Titus Study #8

“Good Deeds to Meet Pressing Needs”

Titus 3:12-15

Study #8 in Titus Series

INTRODUCTION:

·       Paul lived by 2 Timothy 2:2, which says, “The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”

·       Titus was one of the many “faithful men” trained by Paul.

·       Titus was working on the Island of Crete, helping the churches.

·       Paul wrote this letter between his two Roman imprisonments.

NOTES on the Text:

Verse 12: When I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, make every effort to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there.

·       “Artemas” = Artemas is the masculine version of the Greek name, Artemis, who was the mythical goddess of the hunt. He was probably a Greek convert but other than having a Greek name we know nothing about him, as this is the only time he is mentioned in the Scriptures. However, church tradition in both the Orthodox and Roman Churches claim that he served for some time as the bishop of Lystra and he is venerated in both traditions. His feast day is 30 October.

·       “Tychicus” = He was one of Paul’s close associates, one of his “faithful men.” A native of the province of Asia in Turkey (Acts 20:4), he probably accompanied Paul to Jerusalem on his 3^rd missionary journey. During his 1^st imprisonment in Rome, Paul chose Tychicus to carry both the Ephesian and Colossian letters. In Colossians Paul describes Tychicus as “the beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant of the Lord.” Notice the “or.” Apparently, at the time of this writing Paul had not yet decided which of these men he was going to send to replace Titus.

·       “…make every effort” = “be diligent to...” It is the same Greek word translated as “study” in 2 Timothy 2:15 in the KJV. Paul really needed Titus to be with him.

·       “Nicopolis” – The name means, “city of victory” (Nike + polis). It was in Epirus in Dalmatia on the Greek peninsula.

·       N.B. Paul wanted Titus with him, so he was changing the guard in Crete. For those in ministry, do not ever get so settled-in that you think you are irreplaceable. Remember, “one plants, another waters, and still another reaps.”

Verse 13: Diligently help Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way so that nothing is lacking for them.

·       “Diligently help…” – Pull out all the stops, spare nothing, do your utmost to help them.

·       “Zenus, the lawyer” – Greek, nomikos. The word can refer to what we would call an “attorney” or to a religious lawyer, meaning an expert in the Mosaic Law. Some have theorized that he was possibly a converted Jewish scribe. I find that improbable because of his Greek name. I tend to think that, like Artemas, he was probably a Greek convert to Christianity. His name, Zenus, is almost certainly a variant of “Zenon,” which itself derives from the Greek name “Zeno,” meaning “gift of Zeus.”

·       “Apollos” – These two men carried the letter to Titus on their way to another assignment. Paul tells Titus to help them continue their mission. Apollos was Paul’s good friend and co-worker. As a Greek orator he could have been a threat to Paul but obviously was not seen as such.

·       Diligently help [them] so that nothing is lacking for them.” – These final words concerning Zenus and Apollos clearly show the duty of members of the Christian Church to contribute to the support of those devoted to the work of the ministry. Also, these personal words of Paul in verses 12-13, which were common at the end of his letters, may at first seem insignificant, but are really very important. They communicate that Paul was a real man in a real world with real friends for whom he cared deeply and with whom he had regular contact.

Verse 14: Our people must also learn to engage in good deeds to meet pressing needs, so that they will not be unfruitful.

·       This is THE GOLD NUGGET of the passage.

·       “…our people” = Paul means Christians in general, our folks.

·       “…must also learn” = because it is a process, which takes time and patience. We are not born already knowing these things. They must be taught and learned.

·       “…learn to engage in good deeds” – Here Paul chooses the Greek word prohistemi, which literally means “to stand before,” to stand up for, or to take the lead in. It implies proactive involvement:

ü  Not waiting until a need comes begging.

ü  Looking for holes we can fill.

ü  Aggressive involvement like “riot troops.”

·       “…to meet pressing needs” = lit. “necessary needs.” This is a redundancy for emphasis. (N.B. There are “needs” and then there are “NEEDS!” Our challenge is to recognize real needs and then meet them.)

·       So, what is the role of Good Works in the life of the believer?

ü  They give us purpose (Eph. 2:10)

ü  They give us joy (2 Cor. 8:1-5)

ü  They provide opportunities to witness (Matt. 5:16)

ü  They make us spiritually strong and develop faith muscles.

ü  They bring Glory to God (Matt. 5:16; 1 Cor. 10:31)

·       “…that they (i.e., Christians) may not be unfruitful” = This is the worst nightmare of the Christian life. N.B. a Christian cannot lose his/her salvation, but he can lose all hope of reward. This is a recurring theme through Paul’s letter to Titus. Paul was concerned that Christians might be barren and unfruitful yet still have a “wonderfully” confident assurance of their standing in the Lord. Instead of being unfruitful, God’s people must learn to maintain good works and to meet urgent needs.

ü  God is a Fruit Inspector (cf. John 15; Matt. 7:15-23)

ü  Paul was concerned with fruit (Col. 1:9-10)

ü  The Holy Spirit is concerned with fruitfulness (Gal. 5:22)

ü  Therefore, we should be concerned too!

Verse 15: All who are with me greet you. Greet those who love us in the faith. Grace be with you all.

·       Thus ends this lovely little epistle. Paul sends his love and greetings to Titus, his beloved “son in the Lord” and to the Christians in Crete and includes the love and best wishes of those who were with him.

·       “The closing benediction harmonizes with the opening salutation. It is a benediction of grace, the only difference being that whereas at the beginning it was addressed to Titus, at the close all those to whom he ministered were included.” (Morgan)

Titus Study #7

“Putting Up with Perverted People” 

Titus 3:8-11

Study #7 in Titus Series 

 

INTRODUCTION: 

Do you have any “problem people” in your life?

·       Critical people = always finding fault with people and programs

·       Touchy people = thin-skinned, making everyone around them walk on eggshells

·       Grouchy people = grumpy, difficult to get along with

·       Opinionated people = think they are correct on every subject

·       Pushy people = bossy, it’s my way or the highway

 

How do you handle them?

·       You can IGNORE them (pretend they are invisible, let them keep pushing your buttons).

·       You can ENGAGE with them (react, go head-to-head, declare war on them).

·       You can PLACATE them (give them what they want, tell them what they want to hear).

·       OR, you can DEAL with them (honestly, kindly, courageously, in Christian love).

 

It’s bad enough when we must be around difficult people at home or at work, but what about at church? How do we deal with brothers and sisters in the Body of Christ?

 

TRANSITION: 

Since the days of the Early Church, Christians have been faced with this very issue: “How do we deal with people who get out-of-line in the Body of Christ?” 

 

The New Testament deals a lot with this subject. Jesus gave us instruction on this subject in Matthew 18. Paul dealt with this problem in almost all his letters.

 

All the examples I can think of fall into 3 broad categories: 

1.    Rotten Doctrine = They believe in the wrong stuff.

2.    Despicable Behavior = They act in the wrong manner.

3.    Lousy Attitudes = They think in the wrong ways.

...Or, sometimes a combination of all three.

 

Our text for this study is Titus 3:8-11.

 

NOTES on the Text:

Verse 8: This is a trustworthy statement; and concerning these things, I want you to speak confidently, so that those who have believed God will be careful to engage in good deeds. These things are good and profitable for men.

·       “This is a trustworthy statement,” meaning, “You can trust this, it is factual, and you can take it to the bank!” But to exactly which “statement” is Paul referring? I believe that he is referring to what he has just said in verses 4-7. If you look closely, you’ll see that these four verses comprise one long sentence with the phrases divided by commas. In fact, it is one single declarative sentence, one amazing statement about how God saves sinners. Truly it is one of the most important soteriological statements in the New Testament.

·       “…and concerning these things” But Paul is referring to the broader context of what he has just been saying in vs. 1-7. And what was that? Let’s review.

o   In Vs. 1-2 Paul tells Titus to “remind” the Cretan believers to make sure that their walk, (i.e., their Christian life) is in accord with their talk, (i.e., their testimony) and that their “good deeds” are an accurate reflection of who they have become in Christ. Paul tells Titus to remind them that they need to obey their leaders, and live peaceably with all men, and show Christian kindness to believers and unbelievers alike.

o   In Verse 3 Paul reminds Titus and the believers in Crete that we too were all once unbelievers, caught up in sins of every description. He lays out an embarrassing list of the sins we used to commit regularly. Namely, we were wickedly foolish, disobedient, deceived deceivers, enslaved to lusts and evil pleasures, full of malice and envy, hateful haters. That’s a bleak picture of what we were like but accurate, nonetheless.

o   This list reminds me of what Paul wrote to the Corinthian believers in 1 Cor. 6:9-11, “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, ¹⁰ nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. ¹¹ Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.” So, what’s his point? A= Don’t be proud, because before we were saved, we were just like them. This thought launches Paul into the subject of how we got saved.

o   In Vs. 4-7 Paul reminds Titus that our salvation has nothing to do with our goodness or our good works, so there is no place for pride. It is all about His timing, His kindness, His mercy, and His grace. We contributed exactly NOTHING! Verse 5 starts out, “HE SAVED US.” That sums up the whole argument. We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, plus nothing. As a result, we have been made heirs of God and one day we will go home to spend eternity with Him.

·       “…concerning these things, I want you to speak confidently” – It’s easy to speak confidently when we know the truth is on our side. It’s easy to preach with confidence and conviction when you know you are standing on the immovable Rock of Truth.       

·       But good doctrine should always bring forth good actions. We “…were created in Christ Jesus unto good works” (Eph. 2:10). We were not saved BY good works, but we were saved FOR and UNTO good works. There is a huge difference.

·       “…be careful to engage in good deeds.” Notice that Paul used this same expression in verse 1 (“…be ready for every good deed”).

·       “These things are good and profitable for men. – “These things” (i.e., these good deeds) are good and profitable for men.”  We do good works for the glory of God and for the people whom God loves, because we love HIM! We do not do them to earn our salvation or to gain His favor.

 

Verse 9: But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and strife and disputes about the Law, for they are unprofitable and worthless.

·       Notice that this clause has only one verb, which is “avoid.” It is a command, an imperative. This Greek verb is perístemi , which literally means “to turn oneself about so as to stand facing the other way.” Check out 2 Timothy 2:16 where it is used in a similar manner. To avoid means “to shun, to do an about-face from, to have nothing to do with.” That seems clear enough.

·       Then there are four substantives, nouns, things that Paul warns Titus to avoid, namely, “controversies, genealogies, strife, and disputes about the Law.”

·       Paul’s argument is bolstered by the one adjective he uses, which is “foolish.” These four things he mentions are stupid and foolish, and a complete waste of time. His advice to Titus is to avoid getting caught up in verbal battles over idiotic subjects, which he says are “unprofitable and worthless.” Notice how this phrase stands in sharp contrast to what Paul said in verse 8 about standing on the truth and doing good deeds, which he says are, “good and profitable” for all men. In fact, these are some of the things Paul said ought not to be taught, and that he warned against up in Titus 1:11. Instead, Titus should focus on preaching and teaching the simple, time-tested Word of God.

·       N.B. Christian discussions that do not lead to Christian actions are a waste of time. It is easier to discuss theological questions than it is to be kind, considerate, and helpful. There is no virtue in endlessly discussing deep theological questions while the simple tasks of the Christian life are left undone.

 

Verse 10: Reject a factious man after a first and second warning,

·       “Reject” = Refuse to have anything to do with him, leave him behind. Paul says that Titus must take measures against those who insist on going their own way. Their self-will makes them self-condemned.

·       “…a factious man” = The Greek word is herétikos, from the verb meaning “to choose, to prefer.” It gives us our English word heretic. The idea is that a factious man (heretic) chooses his own point of view over that of Scripture.

·        “…after a first and second warning.” This is in keeping with Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 18:15-17, “¹⁵ “If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. ¹⁶ But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed. ¹⁷ If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.” Does this mean that we should burn him at the stake, or refuse to talk with him, or move to the other side of the street when we see him coming? NO! We simply no longer treat him like a brother in Christ but as a non-believer that we want to win to Christ. How are we supposed to treat unbelievers? Treat him like that.

 

Verse 11: …knowing that such a man is perverted and is sinning, being self-condemned.

·       “…is perverted” = The Greek word is ekstréphō and means “to twist, to subvert, to turn inside out.” Nowadays we use this word almost exclusively to mean sexually perverted in some way, but the term is more general. All sin is a perversion of God’s righteousness and a twisting of His original design.

·       “…is sinning” = The tense of the verb indicates the state of continual sinning.

·       “…being self-condemned” = This is an interesting double compound word in Greek and is also what we call a hapax legomena, meaning it appears only one time in the Bible. Literally the word means to judge himself down, which doesn’t make much sense in English, but in other words, his own words condemn him. The proud heretic who rejects the truth will one day hear his own words played back to him. 

 

“Challenging” people come in 6 basic types: 

 

Type 1 = Trouble-maker churchgoers with lousy doctrine 

·       Titus 1:10-16; 3:8-11 

·       2 Timothy 3:1-5

·       Romans 16:17-20 

 

Type 2 = Nice, sincere people with screwed-up theology 

·       2 Timothy 2:23-26 

 

Type 3 = Orthodox Christians with D.R.A. (= Dirty Rotten Attitude) 

·       Philippians 4:1-2

·       Galatians 2:11-14

 

Type 4 = Christians caught up in sin 

·       Matthew 18:15-22

·       1 Corinthians 5:1-13

·       1 Timothy 5:19-20 (elders)

·       Galatians 6:1 

 

Type 5 = Baby Christians

·       1 Corinthians 3:1; 4:20

·       Ephesians 4:14

 

Type 6 = Interested seekers (open but ignorant)

·       Matthew 5:13-16 

 

More Texts About Dealing with

Difficult People in the Local Church

 

Matthew 18:15-20 

Romans 16:17-20

1 Corinthians 1:11-12; 5:1-13

2 Corinthians 11:13-15 

Galatians 1:6-9; 2:11-14; 3:1-3; 6:1

Philippians 3:2; 4:1-2 

2 Thess. 3:2; 3:6-15

1 Timothy 4:1-3; 5:19-20; 6:3-7

2 Timothy 2:23-26; 3:1-9; 4:14-15 

Titus 1:1o-11, 14; 3:8-11

Hebrews 12:5-13

2 John 10-11 

Titus Study #6

“Pressing Forward, Ignoring the Past”

Titus 2:15 - 3:7

Study #6 in Titus Series

INTRODUCTION:

Have you ever watched a marathon race? The official distance of a marathon is 26.2 miles. That’s a long way to run! The current world record holder is Kelvin Kiptum from Kenya. In October 2023 at the Chicago Marathon, he won with a time of 2:00:35. That averages out to 4:36.0 min./mile. While watching that race on TV I noticed several things:

1.    Marathon racing is all about endurance, timing, and attitude as much as it is speed. I observed that during the race the front runner was replaced several times.

2.    The runner needs a plan, a strategy, and he must stick to it.

3.    Although he looked back occasionally, Kelvin mostly kept his eyes on the road ahead. It is hard to run forward while looking backward. The miles slipped away behind him and were forgotten – whether they were run well or not. Kelvin Kiptum, the winner, maintained a forward-looking perspective!

TRANSITION:

Paul had this attitude as well. In Philippians 3:12-14 he wrote, “Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. ¹³ Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Many people are hobbled in this life by things in their past that end up limiting their future.

·       Feelings of worthlessness

·       Guilt from bad choices and sinful behaviors (cf. Hebrews 12:1)

·       Moral defeats that they allow to define them

These past things will cripple you and rob you of your joy in the present and hope for the future unless you learn to lay them aside and let God take care of them. Romans 8:1 says, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, for the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death.”

NOTES on the Text:

Our text for this study is Titus 2:15 - 3:7. You must remember that this was written as a letter. When Paul wrote it, he did not divide the text into chapters and verses. That happened many years later by scribes that subdivided the biblical texts to make them easier for us to study. When you read the context, it becomes obvious that the chapter break is in the wrong spot. The context needs the last verse of chapter 2 to make sense. 

Verse 15: These things speak and exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one disregard you.

·       “These things” - WHICH THINGS exactly? We must look back to what Paul has been saying.

1.    1:1-9 – Paul taught that church leaders must live godly lives, above reproach, criticism, or accusation.

2.    1:10-16 – He said that false teachers and troublemakers in the church must be dealt with, not ignored.

3.    2:1-10 – Paul urged that all Christians should be careful to live in a way that will “adorn” the teaching of the Gospel because people are constantly observing our lives.

4.    2:11-14 – Paul said that we should live “sensibly, righteously, and godly” with an eye to the sky, always looking for Christ’s return.

·       “…speak” = Means to communicate, talk it up, proclaim

·       “…exhort” = Means to encourage, motivate, lift up

·       “…reprove” = Means to convince, convict, point out error

·       “…with all authority” (cf. Matthew 28:18). Christ has authorized us with His authority.

ü  Authority not from men

ü  Authority not from a denomination

ü  Authority not from an ordination certificate

ü  **But from God himself and His Word

·       “…let no one disregard you” = The Greek word is περιφρονέω (periphronéō). Literally it means, “to think around you” i.e., to try to go around you because they can’t defeat your argument head on. Paul, in writing to Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:12, said “let no one despise your youth.” There he used a similar word, καταφρονέω (kataphronéō), which literally means, “to think down on you” i.e., think little of you, or underestimate you. You can see that these two passages are very similar in their intent and meaning.

Verses 1-2: Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed, ² to malign no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing every consideration for all men.

·       “Remind them” – The Cretan believers had heard all this before from Paul when he was with them in Crete, but their memories needed to be refreshed.

·       N.B. Our biggest problem is not in not knowing what to do, but rather in doing what we know is right. Sometimes we need reminders to help us do what we know we should do, like children with chores or naughty behaviors.

·       For most Christians the problem is not knowing what we should do but in finding the energy, moral fiber, courage, and gumption to do it!

·       We would rather study the problem, have meetings on how to do it better than others have done it, analyze why we have not done it, etc... rather than just get out and do it! 

**So, according to Paul, what do we and the believers in Crete need to do?

·       “…be subject to rulers and authorities” – at work, at school, on the highway, with the IRS, etc.

·       “…be obedient” – follow directions without rebellion and resentment

·       “…be ready for good deeds” – means eager, looking for opportunities

·       “…malign no one” – means to speak evil of, with cancerous speech (N.B. the word malign is the root of the word malignant)

·       “…be peaceable”– uncontentious, not always fighting and arguing, not pugnacious

·       “…be gentle” – tender in words and actions

·       “…showing every consideration” – putting others first (like Christ did) (e.g., 2003 book by Robert Fulghum, “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten”) 

N.B. Paul’s “Remind them” in 3:1 is a key to this passage:

1.    3:1-2 – Of how they should act

2.    3:3 – Of how they used to act before Christ

3.    3:4-7 – Of what Jesus did to change them from the inside

Verse 3: For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another.

·       “For we also once were foolish ourselves” – Notice that Paul included himself in this scenario. He was very aware of who and what he was before he met Jesus on the Damascus Road. But he was changed, and so have we been, so let’s act like it! We ourselves are no better than the unbelievers around us.

·       What we were like = Ephesians 2:1, 3; 4:17-19; 5:8 (N.B. “Christian goodness does not make a man proud; it makes him grateful.” William Barclay)

·       What were we like?

ü  Fools – This word goes way beyond silliness and includes wickedness. The Bible says, “The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.’”

ü  Disobedient

ü  Deceived and deceiving others

ü  Enslaved to all kinds of nasty stuff

ü  Wasting our lives in trying to get ahead of others

ü  Hateful toward other people, even to those close to us

ü  In other words, we were rotten to the core, bad to the bone

Verses 4-7: But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, ⁵ He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, ⁶ whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, ⁷ so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

·       So, in these verses Paul tells us what God did to rescue us from this gruesome picture!

ü  He poured out His kindness on us – “…the kindness of God our Savior” (cf. Psalm 34:8)

ü  He demonstrated true “philanthropy” toward sinners – “…His love for all mankind appeared” This “appearing” (epiphany, cf. 2:11, 13) happened when in the fulness of time God sent forth His Son, Jesus. (cf. Romans 5:8; 2 Peter 3:9)

ü  He saved us without regard to our works – “…He saved us not on the basis of our good deeds” (cf. Ephesians 2:8-10; 2 Timothy 1:8-9)

ü  He saved us through His mercy – “…He saved us according to His mercy” (cf. 1 Peter 1:3)

·       N.B. Notice that God’s mercy and grace are evidenced in two ways:

ü  “Rebirthing” = Regeneration – “…by the washing of regeneration” (1 John 1:7; John 3:3)

§  We are reborn for eternity

§  We are reborn to “newness of life” = life begins over (Romans 6:4)

ü  “Renewing” – “…and by the renewing by the Holy Spirit” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

§  It is as if life was worn out, run down. When a man discovers Christ, there is an act of renewal which repeats itself ever day through the Holy Spirit constantly pumping in His new life.

·       God “…poured out the Holy Spirit on us richly through Jesus” (1 Corinthians 12:13)

·       God also “…justified us by His grace” (Romans 5:1)

·       Moreover, by God’s grace and mercy we were “…made heirs” (Romans 8:16-17)

·       This glorious inheritance includes “…the hope of eternal life.” (John 3:16) – As the children of God we look forward to everlasting joy in the presence of our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus. 

But how can we get changed at the core of our being? – Only God can do it for us!

Ø  We must believe in Christ as our Sin-Bearer, trusting in nothing else.

Ø  We must repent of our sin and turn away from it.

Ø  We must accept His kindness, love, and mercy toward us.

Ø  We must receive His salvation by faith alone, apart from our own good works.

Ø  We must trust Him to wash us clean through His forgiveness by the washing of regeneration.

Ø  We must welcome His Holy Spirit into our life.

Ø  We must accept His justification by faith alone. 

This allows us to live according to verses 1-2 and enables us to have a righteousness that people can see and understand (cf. Matt. 5:16). 

CONCLUSION:

Have you been changed at the core, or is there still rottenness where only you and God can see it? He stands ready to forgive you and cleanse you from all unrighteousness if you’ll just believe in Him and entrust your life to Him. He’ll make you into a new person (cf. 2 Cor. 5:17).

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A personal note to my readers:

I love producing these studies and putting them online. While I am no longer in active full-time ministry since retiring, I still teach a weekly community Bible study here in Eastern Oregon where we now live. These study notes are what I am teaching each week. My prayer is always that they will be helpful to people seeking to know the Bible better. At the end of every study there is a comment box for people to weigh in with observations or questions but almost no one ever does that. I do not know why. Over the past few months, the number of people who are accessing the blog has increased and I am curious about who you are, how you found me, and how you are using the studies. Are you mostly using them in your personal devotions, or as source material for your teaching or preaching? Any way you choose to use them is fine with me. I am just happy that you are finding them helpful. Please tell me a little about yourself – where in the world you live, what your life is like, how you are growing as a Christ follower – things like that. You can use the comment box or if you prefer, my email address is nosliwekim88@gmail.com. May God pour out His richest blessings on you and your loved ones. Mike