MISSING THE BASE

•    Don’t lose out on home run by getting off track - as individual / congregation

THE GOAL, AND HOW TO GET IT

•    Timothy ‘on guard’ against false teachers - myths, genealogies, argumentative, exploitive

•    Paul’s authoritative tone: entrusted to ‘command’ / expelling the wayward

•    goal: love - as in Greatest Commandment / Jesus’ ‘new command’

•    agape love finds expression in action: more than a feeling

•    comes from - 1) a clean heart: confess sin, receiving cleansing of Jesus’ blood

•    2) a good conscience: mind’s security system warns of threat by shame, etc.

•    3) a sincere faith: trust totally in Jesus’ righteousness not my works-righteousness

THE GAME: STEWARDING GOD’S GOOD NEWS

•    gospel key in Great Commission: make disciples, teach to obey

•    of ‘first importance’ to share news that Christ died for our sins

•    promote God’s work / economy / stewardship: Lord Crawley entrusts management to Mr. Carson

THE GROUND RULES: STEER CLEAR OF THE FOUL LINE

•    competitive sports depend on rules to keep game fair

•    law made for law-less e.g. break Ten Commandments

•    law good and useful but powerless to make me change

•    false teachers’ myths, genealogies, meaningless talk: e.g. Talmud, Apocrypha, Philo’s scheme

GRACE, PEACE, AND...

•    “mercy” translates OT “lovingkindness”: part of our goal

•    examples of mercy-missions: Haiti; World Help (Uganda, Rwanda)