{"id":1737,"date":"2019-01-29T20:00:22","date_gmt":"2019-01-30T03:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/?p=1737"},"modified":"2019-01-27T22:10:08","modified_gmt":"2019-01-28T05:10:08","slug":"1_timothy_3_8-16","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/1_timothy_3_8-16\/","title":{"rendered":"Let Your Life Reflects the Excellence of Jesus"},"content":{"rendered":"

1 Timothy 3:8-16 Click here for Bible Verses<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

Today’s passage is 1 Timothy 3:8-16.\u00a0 Let’s go!<\/p>\n

1 Timothy 3:8-9 (NIV)\u00a0<\/strong>
\n8\u00a0<\/span><\/sup>Deacons, likewise, are to be men worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain.
\n9\u00a0<\/span><\/sup>They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 8-9: \u00a0In these verses Paul describes the qualifications that deacons must meet.\u00a0 Deacons were special helpers to the overseer\/pastor.\u00a0 They would assist the overseer\/pastor in caring for the flock and possibly also leading certain ministries in the church.<\/p>\n

The qualifications of a deacon are similar to those expected of overseers:<\/p>\n

– “worthy of respect”: \u00a0 This is a general term that means carrying yourself in a way that others can admire and look up to.
\n– “sincere”: To be more specific, it means don’t be a person of “double talk”; that is, don’t be someone who cares for people to their face but then gossips about them behind their back.<\/p>\n

– “not indulging in much wine”: This means being someone who is in control of his passions and appetites.<\/p>\n

– “not pursuing dishonest gain”: \u00a0Like the overseer, a deacon must not be a lover of money or who finds shady ways to make money.<\/p>\n

– “keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience”: This means that a deacon must believe in the truths that make up the Christian faith and also live them out with integrity.<\/p>\n

1 Timothy\u00a03:10\u00a0(NIV)\u00a0<\/strong>
\n10\u00a0<\/span><\/sup>They must first be tested; and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

On verse 10: \u00a0Before elevating a person to the role of deacon, Paul recommended to Timothy that potential candidates must first be tested to make sure that they were a good fit for the role.\u00a0 What exactly that testing entailed is not clear, but the principle of testing potential leaders is an important one.\u00a0 A leader should be tested over a period of time before they are officially elevated to their role in the organization.<\/p>\n

1 Timothy\u00a03:11\u00a0(NIV)\u00a0<\/strong>
\n11\u00a0<\/span><\/sup>In the same way, their wives are to be women worthy of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

On verse 11: \u00a0The Greek word for “wives” here (gyn\u0113) is the same word that is translated \u201cwomen\u201d elsewhere in 1 Timothy (for example, in 1 Timothy 2:9-12).\u00a0 So Paul is probably not talking so much about the wives of deacons per se as much as he is talking about female deacons (deaconesses).\u00a0 These female deacons were to exhibit the same excellent character traits that were expected of their male counterparts:<\/p>\n

– “worthy of respect”, a required trait for both male and female deacons<\/p>\n

– “not malicious talkers”, similar to how the male deacons are to be sincere and not “double tongued” (v8)<\/p>\n

– “temperate”, similar to how the male deacons are not to indulge in much wine (v8)<\/p>\n

– “trustworthy in everything”, similar to how the male deacons are not to pursue dishonest gain (v8).<\/p>\n

When looking for leaders in an organization, whether male or female, always start with character.\u00a0 Character is the foundation of a person’s leadership.<\/p>\n

1 Timothy\u00a03:12\u00a0(NIV)\u00a0<\/strong>
\n12\u00a0<\/span><\/sup>A deacon must be the husband of but one wife and must manage his children and his household well.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verse 12: \u00a0Like the overseer, a deacon must manage his family and home well.\u00a0 How well you manage your own home is an indication of how ready you are to manage God’s people.<\/p>\n

1 Timothy\u00a03:13\u00a0(NIV)\u00a0<\/strong>
\n13\u00a0<\/span><\/sup>Those who have served well gain an excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

On verse 13: \u00a0Paul is saying that when you serve God well, you gain two benefits:<\/p>\n

– The first is “excellent standing”. Excellent standing doesn’t refer so much to position or power as much as it refers to a good reputation in the church community and the pleasure of God in heaven.<\/p>\n

– The second benefit is “great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus”, meaning confidence and joy in God’s presence.<\/p>\n

1 Timothy 3:14-15 (NIV)\u00a0<\/strong>
\n14\u00a0<\/span><\/sup>Although I hope to come to you soon, I am writing you these instructions so that,
\n15\u00a0<\/span><\/sup>if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 14-15: \u00a0Paul was writing all this to guide Timothy on how to lead the church in Ephesus.\u00a0 From this I learn two lessons:<\/p>\n

1. We all need mentors who are more experienced than we are to advise us and to guide the way.\u00a0 Who is someone godly and wise you can go to for advice when you need it?<\/p>\n

2. Notice how Paul describes the church.\u00a0 First, the church is God’s house, God’s family.\u00a0 Second, the church is “the church of the living God”.\u00a0 In other words, the church is not just about people.\u00a0 God is alive in the church and the church is\u00a0His<\/em>!\u00a0 Third, the church is “the pillar and foundation of the truth”.\u00a0 It is the place where the truth is found, proven, preserved and protected.<\/p>\n

1 Timothy\u00a03:16\u00a0(NIV)\u00a0<\/strong>
\n16\u00a0<\/span><\/sup>Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great: He appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

On verse 16: Here Paul makes 6 statements, all referring to Jesus.<\/p>\n

– “He appeared in a body” is referring to Jesus’ incarnation, how God’s Son became human.<\/p>\n

– “was vindicated by the Spirit” refers to Jesus’ resurrection, how by the power of God’s Spirit Jesus was raised from the dead.<\/p>\n

– “was seen by angels” may be a reference to how angels were the first to testify of Jesus’ resurrection (Luke 24:4-8)<\/p>\n

– “was preached among the nations” refers to how Jesus, a carpenter’s son from an inconspicuous town like Nazareth, would be proclaimed among the nations<\/p>\n

– “was believed on in the world” refers to how people would respond to Him in faith and worship Him as God<\/p>\n

– “was taken up in glory” refers to Jesus’ ascension into heaven<\/p>\n

Each of these 6 facts are incredible statements of God’s power at work in Jesus’ life.\u00a0 May we never lose sight of “the mystery of godliness”, that is, the wonder that is Jesus.\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Heavenly Father, may we never take for granted how amazing Your Son Jesus is and how amazing is His life, death and resurrection.\u00a0 May our lives reflect the excellence and worth of Jesus Your Son.\u00a0 In Jesus’ name, AMEN<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

Today’s passage is 1 Timothy 3:8-16.\u00a0 Let’s go!<\/p>\n

1 Timothy 3:8-9 (NIV)\u00a0
\n8\u00a0Deacons, likewise, are to be men worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain.
\n9\u00a0They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On verses 8-9: \u00a0In these verses Paul describes the qualifications that deacons must meet.\u00a0 Deacons were special helpers to the overseer\/pastor.\u00a0 They would assist the overseer\/pastor in caring for the flock and possibly also leading certain ministries in the church.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1738,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1737","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gametime-sharing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1737","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1737"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1737\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1739,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1737\/revisions\/1739"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1738"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1737"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1737"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1737"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}