Patriciaa

Paul has strong feelings about wanting to see Timothy before Paul's death which could come soon. If he doesn't get there before winter, he may not be able to get through the winter conditions until Spring and this could be too late. I do think Timothy loved and honored Paul and dropped everything and went to Paul's side. I would go quickly if I were in Timothy's situation as delaying may be too late.

We create a bond of love and security with trusted friends and when these friends desert us or when they die, we feel this loss in many ways. We have learned to count on them in times of stress and now the comfort and support is no longer there from this person. We must remember that God never leaves us and that is the real security which a Christian know.

The "crown of righteousness" is the crown that consists of righteousness,purchased at great cost by the blood of Jesus. It is given to all who call Jesus Lord and Savior and who are faithful to Christ to the very end of their lives.

It is so easy to become tired and discouraged in ministry and Paul feels this may be happening to Timothy. We all need to pray and ask God to refresh our minds and bodies when we become tired and discouraged. We must share the gospel at all times even when it is not convenient for our schedule. This may be the time when we may reach someone's heart. Paul is trying to help Timothy understand that as Christians we need to stand firm as we lovingly share the Word. We must share truth and not just what is popular at the time. These verses speak to me especially the message to stay positive and learn to refresh body and mind with God's help.

If we do not accept the inevitability of persecution we probably won't stand firm in our beliefs and won't be willing to share the gospel. We will be more concerned about persecution for unbelievers. To take up the cross daily means to stand firm as we reach out to others in love even when we are persecuted and when there are trials involved in living a Godly life. Jesus means accepting persecution and to remember as we live in this world that we do not let the values of the world guide our daily walk.

Paul instructs Timothy to do his very best and not be ashamed to teach God's Word. Stand firm and strive to please God and not man. Strive to teach correctly. The Word is the medium with which we work. It is God's Word--not our Word. The same instruction in teaching the Word applies today as it did in Paul and Timothy's Day.

Endurance and suffering are not aspects of life that most people want to encourter and an emphasis on these may turn people away from attending church. However, when endurance and suffering are connected with living for Christ forever, we see them in a different light. Timothy, as most of us, did not want to deal with suffering and having to endure hardships. A willingness to suffer for the gospel leads to an eternal reward and a closer relationship to Christ which makes the suffering well worth it.

A soldier strives to please the commanding officer just as we need to strive to please Our Lord. An athlete plays by the rules and we need to follow the Word as our guideline in life. A farmer works hard and endures hardship and possible pain but he shares in the harvest. The one that speaks most strongly to me is that of our Lord being our commanding officer and we strive to please him and know joy in doing so.

The Gospel needs to be protected from distortion of the Lord's message and also from false teachers. It is important that there be a strategy of mentoring teachers and elders so that the Gospel is taught in a meaningful way and the teachers need to be people who live Godly lives and are respected by others. Both teaching of future leaders and administration and program development are important aspects of teaching the Word. Churches vary in where they are now in these areas and will also vary in how much time to place in each of these areas but it needs to be considered that both areas need to be developed in order to have a healthy Christian Education program.

Paul knows God and feels sure that God will take care and watch over him. He knows God will guard everything he has entrused to Him. He has entrusted his life to Christ and the fruit of his ministry. What a joy and contentment to know for sure that Christ will guard this.

Paul tells how Christ came to bring us salavation and how it is a free gift with no strings attached. We do not need to feel shame because we know our sins are forgotten through the free gift of forgiveness. All we need to do is accept God's grace.

[quote name=Pastor Ralph' date='Feb 2 2009, 06:58 PM' post='42410] Q2. (2 Timothy 1:7-8, 12) Can you give examples of how cowardice and shame may have kept you from identifying yourself as a Christian on occasion? From testifying clearly about your faith? According to verse 12, what is the antidote for cowardice and shame? How then do we combat the cowardice and shame we might recognize in ourselves? The more mature I become as a Christian, the more I find the Holy Spirit giving me courage and strength to stand strong in sharing my faith. As a teenager when peer pressure was so strong, there were times when I found it very difficult to stand strong for Jesus because of fear of being "laughed at". How I wish I could relive those experiences now. Constant prayer, reading the Word and asking God's strength has helped me when courage is needed to identify myself as a follower of Jesus. We must know what we believe, able able to express it and share it with others and know that Jesus is able to guard what we have entrusted to Him for that day.

[quote name=Pastor Ralph' date='Feb 2 2009, 06:58 PM' post='42409] Q1. (2 Timothy 1:6) What advice would you give to a person who has let use of a spiritual gift or ministry lapse? How can a gift or ministry be rekindled? What might be involved in reclaiming use of such a gift? We need to constantly encourage each other as Christians as it can be so easy to let use of a spiritual gift or ministry lapse. To encourage each other, we need to remind each other that Christ died for us and we must be willing to suffer and to stand strong as we live the Christian life. We should never be ashamed of the Gospel. If we feel we are growing weak, we can pray, go to strong Christian people for encouragement and strive to live each day according to the Gospel by serving God and loving people in His name. As we do this, we may need to stand firm against those who try to make fun of us and we may need to suffer in other ways but we believe and know God is faithful and will see us through our trials if only we trust in Him.

We need to determine weather proposed changes are actually God's in God Word or man's ways of doing things. We need to pray, study the Word and know what God teaches in His Word. We need to show love to all even those with whom we disagree and lovingly and calmly be able to explain what we believe and why we believe this. Standing for the truth does not mean to be quarrelsome and unkind. God's Word is based on love and therefore we need to love others as we stand faithfully.

A good antidote for the love of money is to be willing and generous in sharing with those in need. In sharing, we need to remember that all we have is from God and can be taken away at any time. If our trust is in God rather than in money, we can more easily accept changes in financial situations. In being generous, we need to share with those in need. It is not helpful to be wasteful in sharing as this often leads the receiver not to be grateful. We need to be careful that we are not sharing to buy friendship or love but rather are selflessly sharing with those who truly need our help. We need to share as Jesus would have shared with those who truly don't have sufficient food, shelter, clothing, medical care, etc.

Love of money can start out as a very subtle thing. We can have a little, get a good feeling from it and thus decide we need more. We need to be aware from the very beginning that money does not bring joy--only Jesus can do that. We must daily remind ourselves that the materials things of the world can be quickly lost but Jesus is forever.

Q4. (1 Timothy 3) According to our text, do you see differences in qualifications between overseers/elders and deacons? What are they? Both need to be true to the doctrine and of good character. Deacons do more the practical things in the way of serving God. Elder usually are more mature in their faith and are more likely to do teaching. Both are important in serving the Lord.

Q3. (1 Timothy 3) Why are tendencies to anger, intimidation, force, and pride so important to consider in selecting church officers? What happens when you don't consider these factors? When selecting church officers, people who make good decisions and use good judgement based on God's Word are very important. Those with tendency to anger quickly, who intimidate and are full of pride can be a disscredit to God's church. Leaders should be good examples of living as Christ taught us to live. They are not perfect but daily strive to follow Christ. These leaders are called to guide the flock and unless they are mature spiritually, they are not ready to be leaders.

Q2. (1 Timothy 3:6, 10) Why should leaders be observed carefully and tested before placing them in office? There are false teachers who can easily lead people astray What should you be looking for during this period? It should be observed as to whether leaders are living by God's Word--not only teaching this but truly living by it. They should be humble and put God first in all they do. They should love all of God's children and follow the teaching of Jesus.

Q1. (1 Timothy 3:2-12) What kind of leader do you believe Paul is indicating for us with the phrase "husband of one wife"? temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4 He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. Why is a leader's family an important indicator of leadership potential or problems? In all three lists the ability of the leader to manage his family is mentioned. Why? Because there is a direct relationship between the ability to provide effective leadership to one's family household and the ability to manage God's household, the church. But observing them will tell you something about the candidate for church leadership. If his children are "wild and disobedient" (Titus 1:6), that may be a sign that something is wrong with the leader. Of course, our cultures are different than the strong patriarchal family structure of the first century, so that must be taken into account, also.

Q4. (1 Timothy 2:9-10) How did women dressing in fancy clothes threaten to compromise the church's witness in Ephesus? Church is a place to go and worship God. It is very important for women to dress in a manner not to draw attention to themselves. A woman's beauty should not be her outward appearance of gold, or pearls, or fancy clothes. Her beauty should be from within. Women, who are modest in apparel and in their behavior, are a blessing in the church. How do we apply the principle of Paul's directive in twenty-first century churches without instituting a new legalism? The appropriateness of clothing and jewelry cannot be set in stone for all time. It must be applied within a particular culture on the basis of principle, not of law. Women need to "cloth themselves" with good deeds rather than emphasis on outward appearance.

Q3. (1 Timothy 2:8). What problem among the men of the congregation is Paul referring to in this verse?. They are going through the motions of prayer while their mouths and hearts are full of anger74 and infighting. What is so serious about worshipping with the opposite of love in your heart. . Anger and controversy must not intrude on the worship of God.

Q3. (1 Timothy 2:8). What problem among the men of the congregation is Paul referring to in this verse?. They are going through the motions of prayer while their mouths and hearts are full of anger74 and infighting. What is so serious about worshipping with the opposite of love in your heart. . Anger and controversy must not intrude on the worship of God.

Q3. (1 Timothy 2:8). What problem among the men of the congregation is Paul referring to in this verse?. They are going through the motions of prayer while their mouths and hearts are full of anger74 and infighting. What is so serious about worshipping with the opposite of love in your heart. . Anger and controversy must not intrude on the worship of God.