Did God create men and women to be equal in the sense of “interchangeable?” Are male/female differences something to be enjoyed or downplayed as being irrelevant? If they are both equal before God, does this mean their responsibilities in the home or in the church are identical in His sight? Today’s passage may provide us with some answers.
It’s interesting. Jesus never taught His disciples how to preach or teach the Bible. Nor does it seem they ever asked Him. But they frequently observed Him praying – the God-Man communing with His Father. On at least one occasion they were motivated to ask Him for a lesson on the topic – so He gave them one. Paul now gives Timothy a brief lesson here.
God’s callings are always accompanied by His enabling. He will never call us to do something without also enabling us to do it. Many times the Lord asks us to do something that is impossible. And then, working in us, by His Spirit, He proceeds to do the impossible. The person who receives the most from God’s grace is not the one who has the most forgiven, but the one who is the most transformed.
Americans spend about $300 Billion on entertainment each year. We obviously love to be entertained. In a culture like this, how can the church ever expect to compete for people’s attention? The answer is simple: We can’t. But happily, we don’t have to compete. The church is not here to entertain people, but to teach sound doctrine. No one can compete with us in that. It’s not easy to find it anyplace else.
Central Reflections 