CareyOPEN

These eight verses have been a lightning rod for Christians and our debates about the role of women and men in the church. Jonny looks at the passage in the light of the church’s witness and the destructive effects a localised heresy is having on the believers in Ephesus. Studying the text through this lens leads to four contemporary insights for the church today. (Resources to come)

What is the priority for new (and old) churches in their life, learning and worship? According to Paul, “first of all”, they should learn to pray – for societies and communities and those whose decisions and actions affect them. This anchors the believers in what God wants for the world and turns them outwards to participate in God's saving purpose. Does the worship of our churches do that?

No matter who you are, your story matters, and it directs your ministry. That for which we are called, we are also empowered to accomplish.

In the first paragraphs of this letter, Paul outlines his purpose in writing to Timothy and the problem they have in Ephesus with false teachers. He also introduces the theme of the letter: that everyone will “know how to behave in the household of God.”