Thursday
Evening Bible Study
February
8, 2018
Introduction
Do people see Jesus? Is the gospel
preached? Does it address the person who is: Empty, lonely, guilty, or afraid
to die? Does it speak to the broken hearted? Does it build up the church? Milk
– Meat – Manna Preach for a decision Is the church loved? Target 3300 words Video
= 75 wpm
The book of Acts ends in AD 60 with Paul being in Rome under house arrest.
We believe Paul was later released, and visited various places, including
Ephesus.
While traveling, Paul left Timothy in Ephesus to pastor the church.
Timothy had spent many years with Paul and was like a spiritual “son” to
Paul.
This letter was written somewhere around AD 63, to guide Timothy to correct
the problems in Ephesus.
Timothy is in his mid-forties about now.
Timothy would pastor the church for 30 years, and die a martyr in AD 97.
Last week we looked at a list that Paul gave Timothy for qualifications for
an “overseer”.
We talked about some of the confusion as to who these titles apply to in
the church. Many see the “overseer” as parallel to the title “elder”.
I’ve kind of settled on the “overseer” being a parallel to our pastors.
And to add to the confusion, our board of directors are called “elders”,
though to be honest, I think our board is closer in function to the next group
– “deacons”.
3:8-13 Deacons
:8 Likewise deacons must be reverent, not double-tongued, not given
to much wine, not greedy for money,
:8 Likewise deacons must be…
deacons – diakonos – one
who executes the commands of another, a servant, attendant, minister
One note about the deacons compared to the “overseers” – the deacons aren’t
required to have any sort of teaching capacity.
Lesson
Called to serve
The first “deacons” in the early church were a group of men who were chosen
to help out the apostles.
When the church began to grow rapidly, the apostles couldn’t keep up with
the needs of the church. The apostles found themselves getting caught up in
dealing with various needs in the church that they were neglecting the most
important things.
(Acts
6:2–4 NLT) —2 So the Twelve called a meeting of all the believers. They said, “We
apostles should spend our time teaching the word of God, not running a food
program. 3 And so,
brothers, select seven men who are well respected and are full of the Spirit
and wisdom. We will give them this responsibility. 4 Then we
apostles can spend our time in prayer and teaching the word.”
It’s not that the apostles were “above” helping with the
feeding of the widows, but that they realized that the church wasn’t going to
progress if they weren’t doing the two most important things – praying and
teaching God’s Word.
So the first set of deacons took care of the ministry that
fed the widows in the church. They waited on tables. These same guys went on to
become preachers and evangelists. But they started off as “servants”, as
“deacons”.
Do we have “deacons” at Calvary Chapel (besides the board)?
We don’t hand out the “title” of deacon. We don’t have a board of deacons.
But we have many deacons.
Look at the definition of “diakonos”. It’s a “servant”.
We believe that the goal of every growing Christian is to be a servant.
(Mark
10:42–45 NKJV) —42 But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, “You know
that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and
their great ones exercise authority over them. 43 Yet it shall not be so among you;
but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. 44 And whoever
of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. 45 For even the
Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a
ransom for many.”
The mark of maturity is not how many people you can order
around, but how well you serve.
If you were to summarize what I think the business of the church ought to
be about it would be this:
Win the Lost
We are all called to be involved in the work of reaching
out to an unbelieving world and leading them to Jesus.
Equip the Saints
When a person becomes “born again”, they become a “saint”.
God’s desire is that Christians don’t just stay at the maturity level of
babies, but that they grow. This is why we place such an emphasis on teaching
God’s Word and discipleship.
Send the Servants
As a believer begins to mature and realizes they need to
be serving, we want to help people find their ministry and serve. It might be
doing something in the church. It might be doing something in your
neighborhood. It might be going to the mission field.
:8 must be reverent
likewise – hosautos
– in like manner, likewise
reverent – semnos –
august, venerable; to be venerated for character, honorable
This is not the joker that no one takes seriously. This is a person worthy
of respect.
:8 not double-tongued
double-tongued – dilogos – saying the same thing twice,
repeating; double tongued, saying one thing with one person another with
another (with the intent to deceive)
This is the only place this word is
used in the New Testament.
This is the person who changes their message depending on who they are
talking to.
To your face they tell you that you are their best friend. Behind your back
they criticize and slander you.
A sign of maturity is the issue of truth.
(Ephesians 4:15
NKJV) but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him
who is the head—Christ—
In context, Paul is talking about speaking doctrinal truths – that we don’t
mature as believers apart from the truth of Scripture.
Yet the principle applies across the board – we don’t mature as people
unless we learn to “speak the truth in love”.
That involves what you say to yourself – learning to
accept the truth about who you are – your strengths and your weaknesses.
That involves what you say to others – being honest, not
“double-tongued”.
:8 not given to much wine
given to – prosecho – to
bring to, bring near; to turn the mind to, attend to be attentive; to be given
or addicted to
Paul doesn’t prohibit a deacon from drinking wine, but he instructs that
they better be able to stop after that first or second drink.
:8 not greedy for money
greedy for money – aischrokerdes
(“filthy” + “gain”) – eager for base gain, greedy for money.
The same word was used for the elders (1Tim. 3:3).
(1 Timothy 3:3 NKJV) not given
to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not
covetous;
All of us serving in the church need to be careful that money isn’t the
thing that drives us.
Don’t be serving in the church looking to expand your client list.
:9 holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience.
:9 the mystery of the faith
(1 Timothy 3:9 NLT)
They
must be committed to the mystery of the faith now revealed and must live with a
clear conscience.
holding – echo
– to have, i.e. to hold; to hold one’s self to a thing, to lay hold of a
thing, to adhere or cling to
pure – katharos
– clean, pure; blameless, innocent; unstained with the guilt of anything
conscience – suneidesis
– the consciousness of anything; the soul as distinguishing between what is
morally good and bad, prompting to do the former and shun the latter,
commending one, condemning the other; the conscience
mystery – musterion –
hidden thing, secret, mystery
I think Paul is using this in a general
sense, talking about the amazing secrets that are connected with knowing God
through Christ.
The word “musterion” is used 27
times in the New Testament, and doesn’t refer to just one thing.
Jesus talked about the “mysteries of the kingdom of heaven” (Mat. 13:11)
(Matthew 13:11 NKJV) He
answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the
mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.
Paul called the Rapture a “mystery” (1Cor. 15:51)
(1 Corinthians 15:51 NKJV) Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we
shall all be changed—
Paul talked about the gospel being opened to the Gentiles as a “mystery”
(Eph. 3:3-6)
(Ephesians 3:3–6 NKJV) —3 how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have
briefly written already, 4 by which,
when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), 5 which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it
has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets: 6 that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and
partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel,
Paul talked about the union of husband and wife as a picture of Christ and the
church, being a “mystery” (Eph. 5:32)
(Ephesians 5:32 NKJV) This
is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
Paul talked about Christ being in us as a “mystery” (Col. 1:27)
(Colossians 1:27 NKJV) To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory
of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
A “deacon” needs to be a person who holds to the truths of Scriptures, and
doesn’t distort what God has said.
:10 But let these also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons,
being found blameless.
serve as deacons – diakoneo
– to be a servant, attendant, domestic, to serve, wait upon. We could
translate this, “let them deacon”.
:10 let these also first be tested
be tested – dokimazo – to test, examine, prove,
scrutinize (to see whether a thing is genuine or not)
Lesson
Tested Leadership
There is value in “testing” people before allowing them to get too far in
leadership.
The goal in testing is to see how sincere the person it. It’s to see if
they are what they claim to be.
Illustration
The Indian Chief
An Australian travel writer touring Canada was checking out of the Spokane
Hilton, and as he paid his bill to the manager, he asked, “By the way, what’s
with the Indian chief sitting in the lobby? He’s been there ever since I
arrived.” “Oh that’s ‘Big Chief Forget-me Not’,” said the manager. “The hotel
is built on an Indian reservation, and part of the agreement is to allow the
chief free use of the premises for the rest of his life. He is known as ‘Big
Chief Forget-me Not’ because of his phenomenal memory. He is 92 and can
remember the slightest detail of his life.” The travel writer took this in, and
as he was waiting for his cab decided to put the chief’s memory to the test.
“’ello, mate!” said the Aussie, receiving only a slight nod in return. “What
did you have for breakfast on your 21st birthday?” “Eggs,” was the
chief’s instant reply, without even looking up, and indeed the Aussie was
impressed. He went off on his travel writing itinerary, right across to the
east coast and back, telling others of Big Chief Forget-me Not’s great memory.
One local noted to him that “How!” was a more appropriate greeting for an
Indian chief than “ello mate”. On his return to the Spokane Hilton, six months
later, he was surprised to see ‘Big Chief Forget-me Not’ still sitting in the
lobby, fully occupied with whittling away on a stick. But, remembering his
friend’s advice he greeted Chief Forget-me-Not in the more appropriate fashion.
“How?” said the Aussie. “Scrambled,” said the Chief.
The chief was tested to be exactly what everyone claimed
he was.
Timothy himself had been “tested”. Paul wrote to the Philippians about
Timothy,
(Philippians
2:19–22 NKJV) —19 But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, that
I also may be encouraged when I know your state. 20 For I have no one like-minded, who
will sincerely care for your state. 21 For all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus. 22 But you know
his proven character, that as a son with his father he served with me in
the gospel.
We know from our study in Thessalonians that Timothy had
already spent much time with the Philippians, and they knew he “passed the
test”.
There is a sense in which God tests us as well before moving us along in
ministry.
(Luke 16:10–12 NLT)
—10 “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in
large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with
greater responsibilities. 11 And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust
you with the true riches of heaven? 12 And if you are not faithful with other people’s things, why should
you be trusted with things of your own?
We might be tempted to blow off the “little things” in
life, and yet these are opportunities to be “tested”, to show what you’re made
of.
God used these verses to encourage me back in the days
when my ministry was setting up chairs on Sunday mornings, or teaching my
4-person home Bible Study.
If you are looking to be involved in ministry, don’t be
afraid of starting at what seems to be the “bottom”. Pass your tests.
Be a greeter. Work
the parking lot. Teach a Sunday School
class. Cook breakfast for the men.
:10 being found blameless
This is a different word than the one used of overseers (1Tim. 3:2).
blameless – anegkletos –
that cannot be called into account, unreproveable, unaccused, blameless
Designates one against whom there is no accusation, implying not acquittal
of a charge, but that no charge has been made.
We talked about the overseers being
“blameless” and mentioned that nobody is truly, completely “blameless” except
Jesus. In that sense we have to be a little gracious here since no one is
“blameless” in that way.
The flow of this verse would be that if the person has first been “tested”,
and there is no reason to accuse them of anything, then they should serve as a
deacon.
:11 Likewise, their wives must be reverent, not slanderers,
temperate, faithful in all things.
:11 Likewise, their wives must be …
wives – gune – a woman of
any age, whether a virgin, or married, or a widow; a wife; of a betrothed woman
It may be that Paul is talking about the wives of either/or overseers and
deacons, or he might be talking about a female version of the “deacon” (a
“deaconess”)
Both New Living Translation and New American Standard have footnotes
stating that this might refer to “deaconesses”.
I see it applying to both.
It is valuable when evaluating leadership to look at the marriage.
Paul mentioned with the overseers that their home life is a mirror of what
will be happening in the church.
Women in leadership positions at church should also be those have lives
that are examples to follow.
:11 must be reverent
reverent – semnos
– august, venerable, reverend; to be venerated for character, honourable;
of persons; of deeds
This is the same word as used in verse 8 for deacons.
:11 not slanderers
slanderers – diabolos – prone to slander, slanderous,
accusing falsely; false accuser
This is the same word that 35/38 times is translated “devil”.
There are folks who get promoted in the church by “slandering” others,
accusing them of things. That’s not a person you want in leadership.
Illustration
A small town prosecuting attorney called his first witness to the stand in
a trial-a grandmotherly, elderly woman. He approached her and asked, “Mrs.
Jones, do you know me?”
She responded, “Why, yes, I do know you Mr. Williams. I’ve known you since
you were a young boy. And frankly, you’ve been a big disappointment to me. You
lie, you cheat on your wife, you manipulate people and talk about them behind
their backs. You think you’re a rising big shot when you haven’t the brains to
realize you never will amount to anything more than a two-bit paper pusher.
Yes, I know you.”
The lawyer was stunned. Not knowing what else to do he pointed across the
room and asked, “Mrs. Williams, do you know the defense attorney?”
She again replied, “Why, yes I do. I’ve known Mr. Bradley since he was a
youngster, too. I used to baby-sit him for his parents. And he, too, has been a
real disappointment to me. He’s lazy, bigoted, he has a drinking problem. The
man can’t build a normal relationship with anyone and his law practice is one
of the shoddiest in the entire state. Yes, I know him.”
At this point, the judge rapped the courtroom to silence and called both
counselors to the bench. In a very quiet voice, he said with menace, “If either
of you asks her if she knows me, you’ll be jailed for contempt!
None of us should be known as “slanderers”.
:11 temperate
temperate – nephaleos –
sober, temperate; abstaining from wine, either entirely or at least from its
immoderate use
This was one of the qualifications of an overseer (1Tim. 3:2).
(1 Timothy 3:2 NKJV) A bishop
then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of
good behavior, hospitable, able to teach;
Whether this is a deacon’s wife, or a deaconess, this is something that
will disqualify a person from ministry.
:11 faithful in all things
faithful – pistos – faithful;
of persons who show themselves faithful in the transaction of business, the
execution of commands, or the discharge of official duties; that can be relied
on
(Luke 16:10 NLT) “If you are
faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are
dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities.
God is looking to use people that He can count on.
Lots of people make promises. Lots
of people are willing to agree to things.
Not so many actually follow through on their promises.
:12 Let deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children
and their own houses well.
:12 Let deacons be the husbands of one wife
Just as in 1Timothy 3:2, the Greek here is “one wife men”
As we mentioned in 1Tim. 3:2, this might be talking about the practice of
polygamy, or it could refer to divorce and remarriage.
:12 ruling …their own houses well.
ruling – proistemi
– to set or place before; to set over; to be over, to superintend, preside
over; to be a protector or guardian; to give aid; to care for, give attention
to
Lesson
Family priority
For the overseer, Paul explained the reason for this:
(1 Timothy 3:5 NLT)
For
if a man cannot manage his own household, how can he take care of God’s church?
The only way this is going to happen in a believer’s life is when his
family takes priority over everything else.
It’s not uncommon for leaders at church to get so consumed with “serving God”
at church, that their family is neglected.
We sacrifice our families on the altar of the church.
God wants your marriage and your family to be a priority.
Make sure you’re around enough to pass on the important things of life.
:13 For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a good
standing and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.
served … as deacons – diakoneo
– to be a servant, attendant, domestic, to serve, wait upon. “they that
have deaconed”
well – kalos
(adj.) – beautifully, finely, excellently, well; rightly, so that there
shall be no room for blame, well, truly; excellently, nobly, commendably
standing – bathmos
– threshold, step; of a grade of dignity and wholesome influence in the
church
good – kalos
(noun) – beautiful, handsome, excellent, eminent, choice, surpassing,
precious, useful, suitable, commendable, admirable
obtain – peripoieomai
– to make to remain over; to reserve, to leave or keep safe, lay by; to
preserve for one’s self; to get for one’s self, purchase
boldness – parrhesia
– freedom in speaking, unreservedness in speech; free and fearless
confidence, cheerful courage, boldness, assurance
:13 obtain …a good standing and great boldness
(1 Timothy 3:13
NLT) Those who do well as deacons will be rewarded with respect from
others and will have increased confidence in their faith in Christ Jesus.
The world may not think that there’s any benefit to being a “servant” to
others (diakonos), but in God’s
economy, there is great benefit.
The “good standing” will be before other believers who appreciate what
humble service requires.
I can’t help but think of the rewards before the Lord as well. The master said to the “servant” – “Well done
good and faithful servant” (Mat. 25).
The “great boldness” relates to a new depth in your relationship with the
Lord.
There’s a wonderful thing that happens in your heart when you sense that God
is asking you to do something, and you step out and do it.
3:14-16 The Confession
:14 These things I write to you, though I hope to come to you shortly;
Paul was hoping to be able to make one more trip to Ephesus to see Timothy,
but he won’t make it.
:15 but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought
to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God,
the pillar and ground of the truth.
delayed – braduno
– to delay, be slow; to render slowly, retard; to be long, to tarry, loiter
:15 how you ought to conduct yourself
conduct – anastrepho
– to turn upside down; sojourn, dwell in a place; metaph. to conduct one’s
self, behave one’s self, live
Paul is putting down in writing his “how to pastor” lessons for Timothy.
:15 in the house of God … church
Churches as buildings did not exist.
Paul is talking about the “household of God” being the people of God.
The term “church” means “called out ones”, speaking of an assembly of
people who have been called out of their homes for some purpose.
church – ekklesia
– a gathering of citizens called out from their homes into some public
place, an assembly; an assembly of Christians gathered for worship in a
religious meeting
:15 the pillar and ground of the truth
pillar – stulos
– a pillar; a column; a prop or support
ground – hedraioma
– a stay, prop, support
The church is where people are going to hear the only truth that really
matters – that they can know God through Jesus Christ.
When we get leadership in the church right – people who are living holy,
faithful lives – then it all works.
:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was
manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached
among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory.
:16 And without controversy…
without controversy – homologoumenos
(“together” + “speak”) – by consent
of all, confessedly, without controversy
It’s what we should all be saying.
It’s the word used for “confession” (as in “if we confess our sins…”). Some churches recite the “creeds”, which are
“confessions”, what we all say together.
Perhaps this should be translated, “And we are saying this altogether…”
Because of the arrangement of the words and their rhythm, it is thought
that Paul may have written what were the words to an early Christian hymn,
describing the gospel. In the Greek it
sounds like this:
ὃς
ἐφανερώθη ἐν
σαρκί,
ἐδικαιώθη
ἐν πνεύματι,
ὤφθη
ἀγγέλοις,
ἐκηρύχθη
ἐν ἔθνεσιν,
ἐπιστεύθη
ἐν κόσμῳ,
ἀνελήμφθη
ἐν δόξῃ[1]
This is a “song” that the early church used to “confess” or all agree on.
:16 great is the mystery of godliness
There’s our word “mystery” (vs.9) again.
mystery – musterion
– hidden thing, secret, mystery
godliness – eusebeia
– reverence, respect; piety towards God, godliness
Earlier, Paul wrote that the
deacons…
(1 Timothy 3:9 NLT) They must
be committed to the mystery of the faith now revealed and must live with a
clear conscience.
In the last verse, Paul talked about the church being the “pillar and ground
of the truth” – what follows is the “Truth” in six phrases.
Can you tell what each of these phrases is talking about?
:16 God was manifested in the flesh
was manifested – phaneroo
– to make manifest or visible or known what has been hidden or unknown, to
manifest, whether by words, or deeds, or in any other way
in the flesh – God revealed Himself in human flesh in the
person of Jesus Christ.
What is this about?
We call this the “Incarnation” – that Jesus took on human flesh and was
born in a manger in Bethlehem.
(John 1:14 NKJV) And the Word
became flesh and dwelt among us…
Jesus told us,
(John 3:16 NLT) “For this is how God
loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in
him will not perish but have eternal life.
:16 Justified in the Spirit
Justified – dikaioo
– to show, exhibit, evince, one to be righteous, such as he is and wishes
himself to be considered
What is this about?
He was shown to be exactly what He was.
This is talking about how the resurrection and the Holy Spirit Himself proved
that Jesus is indeed the Messiah.
(Romans 1:4 NLT) and he was
shown to be the Son of God when he was raised from the dead by the power of the
Holy Spirit. He is Jesus Christ our Lord.
:16 Seen by angels
Seen – optanomai
– to look at, behold; to allow one’s self to be seen, to appear
What is this?
It could be a reference to the angels being present at the resurrection,
telling the disciples that He had risen.
Some see this as the women who were there at the empty tomb. And even the apostles who would see Him after
His resurrection. “Angels” can mean
“messengers”.
It might be talking about the angels being with Jesus when He ascended into
heaven.
It might be talking about Jesus ascending into the heavenly realm after His
resurrection.
:16 Preached among the Gentiles
Preached – kerusso
– to be a herald, to officiate as a herald; to publish, proclaim openly:
something which has been done
This was the amazing truth that God had “hidden”, that Gentiles could
actually be saved.
For the Gentile church repeating this in Ephesus, it was a reminder that
they were a part of God’s plan.
:16 Believed on in the world
We as the church have believed in Him.
:16 Received up in glory
Jesus has ascended into heaven where He sits at the right hand of the
Father.
Should we try and sing this now…?