Jeff Englund

May 16, 2026May 15, 2026

1 Timothy 4:6a – Paul’s Points

An ancient scroll with the words "Serve with humility and love" on it. (Grok)

If you point these things out to the brothers and sisters, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus…

Summary: Paul’s admonition to “point out” certain things makes us wonder what Paul was referring to.

Have you ever wondered what Paul means by “these things” in this passage? Is he talking about just the things in the last paragraph, or is he talking about his whole letter so far?

It is tempting to look at this passage and think, “He probably just means the ‘things’ he has mentioned in chapter four.”

Okay.

The only problem with that theory is that Paul didn’t write his letter in chapters and verses. He simply wrote one big, long letter. Chapters were not added until early in the thirteenth century by an English scholar named Stephen Langton. Verses didn’t come on the scene until much later. The first Bible with both chapters and verses was Wycliffe’s Bible in 1382 AD.

So let’s assume for a moment that the “things” Paul wanted pointed out to the brothers and sisters included everything in his letter so far. What would that include?

Here is one way to list what Paul has taught so far:

Teach truth faithfully (1 Timothy 2:7; 3:2; 4:6)

Reject false doctrine (1 Timothy 1:3-4, 1:6-7; 4:1-3)

Live with integrity and holiness (1 Timothy 3:2-3, 3:8-10, 3:11-12; also 1 Timothy 2:8-10)

Serve with humility and love (1 Timothy 1:5, 1:12-16, 2:1-4)

Maintain faith and a clear conscience (1 Timothy 1:5, 1:18-19; 3:9)

Lead well at home and in the church (1 Timothy 3:4-5, 3:12, 3:14-15)

Pray and promote godliness (1 Timothy 2:1-2, 2:8, 2:9-10, 3:15-16)

Protect believers from deception (1 Timothy 1:3-4, 1:18-20; 4:1-3)

Keep Christ and the gospel at the center of ministry (1 Timothy 1:11, 2:5-6, 3:16 )

Paul might have been thinking of the importance of being true to the Gospel, but look at what he has covered so far! Is there anything on this list of topics that you would want to point out to the brothers and sisters?

One thing remains true, no matter what you choose to put on your list of things to share; whatever you teach, you have to live it first.

Application: Live your faith, love your neighbor as yourself.

Food for Thought: If you were to sum up Paul’s teachings for the brothers and sisters into one line, what would it be?

Please click ‘’Continue Reading” for comments.

May 15, 2026May 14, 2026

1 Timothy 4:4b-5 – Achin’ for Bacon

A young boy sneaks a piece of bacon from a platter on the table (Grok)

… and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.

Summary: Paul’s instruction about food provides a jumping-off place for understanding the frictions between Jew and Gentile and a warning against falling under false “religious laws.”

When I was about five years old, my parents moved to a small mill town on the Willamette River. Our house overlooked the river, and the street we lived on was named “River Street.” Most of the property around our house was undeveloped woods, but nearby was another house owned by the town dentist. He had two children about the same age as my brothers and me.

Because there were no other kids on our end of the street, we played together often, and occasionally I would spend the night at my friend’s house. This meant I would eat dinner there, and I also had to submit to their “house rules.”

Two memories come back immediately when I think of this part of my personal history. One was sitting at the dinner table staring at the stewed spinach I was supposed to eat (Yecch!), and the other was having to brush my teeth using a timer (Keep brushing for two full minutes!).

At the time, I didn’t think stewed spinach was “good,” and I certainly didn’t receive it with thanksgiving. So what does all this have to do with our meditation?

There are reasons to reject certain foods other than personal taste. One example that comes to mind is bacon.

Bacon, as everyone knows, comes from pigs, and pigs, because they do not ‘chew the cud,’ are forbidden for Jews to eat (Leviticus 11:7-8). (This is just one example of many food laws that the Jews lived under.)

Jesus, as you know, was a Jew.

Do you see the problem?

If Jesus were a Jew, then people who believe in Jesus should follow the Jewish laws about food. Right?

RIGHT?

What a lot of people missed were Jesus’ teachings about food (Mark 7:18-20) and the fact that the coming of the Messiah did not extend the Mosaic Covenant, but in reality ended it.*

This is one of the things that the Jews “stumbled” over: When the Mosaic Covenant was fulfilled, so were the food laws (Mark 7:18-20, Acts 10:9-23). This is not the same as God’s Moral Law (Exodus 20:1-17). They are two different things.

The world between Jewish tradition and Gentile freedom is a challenging one for believers. God does not forbid Jewish Christians from following the Mosaic food laws. At the same time, God does not require Christians to obey these same food laws.

What are we to do?

Paul gives us the answer. We are to receive food with thanksgiving because when we give thanks to God, the food is “consecrated by the word of God and prayer.”

Application: Do not let someone put you under a religious law that does not come from God.

“Food” for Thought: How much of what Christians argue about today might fall under this category of “religious laws?”

*See the following: Mark 2:21-22, Luke 22:20, Matthew 5:17-18, Romans 10:4, Hebrews 8:13.

Please click ‘’Continue Reading” for comments.

May 14, 2026May 15, 2026

1 Timothy 4:4a – Strange Stories

For everything God created is good…

Summary: “Good,” it is said, “is relative.” That can mean a lot of things, but mostly it means we need to see things as God sees them.

“If everything God created is good, why is there so much evil in the world?”

May 13, 2026May 14, 2026

1 Timothy 4:3 – Secret Decoder Ring

They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth.

Summary: Paul’s message in this passage might seem complicated to some, but to those who know God’s Word, he is pointing the way to the answers to our questions.

Before we dive too deeply into this passage, let’s review the larger context.

May 12, 2026May 13, 2026

1 Timothy 4:2 – Discerning Truth

Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.

Summary: What is the Gospel and what isn’t? This is the question that Paul wants us to be able to answer with confidence.

If I am being honest, I have to admit that writing meditations on Paul’s letter to Timothy is difficult.

May 11, 2026May 12, 2026

1 Timothy 4:1b – Calling Jesus

A ghostly form of a man reaches up toward the radiant hand of Christ (Grok)

[The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith] and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.

Summary: Paul points back to the origin of deception to help us see the danger of listening to anything other than Christ.

In our last meditation, “For or Against?,” we explored two possible views about what “abandon the faith” might mean.

May 9, 2026May 12, 2026

1 Timothy 4:1a – For or Against?

The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith…

Summary: Paul’s statement about “later times” leads us to wonder what he means by “abandon the faith.”

Believe it or not, this passage is a troublemaker.

May 8, 2026May 12, 2026

1 Timothy 3:16 (All) – All About Jesus

Picture of Jesus holding two children by the hand, walking toward church (Grok)

Beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great:

He appeared in the flesh,
    was vindicated by the Spirit,
was seen by angels,
    was preached among the nations,
was believed on in the world,
    was taken up in glory.

Summary: Looking back at the whole passage allows us to consider what it really is.

Before we move on, let’s take a moment to look at this verse as a whole.

May 7, 2026May 8, 2026

1 Timothy 3:16g – Glory, Glory!

[He] was taken up in glory.

Summary: To be ‘taken up in glory’ suggests that someone was there to give glory to Jesus. Who, what, and how become the quest in this meditation.

The last line of Paul’s poetic description of “the mystery from which true godliness springs” is that Jesus was “taken up in glory.”

May 6, 2026May 7, 2026

1 Timothy 3:16f – A Most Important Question

A man sits with an open Bible thinking about "On? or In?" (Grok)

[He] was believed on in the world…

Summary: This passage confronts us with the core challenge of the Gospel message: Do you believe in Jesus?

I sometimes have to laugh at how my mind works. When I read the passage for this meditation, I wondered, “What is the difference between ‘believed on’ and ‘believed in’?”