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1 TIMOTHY CHAPTER 3 KJV WEB See previous page 1Tim 3,1-15 (10d) Responsibility >> Keeping order in the Church – There are three sorts of people in a pastor’s life: his immediate family members, those within the Church, and those within his community. His neighbors and acquaintances should come away with a sense of uprightness about his character, and if he falls out of reputation with the members of his community, the slander will spread in every direction. The Church will hear of it, his family members will be emotionally scarred, and his ministry will suffer. So an overseer of the Church must be an upstanding citizen of his community; more than that, he must be an example of the Church; even more, he must have the respect of his wife and children. If his own family members do not respect him, or if his children are disobedient, or if his wife is unsupportive, these are indicators that the things Paul mentioned are not in place in his life. (142d) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Witnesses of Jesus >> Having a good reputation >> A reputation of good works – To be “prudent” is another word for wise, and to be “respectable” refers to reputation. Respect is something we give to those who deserve it, and we must devote our lives to earning it from others. We need to respect one another’s faith, but when we don't properly reward our brothers and sisters in Christ for their service and dedication to the Kingdom of God, we condemn ourselves. It is an indication that we are not walking faithfully in the Lord as we should, for if we don’t respect the faith other others, how do we respect our own? Respect and reputation must exist in the Church of God for the benefits and rewards to be properly dispensed to each person according to his faith, for God desires to reward us both in this life and in the life to come. 1Tim 3,1-13 (6j) Responsibility >> Being spiritual >> Ministering to each other by the strength in your Spirit – This kind of spirituality is not as exciting as spiritual gifts and the like, but is just as important, since this kind lays the groundwork for all other things that come after it. If we can't maintain restraint in diverse circumstances, what will we do with the power of Christ? The Lord is not interested in ruining His good name by giving His power to someone who will abuse it the first time adversity touches his soul. As a Christian, preparing for adversity is the same as preparing to walk in the anointing. We must have both to be effective in this world and in the house of God. (137k) Temple >> Building the temple (with hands) >> Maturity >> Stages of maturity are levels of accountability >> It is our responsibility to be mature (206b) Salvation >> God makes promises on His terms >> Conditions to promises >> Conditions to living in the spirit >> Conditions to participating in the spirit (236f) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Invest in the kingdom >> Invest your strength into the kingdom >> Invest your ambitions 1Tim 3,1-12 (12b) Servant >> Examples of God’s people >> Leaders are examples of the Church – Paul advocated the pursuit of leadership in the Church, but said that not just anybody should be an overseer and gave a list of traits a person should have who seek the pastoral ministry. All the traits he mentioned had to do with behavior. The one trait that every good pastor needs is to have a deep love for God, yet that trait is not listed in this chapter, why? We all know that somebody can love God and be in bondage to sin at the same time. Paul is saying that it is good to love God, but in the pastoral position it is even better to be in control of one’s own faculties. For example, if a pastor loves the Lord yet caves to certain fleshly impulses, he will fail as a man of God. On the flipside, if he is in control of his faculties but lacks zeal, at least he is not leading the Church into shame and condemnation in the eyes of the world by his poor example. Paul would rather the pastor were a positive example of Christianity, than to love God with all his heart and not be able to express that love in the real world. The pastor is mostly how people rate a church. If the pastor is a good shepherd, he will lead the people into repentance and the will of God, so the congregation is in that sense a reflection of the pastor’s ministry. Much as we want to be good examples to the world, we should want all the more to be good examples to each other. (89a) Thy kingdom come >> Fear of God is the beginning of wisdom >> Being sensible is always wise (100m) Thy kingdom come >> Devotion >> In your ministry to people >> Devoted to ministering to their physical needs (101k) Thy kingdom come >> Ambitious to promote the Kingdom of God >> Building up the body of Christ – Paul doesn't prescribe putting new converts in authority over the Church because of spiritual immaturity, giving a warning: they tend to be conceited, causing them to fall into condemnation incurred by the devil. New converts often have great zeal for the Lord, but that initial zeal is unusable in the ministry because it doesn’t readily bear fruit. Those who take responsibility for the Church must have a zeal for God that is based on knowledge, wisdom and experience. In contrast, new converts are like a couple who fall in love; they tend to view others as colorless and void, while viewing themselves in rich vibrance, yet most couples in love reach an apex relatively soon in their emotional epiphany and start their descent among the commoners. They view those with contempt who have served God for years, whose faith seems dull to them, but what they don’t know is that these seasoned saints love the Lord just as much if not more than new converts, it just doesn’t show as much in the emotional realm. New converts need to remember that their spiritual elders have shown the Lord many years of faithful service. Once that initial zeal fades, they will have to work on their relationship with God just like they work on a relationship with their spouse. It is possible to keep their zeal alive, but it takes work and dedication in daily study of God’s word, prayer and ministering to people’s needs. KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 1Tim 3,1-10 (3k) Responsibility >> To the Family >> God addresses both genders >> Good men -- These verses go with verses 12&13. For a man to be a good husband and father does not guarantee he will be a good pastor, but ineffectually fathering his children does in fact guarantee he will poorly shepherd the Church, too. A good man is hospitable. Isn’t it a woman’s job to be hospitable? ... apparently not! He is “temperate” (even-tempered), having his anger under control (Jm 1-20). A good man is free from the love of money. That’s a big one and a real rarity nowadays in this materialistic world. What does the Bible say about the love of money? It is the root of all evil, and if pastors are addicted to it, it will adversely affect his ministry to the root, so that not a single soul in his church will benefit from him. If we are a member of a church or merely attend somewhere and discern that the pastor is addicted to money, leave that church and never go back, for he has nothing to offer except lies and deception. 1Tim 3,1-7 (240b) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Pursuing the knowledge of the kingdom >> Pastor (Shepherd) >> Pastor has a shepherd’s heart – The term “overseer” means shepherd or pastor. Paul doesn’t want pastors to be addicted to anything except Jesus. He wants them to have attributes that lend themselves to loving people. Paul doesn't want them to be double-minded or double-tongued, speaking two different languages, one to the Church and the other to the world. Instead of being addicted to much wine or fond of accumulating riches by corruption, God wants His shepherds to hold to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. Indeed, there is a mystery to faith and godliness, and deacons and overseers of the Church must comprehend this mystery, which is understood only through the Spirit of God. Over the span of eternity will we fully comprehend this mystery, but until then He wants the shepherds to maintain a good reputation with the people that He has allotted to their charge. 1Tim 3-1,2 (3c) Responsibility >> To the Family >> Instruction about marriage -- These verses go with verse 12. When Paul said the pastor must be the husband of one wife, he meant that he must not be a polygamist, not that he must be married, yet most people in the Church today do not respect or even trust a pastor who is not married. The requirement to be married in order to be a pastor is an idea that developed on the social end of church politics and is located nowhere in the Bible. Paul, the person who wrote this, was not married, and he was the chief overseer of the entire early church! This interpretation of gifted single people being ineligible to minister in God's church has hindered the progression of the truth, squandered their gifts and oppressed God’s people. Another negative outcome of this heresy is that it has pressured single people to get married when God may have wanted some of them to remain single. In 1 Corinthians 7 Paul detailed that he thought people would be better off single, but churches nowadays are family oriented. That’s a good thing, but not if it ostracizes single people. Church has evolved into a marriage club. Some of the bigger churches have singles ministries, but they tend to be isolated and shoved into a corner and ignored, instead of integrated and connected to the main pulse of church ministry. The result is that single people have very little if any influence in the Church. Paul spoke to the contrary; they have a greater potential to have a richer, deeper relationship with God than married people, because they have more time to devote to their faith, hence the have more spiritual insight to offer than married people. The Church should capitalize on the contribution that single people can make, instead of discouraging their faith by treating them contemptuously. Those in the Church ought to first consider the possibility that single people are following the example and advice of Paul, who advised God's people to remain single. Married people control the Church, so that settles that. Another deception about being “married to one wife” is that a married couple can minister better than two single people; that is simply a lie. Paul condemned that notion again in 1st Corinthians chapter seven when he proclaimed that the single person can “secure undistracted devotion to the Lord” (Vs32-35). Perhaps they think that married couples get their sexual tensions satisfied so they don't come to church thinking about people in the wrong way, but this is also a fallacy, because having sex does not satisfy a person’s desire for sex. In fact, it often increases the desire if people allow their minds to wander. See also: Instruction about marriage; 1Cor 7-1; 189c (126l) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Patience >> Be patient with your brother -- These verses go with verse This verse goes with verses 11 (235g) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Invest in the kingdom >> Giving (your inner self) >> Hospitality (providing a temporary home) >> Being a good host (239i) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Pursuing the knowledge of the kingdom >> Teachers >> The gift of teaching >> Teachers are a gift to the body 1Tim 3-1 (68a) Authority >> Doing God’s work under His authority >> Ministry of helps >> Help God’s people -- This verse goes with verse 13 (71l) Authority >> Ordained by God >> We are ordained through obedience (72h) Authority >> Hierarchy of authority >> More Authority The More Responsibility >> Closer we get to Jesus the more authority we have -- This verse goes with verse 13 (76j) Thy kingdom come >> Desires of your heart >> Desiring to do the will of God (102h) Thy kingdom come >> Faithfulness (Loyalty) >> Trustworthy >> Loyalty (191f) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Result of putting off the old man >> Set apart >> God sanctifies us through our devotion to Him -- This verse goes with verse 13 KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 1Tim 3,2-13 (4e) Responsibility >> Advocate God’s cause >> Being accountable in your stewardship – People can make their claims about what we have said and done against them and against the teachings of the Bible, but if we are innocent of their charges, then our reputation is still intact in their conscience where it matters most. Even if they slander us as evildoers (1Pet 2-12), we will one day put them to shame by our good behavior. This is something that is accomplished over a period of weeks, months and sometimes years. People can continue believing things about us from what they have been told, believing the report without investigating; however, as they observe the way we live, they will eventually come to their own conclusions, but it doesn’t happen overnight. (11a) Servant >> Standard for a servant >> A changed lifestyle (42b) Judgment >> Satan destroyed >> Be like Jesus >> Blameless before men (250l) Priorities >> God’s prerequisites >> Lists >> Terms of graduating to the next level >> List of prerequisites 1Tim 3-2 (99h) Thy kingdom come >> Endurance (Thorn in the flesh) >> Enduring circumstances >> Endure temptation -- This verse goes with verse 11 1Tim 3-3 (21m) Sin >> Greed tries to satisfy man’s need for security >> The love of money – Jesus incessantly preached against the love of money, yet there are many pastors who still love money. They beg for it every Sunday morning, claiming they need it for the ministry to pay off the Church debt, which may be true, but people who love money also have bulging budgets. That is, they don’t actually love money; they love to spend it. Most people who are addicted to the love of money don’t have any, distinguishing them from misers who like to accumulate money. It is hard to say what they love more, money or the things money can buy; they are two sides of the same coin. They widen their budgets like the Pharisees widened their phylacteries, demanding a higher standard of living to spend their congregation's finances, and then come back on Sunday morning and beg for more. The love of money is a bottomless pit that can never be filled. It hurts people; it causes the entire purpose of God to screech to a halt, derailing the gospel of Jesus Christ and rendering it ineffective both in the world and in the Church. (119c) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Freedom >> Freedom from satanic influence >> Free from sin (126e) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Peace >> Peacemakers >> Peacemakers avoid unnecessary confrontation (128g) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Gentleness >> Be gentle in all your ways >> Be gentle in correcting one another (158c) Works of the devil >> Essential characteristics >> Divide and conquer >> Strife >> Contentions, especially about words (semantics) (159j) Works of the devil >> Essential characteristics >> Counterfeit God >> Counterfeit anointing >> Drunkenness >> The alcoholic -- This verse goes with verse 8. It is not against the will of God to drink a little alcohol and catch a buzz, but it is against the will of God to get drunk and to be an alcoholic. To have a snort now and then never hurt anybody, in fact it is probably healthy. Later in Timothy, Paul says to drink a little wine for your frequent ailments. It calms the nerves and takes the edge off stress, yet there will always be prudish people in the Church who believe that drinking alcohol in any amount is evil. Some will go as far as to say that alcohol itself is evil, but Paul said in Rom 14-14, “As one who is in the Lord Jesus, I am fully convinced that no food [or drink] is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean.” They also believe that dancing and playing cards is evil. Prudishness is false righteousness. They hold to these so-called high standards because they have rejected the standard of Christ, which is to listen to the Holy Spirit and do what He says. Prudes do not have a relationship with the Holy Spirit, because their prudishness is their religion. (176j) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> False doctrine >> Extremes >> Truth is never found in your conduct on either extreme of any circumstance -- This verse goes with verse 8 (249b) Priorities >> God’ s preeminence >> Wealth >> True perception of wealth >> Do not trust the carnal perception of wealth >> Do not pursue wealth -- This verse goes with verses 8&9 KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 1Tim 3-4,5 (3n) Responsibility >> Parenting >> How to discipline your children -- These verses go with verse 12. Here is another reference to the pastor being married with children, but Paul did not say that he must have children or even be married. Rather, he is saying that if he does have children, they must mind their manners, for the pastor will not manage the church any better than he manages his children. (72c) Authority >> Transferring authority >> Men delegate authority by obeying the word 1Tim 3-5,6 (176b) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> Ignorance >> Lacking experience with God – A new convert is spiritually immature. A person brings all kinds of talents to the body of Christ the moment he is saved, but one thing a new convert doesn’t have is experience with God. Paul wanted the leaders of the Church to have experience walking in the Spirit and doing the will of God. These things are necessary and essential as an example to the Church. However, one thing worse than a new convert is someone who has been saved for years and has never grown. People who call themselves Christian, who want to become pastors because their children are well managed, the congregation who thinks they are great candidates for the job though they have never grown in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, they are the worst possible leaders of God's Church? How well do they know the Scriptures? This is not a matter or reciting Bible verses or defending their views but understanding the big picture, focusing all the Scriptures into singularity with God’s eternal purpose. A person never grows over the years, how does he understand the heart of God; how can he teach the truth or cause others to grow in the faith? The congregation cannot grow above the pastor's own faith in Christ, and if that is their desire, they will have to leave the church. A person who does not grow is by default under the condemnation incurred by the devil. We cannot be Christian, remain spiritually dormant and be free from demonic influence. Part of growing is being set free from the enslavements of the flesh in an ongoing freedom that transpires throughout life. 1Tim 3-6,7 (161i) Works of the devil >> Satan determines the world's direction >> Seduction >> Condemnation based on evidence of sin – A pastor must be someone who continuously grows in the grace of God. If the world respects our pastor’s Christianity, there is a chance for growth in the church, but if people outside the Church don’t respect him, there is very little chance for growth, numerically or spiritually. 1Tim 3-6 (148f) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Works of the Church bear witness to Jesus >> Evangelism >> Natural advantage as an evangelist >> Being youthful (223b) Kingdom of God >> The elusive Kingdom of Heaven >> Conceit >> Thinking you are superior to others >> Having an inflated opinion of self KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 1Tim 3,7-11 (1k) Responsibility >> Avoid offending God >> Carrying a false burden >> Weighs you down as you walk according to the law 1Tim 3-7 (164c) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> The world system >> Satan rules the world >> The world is his kingdom (246hh) Kingdom of God >> Spirit realm imposed on the natural realm >> Demonstration of God’s kingdom >> God demonstrates His glory >> Materializing the inner man 1Tim 3-8,9 (56a) Paradox >> Lose by gaining >> Gain your idea of wealth to lose God’s wealth (195e) Denying Christ >> Man exercises his will against God >> Idolatry >> Serving two masters >> Being double minded (230h) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> Mystery of godliness >> Mystery of the trinity >> Obey the mystery of godliness like Jesus did -- These verses go with verse 16. Paul speaks of the mystery of faith and the mystery of godliness (v16), suggesting there is a connection between the two; indeed, faith solves the mystery of godliness. What is it about faith that means so much to God? It is His very substance! Faith is something that will take an eternity to understand. This is something that the world will never understand, because they don’t possess anything from God. The day we decided that God is true, we placed our faith in Him, and when we pointed our human will at the cross and proclaimed Jesus Lord and Savior, trusting that our name is etched in His cross, God responded by placing His Holy Spirit in our heart, which is the very substance of faith. Now we possess something from God, and the mystery of this faith is indeed godliness, the product of the Holy Spirit. We hold to this mystery with a clear conscience to ensure there is no conflict. Unbelievers insist there is no mystery to faith; instead, they believe Christians dump everything they don’t understand into the word "faith" and blindly trust in a god that doesn't exist. However, there is a vast difference between this and the faith of God. True faith is mysterious, a God-given ability to believe in Him. It is not just the object of our faith that is mysterious, but faith itself. With some, faith just drops into their laps and they are born-again; and there are others who have sought faith with all their hearts and never found it. The bottom line about the mystery of faith is that it originates from heaven. Faith is a simple matter of God calling and choosing us. However, there is something we must do to receive it. We must respond to Him, but that is a very small part compared to possessing a faith that is far beyond our ability to conceive. Paul said that we hold to this mystery with a clear conscience, which is like the baseball mitt that the outfielder uses to catch a ball or like the mitt the cook uses to pull the casserole from the oven. This way our hand is insolated from the fastball and the hot dish, so no direct contact comes to our bare skin, which would injure us. Similarly, trying to hold to the faith with an evil conscience would be like holding dry ice in our bare hands or like putting new wine into old wineskins; Jesus said the skins would burst and both would be ruined (Mat 9-16,17). Only a clear conscience is able to contain the faith that we receive from God. See also: Mystery of faith; 1Tim 3-9; 106l / God's substance is faith; Heb 1-3; 253d (249b) Priorities >> God’ s preeminence >> Wealth >> True perception of wealth >> Do not trust the carnal perception of wealth >> Do not pursue wealth -- These verses go with verse 3 1Tim 3-8 (25h) Sin >> Poverty (Forms of fear) >> Thief >> Stealing from some one (128j) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Bearing fruit >> Living a fruitful life >> Living a continuous life of fruitfulness – Deacons holding vital ministries in the early church have much authority in the Lord and were considered crucial to the health and well-being of the church. They did less teaching and preaching, but more hands on ministry with the people, and were for that reason often spiritually gifted with powerful ministries. One example of a deacon was Steven (Acts chapters six and seven). After Paul had gone through and evangelized and brought hundreds of people into the light of Christ, Timothy would stay behind for a period and organize all the people, choosing a pastor and deacons from among them and teach them the true doctrines of the faith that they should convey to their parishioners. (159j) Works of the devil >> Essential characteristics >> Counterfeit >> Counterfeit God >> Counterfeit anointing >> Drunkenness >> The alcoholic -- This verse goes with verse 3 (176j) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> False doctrine >> Extremes >> Truth is never found in your conduct on either extreme of any circumstance -- This verse goes with verse 3 1Tim 3-9 (106l) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Hearing from God >> Purpose of hearing from God >> To protect your faith – “Holding” is an active word that refers to protecting our faith, maintaining it with a clear conscience, never letting go no matter what theory or religion tries to take it from us. Paul said that faith is a mystery, but we look in the Church these days and don’t see the mysterious attribute of faith; all we see is a lot of people believing in a set of doctrines and calling it faith. There is no mystery in that. Some people think they believe, while others know God, and they both go to the same church. One of them is a disciple of Jesus, while the other is a disciple of his religion. The mystery of faith is understood in the statement that Jesus made in Jn 15-16, “You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain.” God has given us His faith and told us to keep it throughout our lives, as in a football game not to fumble it, “Holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God” (Col 2-19). The mystery of the faith is in the fact that it originated from heaven and rested upon us, and now we have the faith of God, and by this we know that we are born of Him, not just because we keep His word, but also because of His Spirit that He has given us, who constantly broadcasts in our heart that we belong to Him. See also: Mystery of faith; 1Tim 3-8,9; 230h (155b) Witness >> Validity of the believer >> Witness of the believer >> Conscience >> Having a good conscience >> Conscience bears witness of our good behavior (232g) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Seeking the kingdom >> Embrace (Jesus during the storm) >> Hold on to your faith KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 1Tim 3-10 (5l) Responsibility >> Discipleship tested >> The Church tests the disciples – The ministry of deacons was an important position in the early church; they had to be beyond reproach. It was a position where they directly interfaced with people, solving problems, and showing compassion to those in need. They were not shepherds who overlooked the flock, but mingled with the people and ministered to them by the authority of the Church, which was under the authority of Christ. This was not a ministry that the leaders were willing to give to just anybody, only to those who had zeal for God and maintained a reputation of good works. We go to leadership for the opportunity to minister to the saints, and they have an obligation to give everyone a full opportunity to prove themselves worthy, but to overlook those who love the Lord and desire to share their faith with others in a leadership position would discourage them in their commitment to Christ. The primary role of Christian leaders is to protect the faith of the saints, and the best way to do that is to offer them opportunities to express their faith, but if we give them no avenue of expression, their discouragement may lead to backslide or they could fall from their faith altogether. See also: Discouragement; 14j (13m) Servant >> Serve God faithfully (14j) Servant >> Ministry of helps >> Helpers are indirectly in charge of the Word >> They have the heart of the one who trained them – There is nothing worse than having bottled up gifts with no avenue of expression. Proverbs 27-5 says, “Better is open rebuke than love that is concealed.” Any gifted person would prefer being mentored and corrected for the hope of sharing what is in his heart, than to be ignored and pushed to the curb. The gifted person who is shunned because of his gifts is like the one who eats a seven-course meal all by himself; the dinner table makes him feel all the more lonely. While we are heading up our evangelism programs and seeking new converts, the last thing we want to do is discourage those who are already in the church and are faithful, yet this is very common in the Church today. We listen to sermons about the importance of reading our Bible and praying, yet when we follow their advice, they want nothing to do with the fruit it produces, barring us from ministry. See also: Discouragement; 5l (244i) Kingdom of God >> Spirit realm imposed on the natural realm >> Literal manifestations >> Literal manifestation of God’s word >> Manifesting the righteousness of His kingdom 1Tim 3-11 (3h) Responsibility >> To the Family >> God addresses both genders >> Instruction about women – Note that it doesn’t say pastors and deacons should have a good relationship with their wives, but that they should manage their children well. So a pastor or a deacon can have a tumultuous marriage, but still be in right standing in their respective offices. The man of God can control his own behavior and attitude, but if the wife decides to have a problem, it doesn’t mean the man can no longer be pastor or deacon. In other words, Paul didn’t want wives dictating for pastors and deacons whether they should minister in the Church, because that would turn into an opportunity for Satan to exclude certain godly men from spiritual office through their wives. God has called the woman to help her husband; wasn’t that the original calling of women, to be a helpmate? Paul mentioned women in context to seeking leadership positions in the Church. Elsewhere, Paul said that a women is not to teach a man, so putting these verses together, we can say that women can have leadership positions in the Church teaching other women. We might not understand why Paul said women are not to teach a man (what they do at home is their business), but the Church strictly forbade it. We might say it is bigoted, yet it is written, and we need to respect that, unless we think we have better wisdom than God or think our society has progressed since biblical times. Maybe we have progressed since Paul’s day, but not spiritually; if anything we have spiritually regressed. Some of our “progressiveness” has been deleterious to society, causing the breakup of the family structure, causing the entire nation to crumble. It is arguable that letting women in the workforce was the one change that led to all these social disasters. When the family structure crumbles, nations cannot survive; even Hitler knew this. (84i) Thy kingdom come >> Words of your mouth >> Gossip >> Attacking a person’s name (99h) Thy kingdom come >> Endurance (Thorn in the flesh) >> Enduring circumstances >> Endure temptation -- This verse goes with verse 2 (102i) Thy kingdom come >> Faithfulness (Loyalty) >> Consistency >> Faithfulness (126l) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Patience >> Be patient with your brother -- These verses go with verse This verse goes with verses 1&2 (250c) Priorities >> God’s prerequisites >> Sequence of priorities >> In all things ... >> Be a servant in all things KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 1Tim 3-12,13 (3k) Responsibility >> To the Family >> God addresses both genders >> Good men – These verses go with verses 1-10 1Tim 3-12 (3c) Responsibility >> To the Family >> Instruction about marriage This verse goes with verses 1&2. People in charge of the Church say that all ministers should be married, but Paul didn't say that; he was speaking against polygamy. We can assume children are part of the picture; hence they should be well controlled. Had Paul mandated to Timothy that all ministers should be married, he would have contradicted himself in First Corinthians chapter seven. We know that Paul preferred the saints to remain single; why then do Church leaders use marriage as a criterion for ministry? Jesus gave the answer, "Is this not the reason you are mistaken, that you do not understand the Scriptures or the power of God?" (Mk 12-24). Requiring all clergy to be married shows a lack of trust in single people, and it makes them feel like second-class citizens, and for that reason we don’t see many single people in the Church; they don't feel welcome there. Furthermore, Paul taught that remaining single is superior to marriage, "in view of the present distress" (1Cor 7-26). Singles feel that married people view them as immoral, going from partner to partner, frequenting red-light districts and picking partners from bars and taking them home. No doubt some do this, but they don't belong to Christ. There are single people who are faithful to Jesus and they are chronically overlooked. (3n) Responsibility >> Parenting >> How to discipline your children -- This verse goes with verses 4&5 1Tim 3-13 (31b) Gift of God >> God is our Father >> He favors you as a servant (68a) Authority >> Doing God’s work under His authority >> Ministry of helps >> Help God’s people -- This verse goes with verse 1. There are two reasons for deacons obtaining high standing and great confidence in the faith: They were servants of the Church, and as teachers they studied the Scriptures more fervently than others. For this reason they have a deeper relationship with God and a fuller understanding of His word. (71l) Authority >> Ordained by God >> We are ordained through obedience -- This verse goes with verse 1. Many people believe in God who stand on the outskirts of their faith, thinking about jumping in with both feet but never do. They will never have confidence in the faith. They may be 20, 30, 40 years old in the Lord, and still they are babes in Christ, because they never trusted God. No doubt there were moments when they had to trust God in certain situations, but then went back to their old ways of complacency. Instead of making these experiences a launching pad for a new life in the Spirit, they returned to a place of safety. They read the Bible, pray, go to church and pay tithes, but the one thing they haven’t done was seek their calling from God. They never opened their hearts to Him. Instead, they want to maintain their freedom to live as they choose. Their divine calling is waiting for them, but they are ignoring it. Fulfilling our calling is when we begin to develop strong confidence in the faith, which describes deacons. (72h) Authority >> Hierarchy of authority >> More authority the more responsibility >> Closer we get to Jesus the more authority we have -- This verse goes with verse 1 (106b) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Hearing from God >> Attaining the hearing ear >> Knowing the sound of His voice >> Having confidence in His voice – It is one thing to believe in God; it is another to have strong confidence in the faith. A person who merely 'believes in God' may not take the first step in forming his life around his faith, but the person whose faith is confident does this very thing. Someone may have gotten saved only a week earlier and has a sincere faith but has had no time to develop confidence. However, spiritual maturity is not a time issue like puberty; rather, the more we live according to our believes, the more our faith matures. Forming our lives around our beliefs is an investment in the Kingdom of God, and it is this investment that gives us confidence. Now, when God speaks to us, we are expecting to hear His voice, because we have committed ourselves to His cause and to His calling in our lives. (121l) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Confidence >> Confidence in God >> Confidence in God as you fulfill your ministry – Paul said that if one serves well as a deacon, he would obtain a high standing among the people, and he would obtain great confidence in the faith. Isn’t great confidence something a deacon should bring to the table as criterion for the Church to select him as a deacon in the first place? Not necessarily, rather, he should have sincerity of faith. A person can have a sincere faith without being particularly confident, but over time he will develop confidence, because people are relying on him to do the will of God. When he first enters the ministry he is not entirely sure if he can meet the people’s needs and please the Lord, but where there is need there is grace. God give grace to those in leadership positions to fulfill their ministry, who then develop strong confidence in the faith. (191f) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Result of putting off the old man >> Set apart >> God sanctifies us through our devotion to Him -- This verse goes with verse 1 (226h) Kingdom of God >> Illustrating the kingdom >> Rewards of heaven >> Levels of reward >> God rewards us to the degree of our faithfulness KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 1Tim 3-14,15 (7e) Responsibility >> Protecting the gospel >> God defends His own word – Knowing there is a devil in the world, hence a motive to destroy the word of God, the fact that it still exists is a miracle. If opportunity arose, Satan would take every advantage to expunge the Bible, and he did try numerous times with no success. In the last days there will be another attempt to snuff out the Church and rid the planet of every page of Scripture when the antichrist comes to power, but he will fail again. This person, this creature, this thing that once ruled the universe now cannot overcome the weakness of human flesh when we obey the living God. The Lord has allowed him to do some things: he has twisted the world around his little finger; he has distorted the doctrines of the Church, and he has caused interpretations of the Bible to make people’s head spin trying to understand what it all means, but God drew a definitive line in the sand that he should not cross it to destroy the Scriptures, and if anyone made an effort to do so, He would stand off his throne and see to it that His word remains in this world, simply because it is eternal. (61c) Paradox >> Two implied meanings >> Author—Paul or John / Jesus (237c) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Transferring the kingdom >> The Church is transferred to the kingdom >> The Rapture >> Rapture is delayed – the Church holds the office in the world of pillar and support of the truth. That is, without the Church in the world there would be no truth. If the world believed the truth, it would be part of the Church. So long as God is still working in the world to save sinners, the Church will remain here. This has an endtime implication that God will not Rapture his people until He saves everyone who is predestined for eternal life. (251a) Priorities >> God’s prerequisites >> Making plans >> Making plans according to the will of God >> Making plans within the boundaries of God’s will 1Tim 3-15 (92l) Thy kingdom come >> The narrow way >> Our holy conduct along the narrow way – This dissertation that Paul wrote about deacons he wrote also to Titus. It was a list of expectations he had for them; to follow this list is how one ought to conduct himself in the house of God; thus it applies to everyone. For example, every man must be the husband of one wife, not that every man should be married, but that no man should be a polygamist. (107h) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Hearing from God >> The Church is of the truth >> God’s people are the true witnesses of God (136j) Temple >> Your spirit is the temple of God >> The body of Christ >> Body of Christ is the temple of God (137f) Temple >> Building the temple (with hands) >> Jesus is the foundation >> Church is the foundation of manifested truth – The purpose of the Church in the world is to be the pillar and support of the truth, meaning that if the Church did not exist, neither would the Bible. The Church has preserved the Bible these 2000 years. That is one positive thing we can say about the Church that it has done well throughout the age of grace. The Jews preserved the Old Testament in the old covenant era. It is because of the Church that the world knows anything about the Bible. The Church has suffered apostasy for many centuries, and as a result, the sayings and stories of the Bible have become foreign to most people in the world. A generation ago they were household phrases all across America, but now the Bible is mostly unknown, because the truth of Scripture has slowly eroded from social consciousness, making it difficult to reach anyone with the gospel. KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 1Tim 3-16 (15g) Servant >> Angels >> The presence of angels denotes authority (37c) Judgment >> Jesus’ humanity >> He had human flesh (41k) Judgment >> Satan destroyed >> Be like Jesus >> Doctrine conforming to godliness (86e) Thy kingdom come >> Belief >> God’s works act as evidence to support our beliefs (89g) Thy kingdom come >> Fear of God is the beginning of wisdom >> Wisdom is the key that unlocks the mysteries of God – Wisdom doesn’t unlock every mystery, for example the mystery of lawlessness is not something we will ever fully understand. Also, some aspects of godliness will remain shrouded in mystery. In heaven we will learn a lot more about God, though He will remain mysterious to us throughout eternity. Like an asymptote in geometry, a curved line approaching a straight line that never reaches it, we will fully understand God at the end of eternity. Although the curve is infinitesimally close to the coordinate line, yet the breach between them represents infinity and will take eternity to close the gap. Every segment of infinity no matter how small is infinite in itself and every segment of eternity is itself eternal, so one day in heaven a billion years from now we may begin to think we are closing the gap between us and God and unlocking His secrets, but He will have an infinite array of them still awaiting our curiosity. This will give us ample room to grow and continually learn about the mysteries of God. This is His promise: “As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever” (1 Chronicles 28-9). (108i) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Revelation of Jesus Christ >> Revelation of the mysteries of God – Paul gives a short list denoting some of the mysteries of God: Jesus came to us, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels and proclaimed among the nations. It is a mystery that the gospel went into all the world. The motivation of God is a mystery that He supplies us to do His will that we could never do without Him. We believe in Jesus by faith that comes from a different realm. Even preaching the gospel is a mystery, both the act of evangelism and the effects it has on people; salvation perhaps is the greatest mystery of all. Who can explain being born-again, when God comes in the form of the Holy Spirit and mixes with our spirit to become one Spirit with Him? The difference between those who believe in Jesus and those who don’t is that God chooses us (Jn 15-16). Jesus walked the earth as a mortal man, yet He spoke in heavenly tones. In an earthly sense, we view ourselves as seeking God and finding Him, which the Old Testament says to do (2 Chronicles 15-2), but the New Testament speaks of God calling and choosing us to be His worshippers, the whole process being shrouded in mystery. Everything about God is mysterious, and if we lose that sense of wonder, it is a sign we have fallen short of understanding the gospel. (138g) Temple >> Building the temple (with hands) >> Exhortation >> Glorifying God in your exhortation (144i) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Witnesses of Jesus >> Trinity bears witness of Jesus >> Holy Spirit bears witness of Jesus – Jesus was vindicated in the Spirit, meaning God sent the Holy Spirit in place of Christ and made His death worthwhile. In other words, had God not sent the Holy Spirit, His death would have been in vain. However, with the Holy Spirit over the last 2000 years billions of people have come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Without Him no one can be saved, for the Holy Spirit created and guides the Church into all the truth. (150a) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Works of the Church bear witness to Jesus >> Evangelism >> Invitation to the Kingdom of God (150e) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Works of the Church bear witness of Jesus >> Confessing Jesus >> Making the good confession (Son of God) (230g) Mystery Of Godliness (Key verse) (230h) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> Mystery of godliness >> Mystery of the trinity >> Obey the mystery of godliness like Jesus did -- This verse goes with verses 8&9. Godliness refers to a lifestyle, defined by walking in the Spirit to produce fruit for God. Paul said, “Great is the mystery of godliness.” Most people are not even aware there is a mystery associated with godliness. In the eyes of the world, the godly man is a boring fellow; he acts like he doesn’t have any fun or does anything interesting; inwardly, though, he has a life full of wonder. Through godliness and wisdom the Spirit reveals mysteries to him. Wisdom and godliness go hand-in-hand, in that to have one is to have the other. Even the world admits that godliness is beneficial, as opposed to being ungodly, which leads to our demise. Godliness is therefore a wise way to live; that is how the observer sees us, but internally what the godly man experiences is the mysteries of God unfolding in the Spirit. (237h) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Transferring the kingdom >> The Church is transferred to the kingdom >> The ascension >> Jesus’ ascension (245n) Kingdom of God >> Spirit realm imposed on the natural realm >> Literal manifestations >> Spirit realm superimposed upon the natural realm >> The spiritual manifesting into the natural See next page