The Word Is Alive 1 Timothy

1. The Word Is Alive1 Timothy Chapter Three Narrated by Tony Gillon

2. Chapter Three • 1 Timothy 2:1–3:13 - Descriptions of Gospel-Shaped Living (continues/concludes)

3. Descriptions of Gospel-Shaped Living • Summary of Chapter Three • The required personal attributes and characteristics of a church leader.

4. Descriptions of Gospel-Shaped Living • Summary of Chapter Three • The required personal attributes and characteristics of a church leader. • Paul’s instruction to the churches that describes the mystery that underpins the Christian faith.

5. Descriptions of Gospel-Shaped Living • 1 Timothy 3:1-13 – • Qualifications for Bishops and Deacons

6. Descriptions of Gospel-Shaped Living • 1 Timothy 3:1-13 – • Qualifications for Bishops and Deacons • Essential characteristics for church leaders

7. Descriptions of Gospel-Shaped Living • 1 Timothy 3:1-13 – • Qualifications for Bishops and Deacons • Essential characteristics for church leaders • Paul required leaders who could deal with the situation in Ephesus and rescue the church’s reputation in the region.

8. Descriptions of Gospel-Shaped Living • 1 Timothy 3:1–7 - Qualifications of Bishops

9. Descriptions of Gospel-Shaped Living • 1 Timothy 3:1–7 - Qualifications of Bishops • Paul dealt first with the personal characteristics of those who would seek the office of bishop or pastor.

10. Descriptions of Gospel-Shaped Living • 1The saying is sure: whoever aspires to the office of bishop desires a noble task.

11. Descriptions of Gospel-Shaped Living • 1The saying is sure: whoever aspires to the office of bishop desires a noble task. • The saying is sure introduces this as the second of Paul’s trustworthy sayings, as first noted in: • The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners — of whom I am the foremost (1 Timothy 1:15).

12. Descriptions of Gospel-Shaped Living • The terms bishop, overseer, elder, pastor or shepherd are all used in the NT to refer to the same office.

13. Descriptions of Gospel-Shaped Living • I left you behind in Crete for this reason, that you should put in order what remained to be done, and should appoint elders in every town, as I directed you: someone who is blameless, married only once, whose children are believers, not accused of debauchery and not rebellious. (Continued).

14. Descriptions of Gospel-Shaped Living • For a bishop, as God’s steward, must be blameless; he must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or addicted to wine or violent or greedy for gain; but he must be hospitable, a lover of goodness, prudent, upright, devout, and self-controlled. (Continued).

15. Descriptions of Gospel-Shaped Living • He must have a firm grasp of the word that is trustworthy in accordance with the teaching, so that he may be able both to preach with sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict it (Titus 1:5–9). • Elder and bishop or overseer are used interchangeably.

16. Descriptions of Gospel-Shaped Living • Paul summoned the Ephesian elders, Greek presbyteros, to a meeting: • From Miletus he sent a message to Ephesus, asking the elders of the church to meet him. (Acts 20:17).

17. Descriptions of Gospel-Shaped Living • Keep watch over yourselves and over all the flock, of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God that he obtained with the blood of his own Son (Acts 20:28). • Using Greek episkopos for overseers and Greek poimainō, i.e. to pastor or serve as shepherd of the church of God.

18. Descriptions of Gospel-Shaped Living • Now as an elder myself and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as one who shares in the glory to be revealed, I exhort the elders among you to tend the flock of God that is in your charge, exercising the oversight, not under compulsion but willingly, as God would have you do it — not for sordid gain but eagerly (1 Peter 5:1–2).

19. Descriptions of Gospel-Shaped Living • Using Greek presbyteros to describe his fellow elders. • Greek poimainō to tend, act as shepherd or be the bishop or pastor the flock.

20. Descriptions of Gospel-Shaped Living • Paul commended the role of serving the church in this way as being a noble task. • By including this in his sure saying, Paul was offering encouragement to those who hold such posts.

21. Descriptions of Gospel-Shaped Living • Bishop stresses the role of watching over the congregation: • Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls and will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with sighing — for that would be harmful to you (Hebrews 13:17).

22. Descriptions of Gospel-Shaped Living • 2 Now a bishop must be above reproach, married only once, temperate, sensible, respectable, hospitable, an apt teacher, 3not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, and not a lover of money.

23. Descriptions of Gospel-Shaped Living • Paul listed the characteristics that a church leader should possess. • Elsewhere, he indicated that it is an office for those who are called to it.

24. Descriptions of Gospel-Shaped Living • The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. (Ephesians 4:11-13).

25. Descriptions of Gospel-Shaped Living • Above reproach heads the list as the key qualification for a bishop or overseer; it is then expounded by the words and phrases that follow in these verses. It summarised the main point, which the rest of the list fills out.

26. Descriptions of Gospel-Shaped Living • Married only once is often translated husband of one wife Greek, miasgynaikos, andra, and its meaning is widely debated.

27. Descriptions of Gospel-Shaped Living • Married only once is often translated husband of one wife Greek, miasgynaikos, andra, and its meaning is widely debated. • Faithful to his wife.

28. Descriptions of Gospel-Shaped Living • Let a widow be put on the list if she is not less than sixty years old and has been married only once (1 Timothy 5:9), as a qualification for widows, Greek henosandrosgynē; one-man woman, i.e. wife of one husband.

29. Descriptions of Gospel-Shaped Living • So I would have younger widows marry, bear children, and manage their households, so as to give the adversary no occasion to revile us (1 Timothy 5:14).

30. Descriptions of Gospel-Shaped Living • Married only once is often translated husband of one wife Greek, miasgynaikos, andra, and its meaning is widely debated. • Faithful to his wife. • Polygamists cannot be church leaders.

31. Descriptions of Gospel-Shaped Living • A wife is bound as long as her husband lives. But if the husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, only in the Lord. But in my judgement she is more blessed if she remains as she is. And I think that I too have the Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 7:39-40).

32. Descriptions of Gospel-Shaped Living • A widower or divorced man, who has subsequently married, is not excluded from leadership under this interpretation.

33. Descriptions of Gospel-Shaped Living • Married only once is often translated husband of one wife Greek, miasgynaikos, andra, and its meaning is widely debated. • Faithful to his wife. • Polygamists cannot be church leaders. • Someone who has never had more than one wife.

34. Descriptions of Gospel-Shaped Living • Being temperate is a key requirement, for leaders are called to show self-restraint, especially with regard to food and drink, for it gives poor witness to have leaders who are grossly obese or frequently drunk, claiming that their body is a temple holy to God!

35. Descriptions of Gospel-Shaped Living • A sensible approach to life is something else that will be judged in a leader. • There are those who are given to wild claims about the faith that are clearly outside of the Gospel message.

36. Descriptions of Gospel-Shaped Living • Respectable leaders are essential as they, the church and their faith will be judged by personal characteristics of such individuals.

37. Descriptions of Gospel-Shaped Living • Showing hospitality is a Spiritual gift but being hospitable goes further than that. • Leaders are to be genuinely warm in welcoming both members of their congregation and outsiders in a manner that is overtly sincere.

38. Descriptions of Gospel-Shaped Living • An apt teacher. • Implies not just the ability to teach but also to refute false doctrine, therefore an in-depth understanding of the Word of God is also implied here.

39. Descriptions of Gospel-Shaped Living • Not a drunkard: • Paul, like Jesus, saw nothing wrong in drinking alcohol in moderation. Those who choose total abstinence are also in line with Paul’s teaching.

40. Descriptions of Gospel-Shaped Living • I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. (Romans 14:14).

41. Descriptions of Gospel-Shaped Living • I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. (Romans 14:14). • And the Lord spoke to Aaron: Drink no wine or strong drink, neither you nor your sons, when you enter the tent of meeting, that you may not die; it is a statute for ever throughout your generations. • (Leviticus 10:8-9).

42. Descriptions of Gospel-Shaped Living • Not violent but gentle: • Violence has no place in any believer’s life, let alone that of leaders who are to stand out as beacons for the faith. • Tendencies toward drunkenness and violence are clearly reasons for rejection.

43. Descriptions of Gospel-Shaped Living • I myself, Paul, appeal to you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ — I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold towards you when I am away! • (2 Corinthians 10:1).

44. Descriptions of Gospel-Shaped Living • And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kindly to everyone, an apt teacher, patient, correcting opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant that they will repent and come to know the truth. • (2 Timothy 2:24-25).

45. Descriptions of Gospel-Shaped Living • Not quarrelsome: • There is nothing wrong with debating and holding to one’s own opinion. • Leaders must avoid meaningless arguments over scriptural interpretation, church direction or any other aspect of church life in general.

46. Descriptions of Gospel-Shaped Living • Not a lover of money: • This does not prevent leaders from being wealthy but is about their attitude to the money they have and the reason they have it. • They are to be good stewards and not fritter away either their own or the church’s money.

47. Descriptions of Gospel-Shaped Living • 4 He must manage his own household well, keeping his children submissive and respectful in every way — 5 for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how can he take care of God’s church?

48. Descriptions of Gospel-Shaped Living • The management of one’s own household is highlighted as a qualification for leadership by the greater amount of discussion given to it. • The home is the proving ground of Christian character and therefore the preparation field for ministry.

49. Descriptions of Gospel-Shaped Living • Society expected the householder to command the respect of his wife, children and slaves. • To expect less from church leaders would have been to risk associating the church with charges of social disruption and political subversion, bringing it at least into disrepute.

50. Descriptions of Gospel-Shaped Living • Personal comment: • Believers who have young children should bring them up to be respectful and to know the boundaries that are set for them. Frequently, children in church seem to be outside of the control of their parents, who are afraid to admonish them for they fear being seen as not loving enough toward them. (Continued).