David CM Bell Leadership Blog

 2 Timothy 1:8-18 - Strong and Pure           God tests the metal of His people.  Our loving Father has high standards for His people.  Thank God!  God's people, those saved through His eternal plan of grace through Christ Jesus, are easy to identify.  They are known for their love.           God expects us to be tough, durable, resilient, flexible, and strong.  But more than that, God expects us to be pure.  There is a terrible, tragic story in the Old Testament where God says He has assessed the metal of his people.  He looks at their actions versus their words.  Sadly, in that case, He found them wanting.  God predicted that an army would come from the north and surround their city (Jeremiah 6:3).  The army of destruction that God would bring against Jerusalem would “build siege ramps against the walls of Jerusalem” (Jeremiah 6:6 - almost verbatim to what Jesus prophesiz...

 2 Timothy 1:1-7 - Grace, Mercy, & Peace           Jesus promises life.  New life, grace, mercy, and peace through faith in Christ Jesus.           Let’s take God’s promise seriously.  God’s promises and decrees are certain.  Abraham knew that.  As did Moses.  They worshipped God in faith.  Paul tells us that the ancient believers in God worshipped God with clear consciences (1:3), just as Paul did.  Let that sink in.  It is so important for you and me to guard our consciences and to worship in spirit and truth with clear consciences.  We do that today via repentance of sin and faith in Jesus Christ.           Like John, one thing that comes through this chapter and that you can hear in everything Paul writes is love.  Paul genuinely loved Timothy and all of his brothers and sisters in Christ.  That kind of love can only come from a bo...

  1 Timothy 6 - Hold Firmly to Faith in Jesus          The truth of this human condition is that God designed us with free will.  Each person can respond to God's call to admit and turn away from sin and reconcile with God.  In the Bible we hear, "'O Israel,' says the LORD, 'if you wanted to return to me you could.  You could throw away your detestable idols and stray away no more'" (Jeremiah 4:1).          It is true.  God gently draws us.  He woos and invites and often goes to extremes to plead with us to return to Him through Christ.  Free will.          When we accept Jesus as our Savior, God gives us His truth, justice, and righteousness.  Because of God's free gift, given with love beyond measure, we have clear eyes, pure hearts, and clean consciences.  Praise Jesus Christ for His Grace.  Because of God's grace, we can be a blessing to others.  We love ...

 1 Timothy 6:1-2 - Show Respect           We don’t show respect for authority out of blind deference.  Our motives are important.  The Christian always uses good discretion in obedience to God’s word.  We do not show favoritism, nepotism, or boot-licking deference creating a dysfunctional culture of people worship.  We respect authority because of God’s command to do so and because of His purposes.  God loves all people.  Yes, including your boss.  More than that, including all of our enemies.           I’ve worked for some incredibly difficult bosses and clients over the years.  Some downright evil.  Law School simply can’t teach all of the ethical dilemmas that will face an attorney over your career.  Ethics are God’s standards and must be ingrained, reinforced with good rules, and adhered to.  We prepare for the ethical challenges ahead by growing in godliness today...

  1 Timothy 6 - Good Questions           Can anyone find fault with us?  Are we arrogant?  Do we lack understanding?  Do we have an unhealthy desire to quibble over the meaning of words?  Do we stir up arguments ending in jealousy, division, slander, and evil suspicions?             Are we troublemakers?  Are our minds corrupt?  Have we turned our backs on the truth?  Do we know what pleases God and who He blesses?           Is a show of godliness just a way for us to become wealthy?           Are we content with just enough food and clothing?           Do we long to be rich?  Are we trapped by many foolish and harmful desires?           Do we love money?  Do we crave the things of this world?  Have we wandered from the true faith and pierced our...

 1 Timothy 5 - Good Teachers - Great Instructions           Thank God for good teachers.  Seriously.          When I was a kid i n Northern Saskatchewan we were blessed with really good public school teachers.  Those were the days when we started each day standing to say the Lord's Prayer and to sing O Canada.           One of my favorites was my grade five teacher, Mr. Thomas.  He was from Wales.  During the Second World War, he fought in North Africa.  I think he was an artilleryman, but he rarely talked of the War.  He was short, fit, and well-dressed.  I would love to hear the story someday as to how he got to Carrot River, SK.  He used to read books out loud to us in his British accent.  We were spellbound.  It was the 1980 version of Audible.  When the class was too boisterous he used to get a leather strap out of his top desk drawer and ...

 1 Timothy 5 - Christian Conduct - Show Your Faith in Christ           Paul emphasizes the weight of God’s instructions for His church in 5:7 and again in bold in 5:21, “I solemnly command you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus and the holy angels to obey these instructions without taking sides or showing favoritism to anyone.”  Wow.  I was still a little sleepy even after three cups of coffee, but now I’m awake.           God says we will be open to criticism if we do not follow God’s instructions.  More than that.  God says that we deny the true faith by refusing to do what He commands.  This passage gives clear instructions as to what we are required to do as believers and what pleases God.  We hear: take care of others, don’t live only for pleasure, work hard, reprimand those who sin, require a due process by hearing the full story don’t take sides or show favoritism, don’t share in t...

 1 Timothy 4 - Keep Training, Gain Understanding           While we still have breath on this earth, we can continue to grow and gain understanding.  That is why God gave us His Scriptures.  We can get into endless debates about what the early church fathers thought about such and such, and what Wesley and Spurgeon and Lewis and Luther said.  That’s all good and fine.  But what did Jesus say!  And what did those under His direct command say and write down for us in the first century.  That is our standard.           It is remarkable how early the entire New Testament was written.  And how consistent it is with the entire Old Testament.  Paul died at the direction of evil Nero before Nero died in AD 68.  All of the letters from Mark, Matthew, Luke, Paul, Peter, John, Jude, and James were written early.  Most before AD 50, just twenty years before the holocaust of AD 70....

 1 Timothy 3 - Leadership Growth           It’s a great year for growth - training for godliness.  Happy New Year!           We can’t flip a switch and have an instant Christian leader.  God’s way is growth.  You see it everywhere in His design.  With trees and leaves.  With puppies and potty training.  With toddlers and speech development.  God designed growth.           A Christian leader's character qualifications develop through daily growth - guided by the Spirit of Christ.  It is a daily interaction and a lifelong process.  We continue (or start if need be) today.  Now.  Right now.           The Christian man proactively leads.  We are not lazy and we don’t sit back.  We are servants of the Creator of everything.  Jesus Christ has high expectations for His men and women.    ...

 1 Timothy 3 - Conduct for Leaders           Paul says his aim was to set the mandatory standard for conduct in the household of God (1 Tim. 3:14).  I love how in just a few words Paul gives us overarching principles that every church everywhere must apply.  It is not a legal policy that covers every conceivable issue (what if I’m single, what about big churches versus little churches, what about societies that have such and such normative standards).  Thank God that He gives us reason and discernment to apply His principles wisely in every context.           It is interesting to pause for a few days on this chapter and to reflect on how we as modern Christians are living up to God’s household standards.           For those of us in our 50s and 60s, we’ve put a little wear on the tires.  Hopefully, we’ve learned a bit about leadership in our households, the church, and in o...

 1 Timothy 3:1-7 - Leaders & Integrity           Me playing goal for the Seattle Thunderbirds (circa 1991)           Over time words can take on negative connotations that are inaccurate.  The term “elder” may be subject to that problem.  I don’t know what kind of a picture it draws for you.  Does “elder” imply boring, stogy, dull, or washed up?  Worse yet, perhaps narrow-minded, impotent, cunning, or old boys club?  It’s hard to say.  I suppose it depends on what your background is and what we mean when we refer to “elder.”  Where I grew up in Northern Saskatchewan the three Native Reserves in our area all had elders.  That was probably the first I ever heard of that term.  But what does the term mean when used here in this chapter?           The term means a senior leader in the church, a bishop, or an overseer.  In Judaism, the term elde...

 1 Timothy 3:1-2 - Christian Leadership           The Bible has a lot to say about leadership and lack thereof.  The message of this chapter needs to be at the center of what we teach the next generation.  We need young men who aspire to lead and manage their families in a way that honors God.           God has harsh words for poor leadership.  We see that throughout Scripture.  God has no time for greedy Pharisees or those who believe it is their academic pedigree or family connection that somehow qualifies them as church leaders.  God’s disciples were a motley crew.  Educated and uneducated.  God saw their hearts.  God is after servant leaders who get it.  First and foremost, they are men who love God, so much so that they show it in every aspect of their lives.  Their lives are above reproach.  And their reputation inside and outside the church honors God.  In ...