1 Timothy 3
(v.1) A Bishop in this instance is what we would call an Assistant Pastor to a church. This person is not the head of that church, but is the right hand of the Head Pastor. As with the Head Pastor, the bishop is not to be given to drinking...being influenced by alcohol or any drug. The most important thing, is that the bishop should have his house in order...for if he can't teach and keep his own house in order, how could he do the same with a church?
(v.6) When we first come to Christ, and learn so much about Him, we want to share and teach it to others. Paul is warning a church from doing that with new believers, for they haven't lived that long walking with God, and they haven't been tested by life and the devil that long. Remember, the devil's pride is what made him fall away from God, and someone who thinks they know it all when seeing God's wisdom, can do the same!
(v.7) Not only should believers have good things to say about a potential bishop or assistant pastor, but non-believers as well. It's one thing to act right with other believers, but if we are truly a light to the world, then non-believers should at least attest to the good character of the candidate.
(v.8) Deacons are also what we would call Assistant Pastors, but they are usually assigned specific ministries in a church (Children's Ministry, Missions Ministry, Men's Ministry, etc.)
They are not the right hand of the Head Pastor like the bishop is, but they are in the inner circle of the church affairs, and need to be sober-minded and godly. Often, these men help in the alms and tithing collection, and they need to be grounded and without temptation to steal.
(v.16) These are great topics to discuss with your kids:
God was manifested in the flesh ~ Why did God have to become man? Our kids need to know that the book of Ruth and other books speak about our Kinsman Redeemer (Goel in Hebrew) in order to die for us.
Justified in the Spirit ~ Jesus had the Holy Spirit in Him as man
Seen by angels ~ This is fascinating to me! Scholars believe that up until that point, the angels NEVER looked upon God, for fear of being consumed by His power. Not until God became man, were they able to see God...Jesus!
Preached among the Gentiles ~ Up until this point, only the Jews were being taught the Law and the teachings of the prophets. Also, since this is after Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was at work collecting the Bride for Jesus.
Believed on in the world ~ Through missionary work, the whole world was being taught the Gospel.
Received up in glory ~ Jesus became man for the sole purpose to redeem us to the Father. Once He died on the cross and was resurrected, He glorified the Father, and the Father glorified the Son!
1 Timothy 4
(v.1) The Church has been saying it's in the Last Days for centuries, but not until this present time in history, can it be deemed near. Prophecy has pointed to powers and alliances that are only now coming into place (Russia and Iran for example), and with the great influence of Islam, Mormonism, Catholicism, Buddhism, Hinduism and even Jehovah's Witness, can we see the apostasy in full form.
For those of you that are reading this, and are of the faiths I just cited, I don't mean to insult you or to judge you. I do, however, ask that you examine those faiths, and see that the teachings of those faiths follow ONE MAN. They have added or deleted from the Bible, and have gone the way of man's wisdom, not God's wisdom.
Paul is speaking about this very thing to Timothy, and with the Church reading this over the centuries, he is speaking to us. We need to go to the original text (in Hebrew and Greek) to find the root of doctrine, and not follow a single man's quest to find Divine Truth and be followed.
Please read Acts 17:11 and take that to heart...even with what I teach on this blog...check it against Scripture and see for yourselves what God says.
(v.3) Scholars believe that this is alluding to the doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church where leaders are not allowed to be married. This is not Scriptural, for even Peter himself was married, and the RCC believes he was the first pope! The first institution established by God was marriage, and I even believe that the New World Order and the Coming World Leader will abolish marriage to try to keep the world population down.
(v.7) The book of Proverbs admonishes us from being given to gossip...it is destructive and not godly.
(v.8) We hear people cite "our body is the Temple of the LORD" and say that means that we are to be physically fit. Of course, taking care of one's health is good, but God is more concerned with the health of our minds and our spirit, for that is what sustains us and what we use to serve God.
(v.13) The Head Pastor is to teach and read the Word daily. The assistant pastors are to serve the body and do the daily church tasks.
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