Apostasy is on the rise. Just about every month, the news of an influential person in Christendom falling away from the faith goes viral. To see so many men and women whose ministry I’ve benefited from denouncing Jesus Christ has been jarring. At times, I find myself feeling like one of the disciples in the upper room after Jesus announced, “one of you will betray me” (John 13:21), asking, “Lord, is it me?”
This uncertainty has gained traction as the virus of apostasy hits closer to home. I’ve gotten text messages from friends and had countless cups of coffee with brothers and sisters in Christ wrestling with their faith. In all of these conversations, the common denominator is their disillusionment with the Church. They’ve found it challenging to trust Christ when His Church often appears untrustworthy, lacking godliness, sincere faith, and love. And like God, they have become fed up with the lukewarm Christianity they have witnessed, online and in-person, and spat it out (Revelation 3:16).
The letter Paul writes to Timothy could easily be written to any pastor today. In Paul’s context and ours, people are falling away, and false teaching is rampant. Knowing the difficulty of exhibiting godliness in this kind of environment, Paul calls for elders and deacons to exhibit godliness in their leadership and charges Timothy to pursue, teach, and value it above all earthly gain.
The commitment to godliness Paul calls Timothy and church leaders to is not innate to humans. Instead, we are innately spiritually dead, committed to our comforts, desires, pocketbooks, and reputations. Only the spirit of God can resuscitate us, removing our stony self-centered hearts and replacing them with a God-centered heart of flesh. Ezekiel 36:26–27 makes it clear, the remedy for ungodliness does not reside within us but Christ. He is both our example of and means to a life of godliness.
However, this life of godliness isn’t just for ourselves. It’s also for others. Sure, you made a personal decision to follow Christ. But the moment you said yes, you were transplanted into the household of God with many brothers, sisters, and onlookers, making your relationship with God communal and missional. Because of this, how we live with others matters.
Paul confirms the significance of our conduct by concluding his requirements of elder and deacon, adding that they must have a good reputation among unbelievers. Now, we know Paul is not calling for compromise. Instead, he calls for uncompromising godly conduct that doesn’t cause people to distrust Christ and His bride.
Sound doctrine coupled with sound conduct is the key to our ability to proclaim Christ boldly. When the two are aligned, we partner with God to make the mystery of godliness—Christ—known.
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60 thoughts on "Uphold the Mystery of Godliness"
I have been so blessed to attend a Bible-preaching church ⛪️ and pastors who “uphold the mystery of Godliness”. Sound doctrine has been absolutely key to my own conviction and salvation and sound conduct, even though no one is perfect, has helped to further my walk with Jesus. Studying with this app has been a huge part of that as well. Thank you Jesus!
“These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”
1 Peter 1:7 NIV
Great reminder for me as I walk through this life as a special needs mama.
1 Peter 1:4 – to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you. Great reminder for me today with family making decisions on ancestral family property.
Right on time for me what a great reminder of holiness.
amém!
JH love this!
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Rebecca, praying for you can your son.
Amen Stephanie!!!
Praying for you ❤️
Love the responses. I enter church on Sundays with an open heart. There are times when I hear a message I disagree with and do not respond with “thanks be to God” because I believe in my heart that God accepts all people.
Yes!!!
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Love this perspective- becoming disillusioned is hard but I also think it can be a gift. You just have to keep going… don’t stop at the disappointment
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I loved this lesson
Thank you for the prayers! I am feeling less distraught about it today. Yesterday and the day before, I know I was taking it personally. Today, I feel calmer about it, even though (to my knowledge) his struggles remain the same. Thank you! And thank you, Sydney, for the suggestion!
Stephanie Berlinger…Amen to everything you said. If our faith is in a church, we are setting ourselves up for tremendous hurt. Years ago, I was married to a deacon in our church. I actually thought that he met the requirements of a deacon in first Timothy. He was very well respected in the community and in the church. Then, he left me and our daughter for someone he had arrested! He was a police officer in our community. He then married this woman six weeks after our divorce was final. Needless to say, my daughter and I were destroyed. But it was amazing to me at that time to see how many people in the church were also very hurt by his actions. We need to always look only to God for our beliefs our faith and our salvation. The church, and the people in it, will always disappoint. God is with us no matter what.
Whoa so beautifully said! AMEN and AMEN!!!!!!
Thank you for the good word this morning. It’s true, people fail us, and that includes leaders. The church has always been under Satans attack, and the more he can take down… the more discouragement for everyone around. Very sad reality. My own dad, was a pastor… left his family, his church, and his faith. It can be jarring when those who seem so close to God chose to abandon Him.
But God. In his power, there are godly leaders who cling to the Word. It is through GOD’s strength, that the church will not fail. It can shake us when people walk away… because it is heart breaking to God… but we won’t break because God is faithful! His hand upholds his people… even when it feels like walking through the desert alone for years…. He uses people, yes… but it is God who we worship and he never changes. Thank you Lord.
You and your husband are in my prayers Anne, stay strong x
I just had the privilege of working as an editor on a book titled “The Gift of Disillusionment.” The authors included a wonderful quote from Barbara Brown Taylor about how when you break the word apart, you see that disillusionment is the loss of an illusion: arguably a very good and healthy (if not painful) thing. Those words shifted my perspective on the opportunity that comes with disillusionment. May God continue to strip away our illusions until we are building on a foundation of truth.
My son went to a christian school. Sadly at one point he let me know what he saw. It felt like a bunch of hypocrites to him. I talked to him about how we are all sinners and not to judge harshly, but to realize we all fall everyday. Keep my eye up dear Lord! Give me sound doctrine coupled with sound conduct. I fall everyday. Imagine if I wasn’t in the word daily?!
I think my draft just posted early. If not, I’m just requesting prayer for my husband in his faith struggles, which are related to today’s message. Thanks all! Praying for you and thankful that God is good all the time!
Hi all- this message is very timely. My husband, as I’ve mentioned before, has been really struggling in his faith for awhile now. It has a lot to do with this issue (the fallability on leaders in the church locally and worldwide) and with his feelings that the world is screwed up. It has become a hard thing in our marriage. I find myself praying that God would bring him back to Him. Would you please pray for him and us again? And if you have any wisdom foot me
How I love the devotional today. Thank you Yana!! Amazing and very sharp reminder that cuts through such sensitive issues many churches are having- sadly including mine. My church as well was showing signs of ungodliness (in gossips, slandering, exposing vulnerable details of others for fruitless discussions and criticisms) and oh boy it hurts so much like any big fat betrayal does. Gossip separates close friends. Many beautiful friendships built on foundation of faith, love, fellowship that takes years to develop are destroyed. I prayed over this a lot while restraining myself from criticizing, from speaking from the place of hurt, from adding more into the fire. I need to speak from the place of love. I kept quiet and grieved for months and months. I was smiling on the outside but so grieved on the inside. I was so ready to leave. I prayed for the spirit of gossip and slandering to be removed from the leadership and asked God to heal me and those that were hurt in the congregation. And God says, Woe is he who trusts in man. Ouch. Truly we need to seek God (the source) and not in men/women of God who are still work in progress, like us. Our expectations should be from GOD alone (Psalm 62). I asked God if I should leave, several times I petitioned, but He said no. Just sharing my case and not saying you should do the same. He told me to stay and show the godliness to those who show signs of falling away. Like Peter, who fell away, our Lord Jesus said ever so lovingly, when you are restored, come back and strengthen your brothers. The salt after all needs to be where the corruption/rottenness is, and comes into contact with it, to bring healing and preserving to that chunk of meat. To God be the glory. May we seek Him for healing, wisdom, course of actions for our specific case, and look to His Word daily like a mirror, with expectations from Him ALONE – while giving grace to those who fall short. Look into the perfect mirror (the Word) to remove the blemish on ourselves, the spec in our own eyes to see clearly, and come to strengthen/build up others. May God walk with us through the valley. Be blessed dear sisters.
How confusing the hierarchy of church leadership can be. Pastor. Teaching pastor. Executive pastor. Associate pastor. Board of Elders. Elders. Deacons. Bishops. Apostles.Popes. Right Reverend. Directors. Etc. Etc. The list of titles and positions in various denominations is so varied and hard to discern where, when and how they originated. I confess I throw up my arms and simply cling to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of my faith. I’ve never looked for a perfect church but I do look for a Biblically sound and caring one. It’s good to be challenged to be a more fully committed Jesus follower. Whether that occurs in a church building or someone’s home, it matters not to me. I’ve found solid teaching, Spirit filled worship, community outreach and evangelism in both. I’ve learned under men and women sold out for Jesus and with great integrity. I’ve been blessed to be a part of several different churches. And I’ve had to walk away from a couple as well. The key is to keep eyes on the Word and heart devoted to following Jesus. Not man. Not woman. Jesus.
This morning I sent an email to a worship pastor with a video appropriate for Mothers Day. I have sent numerous videos/songs to him in the past. His reply included his acknowledging that he hasn’t seen us for awhile (2 plus years now) and that he’s missed us. I smiled. My husband and I have made attempts to reconnect but it has not been reciprocated. Due to my health issues, my Dr still recommends I avoid large gatherings and wear a mask as much as possible in public places. So two years ago I fell into the “shut in” category. And in two years there has been no contact initiated by anyone on staff. Not a text. Not a phone call. Not a note. I do get a response if I make the first move. Makes me think of the old saying about how many times does a girl have to turn a guy down for a date before he quits asking? Was my husband and I hurt? Sure. BUT GOD. He drew us closer to Himself as we attended worship on line from various churches. The virtual Bible study I attend is a caring and loving group. What started out as a painful wilderness experience has led us to fruitful lush pasture land. God is good. All eyes and hearts on Him. Loving Jesus by loving our neighbors. It’s a pretty good “church.”
Tina…Amen & Amen. So good to “see” you, my friend.
Yana, thank you for such a wonderful post today. Like so many others we’ve struggled with church lately. We were so in involved with the church we’d attended for so many years, but after Covid my husband did not want to return there. It turned out to be a bunch of issues but largely he’d had his trust in the leadership destroyed. So sad. Sadder still was my unwillingness to go looking because I was so tied to women’s ministry. Finally, I have submitted & we have gone looking & have hopefully found a new church. I’m still attending the Wednesday night women’s Bible study at our old church but I can fully support my husband in this new “home”.
Hugs & love y’all!
I’m currently doing a different study, so I haven’t been commenting daily, but I do read through and pray for this community. Thank you for your prayers.
I believe Yana summed everything nicely about today’s devotion and Scripture up in her last two sentence.
Sisters be blessed and watch your heart.
I don’t often comment but I so appreciate the opportunity to read, study and pray alongside each of you ❤️ asking for prayers this month as I am finishing up a graduate program in teaching and looking for my first job. I am not sure if I want to stay in the classroom or seek other opportunities in education. I know many of you are teachers as well, so happy teacher appreciation week to you!! Grateful for this community
I am grateful for this community of women who love Jesus and who show that love in so many ways….through your prayers, genuine joy with praises, compassion, revelation of God’s word through the Holy Spirit, availability to sustain others during sadness, humble reflection. Thankful for you all! ❤️
Don’t hate on deconstructed Christians. I needed to deconstruct my faith to find Jesus Christ at the heart and it is amazing how much the church clings to churchy things
We moved into our new home May of 2020 with a new baby #4 and an overwhelming renovation. Due to restrictions and reactions to the virus, church going wasn’t even an option for a period of time, let alone finding a new one. As a stay at home, homeschooling mom, I relied on the regular weekend fellowship of church, so when it was stripped away due to many things I felt bereft and floundering. It was during this time that I really picked up the nagging and passive aggressiveness to my husband in putting “finding a church” at the top of the list! In some not-so-peaceful “discussion” (read *fruitless* discussions mentioned in 1 Timothy 1:6), my husband was able to admit to losing his trust in people of church leadership roles from his own experience and seeing blaring hypocrisy, and was struggling marrying that distrust with leading his family into possibly the same scenario he grew up with. It was during this time of chaos as a family with all the new and changing things that the Spirit finally got through my thick head to just let it go and be still. Be still and know that God saw us, saw my heart, saw HIS heart. It was in that stillness that I was reminded that I had 4 little disciples who were eager to learn, we had a new neighborhood that we had the opportunity to be “set apart” to as we slowly get to know them, and that my husband loves the LORD and wants to lead us in a greater knowledge of Him. I have wonderful Christian woman in our homeschool co op that fill my cup up, and the moments with new neighbors have been amazing and Spirit filled. One couple whose children are grown and gone have showered us with generosity and we found out they are believers through their “fruit”. We pray for them and enjoy having the family of Christ across the street. This passage always reminds me of the old saying “actions speak louder than words.” If we are known by our lives and our “fruit” it is convicting to make sure we are cultivating something that looks set apart, draws people in, and inspires them to question why we are that way. I love the peace in waiting on Him for “church” and am blown away where he has made a way when I thought there was no way. I feel we are more motivated to be the church to those around us when I can’t take for granted checking of the weekly attendance as a building. But I will say a good, God-fearing church full of other sinners does make my heart happy!
Amen, we have to die to ourselves daily and be a continuous example to others. This was so important to talk about. As it happens a lot and can distort the view of faith. I loved today Devo.
Yes and amen!
I read this and my prayer is to be a leader who is characterized by love, truth, and sound judgement. May the church be known by all those things– but above all, love.
Amen!
Tina! It is so good to see you on here again.
I relate to you, feeling lukewarm towards God. I have struggled with that too lately. I miss the fire and passion I once had when I was younger. I know to regain it, means spending more one on one time with God through prayer and reading. I need to be more intentional about this. Praying for you and other prayers mentioned here; praying for those of you that are seeking a church family and leaders who are sound teachers. My church family is truely a blessing and I see now that not everyone gets to experience that gift. Have a beautiful day She’s! <3
“The moment you said yes, you were transplanted into the household of God with many brothers, sisters, and onlookers, making your relationship with God communal and missional. Because of this, how we live with others matters.” We as believers are of the household of God. Our fellow believers are our brothers and sisters, and like in any relationships there can be disagreements, arguments, and hurts – it unfortunately happens among our church families too. The remedy is not to run, not to hide, not to give up – but to allow God to grow us, mold us and shape us into His image, letting every circumstance turn into an opportunity for spiritual growth and an opportunity to glorify God. He is still teaching me this — every single day!
A blessed Thursday to you all! @Rebecca praying for your son today.
Thank you for talking about this! This is a very polarizing subject these days. I think struggling with one’s faith speaks more to our relationship with God than with the church. But there’s something to be said for the role that church, as a community plays, is one’s faith. Many churches these days are more like coffee groups aiming at ignoring the TRUE word of God in the name of inclusivity. We left our Lutheran church in 2020 because their doctrine is so outrageous and contrary to the Word that it’s obscene. And holding on to the Holy Spirit in prayers and for guidance, a big group of us left. But that conviction, I believe, was cemented in the fact that we are strong in faith and trusted that God is sovereign and unchangeable. Today we have a small congregation that is growing and our truth is simple— we believe in the trinity and we follow the Bible as is, without changing to fit worldly cultures.
BRISTEE BOSTICK – thank you for sharing
TINA – you are so loved and have been missed. Praying for you, sister.
Like many others, I’ve seen and felt hurt and betrayal from church members and church leadership. Although still part of a church, past experiences have made me somewhat gun shy of getting close to church members or participating in projects that involve a lot of one-on-one interaction.
Praying for mentioned needs.
I ask myself. Who validates me, who gives me my identity? Is it a person, church, social media, things, money, friends, …………or it is my Jesus.
Amen, Yana. My daughter recently left her church due to hurt within the body and distrust of the church’s leaders. She is in God’s hands and still believes but I worry for her not being in fellowship with other believers.
Amen! ❤️
Tina! Made my heart smile seeing you here today! You have made such an impact on me since I found SRT, that I always look forward to your posts. When you go “quiet” I find myself praying for you. Praying the Lord holds you tight.
100 million times yes. Thank you for sharing your experience. I understand the idea and goal of being in a church community, but it often, for many, doesn’t work out neatly like that. The source will never disappoint you.
Dawn, I know exactly how you feel. I have grown up and been part of The United Methodist Church since birth (65). I am southern to the core so many thing in the larger UMC goes against my beliefs. It has caused unrest and a ministerial issue in our church which has now been resolved. However, I feel ill at ease. Not feeling joyful worship very often. I pray that God will help my husband and me find that joy again even if we have to change to another church…channeling the Holy Spirit to move me.
The mystery of godliness is great. Help me, Holy Spirit, to heed the words of wisdom you have set before us through your servant and apostle Paul. In a world that is growing ever darker, help us to be light and love, but standing firm in truth and faith. ❤️
Prayers please for my son, who has been living with us for over a year due to struggles with mental issues and alcohol, but has moved out in hopes of starting over. He has made great progress in many ways but has a long way to go. As a mother it can be so hard to give him over to Jesus when I want to fix him but know I can’t. So I continue to pray and humbly ask that you will pray also. Have a terrific Thursday and I am lifting all requests as well.
I am called by God to a higher standard. The way I live should demonstrate my faithfulness to Him. In all the things. When others see me, they should see the glory (doxa) of God. The mystery of godliness should emanate from my life in humble yet apparant ways. The only understanding about God for some may come from the way I live my life. This is a profound and beautiful honor. To represent God here on earth. He has given me so much, and much is required of me (Luke 12:48). Lord, I pray for a church with 1 Timothy 3 leadership. I long for a church community to belong to for my Brett and me. In the meantime, we have been called into a great mystery of truth. We are to be like God. The angels are watching as this story unfolds (1 Tim 3:16). Vindication happened, salvation came. Through my true faith, I have been transformed. I have a new heart. Doxa. The mystery has been solved by Jesus. The light has shone in the darkness, and I can do all things through Him who gives me strength. Maranatha.
Today is National Day of Prayer! Halleluiah! I hope you can join in with your city in gathering to lift of prayers to our Heavenly Father!! What an impact that could be! Our nation so needs it!!
I think most of us “older” people can attest to being hurt or betrayed by the church at some point in our walk or knew someone that was. Other people see the church as a group of hypocritical people, self-righteous and judging, or whatever the case. We are seeing many False teachers and leaders of the church preaching only parts of the Bible. It is all so confusing sometimes of the why.
But I know God wants that fellowship with other believers to be in our lives, the teachings and inspirations to penetrate our hearts, and to serve in the body, reaching near and far. You don’t have to belong to a church to love God and be in His word, but I think you can certainly benefit in the right one. In my new church, I am still using discernment not to get caught up in the feel good, but I do know they do tremendous outreach in our community and worldwide missions, and so for now, I am jumping in with that part to be God’s hands and feet. Today we are making PB & J’s for the homeless. What a blessing to bless them and show them care and love.
Have a good day She’s!!
Also lifting up the prayer requests from yesterday for @Victoria E, @Ali Adair, @Lehua K, @PamC, praising with @Gramiesue, and @Sky Hilton’s uncle and any I missed! So thankful for this community where we can pray for one another
Echoing your prayer today Tina! So good to “see” you here with us <3 The Lord has been nudging me to get back into regular Christian community as my weekends have not reflected regular church attendance with lots of traveling and working. I'm feeling led to join a young adult group so I will look into those at a church nearby who has a large young adult community to help surround myself with other believers to encourage and sharpen my faith.
If you are struggling with the church today and therefore wrestling with your faith I would encourage you to look at your faith through God not through the church. I had a great struggle with a church because I became a teen mom and there was a big reaction to that. But God. God is the good shepherd who seeks out the hurting and the lost and lovingly brings them home. If you’ve been cast out focus on God, His Word, and His Promises. These things are the rock on which I stand. The church is lovely and important. It’s good to be in a biblical community but they’re just a bunch of sinners that can do hurtful things. God is unchanging and dependable so look at your faith through him. I found out that He never forsake me, that He was a witness to all of the wrongs done against me, and that He loves me. I believe that you will find these truths too.
With regard to the current hot topic, it is so troubling to hear certain ministry leaders completely silent when they were quite vocal about other recent issues. Yes, apostasy and “reconstruction” are here. It drives me to go deeper in the Word and keep seeking Him during these troubling days. And so I know sound doctrine when I hear it.
The mystery of godliness is Christ. The rest of 1Tim3:16 is Christ.
2 Pet 1:3 His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us by His own glory and goodness.
We have struggled in the recent years finding a church that continues with sound doctrine. It’s very challenging and makes it difficult to trust what you see and hear from the outside. There is so much compromise and straying away from the truth of Gods word and values. Enjoying this study and am grateful to be a part of this community❤️
This is such a true statement…sound doctrine coupled with sound conduct is the key to our ability to proclaim Christ
It is indeed a mystery how God works through me to reveal His goodness to others! I take seriously my call to conduct myself as a member of God’s family.
SKY HILTON – praying for your uncle
Lord,I pray today and moving forward that my heart will be aligned with yours, that godliness be my second skin, that in all I say and in what I do, I will point to Jesus… That the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart, will be pleasing to you, but also point to Jesus to those I meet and greet.
I have become lukewarm Lord God, not so much in my belief in you, but within myself, there is a void, Help me Lord God, to be a witness to myself, so I can be a better witness wrapped in godliness for your glory.
In the Mighty and most worthy name of the One who came, died and was resurrected.. Jesus Christ my saviour, Lord, I pray..
Amen.
BUT GOD..
Happy Thursday, precious ones.. Be blessed.. Whatever your day looks like.. ❤