rambler

Divided loyalties. Yes I have. Total submission of our wills to his will.

That he knows Jesus. The pattern of sound teaching that he received. The gospel.

That is where our focus should be. When our eyes our on Christ we will receive strength and courage from him in any situation. If our focus in on pleasing self or others, we will quickly fail to stand tall for him.

Unfortunately, there has been many times that I have been guilty of this. It was only when I truly devoted myself to him by fully counting the cost that I was able to reverse these actions. It is a total trust in him and his word that changed me from a wishy washy hypocrite to someone who humbled himself to truly receive his grace.

To stir it up again. To start using it again. It may be a little rusty at first but becomes smoother as we use it.

Stay true to the message by living it in humility. Let others see Christ in us. He never changed his tune even until death and he always was compassionate and loving.

Do good,be generous,and lay up treasures in heaven with your wealth. All of this should be done out of love instead of anticipation of reward. Do as much as you can. Sometimes I give even when I am in need by promptings of the Holy Spirit.

By getting our eyes off of God and his will for our lives, we reach out for other things to give us security and fulfillment. It becomes a trap in the sense that it will enslave you and not deliver on it's promise. We escape this by avoiding it all together by being content with what we have. (Hebrews 13:5)

We should trust God for the meeting of our needs. He knows what is good for us and what we need to do his will. Balance is found when he is the center of our lives. Many still operate out of a focus on self.

It appeals to self. If we can biblically justify our desire for financail gain, Wow! This is why these movements of "prosperity" teachings are so popular. There is nothing wrong with gain itself or being blessed by God. It is when blessing and gain become the number one thing in your life instead of him who has provided it. If he is first in our hearts, we will find that we will be content in our situations knowing that we are following the leadership of the Holy Spirit and that he will provide everything we need to accomplish his will in our lives.

That all men are one in Christ. He is not condoning it. He is simply teaching them to react in a godly way to their present situation so that the gospel would not be slandered. Paul encourages slaves to get their freedom, if at all possible (1 Corinthians 7:20-23), and encourages Philemon to free his now-Christian slave Onesimus (Philemon 10-16).

Unless we know the person very well or they have not been proven, we may be putting someone in that position that should not be there.

To expose their actions so that others may take warning that they will be accountable. This is only to be done if the accusations are proven. Many of these elders were very influential which made it hard to go through with.

Those who labor in preaching and teaching. (2 Timothy 5:17,Deuteronomy 25:4,Leviticus 19:13; Deuteronomy 24:14-15; James 5:4)

We ar responsible to help provide thier needs. If we don't, Paul says that we have denied the faith and are worse than an unbeliever. This is a repayment of the debt of what they have provided for us.

Because godliness is seen in love. Because people learn to do what they see in action. As leaders we must not say "do as I say and not as I do". Our words and actions must jive.

Godliness is healthy, balanced living with God ,and a healthy respect for him, as the center of our lives. The only way to produce this is a daily yielding to the Holy Spirit. Godliness results in visible fruit. A strict morality has outward obedience but is still inwardly corrupt.

It appeals to a sense of self righteousness. An ability to make oneself clean. It does not produce the fruit of the Spirit but works of the flesh. The true gospel is focused on Christ's finished work on the cross as the only way to be righteous.

So that Timothy has an idea of what to expect. He should not get discouraged in doing what he is supposed to.

There are no differences hardly in qualifications. The difference lies in their functioning in the body. Deacons being in more of a administrative role and the elders in a teaching/leadership role.

Because the church should be in the image of Christ. People look at the image being portrayed and then wanting nothing to do with Christ.

You have to be careful that they do not become proud. You also want to give them time to grow in their walk with the Lord and in his wisdom and also to see the level of commitment that they have.

A man that is solely devoted to his wife. If he is not able to manage his household well, how can he manage the church family.

We as both men and women need to fully understand and appreciate our roles as God has ordained them to be. I feel that we should follow the leading of the Spirit and not the desires of our own heart. Too many times we let prideful self distort our ability to know which way he is really leading. A life that is trully submitted to God will line up with his word. Why is there so many views on this subject? Men and women are equally important to God.