After my presumptuous question asked in the article and sermon last week – What is God up to in this world? – I lower my inquiry today and ask the same question of the apostle Paul. His answer is surprisingly similar.

Paul wanted the Ephesian church to know that God is up to something big in his world. He has a plan (Eph. 1:10) a mysterious plan had been revealed to Paul (Eph. 3:1-10). And, says Paul to the church, when you read this you can know the plan and we can make the plan known. First, though, shouldn't we learn to read the plan?

I've selected two items from the greatest command, our hearts and our minds, because of the constant tension between the desires of our hearts and decisions of our mind; between the heart and the head.

Recently, when I read the book of Acts again looking for names of the church, I noticed in the narrative following the first naming of the church the story about Peter's miraculous rescue from prison and certain death. As soon as he [Peter] realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose other name was Mark, where many had gathered and were praying (Acts 12:12). As I read, I realized that this story is about an unnoticed woman who deserves to be noticed and imitated today.

Thirty years ago, Joyce was teaching at Auburn University. We had visited our daughter in Columbus for Christmas and were travelling back to Auburn on New Years Day, a Saturday. The mid-point of our trip was Nashville, TN where my mother had lived as a little girl. Looking for a restaurant still open at 10 p.m. we exited onto Charlotte Pike. I wanted to drive by the Charlotte Ave. Church of Christ where mom had worshipped. To my chagrin as we drove by that historic building, I saw the topic for the Sunday sermon – “Why I am a Member of the Church of Christ”. Recognizing the title of a popular book listing doctrinal reasons why one must be a member of the true church, I remarked, “What a sermon to preach to people as they launch into a new year!”

Have you heard a word of encouragement recently? I did today, from my dentist. I was in for a cleaning. Four x-rays were taken, and after much probing all over my mouth by a new very professional hygienist, Dr. Singh came in, examined the x-rays, and my mouth with a very foreboding light. He said, “everything looks good, see you in six months.” Also, I had an encouraging letter from the hospital detailing charges for my ER visit last month of over $7000. The bottom line read, “Amount you owe, $100.” To avoid the dentist’s drilling and to have a good insurance plan is encouraging, but our attention today is on “words of encouragement” for our Christian hygiene.

Wow! The above title is 1 Timothy in a nutshell. Healthy translates hygiainos, from which we get the medical term hygiene. It begins and ends Paul’s letter to Timothy (1:10; 6:3). You may have heard about “sound doctrine.” I suggest that we say “healthy teaching by healthy teachers.” And “household” is the focus rather than “church.” Household translates oikos, occurring in its various forms eight times in the letter Church is OK since the household of God is the church of the living God (3:15). Timothy is to teach the church in Ephesus how to behave.

Paul left Timothy in Ephesus to teach the church how to behave as a household of God (1 Tim. 3:15) and thereby exemplify God’s way of ordering His household (1 Tim. 1:4). We will explore those passages later. Today, I recall memories of behavior in church as I have travelled through this land singing with God’s churches as I go (Eph. 5:19).

Paul’s charge to his beloved child Timothy to remember Jesus Christ risen from the dead is not anticipating an annual Easter which began to be observed roughly a century later. Rather, it is about a whole way of faithful living, imitating Paul, teaching his gospel, patiently enduring evil, correcting truth-swervers with gentleness in hope of their salvation (2:22-26). Thus, he will be a worker whom God approves.

Fifty-five years ago, Joy Carol and I sang a Burl Ives ditty: “As you walk through life, you will have no cares if you walk the lines and not the squares. As you go through life, make this your goal, watch the doughnut not the holes.” Ives spoke wisely. Do not let your life be ruled by silly superstitions. And pay attention to substance, the things in life that really matter.

In his personal testimony to his beloved friends in the church at Philippi (Phil, 3:7-16) Paul summed up the goal of his life with two little Greek words, en de (3:13). But he does not complete the sentence. It is as if he was saying to those friends who knew him well, you fill in the blank. But one thing I [Paul] ____. Paul follows his testimony with an urgent admonition (3:17), Brothers and sister join together in imitating me and scope out those who walk according to this pattern (my paraphrase). It is your turn, you fill in the blank, But one thing I ____. All those plurals in this admonition suggest that the whole church is to fill in the blank, But one thing we ____.

here is something about a name, even the name Johnny. In our family room there is a prominent picture of my oldest sibling, John Hickman Yoakum. Johnny as we often called him is smiling and strumming a rhythm guitar which he learned to play by listening to Johnny Cash records. The picture dates to an era when television viewers heard Ed McMahon cry out “Here’s Johnny!”

Good morning church, lets go for a walk together. Before we the Storrs Road church go for our walk, I ask us to look at, think about, and be challenged by Paul’s exhortations to the church in Thessalonica to walk worthily of God (1 Thess. 2:12), to the church in Philippi to walk worthily of the gospel (Phil. 1:27), to the church in Ephesus to walk worthily of their calling (Eph. 4:1), and to the Colossian church to walk in a manner worthily of Christ Jesus the Lord (Col. 1:10; 2:6).

Hey partners, lets do it. What do you mean by “partnership”? And what is “it” that we are to be doing? As we hear the Philippian letter “partnership” is heard at the beginning (1:5, 1:7) and ending (4:14, 4:15) of Paul’s very personal communique from a Roman prison cell to the congregation (all the saints) in a very Roman city. What did partnership mean then and there and what does it mean here and now?