“Jesus and Old Nic” — from John 3:1–21 When I read John 3, I don’t picture something ancient or distant. I picture Jesus and Nicodemus talking like two men sitting on a porch late at night — one trying to understand, the other trying to break through the fog. And honestly, I can almost hear Jesus saying,“Nic… come on, man. I’ve explained this three times already.”Not in anger — but in that patient, loving frustration you have when someone is so close to getting it. Nicodemus wasn’t dumb. He was just stuck in the only world he knew.And Jesus was trying to pull him into a new one. That’s how Scripture feels to me.Not dusty.Not ancient.Not far away. I imagine John writing his Gospel the same way any of us would write to our friends today — not thinking about how people 2,000 years later would analyze every word, but simply trying to capture what he saw, what he felt, and what changed his life forever. He wasn’t chasing fame.He wasn’t trying to become a legend.He wasn’t thinking, “One day they’ll read this in Gainesville.”He was just telling the truth about the One who saved him. And that’s how I feel when I write. Not that I’m writing new Scripture — the Gospel is complete in Christ.But I feel that same pull to tell the story, to point people back to Jesus, to speak about what He’s done and what He’s still doing. It wasn’t a respected job back then either.They killed almost every one of those men for it.So clearly, they weren’t writing for applause. They wrote because Jesus came to save us from sin, and that’s a reason worth writing about. So if you’ve ever felt like the people in the Gospels who asked,“Can anything good come from Nazareth?”or“Is this really how God works?” You’re in good company. Nicodemus didn’t get it at first.Most people didn’t.But Jesus kept speaking anyway. And so do we.

Why Paul Warns Timothy About False Teachers in 1 Timothy 1 — and How We Recognize False Teaching Today Paul opens the letter with urgency because false teaching is the first threat to kill a young church. Before Timothy does anything else—before structure, before leadership appointments, before public worship—Paul tells him: “Stay there… so that you may command certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer.” (1 Timothy 1:3) Paul’s warning is both pastoral and strategic. Why Paul Warns Timothy 1. False teaching destroys spiritual formation. Paul knows that doctrine is not academic—it forms people. Bad doctrine forms weak, confused, or self‑righteous disciples. Timothy is responsible for shaping a community into Christlikeness. False teaching shapes them into something else entirely. 2. False teachers were promoting speculation instead of transformation. Paul says they were obsessed with: • myths • endless genealogies • arguments about the law These things don’t produce love, purity, or a clean conscience. They produce noise, pride, and confusion. Paul wants Timothy to guard the church from teaching that sounds spiritual but produces nothing. 3. False teaching always attacks identity and authority. Timothy is young, timid, and stepping into leadership. False teachers thrive in environments where the leader is unsure. Paul strengthens Timothy’s identity (“my true son”) so he can confront deception with clarity and courage. 4. Paul knows that false teaching spreads faster than truth. Error is contagious. It multiplies through: • charisma • novelty • spiritual-sounding language • people who want shortcuts instead of obedience Paul is telling Timothy: “If you don’t confront it early, it will take the whole church.” How We Recognize False Teaching Today Paul’s criteria in chapter 1 still work with precision. 1. False teaching produces speculation, not transformation. If a teaching creates: • confusion • endless debates • spiritual hype • obsession with “deep secrets”

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