Foundations of Faith: Our True Aim
The mess Timothy walked into at Ephesus wasn’t so different from our own. Here was this young apprentice minister, sent by his mentor Paul to a city sick on spiritual concoctions – a dash of magic here, a sprinkle of goddess worship there, all mixed with enough pseudo-Christian teaching to make your head spin. Ephesus was no small-town operation. Picture New York City meets Vatican City meets Silicon Valley – that was Ephesus. The shadow of Artemis’s temple loomed large, and the streets buzzed with spell-books and silver shrines. Yet right in the middle of this spiritual marketplace, the Jesus-way was turning lives inside out and upright. But here’s the rub that Timothy faced, and honestly, we’re still scratching our heads over it: How do we hold onto rock-solid truth while keeping our hearts soft and warm? Some folks get so caught up in being right that they forget about being kind. Others are so eager to keep the peace that they let truth get watered down like weak coffee. Paul’s words to Timothy cut straight through this either/or thinking. The whole point of getting our theology straight, he says, is love – the real deal, not the greeting card version. Love that’s built on truth’s foundation. Truth that’s expressed through love’s actions. Jesus knew this dance. When the religious experts tried to pin him down about what matters most, he gave them a both/and: Love God with everything you’ve got and love your neighbor as yourself. No choosing sides. No false choices. Maybe it’s time we stopped seeing truth and love as rivals and started seeing them as partners in this beautiful mystery of a thing we call faith.
Dinner Table Conversations:
Adult & Teen Table Talk:
· Timothy was ministering in Ephesus – a city filled with magic, idol worship, and false spirituality. What are some modern-day “Ephesus-like” influences that can pull Christians away from authentic faith?
· The passage emphasizes that sound teaching should lead to love. When have you seen someone demonstrate both strong biblical knowledge and genuine love for others? What impact did that have on you?
· The sermon mentioned false dichotomies – the idea that we have to choose between being doctrinally sound OR loving. What’s one practical step you could take this week to grow in both biblical understanding and genuine love for others?
Little Learners’ Table Talk:
· Jesus tells us to love God and love others. Can you share one way you showed love to someone this week?
· Paul wrote a letter to help Timothy be a good leader. If you could write a letter to help someone learn about Jesus, what would you say in it?
Grace and peace,
Caleb McCaughan, Pulpit Minister
Foundations of Faith: Our True Aim
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