Growing in Christ

Growing in Christ
Words of Faith 6-7-2023
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2023
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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1 Timothy 5
[9] No widow may be put on the list of widows unless she is over sixty, has been faithful to her husband, [10] and is well known for her good deeds, such as bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the saints, helping those in trouble and devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds. [11] As for younger widows, do not put them on such a list. For when their sensual desires overcome their dedication to Christ, they want to marry. [12] Thus they bring judgment on themselves, because they have broken their first pledge. [13] Besides, they get into the habit of being idle and going about from house to house. And not only do they become idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying things they ought not to. [14] So I counsel younger widows to marry, to have children, to manage their homes and to give the enemy no opportunity for slander. [15] Some have in fact already turned away to follow Satan. [16] If any woman who is a believer has widows in her family, she should help them and not let the church be burdened with them, so that the church can help those widows who are really in need.

The remarkable thing about this text is not what it says about widows and remarriage. The extraordinary thing is how Paul changes over time. The text provides us a rare opportunity to see how Paul's spiritual advice changed or grew over time.
In 1 Corinthians, written in about 55 AD, Paul wrote that it was good for those who are divorced and widowed to remain unmarried. Marriage was advisable only if it was the only way to avoid sinning (1 Corinthians 7:6 9). But by about 60 AD, Paul wrote to these Ephesians more positively about marriage as a gift from God (Ephesians 5:21 33).
Now, Paul is writing to the Pastor of the Ephesians in about 64 AD. Paul suggests it may be advisable for a younger widow to remarry if this fills their emptiness.
Instead of focusing only on Paul's advice regarding remarriage, a more important lesson from the Apostle lies in this evidence that Paul grew and changed over time.
No, God does not change. James 1:17 "The Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." Hebrews 13:8 - Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Revelation 22:13 - I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
But Paul dealt with different situations differently over time. We have already observed that the harshness we saw in Paul as he angrily departed from John Mark and Barnabas (Acts 15:36 41) is quite different from the patient concern he offers Timothy.
Early in His ministry, Paul had a rigid and demanding spirit and wished that all were single like him (1 Cor. 7:7). But over time, the Fruit of the Spirit became more evident in Paul. Patience and peace settled in. In the later writings of Paul, we see less of his effort to prove his Apostleship and more genuine love for the people he led. He who began a good work in Paul continued to perfect him.
No, this does not mean that God changes or even that His Word changes. In matters of purity and holiness, Paul never compromised. But a careful reading of Scripture tells us that God can change a person as they grow over time. There is hope! Even for me! Perhaps even for you?
We, too, can grow over time. We can grow beyond some of the narrow definitions that once divided us from other Christians. We can grow beyond some of the harsh demands we once put on others. We can grow beyond our judgments of one another and the inner demands that everyone is the same.
The question for today is this: How does God want YOU to grow? Does He want to change your thinking about something? Some practice, judgment, ruling, doctrine, issue, prejudice, interpretation, person, or group? Does God want to move you beyond the turf you staked out long ago? Not away from His holiness, but into His agape love?
Grow. If God could do this in Paul, I bet He can do it in me, too.

Lord, open my mind and heart to people that are on Your heart. To situations that burden You. To new possibilities that I have been missing. In Jesus' name. Amen.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2023
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2023 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.