GRINDIT podcast

Does God call us? Do we call on God? Is salvation only up to God or do we play a role? Where does baptism fit in that scenario? Does baptism even fit? Does it matter when it comes to salvation? Is the only thing we have to do is to confess Jesus and believe in our heart? We tackle these question in this episode.

The church at Corinth was jacked up in all kinds of ways...just like the church in our day! People make comments how they don't want to go to “church” because it's full of hypocrites. Churches are full of people...people are jacked up...we ALL need Jesus! However, the church in Corinth seemed to bring a lot of their culture into the church instead of allowing the Holy Spirit to shape them but in all of that, Paul still tells them, “You are God's holy people.” Despite being jacked up in all kinds of ways, they said “yes” to Jesus and his blood washes their sins away...just like you and me if we have said “yes” to him.

The church at Corinth was jacked up in all kinds of ways...just like the church in our day! People make comments how they don't want to go to “church” because it's full of hypocrites. Churches are full of people...people are jacked up...we ALL need Jesus! However, the church in Corinth seemed to bring a lot of their culture into the church instead of allowing the Holy Spirit to shape them but in all of that, Paul still tells them, “You are God's holy people.” Despite being jacked up in all kinds of ways, they said “yes” to Jesus and his blood washes their sins away...just like you and me if we have said “yes” to him.

One of the things Paul wants the people of Crete to learn is to be generous givers. He tells Titus that he will soon be sending Tychicus or Artemas to take his place, and once they get there, Titus is to meet Paul in Nicopolis. But toward the end of the letter, Paul mentions two people, Zenas the lawyer and Apollos. He says they are basically traveling missionaries and they have needs that the church in Crete needs to meet by giving them what they need and be generous about it. He says by doing so, they will learn to “do good by meeting the urgent needs of others.” One way we can show Jesus to people is to be generous givers, like Jesus. He was always giving and we must do the same!

In many of his letters, Paul talks about how we are saved and he is clear: Not by our works but by God's grace and His mercy. He talks about the Jews trying to convince the Gentiles they must also follow the law, including circumcision. The guy Paul is writing this letter to is a Gentile who is not circumcised which is living proof that God is moving in the lives of the uncircumcised Gentiles therefore, salvation has nothing to do with works. He tells Titus to not engage in any arguments with these people who insist on following the law, in fact, he tells Titus to warn them twice, and if they don't listen, send them on their way and have nothing to do with them.

Titus 3 is so rich in the Greek, literally! Paul uses a word in the Greek to describe God pouring the Holy Spirit out on those who choose to follow Jesus. The word he uses in the Greek means “rich” as in having an abundant supply that will never run out, it just continues to flow. I don't know what that is like but there are some that have so much money, their kids and grandkids could never exhaust their bank account! I'm not too sure, as believers, we understand this concept. God pours out His Spirit on those who trust in Him. We take a deep dive on this topic in this podcast. Thanks for listening!

When Paul started his letter to Titus, he said the Cretans own prophet said they were “liars, evil brutes, and lazy gluttons.” Then he went on to talk about how they are also deceivers. Instead of condemning, Paul includes himself and Titus as a sinners when he used the word “We...”. Paul knew who he was and what he was doing before Jesus revealed himself to Paul showing him grace and mercy on the road to Damascus. Paul's life was forever changed and he wants this for the people of Crete, as well the people everywhere he shares the gospel!

Paul is going to address slaves and how they are to be obedient to their masters and not talk back. You may be asking, “I'm not a slave so how does this affect me?” I would argue there are still slaves today, we just get paychecks and get to go home at the end of the workday. We all have bosses, many of them, we have to do what they say or we get fired, and we are making someone very rich! So what Paul says to slaves can be said of us! Work hard, be obedient, take pride in your work, and don't talk back to your bosses. In other words, let your work stand out so people see Jesus in you!

Paul tells Titus who to teach and what to teach. He tells him to teach the older men to do certain things and live a certain way. He tells him to teach women the same thing...why? So they can take what they learn and pass it on to the younger men and women. They are to lead by example! When you break down the Greek, it is some very challenging thoughts, especially for the men because Titus is in Crete to appoint elders, leaders in the church so he will be examining the lives of the older men to see if they are living for Jesus, righteous and holy!

Titus has the difficult task of finding leaders, elders, for the churches on the island of Crete. The people of Crete are described as “liars, cruel animals, and lazy gluttons.” However, for those who had died to their old selves and are filled with the Holy Spirit, they have crucified that old man and have become a new creation in Christ, are those whose hearts the Father prunes and they produce good fruit. They will be easy top spot because they will look like Jesus! Paul says these people who claim to know God but do not look like Him are worthless and good for nothing. I want to be valuable for the kingdom of God, used by Him to bring glory to His name!

MC Hammer had a song in the late 80s, early 90s called Too Legit To Quit. Paul calls Titus his “true son in the faith.” What we don't see in English is that Paul is saying, “Titus is a legitimate born son in the faith.” Paul had established his authority and credibility in the beginning of his letter and now he is establishing Titus' authority. Paul says, “Titus has the same faith as I have. He serves the same God, Jesus is his master, and he is filled with the same Holy Spirit as me; therefore, he is a credible source and you, you Cretans who are used to being deceived, you can trust Titus.” Can people trust you?

No, we are not talking about your ex in this podcast! Paul is writing to Titus who has been left behind to establish some leadership in the church at Crete. The people of Crete are known as deceitful and not very well liked by their own. Interesting fact, the Greek god, Zeus, was born on the island of Crete and hidden in a cave there. He starts off by establishing his authority as an apostle and what his intentions of writing is, “To establish truth to help them live righteous and grow in their faith.” It's a similar message in his letters to Timothy. The word in the Greek Paul uses is epignosis and it means a precise and exact truth. It's exactly what the disciples in Crete need in order to know they are not being deceived by Paul.

Paul had many people who helped him with his ministry and his missionary journeys and one of those helpers is a man named, Titus. Titus traveled to several places with Paul preaching the gospel and teaching the new disciples to be faithful and in this letter, Titus will be acting as a leader in the church at Crete to establish elders in that congregation. In this podcast we talk about the background to the letter and dig into this man we know as Titus.

This is the last epistle Paul would write and he has encouraged Timothy to take the baton and keep going. He has warned him of the challenges he faces and he has exhorted him to continue even in the face of persecution. He gives some final thoughts and gives some greetings to some coworkers including Priscilla and Aquila. These two people started the church at Ephesus which is where Timothy is when he receives this letter. But as he closes his letter, Paul has one request for Timothy...he tells him to get there before Winter. Why? Because he had just told him to bring his coat that he had left behind with Carpus at Troas. The man needs his coat because it will be cold soon! Paul is ready to go and he sees death as a ride into eternity to be with his Savior.

Paul tells Timothy his life has been poured out as an offering to God. What is he talking about? In the Old Testament, Jacob made an offering to God and with it, he poured out a drink with his offering. In Exodus, God commanded the priests to offer a drink offering along with the sacrifices that they make in the morning and the evening. Jesus was partaking the Passover with his disciples when he tells them, “This is the blood of the new covenant that is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive many people of their sins.” Paul gave everything to Jesus and to spread the gospel. He knew his life was coming to an end and he tells Timothy, “It's your turn...give it all you got!”

This is the last chapter, of the last epistle, that will be coming from Paul as he is about to meet death when Nero has him beheaded. It is absolutely packed with some dynamic teaching as Paul urges Timothy to keep the fight going for Jesus, the gospel, and the kingdom of God. In the very first verse, we are challenged with some rich thoughts that Paul is writing in the very presence of God and Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead when Jesus comes to set up the kingdom of God. Is the kingdom of God now or coming in the future? Check out today's podcast!

This is the last chapter, of the last epistle, that will be coming from Paul as he is about to meet death when Nero has him beheaded. It is absolutely packed with some dynamic teaching as Paul urges Timothy to keep the fight going for Jesus, the gospel, and the kingdom of God. In the very first verse, we are challenged with some rich thoughts that Paul is writing in the very presence of God and Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead when Jesus comes to set up the kingdom of God. Is the kingdom of God now or coming in the future? Check out today's podcast!

Mary and I spoke at Authentic Church on 12-14-25. We are sharing the sermon with you this week since it is Christmas week and we will get back to 2 Timothy 4 next week! We hope your Christmas was wonderful!

Mary and I spoke at Authentic Church on 12-14-25. We are sharing the sermon with you this week since it is Christmas week and we will get back to 2 Timothy 4 next week! Merry Christmas!

2 Timothy 3 is basically Paul warning Timothy to stay away from teachers who don't teach truth. Paul left Timothy in Ephesus to correct false teachers who have come in wreaking havoc in the church there. They have taught doctrines that sound truthful but when someone falls for it, they realize they have been deceived and they are left picking up the pieces from the destruction. Paul tells Timothy the word of God, (he is referring to the Old Testament) is God breathed and will teach people the truth and how to live a life pleasing to God. Paul tells Timothy he must remain faithful to what he has been taught. That's some great advice for us today!

Looking back in your early years of life, how many of your friends that you were so close to, are still a part of your life? Probably not many, if I had to guess. Sure, they may be a friend on social media, but you haven't heard from them in years. Paul has poured so much into the kingdom of God, traveling over the known world and preaching the gospel, being chased, beaten, stoned, persecuted in many ways, and now he is in chains, awaiting his death. Many of his coworkers have deserted him, deceivers have come in behind him trying to shame him and convince his followers to give up on him and follow them. So now he turns to Timothy...Timothy, you know me bro...Guard the truth.

Paul says in the last days people are going to be so evil and not care. It seems as if he is describing the world in 2025! He gives a long description of people and how empty their hearts are. Paul calls out deceitful men who prey on vulnerable women, gaining their confidence, only to take advantage of them in the end. He mentions two men by name that aren't found in scripture, Jannes and Jambres. These two men, according to the Talmud and tradition, are the two magicians that stood against Moses before pharaoh. They were able to recreate some of the plagues but not all of them and their sins were exposed in the end. You can pretend to play church and deceive many people, but your sin will find you out! And you aren't fooling God...He knows everything about you, including what is in your heart!

Paul warns Timothy of what is coming the near future: counterfeit believers. His description of these counterfeit believers sounds as if he is looking into our world today in 2025, but he isn't. He is speaking about people in his day and time that have turned against the truth and they are deceiving others, in particular, vulnerable women who give these deceiving men time and attention. Paul warns Timothy to stay away from such people...why? Because he doesn't want Timothy to be corrupted by their deception!

Elvis sang a song that said, “I'm caught in a trap...I can't walk out...” He was talking about love. He loved someone and no matter what, he couldn't walk away from the relationship because he loved that person. Paul talks about a different trap that people get caught in and that trap is set by Satan himself. He says these people are being held captive by Satan and doing whatever he desires. The sad thing is, they don't even realized it. They think they are living life to the fullest and doing whatever they want, not caring what God thinks about it. Jesus came to set us free and they only way to be free is to be living for him which is Paul's message to Timothy...stick with Jesus and pursue him!

There are many men and women way smarter than I will ever be but that doesn't make their teaching right. I want to challenge you to read the bible for yourself and not study another man's teaching and take it as gospel. Since the 1500s, man has fought and divided over teachings that are not from God, they are simply man's ideas. Hundreds of denominations have formed from these teachings but before these teachings there was one church with one message. Paul said there is one foundation, Jesus, and we are to be careful on how we build upon that foundation. He also makes it clear there are things that Timothy, as well as us, are to do. We discuss these things in the second half of 2 Timothy.

How many times have you heard something like this, “You don't have to do anything to be saved. Only believe.” I agree one hundred percent salvation is through faith in Christ given to us by his marvelous grace, but I am not sold on the “you don't have to do anything” bit because if you are believing, you are doing something and Paul tells Timothy many things in chapter 2 that he must do in order to remain strong in his faith in Christ. In vs15 Paul tells Timothy to “work hard” and “be a good worker” so that he will “receive God's approval.” James says that faith without works is dead. Most of this type of teaching came from a few people in the late 1500 to early 1600s. Believe what you will, but if I were you, I'd stick with the truth of God's word over man's opinion, especially when eternity is at stake!

When I was a young man in my late teens, I played drums at a big church in West Tennessee where Sam Austin was pastoring. He now pastors somewhere in Arkansas now and is an evangelist. He would sometimes say, “You can clean up a pig and win first prize at the county fair but as soon as you get that clean pig home, it's running straight for the mud! Because that is what pigs do!” Paul tells Timothy, “Teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others...” Some people just aren't trustworthy, they take what they have been taught and do nothing with it, they just soak it all in and never share it, like pigs, they devour all the food and go play in the mud.

Due to sickness, we can't record this week so here is part 2 of Randy's sermon from November 9 on David and Goliath. We will return to 2 Timothy next week! God bless and thank you for watching, listening, and sharing the GRINDIT Podcast!

Due to sickness, we can't record this week so here is part 1 of Randy's sermon from November 9 on David and Goliath. We will return to 2 Timothy next week! God bless and thank you for watching, listening, and sharing the GRINDIT Podcast!

Onesiphorus is only mentioned a couple of times in Paul's second letter to Timothy but he made a huge impact on Paul. Why? Because, when Paul was imprisoned a second time in Rome and new he was about to face death eye to eye, everybody left him, except Luke. He felt what it was like to be abandoned by his closest friends and coworkers which is why he reaches out to Timothy telling him he was eager to see him. Onesiphorus searched all over Rome until he found Paul, and after finding him in prison chained like a criminal, Onesiphorus made many trips to visit Paul. Paul ends the chapter with a blessing to this guy, “May the Lord show him special kindness on the day of Christ's return.” May we all be like Onesiphorus, visiting the destitute and forging boldness in the kingdom!

Paul is in a prison in Rome and will soon be killed by the Emperor Nero. The only person with him is Luke, the author of the gospel of Luke and Acts. Paul begins to write Timothy, his son in the faith, to tell him he misses him and would love to see him one more time. He tells Timothy to not be ashamed of his chains like the other guys and he explains how they all left him alone, but he also tells Timothy, "You too, will suffer like me so keep in mind that God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self control." Timothy would soon be on his own, without his teacher. Would he buckle with fear? Or stand strong on faith?

We take a break from our regular study to share with you some things about our Spain trip and some lessons we learned. We will start 2 Timothy next week! Here is a link to a short video you can watch to see some pictures. There are other videos on my personal YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/em6-YSdOC88

We take a break from our regular study to share with you some things about our Spain trip and some lessons we learned. We will start 2 Timothy next week! Here is a link to a short video you can watch to see some pictures. There are other videos on my personal YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/em6-YSdOC88

Did you ever watch Animal Planet or one of those animal videos that show a lion or some type of predator watching a herd of animals just waiting for one to leave the herd? The predator literally lays in wait just biding time until one of those unsuspecting animals walks away from the herd just enough to be vulnerable, and as soon as they get away from the protection of the herd, the predator attacks. This is what Paul is warning Timothy about and he tells him, “Timothy, guard what God has entrusted to you.”

THIS IS OUR 500TH EPISODE!!!! Paul tells Timothy these false teachers have come in and wreaked havoc on the church ion Ephesus. He leaves Timothy there to help get things get back on track and in chapter 6, Paul is going to finalize his instructions. In them he says these false teachers have one main motive—money. They want to get rich and Peter says something similar in his letters to the church. Paul says real wealth comes from two things: godliness and contentment. How do we get those two things? By trusting God to meet our needs...

Paul leaves Timothy behind in Ephesus to help a struggling church get back on track. One of the many issues is widows. Who is supposed to be taking care of the widows and what constitutes a widow that can be helped? Are their stipulations? What does Paul have to say about the younger widows? What about the widow who decides she isn't going to be devoted to God and just wants to liver her life the way she sees fit? We dive into all of this and more in this podcast!

In today's podcast, we start to cover 1 Timothy 5 where Paul is writing Timothy to give him instructions for the church in Ephesus. In chapter 5, Paul deals with widows and how they are to be taken care of. Is it the church's responsibility to take care of widows? We go back to the Old Testament and see what God had to say about widows back then and the laws He gave to the people through Moses and some examples of how God used widows to usher in the Messiah!

I was taught spiritual gifts could only be passed to others by the apostles and when the apostles died, so did the spiritual gifts. This is clearly false because Paul tells Timothy to use the spiritual gift that was given him when the elders at the church in Ephesus laid their hands on him! He will tell him again in his second letter to Timothy to fan into flames the spiritual gift given to him when Paul laid his hands on Timothy. This tells me Timothy was not using his spiritual gifts as he should. Why not? What was his problem? Fear...in particular, fear of man. Because Timothy was so young, the older believers, even false teachers, would intimidate him by perhaps challenging his teaching and he would clam up instead of being bold. It is not time to be timid, but bold for Jesus and the truth! God, stir the gifts within us so people will see you working in us!

The early church didn't have multiple copies of the bible to pick up and read but they did have the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit, as Jesus said in John 14, leads to all truth. In other words, the Holy Spirit comes from God, who is truth, and therefore will lead us in truth. Jesus said he is the truth in John 14:6. Some people in the church at Ephesus were following truth but at some point, they quit and started following demons. Paul is writing to Timothy, a young man, to stay in Ephesus and fight the enemy that is teaching false doctrine that comes from demons and is leading people away from the truth, away from Jesus. He tells Timothy that of he teaches the church the truth, he will be nourished by his faith and his teaching, which is all about Jesus. Who do you receive your nourishment from? The truth? Or false doctrines taught by demons? Does what you learn and teach line up with the truth of God's word? If not, you're being fed lies by demons and it is leading you away from Jesus!

We are on vacation/ mission trip to Spain so here is Mary's sermon we presented at Authentic Church as a part of pastor James' series about Hope from the book of Philippians. We will return to 1 Timothy next week. Muchisimas Gracias!

We are on a mission trip to Spain this week so we are giving you the sermon Mary and I preached a few weeks ago at Authentic Church from Philippians 4. We will be back to 1 Timothy next week! Good bless...

Paul says these false teachers have seared their conscience with a hot iron. This practice goes way back to the Egyptians who would take something, stick it in a fire, get it super-hot, then stick that hot object to a wound which would seal it up, kill infection, and it would heal faster. It is the same idea today of branding an animal. These false teachers have sealed themselves from the truth of God and are teaching false doctrine that Paul says comes from demons and they are leading people astray from Jesus! He sends Timothy in the heat of the battle and tells him to cling to his faith and keep his conscience clear!

Paul makes a strong statement in chapter 4 saying that some people have quit following truth and started following these false teachers whose teachings come from demons! Yikes! This means there were men and women who had given their life to Jesus, they were filled with the Holy Spirit who leads people into all truth, they were operating in the gifts of the Spirit, yet, after giving time and attention to these false teachers, they deliberately turned from Jesus to follow demons. It is easy for us to say we would never do such a thing but...watch out! You may already be doing it! If you are following someone who teaches false doctrine that doesn't line up with the word of God, then you may have a seared conscience and following a demon!

Paul gives Timothy instructions to choose church leaders, in particular elders and deacons, for the church in Ephesus. We breakdown the qualifications for both in today's podcast and discuss how the American church doesn't follow these instructions very well. We tend to choose people who have money or who is from a prominent family in the she congregation and forget the qualifications...AND the Bible is clear these positions are plural, not singular! There should never be one, what we call "pastor" with a bunch of deacons under him, these positions were always plural in every church!

Since we have covered a lot of things just in chapters 1 and 2, we decided to review those two chapters...Actually Randy got long winded and took too long with the review so we made two separate podcasts for chapter 3. This is part 1 and awe will cover church leaders--elders and deacons, in the next podcast. Thanks for listening and sharing the GRINDIT Podcast! God bless you!!!

We are tackling one of the most difficult passages in the Bible that comes from 1 Timothy 2 about women keeping silent and not being able to teach a man. It has been a hot topic and debated for centuries! What does Paul say? What does he mean by what he says? Is there a contradiction here? Does Paul contradict his very own thoughts? We're going to dissect it and give our input in this podcast. This is part 2.

We are tackling one of the most difficult passages in the Bible that comes from 1 Timothy 2 about women keeping silent and not being able to teach a man. It has been a hot topic and debated for centuries! What does Paul say? What does he mean by what he says? Is there a contradiction here? Does Paul contradict his very own thoughts? We're going to dissect it and give our input in this podcast. There is a part 1 and a part 2.

Paul leaves Timothy in Ephesus so he could help the elders and the church in Ephesus to fight against false teachers and help them get back on track with the will of God. In chapter 2, Paul begins giving Timothy some instructions that will help him fight the battles and keep his conscience clear. In today's podcast, we break down two of the four things that Paul instructs Timothy to do on behalf of all men and women, kings, and all of those who are in authority. He tells Timothy these four things are also pleasing to God. The church today would greatly benefit from these four things if they would be obedient!

Paul leaves Timothy in Ephesus so he could help the elders and the church in Ephesus to fight against false teachers and help them get back on track with the will of God. In chapter 2, Paul begins giving Timothy some instructions that will help him fight the battles and keep his conscience clear. In today's podcast, we break down two of the four things that Paul instructs Timothy to do on behalf of all men and women, kings, and all of those who are in authority. He tells Timothy these four things are also pleasing to God. The church today would greatly benefit from these four things if they would be obedient!

What does Paul mean when he says there are some that have shipwrecked their faith and have violated their conscience? What were the consequences of the actions of Hymenaeus, Alexander, and in chapter 2, Philetus? Paul says he threw them out and turned them over to Satan! What does that mean? How can someone who is saved by Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit, belong to Satan? Are they still saved? Can one be led by their flesh and not the Spirit and still make it to heaven and be with Jesus for eternity?

Paul tells Timothy to cling to his faith and keep a clear conscience. This tells me that there was something Timothy had to do which is contrary to teaching that is happening in many churches today that say, “There is nothing you to be saved. It is beyond your control.” If that is the case, why would Paul command Timothy these things? And not only that, Paul gives examples of men whom he threw out of the church in Ephesus because they violated their conscience and taught false doctrine! Do you have a clean conscience?