hungry for more of God

Both deacons and elders need to be people of good character. The difference lies more in what they, deacons/ deaconess' role is more of a supportive one e.g administraters where as elders lead the church by teaching sound doctrine, encouraging and where necessary rebuking the congregation individually and as a whole.

Church leaders are called to be good examples to their congregation. If they are easily angered, bullies, full of self then this type of behaviour will be seen as acceptable. We are called to love one another, this is not always easy. Leaders need patience and self control to be able to deal with others grumblings and personal issues in a godly way. How can someone who is full of self help others to become less selfish.

Because making a mistake in this area will be costly to both the leader and his congregation. Leader needs to be spiritually mature so that they are not easily deceived and led astray. We need to be sure that people appointed into leadership positions don't just 'talk the talk', they need to be seen to 'walk the walk' as well. Their lives need to be fit for scrutiny by the communtiy as well as the church. Leaders are on the front line and need to be able to deal with the devil's onslaught, this takes maturity, an immature christian is much more likely to succumb to the devil's wiles.

Paul wants to ensure that leaders are people of character. Husband of one wife indicates someone who is able to commit and be faithful in the long term, through the good and the bad, not inclined to look for the easy option or satisfying his own need at the expense of another. A leader must be able to lead and influence others, a man's family life gives an indication of how succesful he is in this area. Children who are wild may indicate a lack of discipline or rebellion against someone who is unloving eg harsh towards them.

I may not be right but I tend towards Paul's instructions being intended to deal with the specific issues rather than general instructions. Women were being deceived, some were spreading this deception and needed to be quietened. In the present day there are women who have been gifted by the Holy Spirit and have powerful ministries, this is also echoed in the old testament with the likes of Debra. I agree that women should be submitted to their husbands and believe that both men and women should be submitted to those in authority over us. This is for our own protection. That was part of the problem in Ephesus, some women were not submitting to those in authority. As a women I also believe that we need to be aware that we may possibly be more open to deception and so guard against it. Thank you everyone for giving such balanced replies, it certainly helped me with a passage I have struggled with.

They were concentrating on others opinion of them rather than Gods. This could make others who were more 'poorly' dressed feel unwanted or excluded. We should be known by our love which means we should be accepting of all not just those who dress the way we like. How do we apply this without being legalistic? Focusing on being considerate and loving to one another rather than setting rigid rules, Consideration may stop you wearing a particular type of outfit but it may also mean treating someone with respect regardless of how they are dressed.

They were arguing amongst themselves then appearing to worship by lifting up their hands as was the custom. It is important that we are be right with one another before we enter into worship. Lifting up holy hands implies that we have first purified ourselves. Jesus tells us to put things right first even if that means leaving a worship service to go and be reconciled with another first. We cannot expect our prayers to be heard if we are not willing to forgive as we have been forgiven.

Was it to emphasise that salvation is by grace and not works. The church is Ephesus were concentrating on converting the Jewish people, Jewish faith was based on the law. In contrast Jesus is our mediator and our ransom, He is continually interceding for us before the throne of God and he gave His life as a ransom to pay our debt so that we could come back into relationship with Father God. His sacrifice did not just save those who were trying but failing to live by the law. His salvation is available to ALL men regardless of colour or creed. He stands between God the father and us and His death on the cross has fully paid for any and every sin committed by mankind. We just have to accept what He has done for us.

The Ephesus church had forgotten that their commission was to take the gospel to all mankind, they were concentrating on those they thought most 'worthy' of salvation - the jews in this case. Are we not also guilty at times of 'choosing' who to evangelise? God wants all men to be saved, not just those we like or are'comfortable' with.

Timothy was having to stand against false doctrines not just from the 'ordinary' members but also from 'leaders'. as a young man it must have been hard to maintain his faith and committment, he problably felt very alone at times. Paul was encouraging him to remember the prophecies spoken over him to confirm that he was in Gods will and to encourage him to remain faithful even when things were tough. We all go through times when our faith is battered by outside circumstances, thats when it is so important to hold on to what faith we have ie fight the good fight, to remember the promises and commisions that have been spoken over our life. Encouragement by other christians can often give us that second wind to press on in.

We learn He is eternal, always was, always will be and maybe most important here with us right now so nothing can take Him by suprise. He is incorruptible and immortal - nothing can defeat or destroy Him. Invisible - we can not see Him with our natural eyes but everything exists in Him. The only God - everything else that we humans exalt as a ' god' is but a poor shadow when compared to Him. Be honour and glory for ever - because He is so utterley worthy of our praise. Speaking out or even just reading a doxology like this builds up my faith because it gives me a clearer picture of how Almighty my God and Saviour is, it draws out my praise.

Paul wanted the church, particularly those who had fallen into error, to know that Gods grace was available. He saw himself as the worst of sinners and Gods grace had transformed his life, so too it could transform theirs. Many probably knew his history, he too had been sidetracked from faith in God to false doctrine that was why he persecuted the church before he came to know Jesus.

It sidetracked them from true faith. They became so involved in discussing the minor things that they lost sight of what the Spirit was actually saying. It led to arguments amongst themselves where they should have been united. It also led others into error. When we focus on a specific aspect of faith to the exclusion of the the whole message we become unbalanced and more concerned about upholding our 'belief' than sharing the good news of the gospel. We are more concerned with enforcing our ideas than sharing Gods message which just leads to quarrels. Unfortunately others get drawn into the arguments and it can even 'put people off' christianity.