This Sunday, we’ll continue looking at “discipleship in action” from 1 Timothy 5. Here the Apostle Paul wants Timothy to overcome the effects of false teaching by working hard at building relationships. False teaching often results in discord and division, just as much in Paul’s time as it does in our time. And yet the church is called to exhibit a supernatural unity in Christ. Most of us would agree with that, but we all know how difficult that is to do.

Therefore Paul calls Timothy to be a person who honors others. And by so doing, he will be setting an example of godliness for everyone else in the church, with the goal that each of us will “outdo one another in showing honor” (Romans 12:10). You can honor a person that you don’t know well, or for whom you have little affection. Honoring them starts to correct that. Honoring one another helps us to get to know them better and have a greater affection for them. Honoring someone is treating them with your words and actions as worthy of your service. They may not be worthy of it, but you can do it anyway. Some honoring means treating people better than they deserve, regarding them as worthy of honor … not because they deserve it, but for the honor of Christ. You count them worthy the way God counts you righteous. That doesn’t mean you don’t see their faults. But you act and you speak in such a way as to honor them. 

Sounds easy enough, but how do we do that? When should we do that? Who is in our church that we should be showing honor to? And what does showing honor actually look like? Those are the questions we'll be looking at this Sunday. And the answers to those questions may well lead us not just to unity, but to the kind of stick it out through thick and thin friendships that we all want. I hope you’ll find it helpful, and I look forward to seeing you on Sunday, Dr. Dave