RR The Heart of the Greetings (Part 3) By David Harwood
Shabbat Shalom,
Paul blessed two of his spiritual sons.
To Timothy, a true child in faith: Grace, (charis/favor) mercy, shalom from God the Father and Messiah Yeshua, our Lord! (1 Timothy 1:2)
To Titus, a true child of our common faith: Grace (charis/favor) and shalom from God the Father and Messiah Yeshua, our Savior! (Titus 1:4)
A devoted spiritual father, Paul loved these younger men. His love for them was generated by the love he, himself, had experienced. He had come to know Yeshua’s love so intimately that he applied words reserved for the community of believers to himself.
Here’s how he instructed the Ephesian disciples.
Within the body he told them to walk in love, following Yeshua’s example.
and walk in love, just as Messiah also loved us and gave Himself up for us as an offering and sacrifice to God for a fragrant aroma. (Ephesians 5:2)
Within a family’s foundational relationship, the same example was to be taken to heart.
Husbands, love your wives just as Messiah also loved His community and gave Himself up for her (Ephesians 5:25)
The words in Ephesians 5:4 and 5:25 I’d like to highlight are “loved... and gave Himself up for...” This is the type of love of which John wrote when he described Father’s love for the entire world. Father loved, and Father gave.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
In Ephesians 5 we find that Paul wrote that Yeshua loved and gave Himself for the community of believers. However, in Galatians 2:20 the Apostle wrote that the same love Yeshua had for the disciples who were “joined together in love“ (Colossians 2:2b) was also specifically directed towards him, the individual.
Ben-Elohim—who loved me and gave Himself up for me. (Galatians 2:20c)
Paul believed his experience. He believed the good news that centered upon “whoever believes (John 3:16b).” He knew that Yeshua, the Son, “loved (him) and gave Himself up for (him)”. He had received spiritual strength that enabled him to grasp the Messiah’s personal love.
This was the same powerful love manifest in Father’s giving up His unique Son for the world. It was the same intense affection that motivated Yeshua to give Himself up for the community of believers. All of that love, focused on an individual, the unlikely apostle, Paul.
This favor was given to me, the very least of His kedoshim (Ephesians 3:8a)
“Messiah Yeshua came into the world to save sinners”—of whom I am foremost. (1 Timothy 1:15b)
The love Father, with the Lord Yeshua, has for the fellowship of disciples was communicated in Paul’s greeting to Timothy and Titus. His salutation conveyed this: Because they were loved they had favor with God, and Paul wanted them to experience it.
In the same way he personally experienced the love Yeshua had for His community, so Paul desired his beloved spiritual sons to experience individually focused favor that was of the same quality as the favor and shalom he passed along to the Messiah’s communities.
To the Romans? Favor (charis/grace) and shalom.
And to the Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians and Thessalonians: favor (charis/grace) and shalom.
To the believers who met with Philemon, the same.
Now we read that the same favor and shalom Paul passed along to these communities was focused on Timothy and Titus. The same quality of favor, with the same emotional content, and the same active grace that was more than adequate for the house-congregations, was centered on beloved individuals.
We know Paul loved these men. When you love people, you desire them to experience God’s favor. In this snapshot of favor towards two men we can extrapolate to the affection God has for the corporate. Also, the charis God imparts to the community of believers reveals the same quality and quantity of favor He has for you, favored one.
Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
Sat13 Sep 202520th of Elul, 5785 Parashat Ki Tavo
Leil Selichot
De 29:2-9[1-8]Isa 60:1-22Ro 8:31-39
Paul blessed two of his spiritual sons.
To Timothy, a true child in faith: Grace, (charis/favor) mercy, shalom from God the Father and Messiah Yeshua, our Lord! (1 Timothy 1:2)
To Titus, a true child of our common faith: Grace (charis/favor) and shalom from God the Father and Messiah Yeshua, our Savior! (Titus 1:4)
A devoted spiritual father, Paul loved these younger men. His love for them was generated by the love he, himself, had experienced. He had come to know Yeshua’s love so intimately that he applied words reserved for the community of believers to himself.
Here’s how he instructed the Ephesian disciples.
Within the body he told them to walk in love, following Yeshua’s example.
and walk in love, just as Messiah also loved us and gave Himself up for us as an offering and sacrifice to God for a fragrant aroma. (Ephesians 5:2)
Within a family’s foundational relationship, the same example was to be taken to heart.
Husbands, love your wives just as Messiah also loved His community and gave Himself up for her (Ephesians 5:25)
The words in Ephesians 5:4 and 5:25 I’d like to highlight are “loved... and gave Himself up for...” This is the type of love of which John wrote when he described Father’s love for the entire world. Father loved, and Father gave.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
In Ephesians 5 we find that Paul wrote that Yeshua loved and gave Himself for the community of believers. However, in Galatians 2:20 the Apostle wrote that the same love Yeshua had for the disciples who were “joined together in love“ (Colossians 2:2b) was also specifically directed towards him, the individual.
Ben-Elohim—who loved me and gave Himself up for me. (Galatians 2:20c)
Paul believed his experience. He believed the good news that centered upon “whoever believes (John 3:16b).” He knew that Yeshua, the Son, “loved (him) and gave Himself up for (him)”. He had received spiritual strength that enabled him to grasp the Messiah’s personal love.
This was the same powerful love manifest in Father’s giving up His unique Son for the world. It was the same intense affection that motivated Yeshua to give Himself up for the community of believers. All of that love, focused on an individual, the unlikely apostle, Paul.
This favor was given to me, the very least of His kedoshim (Ephesians 3:8a)
“Messiah Yeshua came into the world to save sinners”—of whom I am foremost. (1 Timothy 1:15b)
The love Father, with the Lord Yeshua, has for the fellowship of disciples was communicated in Paul’s greeting to Timothy and Titus. His salutation conveyed this: Because they were loved they had favor with God, and Paul wanted them to experience it.
In the same way he personally experienced the love Yeshua had for His community, so Paul desired his beloved spiritual sons to experience individually focused favor that was of the same quality as the favor and shalom he passed along to the Messiah’s communities.
To the Romans? Favor (charis/grace) and shalom.
And to the Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians and Thessalonians: favor (charis/grace) and shalom.
To the believers who met with Philemon, the same.
Now we read that the same favor and shalom Paul passed along to these communities was focused on Timothy and Titus. The same quality of favor, with the same emotional content, and the same active grace that was more than adequate for the house-congregations, was centered on beloved individuals.
We know Paul loved these men. When you love people, you desire them to experience God’s favor. In this snapshot of favor towards two men we can extrapolate to the affection God has for the corporate. Also, the charis God imparts to the community of believers reveals the same quality and quantity of favor He has for you, favored one.
Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
Sat13 Sep 202520th of Elul, 5785 Parashat Ki Tavo
Leil Selichot
De 29:2-9[1-8]Isa 60:1-22Ro 8:31-39
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