Monday, May 5, 2014

Titus 1 NIV ~ Matthew Henry Commentary (Concise)



Titus 1 (New International Version, ©2010)

Titus 1

1 Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ to further the faith of God's elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness— 2 in the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time, 3 and which now at his appointed season he has brought to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior,

4 To Titus, my true son in our common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.

Appointing Elders Who Love What Is Good

5 The reason I left you in Crete was that you might put in order what was left unfinished and appoint[a] elders in every town, as I directed you. 6 An elder must be blameless, faithful to his wife, a man whose children believe[b] and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. 7 Since an overseer manages God's household, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. 8 Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. 9 He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.
Rebuking Those Who Fail to Do Good

10 For there are many rebellious people, full of meaningless talk and deception, especially those of the circumcision group. 11 They must be silenced, because they are disrupting whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach—and that for the sake of dishonest gain. 12 One of Crete's own prophets has said it: "Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons."[c] 13 This saying is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, so that they will be sound in the faith 14 and will pay no attention to Jewish myths or to the merely human commands of those who reject the truth. 15 To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted. 16 They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.
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Titus 1 NIV ~ Matthew Henry Commentary (Concise)

Chapter 1

This epistle chiefly contains directions to Titus concerning the elders of the Church, and the manner in which he should give instruction; and the latter part tells him to urge obedience to magistrates, to enforce good works, avoid foolish questions, and shun heresies. The instructions the apostle gave are all plain and simple. The Christian religion was not formed to answer worldly or selfish views, but it is the wisdom of God and the power of God. The apostle salutes Titus. (1-4) The qualifications of a faithful pastor. (5-9) The evil temper and practices of false teachers. (10-16) Verses 1-4 All are the servants of God who are not slaves of sin and Satan. All gospel truth is according to godliness, teaching the fear of God. The intent of the gospel is to raise up hope as well as faith; to take off the mind and heart from the world, and to raise them to heaven and the things above. How excellent then is the gospel, which was the matter of Divine promise so early, and what thanks are due for our privileges! Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God; and whoso is appointed and called, must preach the word. Grace is the free favour of God, and acceptance with him. Mercy, the fruits of the favour, in the pardon of sin, and freedom from all miseries both here and hereafter. And peace is the effect and fruit of mercy. Peace with God through Christ who is our Peace, and with the creatures and ourselves. Grace is the fountain of all blessings. Mercy, and peace, and all good, spring out of this. Verses 5-9 The character and qualification of pastors, here called elders and bishops, agree with what the apostle wrote to Timothy. Being such bishops and overseers of the flock, to be examples to them, and God's stewards to take care of the affairs of his household, there is great reason that they should be blameless. What they are not to be, is plainly shown, as well as what they are to be, as servants of Christ, and able ministers of the letter and practice of the gospel. And here are described the spirit and practice becoming such as should be examples of good works. Verses 10-16 False teachers are described. Faithful ministers must oppose such in good time, that their folly being made manifest, they may go no further They had a base end in what they did; serving a worldly interest under pretence of religion: for the love of money is the root of all evil. Such should be resisted, and put to shame, by sound doctrine from the Scriptures. Shameful actions, the reproach of heathens, should be far from Christians; falsehood and lying, envious craft and cruelty, brutal and sensual practices, and idleness and sloth, are sins condemned even by the light of nature. But Christian meekness is as far from cowardly passing over sin and error, as from anger and impatience. And though there may be national differences of character, yet the heart of man in every age and place is deceitful and desperately wicked. But the sharpest reproofs must aim at the good of the reproved; and soundness in the faith is most desirable and necessary. To those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; they abuse, and turn things lawful and good into sin. Many profess to know God, yet in their lives deny and reject him. See the miserable state of hypocrites, such as have a form of godliness, but are without the power; yet let us not be so ready to fix this charge on others, as careful that it does not apply to ourselves.

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Once again I ask you to take some time to pray for our Students, Teachers and School Staff


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AFWIS Joins Operation World In Prayer for the Republic of Cuba - Caribbean

Published on Operation World (http://www.operationworld.org)
Home > May 05: Cuba

May 05: Cuba

Cuba

Republic of Cuba

Caribbean

See Prayer Information

Geography

Area: 110,861 sq km
The largest island in the Caribbean.
Population: 11,204,351    Annual Growth: 0.02%
Capital: Havana
Urbanites: 76%
HDI Rank: 51 of 182 (UN Human Development Reports 2009)

Peoples

Peoples: 14 (14% unreached) All peoples
Unreached Peoples Prayer Card

Official language: Spanish    Languages: 4 All languages

Religion

Largest Religion: Christian
Religion               Pop %Ann Gr
Christians6,333,82056.530.8
Evangelicals980,5538.83.5
Prayercast

Answer to Prayer

Numerical growth is accompanied by increased maturity and confidence. Although Christian resources are hard to come by for churches not aligned with the government, the Church in general is beginning to minister in innovative and bold ways, and members see no conflict between their “Cuban-ness” and their faith.
     For an additional 2 Answers to Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.

Challenge for Prayer

Evangelical churches were devastated by waves of emigration to the USA as well as by persecution. Recovery has taken a long time, but the Church is now a force to be reckoned with. Protestants alone more than doubled between 1995 and 2010. Many new believers are young people. Charismatic/Pentecostal groups in particular report spectacular (albeit statistically dubious) growth. Pray that this dynamic faith community would be a light to the nation and have a powerful transforming effect on Cuba; the potential for positive impact is great.
     For an additional 8 Challenges for Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.

More Information

The Operation World book, CD-ROM, and DVD-ROM provide far more information and fuel for prayer for the people of Cuba
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Romans 1 (NIV)


Romans 1 (New International Version)

Romans 1

1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— 2 the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures 3 regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life[a] was a descendant of David, 4 and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power[b] by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. 5 Through him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from[c] faith for his name's sake. 6 And you also are among those Gentiles who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.

7 To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be his holy people: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul's Longing to Visit Rome

8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world. 9 God, whom I serve in my spirit in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you 10 in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God's will the way may be opened for me to come to you.
11 I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— 12 that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith. 13 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters,[d] that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles.

14 I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. 15 That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome.

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. 17 For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last,[e] just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith."[f]

God's Wrath Against Sinful Humanity

18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.

24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.

26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.

28 Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. 32 Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.
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    James 5 ~ Matthew Henry Commentary (Concise)



    James 5 (New International Version, ©2010)

    James 5

    Warning to Rich Oppressors

    1 Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you. 2 Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. 3 Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. 4 Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. 5 You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter.[a] 6 You have condemned and murdered the innocent one, who was not opposing you.
    Patience in Suffering

    7 Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. 8 You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near. 9 Don't grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!
    10 Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.

    12 Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple "Yes" or "No." Otherwise you will be condemned.

    The Prayer of Faith

    13 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
    17 Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.

    19 My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, 20 remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.
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    James 5 ~ Matthew Henry Commentary (Concise)
     

    Chapter 5

    The judgments of God denounced against rich unbelievers. (1-6) Exhortation to patience and meekness under tribulations. (7-11) Cautions against rash swearing Prayer recommended in afflictive and prosperous circumstances, Christians to confess their faults to each other. (12-18) The happiness of being the means of the conversion of a sinner. (19,20) Verses 1-6 Public troubles are most grievous to those who live in pleasure, and are secure and sensual, though all ranks suffer deeply at such times. All idolized treasures will soon perish, except as they will rise up in judgment against their possessors. Take heed of defrauding and oppressing; and avoid the very appearance of it. God does not forbid us to use lawful pleasures; but to live in pleasure, especially sinful pleasure, is a provoking sin. Is it no harm for people to unfit themselves for minding the concerns of their souls, by indulging bodily appetites? The just may be condemned and killed; but when such suffer by oppressors, this is marked by God. Above all their other crimes, the Jews had condemned and crucified that Just One who had come among them, even Jesus Christ the righteous. Verses 7-11 Consider him that waits for a crop of corn; and will not you wait for a crown of glory? If you should be called to wait longer than the husbandman, is not there something more worth waiting for? In every sense the coming of the Lord drew nigh, and all his people's losses, hardships, and sufferings, would be repaid. Men count time long, because they measure it by their own lives; but all time is as nothing to God; it is as a moment. To short-lived creatures a few years seem an age; but Scripture, measuring all things by the existence of God, reckons thousands of years but so many days. God brought about things in Job's case, so as plainly to prove that he is very pitiful and of tender mercy. This did not appear during his troubles, but was seen in the event, and believers now will find a happy end to their trials. Let us serve our God, and bear our trials, as those who believe that the end will crown all. Our eternal happiness is safe if we trust to him: all else is mere vanity, which soon will be done with for ever. Verses 12-18 The sin of swearing is condemned; but how many make light of common profane swearing! Such swearing expressly throws contempt upon God's name and authority. This sin brings neither gain, nor pleasure, nor reputation, but is showing enmity to God without occasion and without advantage It shows a man to be an enemy to God, however he pretends to call himself by his name, or sometimes joins in acts of worship. But the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. In a day of affliction nothing is more seasonable than prayer. The spirit is then most humble, and the heart is broken and tender. It is necessary to exercise faith and hope under afflictions; and prayer is the appointed means for obtaining and increasing these graces. Observe, that the saving of the sick is not ascribed to the anointing with oil, but to prayer. In a time of sickness it is not cold and formal prayer that is effectual, but the prayer of faith. The great thing we should beg of God for ourselves and others in the time of sickness is, the pardon of sin. Let nothing be done to encourage any to delay, under the mistaken fancy that a confession, a prayer, a minister's absolution and exhortation, or the sacrament, will set all right at last, where the duties of a godly life have been disregarded. To acknowledge our faults to each other, will tend greatly to peace and brotherly love. And when a righteous person, a true believer, justified in Christ, and by his grace walking before God in holy obedience, presents an effectual fervent prayer, wrought in his heart by the power of the Holy Spirit, raising holy affections and believing expectations and so leading earnestly to plead the promises of God at his mercy-seat, it avails much. The power of prayer is proved from the history of Elijah. In prayer we must not look to the merit of man, but to the grace of God. It is not enough to say a prayer, but we must pray in prayer. Thoughts must be fixed, desires must be firm and ardent, and graces exercised. This instance of the power of prayer, encourages every Christian to be earnest in prayer. God never says to any of the seed of Jacob, Seek my face in vain. Where there may not be so much of miracle in God's answering our prayers, yet there may be as much of grace. Verses 19-20 It is no mark of a wise or holy man, to boast of being free from error, or to refuse to acknowledge an error. And there is some doctrinal mistake at the bottom of every practical mistake. There is no one habitually bad, but upon some bad principle. This is conversion; to turn a sinner from the error of his ways, not merely from one party to another, or from one notion and way of thinking to another. There is no way effectually and finally to hide sin, but forsaking it. Many sins are hindered in the party converted; many also may be so in others whom he may influence. The salvation of one soul is of infinitely greater importance than preserving the lives of multitudes, or promoting the welfare of a whole people. Let us in our several stations keep these things in mind, sparing no pains in God's service, and the event will prove that our labour is not in vain in the Lord. For six thousand years He has been multiplying pardons, and yet his free grace is not tired nor grown weary. Certainly Divine mercy is an ocean that is ever full and ever flowing. May the Lord give us a part in this abundant mercy, through the blood of Christ, and the sanctification of the Spirit.
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    Psalm 18 (He Delights in Me) (feat. Shane Heilman) - The Psalms Project



    http://thepsalmsprojectband.com Now available on iTunes. The Psalms Project is a community of musicians carrying out out a vision of setting all 150 Psalms to music and including the essential meaning of every verse, crafting songs that are stylistically faithful to each Psalm by combining modern, familiar instrumentation with unconventional structure and style - a marriage of King David's vision with the very best qualities of modern worship music. www.reverbnation.com/thepsalmsproject

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    Psalm 18 (NIV)



    Psalm 18

    New International Version (NIV)

    Psalm 18[a]

    For the director of music. Of David the servant of the Lord. He sang to the Lord the words of this song when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said:

    1 I love you, Lord, my strength.
    2 The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
        my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
        my shield[b] and the horn[c] of my salvation, my stronghold.
    3 I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise,
        and I have been saved from my enemies.
    4 The cords of death entangled me;
        the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
    5 The cords of the grave coiled around me;
        the snares of death confronted me.
    6 In my distress I called to the Lord;
        I cried to my God for help.
    From his temple he heard my voice;
        my cry came before him, into his ears.
    7 The earth trembled and quaked,
        and the foundations of the mountains shook;
        they trembled because he was angry.
    8 Smoke rose from his nostrils;
        consuming fire came from his mouth,
        burning coals blazed out of it.
    9 He parted the heavens and came down;
        dark clouds were under his feet.
    10 He mounted the cherubim and flew;
        he soared on the wings of the wind.
    11 He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him—
        the dark rain clouds of the sky.
    12 Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced,
        with hailstones and bolts of lightning.
    13 The Lord thundered from heaven;
        the voice of the Most High resounded.[d]
    14 He shot his arrows and scattered the enemy,
        with great bolts of lightning he routed them.
    15 The valleys of the sea were exposed
        and the foundations of the earth laid bare
    at your rebuke, Lord,
        at the blast of breath from your nostrils.
    16 He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
        he drew me out of deep waters.
    17 He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
        from my foes, who were too strong for me.
    18 They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
        but the Lord was my support.
    19 He brought me out into a spacious place;
        he rescued me because he delighted in me.
    20 The Lord has dealt with me according to my righteousness;
        according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me.
    21 For I have kept the ways of the Lord;
        I am not guilty of turning from my God.
    22 All his laws are before me;
        I have not turned away from his decrees.
    23 I have been blameless before him
        and have kept myself from sin.
    24 The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
        according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.
    25 To the faithful you show yourself faithful,
        to the blameless you show yourself blameless,
    26 to the pure you show yourself pure,
        but to the devious you show yourself shrewd.
    27 You save the humble
        but bring low those whose eyes are haughty.
    28 You, Lord, keep my lamp burning;
        my God turns my darkness into light.
    29 With your help I can advance against a troop[e];
        with my God I can scale a wall.
    30 As for God, his way is perfect:
        The Lord’s word is flawless;
        he shields all who take refuge in him.
    31 For who is God besides the Lord?
        And who is the Rock except our God?
    32 It is God who arms me with strength
        and keeps my way secure.
    33 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;
        he causes me to stand on the heights.
    34 He trains my hands for battle;
        my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
    35 You make your saving help my shield,
        and your right hand sustains me;
        your help has made me great.
    36 You provide a broad path for my feet,
        so that my ankles do not give way.
    37 I pursued my enemies and overtook them;
        I did not turn back till they were destroyed.
    38 I crushed them so that they could not rise;
        they fell beneath my feet.
    39 You armed me with strength for battle;
        you humbled my adversaries before me.
    40 You made my enemies turn their backs in flight,
        and I destroyed my foes.
    41 They cried for help, but there was no one to save them—
        to the Lord, but he did not answer.
    42 I beat them as fine as windblown dust;
        I trampled them[f] like mud in the streets.
    43 You have delivered me from the attacks of the people;
        you have made me the head of nations.
    People I did not know now serve me,
    44     foreigners cower before me;
        as soon as they hear of me, they obey me.
    45 They all lose heart;
        they come trembling from their strongholds.
    46 The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock!
        Exalted be God my Savior!
    47 He is the God who avenges me,
        who subdues nations under me,
    48     who saves me from my enemies.
    You exalted me above my foes;
        from a violent man you rescued me.
    49 Therefore I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
        I will sing the praises of your name.
    50 He gives his king great victories;
        he shows unfailing love to his anointed,
        to David and to his descendants forever.

    Footnotes:

    1. Psalm 18:1 In Hebrew texts 18:1-50 is numbered 18:2-51.
    2. Psalm 18:2 Or sovereign
    3. Psalm 18:2 Horn here symbolizes strength.
    4. Psalm 18:13 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint (see also 2 Samuel 22:14); most Hebrew manuscripts resounded, / amid hailstones and bolts of lightning
    5. Psalm 18:29 Or can run through a barricade
    6. Psalm 18:42 Many Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Syriac and Targum (see also 2 Samuel 22:43); Masoretic Text I poured them out
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