The Christ Church Wednesday Bible Study Group is studying Paul's pastoral Epistles (Letters) to his proteges, Timothy and Titus.
In session 2 we saw that Paul explained the three responsibilities of a pastor and people in a local church.
1. Teaching sound doctrine
2. Proclaiming the gospel
3. Defending the faith
We got through the first two in Session 2 and here in Session 3 we talk about the local church defending the faith and we ask the question is worship to be "Service or Circus?" Paul instructs Timothy on how to maintain order in worship
Teaching sound doctrine
Paul told Timothy that he had to deal with was false doctrines, myths and genealogies; and the belief that you must obey the Mosaic law in order to become a Christian. There were teachers of false doctrines in Paul’s day just as there are today, and we must take them seriously. These false teachers have no good news for lost sinners. They seek instead to lead Christians astray and capture them for their causes.
The reason for this false doctrine was a misuse of the Old Testament law. These false teachers did not understand the content or the purpose of God’s law. They were leading believers out of the liberty of grace into the bondage of legalism, a tragedy that still occurs today. The lawful use of the law is to expose, restrain, and convict the lawless. The law cannot save lost sinners; it can only reveal their need for a Savior.
It is the “glorious gospel” that saves lost sinners.
Romans 1:16 NIV For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.
Proclaiming the gospel
Paul shares his own personal testimony. He was “Exhibit A” to prove that the gospel of the grace of God really works. When you read Paul’s testimony of his conversion on the way to Damascus to persecute Christians you will begin to grasp the wonder of God’s grace and His saving power.
He was a blasphemer because he denied the deity of Jesus Christ and forced others to deny it. He was a persecutor who used physical power to try to destroy the church.
1 Timothy 1:13 NIV Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief.
God still saved him because of His mercy and grace. Paul stated that it took “exceedingly abundant” grace to save him! Paul made it clear that this salvation was not for him only, but for all who receive Jesus Christ.
If Jesus could save Saul of Tarsus, the chief of sinners, then He can save anybody!
It is the “glorious gospel” that saves lost sinners.
Romans 1:16 NIV For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.
The grace of God turned the persecutor into a preacher, and the murderer into a minister and a missionary.
1 Timothy 1:12, 16 NIV I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life.
The change in Paul’s life was so dramatic that the Jerusalem church suspected that it was a trick, and they had a hard time accepting him.
Acts 9:26-31 NIV When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus. So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. He talked and debated with the Hellenistic Jews, but they tried to kill him. When the believers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus. Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.
God gave Paul his ministry; he did not get it from Peter or the other apostles He was called and commissioned directly the risen Christ in heaven.
Paul not only became a minister; he also became an example, as it said in verse 16. None of us has had the same experience that Paul had on the Damascus Road. We did not see a light, fall to the ground, and hear Jesus speak from heaven. But Paul is a fitting example to all lost sinners. He said he was the chief of sinners! He is proof that the grace of God can change any anybody.
Defending the faith
The third responsibility for the local church to fulfill besides teaching sound doctrine and proclaiming the gospel is defending the faith.
1 Timothy 1:18-20 NIV Timothy, my son, I am giving you this command in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by recalling them you may fight the battle well, holding on to faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and so have suffered shipwreck with regard to the faith. Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme.
Paul again used the word command. He also reminded Timothy that God had chosen him for his ministry.
1 Timothy 4:14 NIV Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you.
He warned Timothy that the only way to succeed was to hold fast to “faith and a good conscience.” It is not enough to proclaim the faith with our lips; we must practice the faith in our daily lives.
A good conscience is important to a good warfare and a good ministry. A conscience is “the inner voice which warns us that somebody may be looking. However, as we learned when we studied Joseph, a person of integrity with a good conscience will do the will of God despite who is watching or what people may say.
Now Paul mentioned the name of two guys Hymenaeus and Alexander in verse 20 in reference to people who had shipwrecked their faith. Professed Christians who “make shipwreck” of their faith do so by sinning against their consciences. Paul did not tell us exactly what they did, except that their sin involved “blaspheming” in some way. Hymenaeus said that the resurrection was already past.
2 Timothy 2:16-18 NIV Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly. Their teaching will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have departed from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some.
Alexander was a popular name in that day, so we cannot be sure that the man named in Paul’s next letter to Timothy (2 Tim. 4:14) is the same man.
2 Timothy 4:14 NIV Alexander the metalworker did me a great deal of harm. The Lord will repay him for what he has done.
“Delivered unto Satan” implies an apostolic discipline and disassociation from the local church. Remember this?
1 Corinthians 5:1-5 NIV It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that even pagans do not tolerate: A man is sleeping with his father’s wife. And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have gone into mourning and have put out of your fellowship the man who has been doing this? For my part, even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. As one who is present with you in this way, I have already passed judgment in the name of our Lord Jesus on the one who has been doing this. So when you are assembled and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.
The fellowship of the local church, in obedience to the will of God, gives a believer spiritual protection. Satan must ask God for permission to attack a believer
Job 1:6-12 NIV One day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them. The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.” Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.” “Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.” The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.” Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.
Job 2:1-6 NIV On another day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them to present himself before him. And the Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.” Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason.” “Skin for skin!” Satan replied. “A man will give all he has for his own life. But now stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse you to your face.” The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, he is in your hands; but you must spare his life.”
It is not enough for a local church to teach sound doctrine and to proclaim the gospel. The church must also defend the faith by exposing lies and opposing the doctrines of demons.
1 Timothy 4:1-5 NIV The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.
Some churches only preach the gospel and seldom teach their converts the truths of the Christian life. Other churches are only opposing false doctrine; they have no positive ministry. We must be teachers of healthy doctrine (“sound doctrine,” 1 Tim. 1:10), or the believers will not grow. We must preach the gospel and keep winning the lost to Christ. And we must defend the faith against those who would corrupt the church with false doctrine and godless living. It is a constant battle, but it must be carried on.
Paul was telling Timothy that God had called him, equipped him, and put him into his place of ministry. Timothy’s job was not to run all over Ephesus, being involved in a multitude of tasks. His job was to care for the church by winning the lost, teaching the saved, and defending the faith. Any task that did not relate to these ministries would have to be abandoned. One reason some local churches are having problems is that the pastors and spiritual leaders are involved in too many extracurricular activities and are not doing the tasks God has called them to do.
Service or Circus
We often in church and often from the pulpit say just let the Spirit have His way His freedom, and we should but, we should also remember that God is a God of order and not confusion.
Order implies a neat and logical organization of items, tasks, or people. When a room is in order, it has been tidied and everything is in its proper place. God’s universe is orderly. He created everything in an orderly sequence in a six-day span that set the world as we know it into motion
Genesis 1:31 NIV saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.
He created the sun, moon, and stars to regulate time and seasons, and the heavenly bodies operate with precise predictability.
Psalms 104:19-23 NIV made the moon to mark the seasons, and the sun knows when to go down. You bring darkness, it becomes night, and all the beasts of the forest prowl. The lions roar for their prey and seek their food from God. The sun rises, and they steal away; they return and lie down in their dens. Then people go out to their work, to their labor until evening.
Paul wrote to the Corinthian church about order during worship
1 Corinthians 14:33 NIV God is not a God of disorder but of peace—as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people.
Their worship services were out of control, chaotic, and even offensive to unbelievers who visited.
1 Corinthians 14:22-23 NIV Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers; prophecy, however, is not for unbelievers but for believers. So, if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and inquirers or unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind?
Paul bases the command for order in the church service on the fact that God Himself is a God of order, not chaos.
We must permit the Spirit to have freedom, but even the Holy Spirit is not free to disobey the Word of God.”
Often, what we think is the “freedom of the Spirit” are the carnal ideas of some Christian who is not walking in the Spirit. Eventually this “freedom” becomes anarchy, and anarchy grieves the Spirit as a church gradually moves away from the standards of God’s Word.
To counteract this tendency, Paul exhorted, through Timothy, the men and women in the church and reminded them of their spiritual responsibilities, to maintain order.
He starts with the Men—Praying (2:1–8)
1 Timothy 2:1-8 NIV I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time. And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle—I am telling the truth, I am not lying—and a true and faithful teacher of the Gentiles. Therefore I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing.
First of all” indicates that prayer is most important in the public worship of the church. It is sad to see how prayer has lost importance in many churches. “If we announced a banquet,” a pastor said, “people will come out of the woodwork to attend. But if I announce a prayer meeting, I’m lucky if the ushers show up!” Just take a look at our call for corporate prayer on Sunday morning. I'm just saying.
We pray a lot in this church but that is not the norm in a lot of churches today. There an old saying “Much prayer, much power! No prayer, no power!” Prayer was as much a part of the early church and the apostle's ministry as preaching the Word.
Acts 6:1-4 NIV those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God to wait on tables. Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.”
I am no role model, and I am not patting myself on the back, but I do spend time thinking through what to pray about, especially on Sunday for worship service. I don't want our opening prayer and the pastoral Prayer to be dull and routine.
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