The Timothy Conference

T H E T I M O T H Y C O N F E R E N C E

(Luke 14.12-14) Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. [13] But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, [14] and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

(Luke 11.41) But give what is inside the dish to the poor , and everything will be clean for you .

(Matthew 25.41-46) “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. [42] For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, [43] I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ [44] ”They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ [45] “He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ [46] ”Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

Key Team Leader Virtue: Consistent reminders to the team that faithfulness to Jesus is inextricably linked to faithfulness to the poor.

III. Is Our Mission’s Hope For the Poor Anchored in the Electing Grace of God?

eklegomai - to select: make choice, choose (out), chosen.

To choose, select, choose for oneself, not necessarily implying the rejection of what is not chosen, but giving favor to the chosen subject, keeping in view a relationship to be established between the one choosing and the object chosen. It involves preference and selection from among many choices.

Spiros Zoddhiates, “eklegomai,” The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament .

When used in relation to God’s choosing it has special reference “. . .to those whom he has judged fit to receive his favors and separated from the rest of making to be peculiarly his own and to be attended continually by his gracious oversight.”

Thayer’s Greek English Lexicon of the New Testament .

(Luke 6.13) When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose [ eklegomai ] twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles.

(Ephesians 1.4-5) For he chose [ eklegomai ] us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love [5] he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.

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