1. Quinn River Baptist Fellowship
Thank you for your interest in our web distributed notes from our weekly bible studies.
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May God bless your effort, and may you grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Pastor Jerry Eyers

3. The Pastoral Epistles – How to strengthen our witness
Q: How many people in this room tonight are in the full time ministry?
A: All the people in this room are. If you are a Christian, you are in the full time ministry whether you know it or not!!
Ever feel overwhelmed?
From Paul’s letter to his closest companion we can gather that Timothy was not having a lot of success in his ministerial efforts in Ephesus. Timothy was not happy that he had been left behind in Ephesus instead of traveling around with Paul, and was having difficulty with the church in Ephesus. Timothy was feeling like he was not making any headway, and was constantly buried. He was even getting ulcers from it!! He may have even been a little timid or unsure of himself.
Titus was in a situation where nobody would listen to him, and everyone was lying about things he did.
Paul’s one sentence summary of all three books:
“Be faithful, hang in there, it is too soon to quit!”

4. 3) The Role of Women in the Church
So far in the first letter to Timothy we have looked at some very important topics. By addressing the issues that Timothy was having at Ephesus, Paul is establishing a series of priorities, first in the operations of a church, and second to Timothy personally (and thus to all of us personally).
1) Teach God’s Word!
Paul goes on to elaborate that some have strayed from the truth, giving heed to fables and endless genealogies which are meaningless, but that God can save anyone, and uses himself as the ultimate example of someone that can be reached by God, calling himself the ‘Chief’ of sinners.
2) Prayer
Paul emphasizes that ‘first of all’ our lives should be centered around prayer. He also addresses a rising heresy in the church at that time, evidentially rising in the church at Ephesus, and that is to pray to any other than God. Paul emphasizes that there is only one mediator between God and man, and that is Jesus Christ.
3) The Role of Women in the Church
Paul addresses a problem that existed in the Ephesian church where some of the women were being disruptive to the services by asking questions and disputing doctrinal issues in the middle of the sermons. So Paul addresses the issue by saying that these women need to wait until after the service, then ask their questions in a one-on-one basis as to not cause disruption. If God is the author, then everything will be done decently and in order. (I Corinthians 14:40)
He also takes the opportunity to point out that in Ephesus, the women should not be adorning themselves like the local prostitutes, even though that was the popular style of the time, but rather to keep their dress moderate, since the purpose of going to church was not to see if you can ‘out dress’ the other person and thus have your focus on prideful things, or to be distracting to others, but rather to worship God.
Paul also emphasizes that the women of the church should not take the leadership of the church unless there isn’t a man qualified or able to step up to the calling. He is not saying women can’t teach, but just that they should let the men take the leadership position if a man is able. Lydia, in the book of Acts is an example where there wasn’t a man to step up to the calling, and Lydia took the role, being a professional sales women. Paul also make the comment that no matter what profession women may pursue, they will get the most rewarding fulfillment from their family life.

5. In chapter 3, Paul is going to focus on the qualifications for people who hold office in the church. Paul just got done pointing out that men should hold these offices if possible, but when he gets to verse 11, he is also going to point out attributes that are for women that should be holding the offices, or wives of those who do, and thus does not preclude the possibility of women holding those positions.
The first thing we are going to encounter are some titles of positions in the church, and we need to define these. We see many titles in the New Testament, Bishop, Deacon, Pastor, Teacher, Elder, Apostle, and Disciple. What are they biblically? It turns out that very little distinction is made in the New Testament with regard to the functions of these positions, with the exception of Apostle and Disciple.
Bishop: Overseer (1 Peter 5:1-3, Acts 20:17, 28) One who would fit out term today of a ‘senior pastor’
Deacon: Servant (Matthew 23:11, etc.) One who is the ‘servant’ of all in the church body; literally means a ‘table waiter’. Today, we have adopted deacons to be the ‘advisory group’ (like a board of directors), or the ‘mid level managers’ of the organizations (dealing with daily operations) They either advise the senior pastor, or like a board of directors setting the course the organization is to follow, or they are the first level that people go to for help or biblical clarification
Pastor: Shepherd (1 Peter 5:1-3, Jeremiah 17:16) One who guides, protects, or instructs others (typically called a ‘pastor/teacher’ in the New Testament). The one to whom the defense of the faith falls to when have questions
Teacher: A position that could be held by anyone trained the word who instructed another (women are admonished to be teachers of other women, for example)
Elder: Simply means, ‘old man’. In reference to the positions of authority in the church, those positions were referred to as ‘elders’ of the church, implying those positions were held by older men with years of experience to draw upon
Apostle: One who has been commissioned for a purpose by Jesus Christ himself
Disciple: A follower, in the New Testament used to denote a follower of Jesus as the Messiah

6. Twice Paul refers to himself:
2Ti 1:11 Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.
J. Vernon McGee points out that nowhere in the scripture does anyone every refer to themselves, or has anyone else refer to them as ‘Reverend’.
Reverend means ‘terrible’, or ‘one who incites terror’. Only God is ever referred to as ‘reverend’ in the scriptures, never a man. Down through the ages, man has had the audacity to call himself ‘reverend’, and thus it has become a title in our culture for one who is holding the role of pastor or senior pastor. Biblically, it is a name reserved strictly for God, so PLEASE don’t call me reverend!! As far as I know, I don’t incite terror in anybody!! Nor are we called too (be harmless as doves).
Paul, who founded a number of churches, never spoke of himself as a bishop. In the early church, a bishop never had authority over other bishops or elders. Typically what we see in the New Testament is the structure where the Deacons (or servants of all) were the ones who advised the Bishop (Senior Pastor) and handled the daily operations (both).
Mat 23:11 But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.
There were a plurality of elders overseeing the work of each church. (1 Tim 5:7) These men had to be qualified.
Q: What do you think is going to be the most important quality that Paul is going to emphasize going forward in this chapter? – Intelligence? Personality? Vision? Administration? Decisiveness? Courage?
A: Integrity, in personal life, public life, and church life.

7. 1Ti 3:1 This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.
1Ti 3:2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;
1Ti 3:3 Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;
Blameless: ‘nothing to take hold upon’; Above reproach
Husband of one Wife: Following the biblical principle of one man, one woman. Not one man and one man, or one woman and one woman, or one man and many women, or many men and one woman. The implication is that even in his most important decisions (marriage) he is following biblical principles. This does not speak to a man remarrying after the death of the spouse, nor marrying someone who has been divorced. (I Cor 7:15, Mat 5, Mat 19, Gen 2:18, 1 Tim 4:3)
Vigilant: Temperate. ‘Be temperate in all things’ (2 Tim 4:5) Mild mannered, slow to anger, thoughtful about all things; exercises self control.
Sober: having a serious attitude; earnest; knows the value of things; The NIV translates this as ‘self-controlled’ which is not correct, the HCSB translates this as ‘sensible’.
Of a Good Behavior: Orderly. The same word is used in 1 Timothy 2:9 where it talked about women’s apparel in church being ‘modest’. Can mean ‘respectable’.
Given to Hospitality: ‘loving the stranger’
Apt to Teach: Most all effective senior pastors are also teachers. The only case in which they aren’t is when the structure of the church demands that the Bishop be the ‘governor’ and not the ‘shepherd’. A pastor is also (should always be) a teacher and continual student.
Eph 4:11 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers,

8. 1Ti 3:1 This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.
1Ti 3:2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;
1Ti 3:3 Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;
Not given to wine: Not to be a drunkard. This is not an admonition not to drink wine, but not to drink to excess. The Greek actually says ‘sits not long at the cup’, implying drinking to excess.
Paul advised Timothy to use a little wine for health reasons (1 Tim 5:23) thus, total abstinence was not required of believers. However, there are conditions to any action, and Paul emphasizes in Romans 14 not to do anything that would cause your brother who is weaker in faith to stumble.
At the same time, there are many passages that emphasize not to drink to excess, and in the Corinthian church there were those that were getting drunk at the love feast that was part of the Lord’s Supper celebration, and Paul takes care of that in 1 Corinthians 11.
No Striker: Not contentious, not looking for a fight. A leader when wronged, must have no thought of retaliation, personally or corporately.
Not greedy for filthy lucre (or money): How many popular pastors are preaching today because they are getting paid big salaries, driving fancy cars, have their own private jets, mansions, etc.? The motive of pastors should not be money. The average salary of pastors today in an average church is just above the poverty line. That is the way it has always been. But the mega church pastor’s salary averages ½ million dollars not counting health plans, retirement, etc.
Patient: Gentle is a better translation from the Greek
Not a Brawler: Looking for a fight to take on, or a cause to rally to
Not Covetous: More than just money, but for anything. Satisfied, Content.

9. 1Ti 3:1 This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.
1Ti 3:2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;
1Ti 3:3 Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;
1Ti 3:4 One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity;
1Ti 3:5 (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)
1Ti 3:6 Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.
Novice: One recently born
1Ti 5:22 Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men's sins: keep thyself pure.
1Ti 3:7 Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.
Senior Pastor (Bishop): Level headed person with no detrimental personality traits (such as drunkenness, hot temper, etc.), well respected in the church and the community, have his house in order, not greedy, love to teach God’s Word, and not looking for a ‘cause’, but rather to the care and growth of God’s church.
Now we are going to talk about Deacons. The Deacons have the same requirements as Bishops, but with some added requirements above and beyond those of the Bishop. Why?
A church typically had one Bishop, but many Deacons. The difference between Deacons and Elders vary by church. Some of the first churches had Elders in authority over Deacons. This is the pattern we see in the Jerusalem Church (Acts 6,11,12,14,15,21-25). But at the same time, Paul and Apollos were called Deacons, and Paul appointed the Elders (Acts 14).
Pro 15:22 Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.
Php 1:1 Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:

10. 1Ti 3:8 Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre;
1Ti 3:9 Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.
1Ti 3:10 And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless.
Grave: ‘semnos’ = Worthy of respect, or imitation
Double-tongued: ‘dilogos’ = To tell a different story, wishy-washy, unstable, blown around by any wind of doctrine
Jas 1:6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
Jas 1:7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
Jas 1:8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
Mystery of Faith: Mystery: ‘mysterion’ = Something that was hidden that is now revealed
Pro 10:21 The lips of the righteous feed many: but fools die for want of wisdom.
Hos 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.
There are some churches that when they have someone accept the Lord, they let them teach a Sunday School class right away.
Others have a 6/6 program: 6 month observation, baptism, then 6 month training course

11. 1Ti 3:9 Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.
1Ti 3:8 Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre;
1Ti 3:9 Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.
1Ti 3:10 And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless.
1Ti 3:11 Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things.
(NIV)
1Ti 3:11 In the same way, their wives are to be women worthy of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything.
(RSV)
1Ti 3:11 Women in like manner must be grave, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things.
Greek: ‘howstoce goonay’ or ‘in like manner women’, or ‘in like manner wives’ The implication can be made that the “women” in the subject are wives that may or may not be wives of the afore mentioned Deacons, but they are wives. In other words, if a woman is to hold the position, she must be married.
1Ti 3:12 Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.
1Ti 3:13 For they that have used the office of a deacon well purchase to themselves a good degree, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.
Nowhere in the scripture do you see ‘Elders’ (or Deacons) being “imported”, they came from the local assembly of believers
1Ti 3:14 These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly:
1Ti 3:15 But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
1Ti 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.

12. 1Ti 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
One of the first Christian Creeds (believed to be the text from a common hymn used to open services:
He who was revealed in the flesh,
Was vindicated in the Spirit,
Beheld by the angels,
Proclaimed among the nations,
Believed on in the world,
Taken up in glory.
The Apostle’s Creed
We believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of Heaven and Earth; We believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and born of the virgin Mary; He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried; He descended into Hell; The third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; From there He will come to judge the living and the dead; We believe in the Holy Spirit, one Holy Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the Body, and the life everlasting.

13. Act 20:17 And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church.
Act 20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
Act 20:29 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.
Act 20:30 Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.
Act 20:31 Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.
Paul write Timothy about 3 years later (1 Timothy) admonishing Timothy to teach the Word because some were beginning to teach false doctrine. About 3 years later we get 2 Timothy where Paul against admonishes Timothy to teach sound doctrine. About 30 years later, John dictates a letter for Jesus to Ephesus. By this time Timothy has died as well, but his policies of teaching sound doctrine remained… and had been taken to an extreme.
Rev 2:1 Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;
Rev 2:2 I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:
Rev 2:3 And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.
Rev 2:4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
Rev 2:5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.
Rev 2:6 But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
Rev 2:7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
Paul is now going to warn Timothy of the coming apostasy

14. If something is important, the Holy Spirit made sure it was in the bible. If it was REALY important, it was mentioned more than once. If it was VERY important, it got mentioned in more than one gospel, sometimes all four. If it was VERY VERY REALLY important, it cot mentioned in the gospels and one of Paul’s letters. There is only one topic that is mentioned in 25 of the 27 books of the New Testament. Do you think that makes the subject of particular importance? Do you think it may be relevant to us and something God want’s us to be aware of? I think so!!
What is that one subject?? The coming Apostasy.
1Ti 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
2Co 11:12 But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion from them which desire occasion; that wherein they glory, they may be found even as we.
2Co 11:13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
2Co 11:14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
2Co 11:15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
Are there any religions today that proclaim their origins to be from “angelic” revelation?

15. In Smith's teenage years, most of his family converted from Seekers to Presbyterians. According to Mormon sources, it was around this time that young Smith began wondering which of the many Christian sects was the "true" Christian faith. Then, at the age of 14, God and Jesus appeared to him in a vision. They told him all Christian denominations had fallen away from the true faith, advised him not to join any of them, and promised to restore the true faith.
When Smith was 17, the angel Moroni appeared to him and told him the location of two golden plates, on which was written the history of two ancient Native American Christian tribes. Joseph went to the site and found golden plates written by Ether, Mormon, Lehi and Nephi (ancient Native American authors), and a brass plate consisting of Hebrew scripture quotations and genealogies written by Laban.
It was also in 1827 that Smith was finally able to remove the golden plates from their original site, at which point he undertook the translation of the plates. Sometimes seated behind a curtain, sometimes with his head buried in his hat, and always using the two special stones, Smith dictated the English translation to various scribes - among them his wife, Emma, Martin Harris, and Oliver Cowdery. Sometimes the tablets were not even present at the time they were being translated.
John the Baptist appeared to Smith and Cowdery sometime later, ordaining the pair to the Aaronic Priesthood and teaching them water baptism. Shortly thereafter, the Apostles Peter, Paul and James appeared to the two, investing them in the Melchizadek Priesthood. This time, Smith and Cowdery were commissioned as the first two elders of a new church.
Gal 1:8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
Gal 1:9 As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.
The prophet Muhammad (circa A.D.) introduced Islam in 610 A.D. after experiencing what he claimed to be an angelic visitation, and was given a revelation which was supposed to confirm and supersede the “previous scriptures”. Muhammad dictated the Qur'an, the holy book of Islam, which Muslims believe to be the preexistent, perfect words of Allah. The Qur'an testifies of itself that it was given by God through the angel Gabriel to the prophet Muhammad. “This is a revelation from the Lord of the universe. The Honest Spirit (Gabriel) came down with it, to reveal it into your heart that you may be one of the warners, in a perfect Arabic tongue” The problem is that the Qur'an thoroughly contradicts the Torah, the Psalms, and the Gospels, and explicitly denies Jesus Christ's crucifixion (Sura 4: ).

16. 1Ti 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
1Ti 4:2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
What about the corruption of “existing” churches to result in a Christian “cult”?
1Ti 4:3 Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.
Mat 19:12 For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it.
1Ti 4:4 For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:
1Ti 4:5 For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.
All food is considered good. Have you ever started eating and realized you forgot to bless the food first? Don’t panic, grab onto Psalm 103:1
Psa 103:1 Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
All foods are clean:
Jesus: Mark 7:14-23
Peter: Acts 10:9-15
Paul: 1 Cor 10:23-33, Rom 14:1-12, Col 2:16-17
Dr. Koppen was a Jewish scholar who had found his Messiah and converted to Christianity. He was asked to give the prayer at a dinner conference. The people who arranged this weren’t thinking. They were serving ham. For his prayer, Dr. Koppen said, “Father, if you can bless under the New Testament what you cursed under the Old Testament, please bless this pig. Amen.” And then he walked out of the dinner.

17. 1Ti 4:6 If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.
Minister: ‘deeak-anos’, similar to ‘deeokonos’ which we get the word “deacon” from. Similar in meaning, to be a servant, or more specifically a personal attendant; came to mean teacher or pastor.
1Ti 4:7 But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness.
Athletic metaphor: Paul had spent 3 years in Ephesus where the coliseum (which held the Olympic Games at times) could seat about 100,000 people. People in Ephesus were familiar with the requirements it took to be an athlete. A Greek or Roman athlete had to refuse certain things, eat the right food, do the right exercises, continually train, etc. Paul is comparing that to our spiritual walk.
1Ti 4:8 For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.
“Bodily exercise profiteth little” Actually should be “bodily exercise lasts only a short time”, but godliness is forever lasting.
1Ti 4:9 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation.
1Ti 4:10 For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.
Anyone in a teaching or leading role will suffer reproach. You will get blamed for things. That is a given. You can only make sure that the accusations are not deserved!
1Ti 4:11 These things command and teach.

18. 1Ti 4:12 Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.
1Ti 4:13 Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.
1Ti 4:14 Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.
Presbytery: ‘group of elders’
1Ti 4:15 Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.
1Ti 4:16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.