Gary Gleans

Forgiveness and restoration are central themes to the Christian faith.  Through the blood of Christ we have been forgiven of our sin and restored to a right relationship with Christ.  All of our sins are against God, but many times our sins are also against other people.  For this reason, we must also learn to exercise forgiveness and practice restoration in our relationships with one another.  The basis for this practice between believers is the forgiveness that we have experience in Christ.  The presumption that we must make is that those who have experienced forgiveness from God will, themselves be ready and willing to forgive others.  This may seem like a big presumption and, unfortunately it does not always happen that way, but it really should.  That truth is clearly illustrated in the book of Philemon. FORGIVENESS FLOWS FROM TRANSFORMATION: Paul begins this letter with his normal greetings and then words of great encouragement to Philemon.  Paul has apparently lead Philemon

Titus was another one of Paul’s traveling companions much like Timothy.  After Paul’s release from his first Roman imprisonment he visited an island called Crete and saw the seeds of a new church planted there. He decided to leave Titus there to continue planting the church and then traveled on to Macedonia.  While in Macedonia he wrote to Timothy in Ephesus which we know as 1 Timothy and he wrote this letter to Titus.  Both of these letters give a very good job description for church planters.  Paul lets Titus know exactly how he should be investing his time as a minister leading a new church.  That job description continues to hold true even today.  As we seek to establish churches in the nations of the world today there are basically just two things that are required. TRAINING LEADERS: Paul states that the main reason he was left in Crete was for the purpose of selecting and training leaders for the church.  The long term success of any ministry depends on qualified leadership.

2 Timothy is like the passing of a baton in a relay race.  This is Paul’s last letter and it was written from Rome during Paul’s second imprisonment.  Nero was on a rampage against the Christians and Paul was arrested as a part of this movement.  This imprisonment was far different from his first one when he was more or less under house arrest.  Now he is chained in a dungeon and has no hope of release.  He is convinced that his execution is at hand and he is ready to go the heaven.  However, before he goes he desperately wants to see Timothy again and writes this letter to urge him to come and see him at once.  The rest of Paul’s companions have either abandoned him for fear of persecution or have been dispatched by Paul to minister in other locations.  Paul seems to fear that Timothy may be allowing his timidity to get the best of him so he urges him to stand strong against the waves of persecution and the tides of apostasy that were battering the church that Paul loves so dearly. 

Timothy was one of Paul’s most trusted disciples.  He was a young man who traveled with Paul extensively and faithfully completed the tasks assigned to him.  He was trustworthy so Paul entrusted him with many responsibilities during times where Paul was not able to do what needed to be done.  After Paul was imprisoned in Rome the first time, he went and visited several of the churches he had planted including Ephesus.  When Paul left Ephesus to go visit the churches in Macedonia he left Timothy there to set the church in order and deal with several problems that were going on there.  Paul writes this letter to Timothy in order to help him know what to do as he deals with a variety of issues in the church.  Paul’s letters help us to understand how churches should be run as well as the roles that we need to play in the church. HOW TO ORGANIZE A CHURCH: The most important aspect of organizing a church is the truth.  As Paul tells Timothy how to go about organizing the church it is si

Paul apparently receives an update as to the condition of the church when whoever took the first letter returns to Corinth.  Paul is greatly concerned to hear about the persecution that the church is facing but even more concerned about the false teachings that are producing wrong ways of living.  This concern leads Paul to write this second epistle to the church in order to address these issues.  More than likely this second letter is written within a year of the first letter to the same group of people. COMFORT FOR THE DICOURAGED: Paul is very thankful to the Lord for the faithfulness of this church in spite of the great affliction and persecution that they are facing.  Paul knew firsthand how zealous the persecutors where in Thessalonica.  He encourages them to continue to be steadfast and not give up no matter how hard it seems.  He also reminds them of the great hope and promise that they have in Christ.  One day He will put an end to all of this injustice and suffering on the

The church at Thessalonica was the second one that Paul started in Macedonia.  The city was one of the most prominent of the region and was strategically located along the Ignatius way which means it received many visitors who were traveling this major trade route.  Paul’s initial visit was cut short by the persecution he faced from the Jews in the city.  So he fled from there to Berea where the Jews from Thessalonica followed him and kicked him out of that city where he left his traveling companions Silvanus and Timothy.  Paul went on to Athens and then Corinth where he stayed for about a year and a half.  While in Corinth Paul sent Timothy back to Thessalonica to check in on the church, encourage them and then report back to Paul as to how they were doing.  This letter is Paul’s response to Timothy’s report.  Paul has some very high praise for the church as well as some very important instructions about vital areas for their Christian life.  We can be greatly benefited by this book

False doctrine has always been a problem since the entrance of in in the world.  Everything that is of value ends up being the object of forgery.  Perhaps true doctrine is the most valuable thing in the world.  The church in Colosse was made up of both Jews and Gentiles so it suffered from influences of two different extremes: Jewish legalism and Gentile mysticism.  Paul’s desire is to promote sound doctrine in the church as well as the practical application of that doctrine.  The principle heresy in Colosse became known as Gnosticism and ended up being an issue in many of the churches of that day.  Gnosticism considers the physical world to be sinful so it promotes the idea that in order to be saved we must have a spiritual enlightenment that involves a mystical deeper knowledge of God that goes beyond what is taught in Scripture.  The incarnation and the deity of Christ were both under attack by these false teachings.  Jesus was seen to be less than God and the resurrection was doub

The church in Philippi was a great source of joy to the Apostle Paul.  It was his first church planted in Macedonia and the place where he was imprisoned with Silas but an earthquake resulted in the conversion of the jailer and his family.  This church was one of his most faithful supporters from both an emotional and financial standpoint.  Paul writes this letter as a way of thanking them for their support as well as explaining to them why he thought it wise to send Epaphroditus back to them after his almost fatal illness.  He makes use of the letter to give them so valuable instruction and urge them to be united with one another.  This is an exemplary church for which Paul is very grateful.  However, because it is such a great church Paul has great concern for it because he knows that it will likely come under attack from Satan.  The area Paul seems most concerned about is in their unity with one another.  Division in the body of Christ continues to be as issue in the church today a