Saul was a man so violently opposed to Jesus Christ that he zealously persecuted and murdered Christians.  But, Jesus returned from Heaven to convert Saul, who then adopted the Christian name of Paul and became a pastor and missionary.  His courageous travels brought the Gospel to many people who had never heard of Jesus, including those in the town called Lystra where a young man named Timothy lived (Acts 14:8-20). Though Paul was beaten, drug outside of the city, and left for dead, the truth of Jesus apparently converted the young Timothy; he joined Paul’s ministry upon a later visit to Lystra (Acts 16:1-4).

     Paul loved young Timothy, and affectionately referred to him as a son (Philippians 2:22; 1 Timothy 1:2; 2 Timothy 1:2). These men are virtually inseparable throughout the New Testament as they work closely together (Acts 18:5, 19:22), coauthor books of the Bible (2 Corinthians 1:1; Philippians 1:1; Colossians 1:1; 1 Thessalonians 1:1; 2 Thessalonians 1:1), and serve God side-by-side (1 Corinthians 4:17, 16:10; Romans 16:21).  Occasionally, however, they were separated, because Paul would send Timothy on important missions to straighten out problems that arose in various local churches (e.g. I Thessalonians 3:1-6).

     Paul and Timothy gave their lives in service to Jesus Christ by serving His bride: the Church.  They were acutely aware of the various problems in local churches, but, rather than standing at a distance to criticize those churches, they threw themselves into the churches’ needs and served tirelessly.  The reason that these men loved the Church so dearly is because they were following the example of Jesus.  Jesus died for the sins of His Church (Ephesians 5:25).  He is the Apostle who plants churches (Hebrews 3:1), the Head over the Church (Ephesians 5:23), Senior Pastor in the Church (1 Peter 5:4), and builder of the Church (Matthew 16:18).  Simply, Jesus loves the Church, and because Paul and Timothy loved Jesus, they too loved the Church.

     On one of his missionary journeys, Paul planted the first church in Ephesus (Acts 19).  Before finally leaving Ephesus for the last time, he sternly warned the elders/pastors of the Ephesian church that false teachers would rise up from within the church after he departed and try to destroy it (Acts 20).  After warning the leaders of the tough job that lay ahead of them, Paul then prayed for the Ephesian elders, who shed many tears over his departure, knowing they would not see him again until they met in Heaven.

     After Paul’s departure, the troubles and troublemakers that Paul prophesied did, in fact, come to Ephesus. Young Timothy had been laboring in Ephesus to sort out a litany of church problems, and was, apparently, a bit in over his head.  Subsequently, Paul wrote Timothy two letters (1 and 2 Timothy) in an effort to encour-age and direct his friend. Unlike the other New Testament letters, written to churches, these letters (and the similar letter to Titus) are very personal correspondences from an older pastor to an individual young leader whom he was mentoring.

     The purpose for the book is twofold.  First, Paul writes to order Timothy to courageously hold his ground and command the many popular heretical teachers infiltrating the church to stop promul-gating their false doctrines (1:3).  In this, we see the grave importance for a church to have: a rigorously biblical theology, skilled teachers who instruct in sound biblical doctrine, and courageous leaders who keep false teachers, heretics, and divisive nut-jobs from leading people astray.  Second, Paul writes to command Timothy to teach practical theology to the people in the church, so that the conduct of their lives would be consistent with God’s will and Jesus’ example (3:15). In this, we also see that what people believe and how they live are inextricably connected to—and are of equal importance to—God and the health of His Church.

     In this great letter we see the elements of a healthy New Testament church and the great spiritual battle that rages to implement one. Curiously, in our day the Church is in much the same shape as in Timothy’s day.  The news has recently been filled with: teary-eyed fallen pastoral perverts, the abuse of children and subsequent corrupt cover-up by the Catholic Church, Episcopal ordination of an openly homosexual bishop who was previously a heterosexual husband and father, and raging debate in mainline Protestant churches over everything from same-sex marriage to ministers in skirts.   My hope in studying 1 Timothy is that Paul’s wisdom will help straighten out God’s plan for the Church in our day as it did for the first-century Church.

As we study these great books we will investigate some of the most debated and controversial issues in the Church. These will include:

• What are the qualifications to be a church leader?
• How should church discipline be done?
• How does a church discipline a sinful pastor?
• What should the church do for widows and single mothers?
• How should Christians pray for political leaders?
• How should young and old people interact in the church?
• What does God expect of rich Christians?

     Indeed, these issues are as controversial today as they were nearly 2000 years ago. Hence, it may be tempting for some people to distort and malign the words of Paul because they find him tough to understand (or easy to understand but tough to swallow). But, Peter warned against this kind of error, which leads to the destruction of those who mess with Scripture (2 Peter 3:15-16). Therefore, it will be important for us to come humbly to the pages of our Bible to learn from—rather than argue with—God if our reading is to be profitable.

With the desire for a growing church it is imperative that not wander from the foundation and that we continually return to these pages together for collective refreshment and direction.

In the following Sundays we will also investigate the eight illnesses that sicken a church:

1. leaders who are morally unfit
2. false teachers and dangerous heretics
3. demonic doctrines
4. greedy love of money
5. gossip
6. trashy, under-dressed women
7. arrogant, chest-thumping men
8. new Christians who become leaders too quickly

We will also study the eight truths that promote vibrant church health: 

1. qualified elders 
2. sound doctrine from Scripture
3. devotion to Jesus
4. loving family affection
5. orderly worship 
6. caring for those in need
7. church discipline
8. encouragement and training of young leaders

    Lastly, our studies will be particularly important for three kinds of people.  First, emerging leaders aspiring to be used of God in ministry will find great mentoring from Paul that God will use to prepare them for lives of fruitful service.  Second, those who have been burned in a church, or who remain skeptical of fully devoting themselves to a church because of the sins and errors they have witnessed, will learn the differences between good and bad churches and how important it is for them to always be contributing to the building of a healthy church.  Third, those who give generously of their time, money, and prayer to build Christ Community Church of Lamong will learn exactly why and how we operate as a church to ensure them that we are earnestly striving to obey God’s Word and operate as He commands.  On behalf of the elders and members of our church, I welcome you to study with us, and I welcome you into our church family lead by God who is our Father.

     We will be studying I Timothy verse-by-verse together as a church. To help everyone in the church learn these great books, I will be posting opportunities for people to study the books by themselves, as a family, and with friends in addition to the sermon.   Under the Children’s link  are also some Kids’ Bible Questions that you may want to intersperse within your teaching times for fun and variety.  For the parents, particularly the fathers of young children, it is important for you to sing, pray, read Scripture, and discuss God with your young children each day.  It will be best to keep these times short (i.e. 10-15 minutes or so), because if they are too long and arduous your children will grow to resent them, and this is a terrible thing to do to a children.  As a parent, you will be wise to also capture the teachable moments that emerge each day to cultivate your children’s heart toward loving obedience to Jesus.