Apply Within

Bob Davis: False teachers get in and you get into this false teaching and it'll take you away. Every church I've ever been a part of, whether I'm pastoring or sitting in it, there's always someone in that church who comes along, knows the Bible better than the pastor, starts his own little study somewhere, and soon you see 20 and 30 people follow him off. He's got false doctrine and you never saw it coming.

Guest (Male): Welcome to Apply Within, a verse-by-verse study of the Word of God with Pastor Bob Davis and North Country Chapel. We invite you to join with us as we, by the power of God's Holy Spirit, apply His Word within our own hearts as we study line upon line, precept upon precept, verse by verse through the Bible. Continuing in 1 Timothy chapter 5, verse 21, Paul charges Timothy to lead with integrity, wisdom, and discernment. Here's Pastor Bob.

Bob Davis: Let's go to verse 21. After all those instructions, he says, "I charge you before God." In other words, here's what I'm telling you, here's how to walk: "before God, Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels," they're watching too, "that thou observe these things without preferring one before another, doing nothing by partiality."

Partiality, mark that down. "Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men's sins. Keep yourself pure." That's not just to Timothy; that's the Pastor Bob. That's not just the Pastor Bob; that's all the staff that's serving. But that's also every believer. Don't just stick it on one person and think of that poor guy; all of us, this is for all of us here.

When dealing with issues in the church, there are a couple of dangers we want to avoid. There's a bunch of them, but the two he points out are prejudice and discrimination and partiality, or you could call it bias. We can't live that way. In the sight of God and the Lord Jesus Christ and also in the sight of the elect angels, we do things scripturally. We may not like that individual or we may feel like we've been treated or cheated. Well, those are emotions and we'll have to walk through those, but we're going to do these things God's way or the church can't function correctly.

Prejudice or discrimination and partiality and bias is what you avoid. He says, "Don't do that. I charge you before God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the elect angels that you observe these things without preferring one before another, doing nothing by partiality." That guy is really a good friend of mine, so I'm going to let it go. No, you can't do that. It doesn't work that way. Partiality or the other would be prejudice and discrimination. Prejudice and discrimination is when you don't like a different race.

I'm hearing people say, "Boy, those Ukrainians. Boy, those Mexicans. Boy, those—" Hold it. They're people, too. We love them. If they cheat and steal, they get put in jail like everybody else. It doesn't matter color, shape, size, boy, girl; it doesn't matter. The law is the law and we get that.

Discrimination or prejudice could be a different race or it could be a different sex. We're running into that all over the place in America now, aren't we? Well, we've got to hire more girls. Why? Because they're girls. Oh, okay, good. Now we've got to get some more boys. Now we're going to have to get people that stand on one leg. Pretty soon, we're going to have a duck because we don't have any ducks working here.

That is discrimination. You may not call it that, but that's what it is. That's prejudice. Look what's happening. The companies say, "Okay, we've got too many guys. We don't have enough white guys." What do you mean? If you've got job openings, people are going to come in and say, "I think I can do it. Give me a try." What's going on here?

You can't do things with prejudice and discrimination. It's not fair. It's not good. It doesn't work and you're going to get some lousy stuff. So, in the church you don't do it that way. You don't look at race differently or sex. You don't look down on men; you don't look down on women. You don't look on handicap. You don't do those things. You love them; they're people.

Then there's partiality. Every one of us, if we're not careful—me, you, everybody—look at you. How about this: a tendency toward a man or toward a woman? A certain family because of their wealth? You want to put an administrator in and you look for somebody who is rich. No, that would be partiality. It would be foolish, too. It's not a good, solid way to do anything.

You don't do that. You don't pick people. Partiality means if they're really important in the town, that'd be great to have on your board of directors. That's not how we choose administrators. We pray about it and we're looking for men who just love the Lord and will serve and have the ability to make some really great, wise, discerning choices.

I'm just the pastor. Our board of directors are administrators and I listen to them until it comes to the Bible. I say as long as you don't tell me how to teach or what to teach, we're good to go. You could tell me where to go and how quick to get there. You can say if I want to go to this conference and you say it's too much money, I won't go. I am under their authority, except when it comes to the Word of God. We work together well and I trust them. Some of them are getting old and I trust them and that's how you do it. It's not a partiality because you'll get the wrong people.

My football coach, I played country music with him; I started playing at 13. It was his idea, but he was my coach for all junior high and high school. I played defense because I was just a little bit aggressive as a young man. I liked hitting people. It's legal, you put helmets on, and you're good. I liked it.

If a friend of mine—we were good buddies, too—sometimes when you're practicing, he'd get across from me, I'd get across from him, and we'd just bump our heads. The coach would always grab us because he was just a good friend of mine. He'd say, "You know what we call that, don't you? That's brother-in-lawing. You can't play football and be brother-in-lawing. You hit him like he's the enemy just like you would in a real game. I don't want to hurt his nose, he's ugly enough."

That's what partiality is: you're brother-in-lawing, sister-in-lawing. Instead of getting people that are good for the position, you're letting your friends get jobs. That's dangerous; that doesn't work at church. We pray and we pay attention. Paul warns us of the tendency to place people quickly. In verse 22: "Lay hands suddenly on no man," no individual. "Neither be partaker of other men's sins. Keep yourself pure."

Paul warns of the tendency to place people quickly into positions of responsibility. You have to be careful of that. I was 28 years old, threatening 29. They said, "We just see a calling on your life." I wouldn't do it. I said, "No, I don't want to. I don't want to do that. I'm not a pastor, I'll never be a pastor, I don't want to be a pastor. I'm good picking up the trash and doing the music for the third graders. I'm good with that. I like it."

They said, "We see it." It took them about six months to get me in and they sort of tricked me in. But what they did for the next two years is I did everything, but I never taught. They didn't even let me teach second graders. I was below their level. What I did, I learned to serve everybody all the time.

Before I ever did one little Bible study for years, I just picked up after everybody and mopped up after everybody. I threw out the trash and cleaned out. I'd come at O-dark-30 in the morning because we were right downtown. The drug deals going on, prostitution right across in the park over there. I picked up the needles and I'm just cleaning it up to make it look like nothing ever happened all night.

I was loving that and now I look back and go, "Thank you, God." I'm a musician; I don't have anything in here. So, I was just happy doing that. It's hard to get people to do that now because they want a ministry and they want to be teaching and they want to be on top and overrule the world.

Paul warns us about the tendency to place the young people quickly in positions of responsibility in teaching the Bible. You can have responsibility of painting and things; you go for that. But we're talking about with the Word of God. You don't just put them in quickly into positions of authority, taking authority in the Word of God. They have to learn, they have to serve.

Sometimes they're just too young. At one of the pastors' conferences I went to, they had a young man speak. I won't tell you his name, but here I'm an old guy. I'm in my 50s or early 60s and here's this kid; he's 21. He talked really fast and he did not know what he was doing. People clapped because they were proud of him; he's only 21, he stood up there and he's 21.

I thought that kid, it's going to hurt him. He's going to think he's really more than he really is. He thought that and now he's no longer in ministry. He's gone. I think he was called; I think they shoved him up too fast. They just put him in a spot where it went to his head and the pride. He had to wear really big hats and I thought that's really sad because what he had to say was wrong.

He said it to a bunch of pastors, so we're thinking, "Oh, that's kind of cute," but you've got to talk to somebody and say the guy's too young. He's not ready yet. Don't turn him loose on his own little congregation because it's going to be—well, it didn't work. Paul warns you of that: "Lay hands suddenly on no man."

Get to know them if they're going to be teaching, if they're going to be in a pastoral position, assistant, or whatever. You've got to pay attention. Sometimes they're too young. They're not ready. Sometimes they're not even born again and they just like the idea of it and they get thrown into the ministry and the whole thing falls apart. They thought that they were right up there with sliced bread. They thought they were that much and it hurts them; it doesn't help them.

We always be careful. We always want to be careful. We bring some people on here and just do some work, do some of this. Let's see how ministry works for you kind of thing and you turn them loose. Pastor Chuck would say it to me. Now I see it. For a while, I thought, "I'm not sure I understand." But he'd say, "You know, if you love people and they really seem to have a heart for the Lord, you bring them in and let them serve."

He says, "I have found if you give them enough rope, they'll hang themselves with it or they'll climb." It's been true. Some that say, "I'm not here to be the boss. I'm not here to start teaching all these people. I'm here to serve the Lord. What can I do? Could you scrub those floors?" I'll do them, I'll do them. I'll pick up the trash, throw it down, and I'll pick it up again because you want to learn how to serve.

That's what Paul's warning all of us about. They get thrown into ministry and it hurts them and the ministry too. I've seen ministries die because of placing someone into a position they shouldn't have been in, like that young man. He shouldn't have been there, but I liked him and I think he had potential. I just think it went to his head. Keep your head out of this thing. Think, but keep your head out when you come into ministry and pay attention. Learn the Word.

Paul, with tears in his eyes, said that to the Ephesian elders. I'm going to read you almost done here. I'm going to read you Acts chapter 20. Paul, with tears in his eyes, says to the elders of the church at Ephesus—that's where Timothy is right now in 1 Timothy, that's where he's pastoring. In the book of Acts chapter 20, verses 28 through 30, Paul, with tears in his eyes, says this:

"Take heed therefore to yourselves and to the flock, the whole flock over which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers." Watch them carefully to feed the church of God. That means with the Word, not all your great ideas. Feed them the Word. "For I know," verse 29, Paul says, "after I leave, my departing, wolves, grievous wolves are going to enter in among you and they won't spare the flock."

They're going to take somebody away before they actually get born again. False teachers get in and you get into this false teaching and it'll take you away. Every church I've ever been a part of, whether I'm pastoring or sitting in it, there's always someone in that church who comes along, knows the Bible better than the pastor, starts his own little study somewhere, and soon you see 20 and 30 people follow him off. He's got false doctrine and you never saw it coming.

That's why I tell you, when I teach you the Bible, you open the Bible and read it to make sure it's there. You always do that. You don't want to be led astray. He said, "I know that after my departure, grievous wolves are going to sneak in among the flock and they won't spare the flock. Also, of your own selves." There's people in every church that are sitting back, waiting their turn to get a position of some kind to take people off for themselves.

I look for that. I'm not afraid of it; I'm not paranoid. If anybody wants this, I'll give it to them because it's not mine. But while I'm here, I keep my eyes out. Somebody says, "You want me to teach a little bit about this?" I'll tell them, "No, not right now because I don't know you well enough." "Oh, I've been to Bible college." "Okay, good, but I don't know you long enough. Give us 20 years and I'll let you know."

If that person says, "Okay," I'm already happy with him because he's probably all right because usually people want to get it right away.

23 through 25 and we're done. So, this is personal to Timothy and don't misunderstand it: "Drink no longer water." Quit drinking the water. Do you know why? Nothing wrong with water except back there, this is Ephesus, this was 2,000 years ago, the water was poisonous a lot of times and Timothy had a lot of stomach ailments and the water was hurting him.

Go over there now and try to drink some of the water. Go to Africa and drink it. You'll know because you'll sit in the restroom and talk to everybody through the window because you're not coming out. Poor Timothy. Don't drink any more water, but use a little wine for your stomach's sake and your often infirmities. It looks like Timothy was sick quite often. With what they were eating and what they were drinking, I get that.

Then he says, "And learn this, Timothy: some men's sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment, and some men they follow after." When he says "men," that's men and women, sinners. "Likewise, also the good works of some are manifest beforehand." In other words, you see the good things they do. "And they that are otherwise cannot be hid."

He's closing that, not the chapter of that chapter, but not the book. Timothy was having some health issues. The water in those days could make you sicker than you were already and he had some issues. The wine that he's talking about isn't just the regular old drinking wine; they used wine as a medicine. Kind of like you and I might; you have a little bit of an ache, you might take an aspirin or something for it and that's what he's saying. Don't become the wino, but take that as a medication.

Now, I know people that are alcoholics so they call that their medication, but we're not talking about that here. Timothy was not a wino and wasn't into it, but the water was really hurting him. So, they used wine. Dr. Luke was a doctor, remember? He was Paul's doctor and for Timothy too. Paul says take a little bit of wine for your stomach for your ailments.

The verse is dealing only with the medicinal wine. The rest of the stuff, he says lay off of it. Some men's sins are clearly evident and some are obvious. It's true. People will come up and I'll say, "How's it going?" "I just got out of prison and I'm kind of scared and I know I was doing Bible studies there with people. Can I sit in your Bible study?" I said, "Of course you can; you're welcome. Now, if you get weird or out of control, I personally, physically take you out myself, but I don't expect that you'll do that. Give me your word." "Okay, we're good."

A lot of them just will do great. So, you could see, well, that guy struggled and he needed money and he robbed banks. Well, God bless him, that was a dumb thing to do and he paid. He hasn't done it anymore and he's learning and growing. That's what some men's sins are clearly evident and obvious. Some of us were all weasels and a lot of people, if they knew your weasel-ness, they probably wouldn't sit with you at church. But we don't know and we're forgiven and so we trust the Lord and we love one another.

But notice something. With some you don't know really until you get them in front of God and then they smell like smoke and you go, "Whoa, dude," because everyone's a sinner. Some they'll tell you, "Well, I got in trouble at school and this and that. I flunked out of stuff. I went in the military." Remember the time when years ago when I was in, a lot of the guys I worked with, they had a choice: they could go to prison or they could join the military. And they joined and I'm sitting with them.

God has just got a good sense of humor and they turn out to be the greatest guys because they were kids; they learned their lesson. But every one of us is a sinner. If you judge somebody, some people's sins go wide open and they'll tell you. Some you don't know. But if you judge yourself, confess daily, everything is settled. You don't have nothing to carry, nothing to worry about. So, remember that: if you judge yourself, the matter is settled.

Keep your account short. Sometimes you'll say something and God will remind you you said that and you say, "Lord, I'm sorry. I confess. I don't know where that came from." He said out of you; couldn't be out of me, Lord, I'm the nicest guy. But I'm confessing. That's what you want to do: just keep it short. If you judge yourself, the matter is settled. Walk with the Lord, trust in Him day by day, walk in His ways.

Good works are the same. Isn't that what he says: "Likewise, the good works of some are manifest beforehand." I watched Billy Graham and I could see the amazing thing he was doing. I thought, "Look at that. God is blessing him out of his socks." You can see some of the things he's doing. I see his son and Samaritan's Purse. They're doing so many things and I'm thinking, "God bless you, thank you." We give a lot to Samaritan's Purse. They call us if there's an earthquake or something or hurricane, they call us instantly: "What can you send?" because they just know we're going to. And I think that guy, so much of the work is out in the open and you see it.

Good works are the same way. Sometimes God blesses us down here for something that we've done. Sometimes we have to wait until we get there into His presence. But it's okay. Don't you worry. You can't out-give God, so you just serve. You just do; you just go ahead and do the things that are right. And if you're ever thinking about getting in ministry, pray and learn to be the servant of everybody else. That's the key.

Sometimes we have to wait until we get there in heaven and then receive the rewards. But here's what we do by God's grace: we're not perfect, we're people, we're sinners saved by grace. So, we walk in Him, we trust in Him, we wait on Him. That's what we're doing. Jesus Christ is with you always and He will come to get you soon. Any rewards that are coming, you haven't missed them. He's not going to overlook you. He loves you. Love people. Serve. Do anything you can when you can. None of us can do it all. It takes every one of us plus everybody else.

Guest (Male): Thank you for listening to Apply Within with Pastor Bob Davis. Apply Within is a radio outreach ministry of North Country Chapel. Our Sunday morning Bible studies are at 9:00 and 11:00 AM. We also have a Friday evening Bible study at 7:00 PM and a Monday evening Bible study at 7:00 PM. You can download today's message in its entirety at NorthCountryChapel.com/studies. That's NorthCountryChapel.com/studies. If you would like a copy of today's message, write to us and ask for the message with today's date. The address is Apply Within, 2281 West Seltice, Post Falls, Idaho, 83854. Or call us at 1-800-572-8851. That number again, 1-800-572-8851. Our mobile app is available for iPhone and Android. Download it to listen to full-length studies, watch the live stream of our services, or to find out more about church events. If you have been blessed by the teaching or have prayer requests that you would like to share with us, write, email, or call us as well. Please join with us every Monday through Friday as we study together verse by verse on Apply Within, sponsored by North Country Chapel. God bless you.