”  Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus.  The governor again said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.”  Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said, “Let him be crucified!”  And he said, “Why? What evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Let him be crucified!”

The only other time this phrase is used in the New Testament is in a very different context. Pilate's wife was not advising that her husband shunned Jesus, but that he would not harm him (for Jesus was a “righteous man”). I wonder if her advice might be helpful for us as well. Does our focus on “irreverent, silly myths,” “foolish, ignorant controversies”, and those who are dividers abuse the spiritual body of Christ even as Pilate’s failure to heed his wife’s warning brought suffering and death to Jesus’ physical body? Paul warned the church against failing to discern the body present in their gatherings (1 Cor. 11:29) and against destroying the body/temple/church (Rom. 14:15, 20; 1 Cor. 3:17). A spiritual battle must be fought by spiritual means (Eph. 6:12ff).

We would do well to remember that the crowd and their agitators can still manipulate the narrative to the point where we can no longer heed the warnings we receive. Who do we allow to be voices of value in our lives?

 

Wasting Away, but Renewed (A SOAP Journal from 2 Cor 4)

S = 2 Corinthians 4:1, 16-18

"Inner Light" Photo by Greg K. Dueker (2025)

v. 1 Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart... 

v. 16-18 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

O = This chapter begins with the declaration that, having received what they had by the mercy of God, Paul and his companions did not “lose heart.”

Now, at the end of the chapter, we see their testimony again: “We do not lose heart.” While physically, we all begin to waste away as we age. Some illnesses, accidents, and poor decisions all impact the rate at which we waste away… but no one escapes it. However, what is inside of us, what Paul called “our inner self,” can and should be renewed each day. But are we? As we age, are we becoming more infused with the light of eternity? Paul said that it depends on what we look at.

On one hand, if we allow the temporal things to become our focus, we can become envious and frustrated, growing increasingly angry, bitter, and unpleasant to be around. Paul called the deadly affliction he faced “light” and “momentary,” despite having a more extensive resume of suffering than most of us will ever face (see Chapter 11).

A = It seems that the older we get, the thinner our skin gets, both physically and spiritually. What is inside of us becomes more visible as our ability to hide the condition of our soul diminishes. Some people shine even brighter than ever with gladness and gratitude, while others complain and criticize nonstop.  

Paul was realistic. He saw firsthand the toll, on top of normal aging, that persecution could exact upon people. However, though he suffered terribly, he never became bitter, for he looked to the unseen things which are eternal. If we focus on greed and fear surrounding temporal things, we will become even more temporal as we distance ourselves from our eternal inheritance. If we focus on faith and hope upon that which is eternal, then eternity will creep into every aspect of our lives.

Photo by keem-ibarra on Unsplash

As followers of Christ and as leaders in the church, the question we face is, to what will we look today, this week, and in this season? To the volatility of our worldly investments or the security of our eternal investments? Will we be easily shaken by bad news, bad weather, bad politics, and bad people? Or will we be encouraged by the overflowing goodness of God and the continual working of the Holy Spirit on our behalf? Will we mourn what is passing/wasting away or rejoice in what is progressively being revealed?

In his letter to the church at Philippi, Paul shared how he applied this concept in his life.

He not only had left his failures, mistakes, and other sins behind at the cross of Christ, he had learned to consider even what he had previously considered to be his qualifications and commendable qualities as loss, even as garbage or dung, when compared to the riches of knowing Christ Jesus and sharing in both his sufferings and in his resurrection (Phil. 3:3-11).

When you read 2 Corinthians through, it sounds very similar.

P = Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus, Gracious Holy Spirit, thank you for saving me from my sins and naturalizing me into your eternal kingdom. Please show me how to see the daily inroads of eternity and not get so tied up in knots by what you call transitory things. Please give me eyes to see how you value people, things, events, etc., so that I won’t be fooled by their false promises. Your word says that every good and perfect gift comes down from you, Lord, and I am grateful. However, sometimes I get confused about what is good and perfect, so please keep teaching me! Amen.

 

 

 

Staying Near the Chariot: A SOAP Journal Based on Acts 8

Today was the Daytona 500 stockcar race where the cars drive very fast and very close to each other... and sometimes crashing. This racetrack drafting, in a strange way, reminded me of Phillip, at the Spirit's command, running to stay near the Ethiopian's chariot. The following SOAP journal was originally posted on a blog where pastors were journaling along with their sermon series. I wrote it a long time ago, but today as I re-read it, it ministered to me again and I hope it might also minister to you where you are today!

If you are not familiar with the term, we used the SOAP acronym as a simple devotional guide... standing for:

• Scripture—what verse or short section caught my attention today? 
  
• Observation—what can I briefly notice that the passage specifically says?
• Application—what will I do differently as a result of having read this today?
• Prayer—what will I ask the Triune God to do for, in, and through me today?

___________________________________________________________________

S = Acts 8:26-31 

Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that
goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.”

So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet.

The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”

Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.

“How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 

O = This man Phillip, was one of the seven men chosen to “wait tables” so that the Hellenist (Greek-speaking Jews) widows got their fair share of the distribution of bread (6:1-7). Is it any surprise that we see this Spirit-filled man sharing the “bread” of the gospel of Jesus Christ with people of other cultures, even at great risk to himself (his co-worker Stephen had just been killed)? Here are four other simple observations I made.

• Saul’s persecution had scattered the Christians from Jerusalem, and Philip went out boldly preaching the gospel (lit., good news), not complaining about persecution (the bad news), and people paid attention (8:4-8). It seems to me that we rarely hear what the Spirit is saying when we are busy complaining. 
• The Spirit-led witnessing of Phillip happened as he responded in trusting obedience to simple (but incomplete) instructions. 
• Finally, God cared enough about a disabled Ethiopian accountant to send a special messenger, Phillip, to him. This assignment was not a stretch for a man who had ministered to both the overlooked (6:1-7) and the overwhelmed (8:4-8), to now overtake the perplexed official and open the Word of God to him. 

Jesus is for everyone, but Jesus is also the only way. Transformational!

brett-jordan on Unsplash

A = When the Spirit says “Go,” why do I so often overthink and under-obey? If I want to be Spirit-led, I must not only be quick to hear and obey what he says to all Christians through the Bible, but also be willing to trust those small fragmentary promptings he speaks to my heart. By fragmentary, I mean that rarely do we see the second and third steps until we take the first. How long do I need to run alongside this person’s chariot? The Spirit didn’t tell Phillip, so I guess that means as long as it takes. When can I share what I know? When I am asked to do so…until then, I need to keep running beside the chariot! So, in my multi-cultural, multi-ethnic context, how willing am I to stay near another’s cultural “chariot”? Will I take the time to learn about them and to enter into authentic conversations concerning their questions about Christ? I hope so.

P = O Lord, may I be quicker to obey your voice and patient to wait for the right moment to give an answer. May my interest and care for others make them thirsty enough to ask for a drink, and may my words be true to yours so that a cup of kindness grows into the baptism of a transformed life. Start the process in me today so that I have something truly good to share with others. Amen.

Spring Cleaning (A SOAP Journal from 2 Chronicles 29)

In addition to regular articles, I regularly post some simple SOAP journals that were produced during a regular small group gathering to read, journal, pray, and encourage one another. These are not exhaustively studied as they are generally the work of 20 minutes of reading, 20 minutes of writing, and 20 minutes of sharing with each other what we have written. Whether we are Christian leaders or new believers, this collective approach to Bible journaling is encouraging.

If you are not familiar with the term, we used the SOAP acronym as a simple devotional guide... standing for:

• Scripture—what verse or short section caught my attention today? 
  
• Observation—what can I briefly notice that the passage specifically says?
• Application—what will I do differently as a result of having read this today?
• Prayer—what will I ask the Triune God to do for, in, and through me today?

___________________________________________________________________________

S = 2 Chronicles 29:1-3, 17-18 

Photo by Denny Müller on Unsplash

 “Hezekiah began to reign when he was twenty-five years old… And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done. In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the Lord and repaired them…

“They began to consecrate on the first day of the first month, and on the eighth day of the month they came to the vestibule of the Lord. Then for eight days they consecrated the house of the Lord, and on the sixteenth day of the first month they finished. Then they went in to Hezekiah the king and said, “We have cleansed all the house of the Lord, the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the table for the showbread and all its utensils.”

O = Hezekiah was fairly young when he became king—how many 25-year-olds could be trusted to make wise and godly decisions? Yet Hezekiah did…and he started by removing the obstacles to wholehearted worship of the One True God. He did not need the first 100 days of his administration to decide what reforms to propose. On the first day of the first month, he did what was in his power. In our culture, many cannot wait until they are 16 so that they can drive, 18 to vote, 21 to drink, and 25 to finally rent a car. Hezekiah became king and right away challenged the priests and Levites to stand up and clean out the filth and false gods that were literally clogging the temple courts (v.11).

Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with the Lord, the God of Israel, in order that his fierce anger may turn away from us. My sons, do not now be negligent, for the Lord has chosen you to stand in his presence, to minister to him and to be his ministers and make offerings to him.”

It took eight days for the large group of workers just to reach the front porch of the temple (v.17) and another eight days to clean out the temple itself. It had become an unholy hoarder’s house of idolatry rather than a place of true worship. After 16 days they finished the work and began to repent and covenant with the Lord with a massive sin offering. It seems that they recognized that it was not just the sins of their fathers that were the problem, but their own sins as well. They had to first consecrate themselves, then the house of the Lord, and finally the people.

Photo by Lucia Sorrentino
on Unsplash

A = How often do we think about our complicity in “the sins of the fathers?” Our Western philosophy is individualistic in the extreme and does not fit with a biblical worldview that tends to see us all as connected. What can we do about the sins of the past? We can confess and stop doing them, consecrate ourselves, and together start the dirty work of clearing out the filth—from our hearts, from our families, from our churches, from our society. Is there some way in which we have devalued the worship of the Lord? Does our heart and life look like a hoarder’s house—unable to repent of and renounce the socially acceptable yet clogging sins of laziness, gluttony, self-indulgence, love of money, dishonesty, etc.? What could we clean out this week as the Holy Spirit leads and empowers?

P = O Lord, I confess my sin and the sins of my fathers even in this land of plenty. We have not followed you with an undivided heart. We have not treated all people justly; we have not been as thankful for your care as we should have been. O Lord, forgive us!   May we never allow our hearts to grow cold and our relationship with you our Savior to fall into disuse (like the temple in Ahaz’s day). May we be as available and committed to you and as privileged to be a part of the sudden change you want to bring into our midst, as Hezekiah was. O Lord, please empower us with your Holy Spirit even today! Amen.