Study Desk

Everyone knows y'all know the truth and ride for the Lord with all your heart. This makes me so proud. I want you to be wise in doing good things and innocent of wrong things.

I, Tertius, am writing this for Paul. I send my greetings as well.

Finally, all glory to God, who builds us up strong, just like the good news says. This message about Jesus has shown you God's plan for all the outsiders. This plan has been kept secret since the beginning, but now it is revealed.

All the prophets hinted about it, but now the message has been made known to all outsiders. May they believe and follow Jesus completely as they ride for God.

Hey, fellas. This is Paul, chosen by God to ride for the brand of Jesus Christ. My amigo Sosthenes is with me, too.

When I'm riding along, my thoughts often wander to you and all the benefits of riding for the brand. This brand is Jesus's brand, but he lets us ride for him.

You've been given every cowboy gift you need to ride for the Lord until he comes riding back.

He's going to keep you strong in the saddle and on the day of his return, he's going to vouch for you before God.

I was told some of y'all are thinking you're better than others. Some of you say, "Well, Paul taught me to ride." Others say, "I ride like Apollos does," or "Pete and I ride together," or "Well, I only ride for the Top Hand."

Has Jesus started playin' favorites? Was Paul hung on a cross to die for you? Quit being silly!

Now, I'm glad I didn't baptize any of y'all except for Crispus and Gaius.

Jesus's message from the cross is folly to those heading for the kill-truck. But those of us who will ride in the green grass forever, we know the cross is the power of God.

God used his Son to bring us together and make a crew out of us. God made pure wisdom into a man and called him his Son. His Son vouched for us and made us right with God; he freed us from the slavery of sin.

I spoke as plainly as the nose on your face. I told you who Jesus was and what he did for all of us when he was strung up on the cross.

Nope, this wisdom comes from the mystery of God himself. This secret has been hidden from the world for a long time but was finally revealed for our glory and his honor.

This is what the Good Book meant when it said, "No eye has seen, nor any ear has heard; no mind could even imagine what God has in store for those who ride for him."

And just like a city fellow can't know what it's like to ride for the brand, neither can an unbeliever know what God's thoughts are. They think all this stuff about God is just myth and folly. But it's no surprise to us, is it? A cowboy's secrets can't be explained to a tenderfoot. They'd never understand the life or the code of the West.

Those who ride for the brand are made aware of all things. Now that we know the truth, we pay little attention to those who criticize us for following it.

Listen cowboys and cowgirls, when I was with you, I had to talk to y'all like the greenhorns you were. You knew nothing of riding for God. You only knew how to ride for yourselves. You were like little kids.

Each will be rewarded for their work in the process. One cowboy ain't more important than the next.