Today’s passage: 1 Timothy 6:3-10

Helpful thoughts:

• Being “led by the Spirit” means living (And teaching) in accord with the Word of God.  The Spirit of God will never lead the children of God to do anything contrary to the Word of God.
  • People who live otherwise are defined in verses 4 and 5.
• Godliness (Purity/Righteousness) with contentment is better than flashy experiences that allow you to tell good stories and gain admirers.
  • We taste and see that the Lord is good…and therefore are not able to be tempted toward any inferior offer of satisfaction.
    • Following Jesus is sweeter than knowing a bunch of people are following you.
• The “love of money” verse is found here in the context of Christians who use “God” stories and religious practices and teachings contrary to Scripture to make money.

Questions to consider:

1. Since most books today that are of this nature (Evil) are claiming to be Christian, where do you suspect they will be made available for sale?  Why must Christians be biblically discerning when they go to the Christian bookstore, listen to Christian radio, look for a church to visit online, listen to Christian preachers/teachers on podcasts, etc.?
2. Why don’t book sales and big social media followings qualify someone to teach or preach?  What does qualify a person to teach or preach?  How do we measure their ministry?  How will God measure ministry?
3. Is the contentment commanded in verse 6 inferior to the gain this world has to offer?  Are we being commanded to settle for less?  Why are Christians who seek Christ better off than those who are seeking that which they will never carry out of this world? (Philippians 3:8-21)

Today’s passage: 1 Timothy 6:1-2

Helpful thoughts:

• The slavery at the time of the writing of this epistle was not of the same nature of the slavery that occurred in American history.  In many instances, the lives of these slaves in Ephesus would have been preferred over the workers who were responsible to provide for their own housing, food and clothes.
• With the economic structure being what it was at the time, Christians who worked for other Christians were to desire to see their masters (Or, for application today, their bosses) succeed.
  • This love for one another was to produce a better work environment and more excellent output.
  • Christian masters were to treat their workers with love and respect as well (Colossians 4:1).
• The way that we work and how the church interacts with each other throughout the week is incredibly important to the testimony of Jesus Christ!

Questions to consider:

1. How could these commands to masters and bondservants be applied to employers and employees today?
2. What is the most important thing about you?  How can you show Whom you serve throughout the week with the work that you do and the way you treat your bosses, co-workers, customers, employees, etc.?
3. When you share the Gospel with someone throughout the week, how will your work ethic, performance, and social interactions back up your doctrine?

Today’s passage: 1 Timothy 5:17-25

Helpful thoughts:

• Remember that “elders” are synonymous with pastors and overseers/bishops in the New Testament.
  • The commendation to give “Double honor” is not only a financial command, though the context certainly addresses the financial aspect as well.  This double honor is a general idea of respect and care given to those elders who lead the church faithfully, especially those who teach and preach often.
  • Some other things to note from this instruction:
    • This is another instance in the NT which assumes there are always more then one elder/pastor in the local church.
    • Not every elder/pastor is paid or regarded as being responsible for the same amount of work. (Think, paid elders/pastors and lay elders/pastors)
    • Not every elder is expected to preach and teach as much as the others.  Elders must be able to teach.  But, not all elders will teach and preach as often as others.
• Accusations against elders must be brought by two or three witnesses (In keeping with the principle of Deuteronomy 19:15).  But when those accusations are properly brought and true, they are to be brought before the church.
  • Elders are to be held accountable.
  • This accountability is never to simply be a slap on the wrist.  Once the sin is rebuked, repentance should be sought.  This process may or may not allow that pastor to continue in his office depending on the situation and the qualifications of an elder.
• The water in that time was not as purified as ours is today.  The fermentation process in wine would kill off whatever was in the water and was therefore safer to drink.  Timothy may have sought to remain abstinent from wine, and was paying the price physically.  Paul let him know it was ok to drink some wine to bolster his health.

Questions to consider:

1. Laying hands on someone (Verse 22) refers to the process of ordaining someone to an office in the church.  Why is it wise to be patient in the process of seeing if a person is ready for that role?  How does verse 24 correlate with the instruction of verse 22?
2. Why would it be helpful to have more than one elder in a church?  What becomes necessary when there is only one elder?  What must the deacons then be asked to do so that there isn’t a single man ruling the church?  What could the deacons be freed up to focus on more if they were not charged with also fulfilling eldering responsibilities?
3. Given the fact that churches are also responsible for the purity, rebuking, and exhorting of their pastors/elders, does a church rise and fall on a single elder?  If a church would cease to exist if the elder(s) pulled the plug, what actual role would the congregation be fulfilling?  Why is congregational governance an absolute must for any local church?

Today’s passage: 1 Timothy 5:9-16

Helpful thoughts:

• In today’s reading, further details are given concerning the care of widows in the church.
• Just like the qualifications for pastors and deacons earlier in the epistle, these qualifications should not be considered a specific list, but as a description of the kind of people who fit into these categories.
  • Widows who are eligible for the support of the church need to be ladies who have spent up their youthful energies on doing good in their own homes and in the church.  Even in their later years, and even if they are able to do nothing else, they still seek to do good for others through prayer (Verse 5).
  • Younger widows who have those energies to use up ought to do so.
    • The overall principle that can be beneficial to all of us is that if we have the ability to serve others, that ought to be on the forefront of our minds, not what others ought to be doing for us.
    • We are all going to be doing something with the hours of our days…let’s make sure that something is positive (And not just for our own entertainment, but for the spiritual and physical benefit of others).

Questions to consider:

1. If we think we are going to do “Nothing” all day, what might we end up doing?  Why is it good for all Christians to proactively seek to do good?
2. How might the application of this passage have looked different in the 1st century Roman Empire as opposed to our culture in the 21st Century?  How can we apply it in respectful and helpful ways today?
3. One of the aspects to these verses is that the ladies have (Or could still have) children.  How could the church minister to and love ladies in our ministry who have not been married and/or never had children?  Paul calls singleness a good thing in 1 Corinthians 7:8.  In what ways can these ladies also carry on the spirit of this passage, and the church also minister to them in the same ways?

Today’s passage: 1 Timothy 5:1-8

Helpful thoughts:

• When we confront sin in other believers and as we come alongside one another, we are to do so treating them as we would our fathers, brothers, mothers and sisters.
  • This implies respect and love in our communication.
  • We treat one another as family, guarding each other for their well-being, and pursuing purity in how we interact with one another across genders.
• It is the responsibility of the family to take care of their widows (Or principally speaking, those who cannot care for themselves).
  • There will be more qualifications for the kids of widows the church is compelled to care for, but the first one listed today is a faithfully testimony.  Widows in the church must be widows who are truly followers of Christ.
• It would be wrong for someone to refuse to care for their widowed mother and cast the responsibility on the church (Or on anyone else).
  • This would not include hiring professional care.  To ensure a mother’s care through assisted living, a nursing home, or hiring in-home care, etc. IS caring for your mother.

Questions to consider:

1. How does the care of a widow reflect the message of the Gospel?  How does any ministering to any person who is unable to care for their own need look like gospel-minded love?
2. What is the stark warning to those who would refuse to care for their widowed mothers?  What does the Apostle Paul refer to them as?
3. What is the motive behind the way we ought to treat one another from verses 1-2?  Who are we seeking to protect?  Whose good and growth, beyond our own, becomes our goal when we join together as a church?

Today’s passage: 1 Timothy 4:6-16

Helpful thoughts:

• The “these things” in verse 6 is the same as it was in 3:14.  This refers to all the instruction thus far in the epistle.
• The ends of verse 6 and verse 7 go together.  Carefully following doctrine with sincerity will result in a growing Christian.  Knowing the truth will bear fruit in progressively doing that which is pleasing to the Lord.
• Timothy is believed to have been in his 30’s at the time Paul wrote this epistle.  Paul encourages him to be more mindful of how he is growing and teaching than how old he is.  As Timothy grew spiritually, it would benefit all those to whom he ministered.

Questions to consider:

1. When people differentiate between head knowledge of Scripture and putting our faith into action (Doing things to serve), why isn’t it right to think they exist apart from each other?  If a person wants to act and has ne regard for good doctrine, what do they forfeit?  If a person pursues much good doctrine and doesn’t respond with action, what are they missing?
2. Will a Christian in their 60’s or 70’s always be more spiritually mature than a Christian in their 30’s or 40’s?  What variables are at play?  Why is it wrong to simply assume spiritually maturity (Or the lack thereof) with age?  Why does it make sense that a Christian who is 20 ought to expect they will be more mature in their faith when to are in their later years?
3. All Christians are given spiritual gifts, and they vary from person to person.  This is by God’s design!  How can you utilize the gift God gave you for the church today?

Today’s passage: 1 Timothy 4:1-5

Helpful thoughts:

• The false doctrines described in these verses are not those of people who do not call themselves Christian or who do not go to what would call itself “church”.
  • There are people who call themselves Christians and who go to and lead “churches” who have left the faith and preach and practice false doctrines.  This is terribly sad, but it should not surprise us.
  • “Later times” means after the Messiah came.  Those later times had already started when Paul wrote this letter.
• The context of verse 4’s declaration has to do with foods after certain challenges concerning dietary laws.  (See Acts 10:9-16)
  • Food being made holy by the Word of God is not a formula to read over food to cleanse it.  It was cleansed by God’s declaration in Acts 10.  Our prayer of thanksgiving is the evidence of our gratitude for God’s provision.  It is only when we eat or drink against our conscience that we sin (Romans 14:23).
  • Remember, we are not cleansed by the foods we eat, but by the blood of Christ.

Questions to consider:

1. What should the reality of false doctrines, false teachers and false churches stir up in us concerning our understanding of the Word of God?  How do true believers grow in discernment of right and wrong doctrine and practice?
2. When we wonder how people could possibly preach a false gospel and hurt people, what does verse 2 give us to answer that question?  If their consciences are seared, will they even think what they are doing is wrong?  What do many of these false teacher think they are doing?
3. What is behind false teachings and false doctrines?  Is it just accidental?  Is it just mankind going astray?  What does verse 1 call these false teachings?  How serious is this battle for truth and who all is involved? (Ephesians 6:12)

Today’s passage: 1 Timothy 3:14-16

Helpful thoughts:

• “These things” Paul wrote to Timothy refers to all of the instruction that preceded this verse from the first three chapters of the epistle.
• Verse 15 serves as a theme for the epistle.  Paul’s distance from Timothy benefitted us all.  These instructions reveal to us how the church ought to function.
• Verse 16 contains what is believed to be an early hymn sung by the churches.
  • It’s inclusion is used by Paul as motivation to pursue the instructions given.  We might sometimes ask if it’s that big of a deal to observe all of these commands, especially when so many are calling them into question.  But, when we remember whose church we are, it is absolutely a big deal.  Our Lord is worthy of our absolute loyalty, obedience and love.
  • The church is the “house of God.” (Verse 15)  It (Or we) belong to Him.

Questions to consider:

1. What does this hymn in verse 16 reveal?  Who was manifested in the flesh?  Whose righteousness was vindicated (Who proved to be entirely righteous?)?  Who among men was seen by angels before and after his taking on flesh? Preached to the nations and believed on?  And who ascended in glory?
2. What does Christ’s resurrection and ascension prove about who He is and what He successfully accomplished at the cross?  How can we be encouraged in what we sing as a church by this example of biblical, gospel-centered doctrine in song?
3. It can be easy sometimes to get caught up in what people want the church to be…but in truth, who does the church (The people of God) exist to please and glorify?  When we are thinking about what the church ought to be, who alone has the authority to tell us what we should be doing and even how to do it?