2Timothy letter to Paul

Dear Paul,

    Your letter and encouragment could not have come at a better time. Your love for me and my family is not soon forgotten and I know now not only my mother and grandmother have poured into me, but you also are in that lineage. Just as great waves pound against the shore line so do the enemies of the gospel pound against my faith , but your words and the faith that I hold close to my heart help me to not move away from the cross , but move towards it.  Your words about Christ echo in my Spirit and reverberate from my lips with boldness and confidence. I am coming to realize that the youthful desires you spoke about are a hiderance to my flesh and Christ’s ministry so I push on even more to live a life that is pleasing to our heavenly father. I must tell you that the gospel is making inroads with using common sense and God’s word to quell arguments even though my flesh rises up I allow the Holy Spirit to rise higher in my speech and interaction with others. These last days you spoke of are troubling to my Spirit and I am confused of how our numbers for Jesus are growing that this thing will happen. I am using this talk of godlessness to propell my heart even more with Gods love to all who will listen to the gospel. Thank you for reminding me of your past and present troubles it has keep my life in perspective concerning the opposition I now am facing and has renewed the fire in my heart not to fight back , but to love back to those who blindly persecute Christ. Your charge has ignited my heart with the glimse of eternity in view I can’t help to say that I fear from your words that although glory awaits you my heart sinks with the feeling that Paul will no longer be on this earth, but I know that your example for Christ will live on down through the ages as much as the very land I stand on today as I write you this letter. When you mentioned the men who let you down saddened me. The fact that the Lord stood by you and encouraged you has inspired me and has givin me renewed strength for the road ahead. I now know that it is not just men defying you, but Satan himself who wants nothing more than to destroy the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.I think of the saying: the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and this ecourages me to step out in faith .God bless you and see you in eternity.

                                                                                                                     Your son Timothy

Pastor Angelo

Pastor Angelo

      Tonight we spoke with a pastor from the innercity of Reading, PA. Born in the Bronx Angelo, whose grandparents were first generation Italians, lived in the city until he was four and a half and then moved about fifty miles north of the city. He met his wife Terry in high school and started dating in college. While in music college in Boston Angelo questioned believing in God , but after living life without God he began crying out to God and at that point God started moving in his life he said “ God if your real you have to show up in my life”. Shorlty after marrying Terry they both got saved in 1981. The sacification process was difficult for him Angelo said but after a bad night he fell on his knees and asked for God’s help. He also spoke about how he and his wife being baptized change there lives. At that time Angelo said he was working in a supermarket where he continued to work for twenty years. Angelo was brought up catholic. He noted that while attending a catholic church that something changed after getting saved. He noticed the Holy Spirit beginning to move. During his time there a man named Greg Hubbard who was a traveling evangelist and after hearing a sermon on the “cities of refuge” Greg had preached he felt called to evangelism. Angelo said he prayed for clarity on his calling and while waiting for Greg to meet him and his wife for lunch he saw a big sign that said Reading, he took it as a sign from God. The eight plus years he spent pastoring in Reading he said he learned that longevity and consistency need to be seen in us by other people. We need to be genuine and open to hurting people. Now his church is moving into a new phase ,they are working with a pastor from Pittsburg, PA, named Brian Boltz, who is helping them start a men and hopfully soon a womens home that will be connected with the church. Trusting in God is essential, Tom mentioned and that flexibility is key. Angelo finally said that when you think you can’t take it no more that’s when the breakthrough comes and resilience is the key to innercity ministry. This was interesting and educational from perspective since I feel the Lord is drawing my heart to the innercities also.

1Timothy letter to Paul

Dear Paul,

I have been blessed by your letter concerning the church.  I thank God for your apostleship and your guidance. Through the grace and mercy of our God and our Lord Jesus Christ I am able to write you back. Without your urging I would not have had the opportunity to defend the gospel as I am now doing among those who would dilute it with falsehoods. I am trying to be led by the Spirit in dealing with these false teachers and have endeavored even more to show God’s love and truth to them since they themselves are prisoners of their own beliefs. Many have come to accept the Gospel through proper explanation of the scriptures. In which all point to Jesus. Your continuing testimony about overcoming has strengthened many including myself. The instructions you gave about living a godly life have been put in to practice and this in itself has drawn people to become interested in the gospel. The instructions you gave concerning leaders was much needed.  Clarification on leader’s lives and how they should be lived was of much benefit, but I must keep in mind that the work of sanctification is at work in all of us and will not be completed till the day of Christ Jesus. I have continued to reach out with Christ love to those who Jesus died for the lost. Keeping in mind of the latter times you spoke about I have taken up with urgency disciplining those who have accepted Jesus and are trying to live for him, I have realized that salvation is a personal choice, but there is a larger responsibility I feel in my spirit to believers. Christ gave his all for others, shouldn’t I?  Your advice to respect other has made great inroads into people’s hearts. Keeping in mind that Christ died because I was a sinner keeps my heart tender towards others loving them with compassion and mercy and forgiveness. We are striving towards contentment trying to meet people needs spiritually and practically this is of great advantage to God’s word spreading. Thank you for your charge it has empowered me even more to help build God’s kingdom with Jesus being the foundation. I wish you could be here at my side.  God bless your heart and dedication to Christ’s ministry. May his grace and mercy continue to fall on you.

                                                                                   Your son in the faith, Timothy

Pastor Clark

 Tonight in class we spoke with Clark Bossler an Assembly of God pastor from Richland, PA. Clark pastors the Faith community church. Clark started by saying that his parents did not have a deep relationship with God but they still brought him to church. His father a blue collar worker who worked part time as a bartender brought them to a EC church. He remembered as a kid sorting beer bottles for his dad. As talking about his childhood he said how he got saved, it was at the age of twelve at the twin pines camp he attended thru his church. Clark went on to say friends at church helped keep him close to the Lord and at the age of fifteen after an alter call he felt called to ministry. He decided later to go to Lancaster bible college in luau of the marines at his parents request. Clark went on to say that after grad school with a masters in divinity he struggled find a church to pastor. He was working as a trainer at a spa when a friend from school called him about a job in Florida at a Lutheran church in educating various groups. He put in three years there before moving back to PA. After his ex his experience he said he was disillusioned. Once back in Pa he got married and went on as staff at Glad Tidings. He said he learned a lot from Pastor Brian, head pastor of that church, shedding light on the inner workings of church administration. He spoke fondly of his time there talking about being accountable to each other and supporting other staff. He learned about calendar planning and said that finding God’s guidance through prayer and worship was essential. Always looking for ways to improve ministry. Marketing is Key was mentioned. After two and half years Clark went on to pastor a church plant by Glad Tidings in Richland. Clark spoke about the issues he faced at that church. He found that through difficulties it had made his character stronger and made him bolder. His final advice was this; work hard and have discipline for yourself, keep trying, be willing to change and through it all have a good perspective. He went on to say thru the ups and downs of pasturing spend time in word and prayer always giving one hundred percent.

Titus to Paul

Shawn Tighe   

Dear Paul,

     Thank you for your last letter. The instructions you gave was of great advantage to the body of Christ, yet I have some further questions for you. Many have asked for clarification on certain matters that you spoke on in the last letter. Before we get to these matters I must first ask do you know the exact date when Jesus is returning. If you do know the exact time and date please write me back A.S.A.P.Now with that aside here are some of the concerns that were brought to me. I hope you can shed light on these matters. I have done as you said by going through the towns appointing elders, but what happens when I go through a town and no suitable Christian men are available or eligible? Can a woman be appointed if she meets the qualifications? If not why? Speaking about people, the rebellious people you mentioned in your last letter you said that because of the trouble they were causing you said “they must be silenced”. How exactly do I do that? Do I force behavioral changes through force? What did you mean when you said to rebuke such people sharply? Can you tell me how you would administer a sharp rebuke? I want to know God’s will in such matters so I do not take advantage of the grace of God by abusing others, but in the same way I want to bring Honor to the ministry Christ that he has lain out before us. Please I need your wisdom on this matter. When you spoke about the pure what did you mean when you said” all things”? I fear that believers may use this verse to indulge themselves. You say to teach slaves to be subject to their masters for the cause of Christ. What do I tell a slave who says slavery is wrong and that he is free in Christ? Does he have a right to freedom? Should Christians help those under the bonds of slavery fight for their freedom? I am looking forward to hearing from you on these matters. God bless you for your wisdom and letting the Holy Spirit use you in making Gods word more clear. Thank you for your dedication in helping build God’s kingdom.

                                                                                                  Your son in the faith, Titus

Dave the Lutheran

Tonight in class a Lutheran pastor named Dave Peterson gave us a candid interview. Dave was born in southern California and into a Christian family. As the subject of his family came up Dave commented about his father had worked with Dave Wilkerson, and that even at the early age of four he remembered praying and laying hands on his friends in the school yard. Christianity appeared to grow in his life even more and at the age of ten he received the baptism in the Holy Spirit from a man named Jack Frost. He mentioned that the influence the Holy Spirit had on His life was contradictory to what his belief of being a Lutheran was. Dave at age fifteen felt called into the ministry. Eventually he did two years at a local college and then went Teal College and though that experience was a trial of his faith he graduated with a bachelors in religion. From there he went to Divinity Lutheran seminary. Looking back he spoke of great ministry coming out of a great relationship with Christ. Through difficult times Dave said that through introspection and solace God began putting humpty dumpty back together again as he put it and through this brokenness he found an avenue for ministry in nursing homes. He said that one of his biggest challenges was letting God work through him. When spoke of the hospice aspect of ministering in nursing homes he said that ministering to such people grew his compassion. When asked about incidents that stuck out to him he mentioned a retired pastor with Alzheimer’s have a moment of clarity during communion, and a former drug addict coming to Christ brought joy not only to the man but his two daughters also. From there Dave went on to be the pastor of two Lutheran churches. Dave had mentioned comically that to earn the congregations’ trust you had to bury at least three grandmas. He continued to speak fondly about his experience as pastor. I asked about his lows and he mentioned two times ,one bury a marine killed in battle and a murder suicide, he shared that were difficult and said that sometimes you don’t have to solve the problem with words you just have to be there. His high as a pastor there was a time when him and about 18 others went hiking and they came upon a small pond where the hiking turned into a baptismal service, not only in water but in the Holy Spirit. He said that it was a supernatural experience the whole pond came alive with fish exhibiting strange behavior as if they were praising God. By the end of him speaking I sensed this man’s humility and humbleness it was a pleasure to have met him.