It is clear that when the Apostle Paul focused on the practical life of the church, the godliness of the people was of intense concern. Godliness is not piety as we generally think of it—upturned eyes and folded hands. Godliness is reverent, active, surrendered, joyful obedience. The godly among us are those people whose reverent worship of God flows into obedience throughout the week.
False teaching was rampant in the first century and is rampant now. Prosperity gospel says that if you trust Jesus, He’ll give you health and wealth. Cults offers an unbiblical picture of the Son of God. Pop culture theology consists of ideas about life and possessions and the afterlife that comes more from best-selling books than from God's Word. We are to be aware and on guard against such errors. We can properly sort all things out with the Word of God and prayer.
A Biblical mode of church leadership is necessary for the church to display the glory of Christ in its worship and its witness. We looked last week at the qualifications for deacons. This week we look more closely at what deacons do. What is the role of deacons and how does it help the church? When we get God’s instructions right, everyone benefits.
In addition to Godly leaders known as elders, God has also given us Godly servants known as deacons. The qualifications for both Elders and Deacons are the same in character but different in aptitude. Elders are Biblically qualified men who focus on spiritual leadership and oversight. Deacons are Biblically qualified men and women who focus on ministry oversight and service. God’s design is perfect and the church needs both.
We’ve considered the qualifications of an elder, now we look at the role description of an elder. What do elders do? You’ve heard the phrase, “as go the leaders, so goes the church”. It’s essential that God’s people are led God’s way. This helps ensure the ongoing building up of the body and fruitfulness of the Gospel. In other words, everyone benefits when God’s people are led according to God’s Word.
We all know pastor’s only work one day a week right? Ok, so maybe that’s not true, but what do pastors do all week? What is their primary task? The primary task of a shepherd is to feed the sheep. In light of the church then, what does that mean? A Christian’s greatest need is to be fed God’s Word so a pastor’s primary task is to feed God’s people God’s Word. It’s through the faithful preaching and teaching of God’s Word that we grow and mature and the Gospel is spread.
Some believers have been encouraged greatly by church leadership, while others have been hurt in their spiritual journey. This is why looking at church leadership in Scripture is extremely crucial. If we are casual about God’s standards for leaders in the church, everyone suffers and the Gospel itself is hindered. If we take God’s standards and charge for church leaders seriously, trusting God’s wisdom above our own, the church will be strengthened, and the Gospel will go forth.
The issue of manhood and womanhood strikes at the core of who we are and who God is, which makes a passage like 1 Timothy 2:8-15 sound laughable to the world. However, this passage is essential to the church. God's Word is not out of line, and it is not out of date; it is true and right and good. May we repent of our unbelief and arrogance and gladly submit to God's good design.
In 1 Timothy 2:1-10, Paul gives specific instructions on how to pray and live so that the lifesaving gospel will continue to go out to all people. Paul's concern was that false teachings were turning the Ephesian congregations into elitist clubs that focused on “myths and endless genealogies” instead of the life-giving gospel. If we’re not careful, we can miss the point of the Gospel and our role in preserving and promoting it.
The Apostle Paul—a former persecutor of the church—declares himself the "foremost of sinners" yet also a recipient of "perfect patience". His radical transformation isn't an anomaly, but a living example of God's limitless grace, and a pattern for all who will believe. This message will offer hope that no matter what you've done, God's mercy is bigger than your mistakes and powerful enough to transform your life and use you for His purposes.
How do we know the truth? Are there many “truths”? Is all truth relative? Can we even know truth? How do we identify false teachings and false teaches? Paul wastes no time instructing his young protege Timothy on what must be done in regard to false teaching. False teaching must be confronted because it’s dangerous and leads people down the wrong path and away from God. Therefore, we must learn to tell the truth in love.
The theme of 1 Timothy is that the gospel leads to practical, visible change in the lives of those who believe it. Paul wrote 1 Timothy in order to advise his young coworker Timothy concerning issues that were arising at the church in Ephesus. Throughout the letter Paul grounds Christian behavior in the gospel. First Timothy is a clear call for the church to live out in tangible ways the ethical implications of the Gospel in unity, order, and sound doctrine.