We begin each new year with a reminder that prayer is essential, for both individual Christians and the church as a community of faith. This Lord’s Day we will observe our annual Prayer Emphasis Sunday. The sermon will focus on the example of Elijah, a righteous man whose prayers were powerful. The day will also include a Sunday School lesson presented to a combined class (junior high and up) in the auditorium. Following a fellowship luncheon, we will have our first Deacon Care Ministry prayer meeting. We look forward to enjoying the day’s events with you.

Someone recently asked the question, why is it important to attend church? We will take up that topic in the worship service this Lord’s Day. In fact, we will show that attending church is essential to our Christian identity. But merely attending church is insufficient; Christians must take ownership of the church’s mission.

Paul concludes the letter of 2 Corinthians in a familiar way. He lists a series of final commands, offers greetings, and pronounces a benediction in the form of a prayer. Though familiar, his words are neither routine nor wasted. They give both direct and indirect guidance to help the church grow and mature as it seeks to obey the direction he gave in this letter. The message of 2 Corinthians corresponds well with the focus of 1 Timothy, the study which we just completed. Every church is called to serve as the “pillar and foundation of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15 [Open in Logos Bible Software (if available)] )—a call that shapes the life of every believer.

The apostle Paul concluded 1 Timothy with a familiar blessing pronounced upon the church: “Grace be with you.” The churches in Ephesus would grow strong to protect the gospel only by God’s grace. Every church in every age exists only by grace God gives for salvation and functions only by grace God gives for service.

Please join us this Lord’s Day for our annual Christmas celebration.

This Lord’s Day we will look at Paul’s concluding words to Timothy (1 Timothy 6:20-21 [Open in Logos Bible Software (if available)] ). He summarized the burden of the letter in two commands: guard the gospel entrusted to you and avoid those who seek to undermine it.

This Christmas season reminds us of the important truth that knowing Christ transforms us completely—our behavior, interests, values. Christ takes the preeminent place for those who are part of the “household of God . . . the church of the living God” (1 Timothy 3:15-16 [Open in Logos Bible Software (if available)] ). The sermon text for this Lord’s Day appears to be a postscript in Paul’s letter. His message to Timothy reached it’s climactic conclusion in 6:13-16, but almost as an afterthought, he warns the wealthy once more against misplaced values.

As Paul approached the end of his letter, he repeated the charge that he gave to the young preacher (1 Timothy 6:13-16 [Open in Logos Bible Software (if available)] , cf. 1:18-20 [Open in Logos Bible Software (if available)] ). Last week we unpacked his introduction to the charge (verses 11-12) that describes personal preparation and personal commitments required of Timothy to accomplish the mission entrusted to him. The sermon text for this Lord’s Day presents the charge, invoking God the Father and Jesus Christ as witnesses. The character of God and the imminence of Christ’s return underscore the seriousness of Timothy’s work The elements of the service highlight each of these themes.

At the end of his letter to Timothy, Paul repeated the charge that he gave to the young preacher (1 Timothy 6:13-16, cf. 1:18-20). The sermon text for this Lord’s Day serves as an introduction to this repeated charge (or command). Verses 11-12 describe the personal preparation and personal commitments required for Timothy to accomplish the mission entrusted to him. Paul spoke directly to Timothy as a “man of God,” but just as the instructions he gave regarding elders described the character qualities expected of every Christian (1 Timothy 3:1-7), the commands given to Timothy in these two verses have implications for us all.

In 1 Timothy 6:2b-5, Paul exposed the self-centered motives that lurked in the hearts of the false teachers troubling the churches in Ephesus. They believed that a facade of godliness would produce gain. In the text for this Lord’s Day, Paul reveals that “gain” comes from true godliness and the contentment it produces.