Over the last decade we have tragically seen many pastors whom we deeply admired become disqualified from ministry. We feel betrayed and hurt when this happens. Perhaps you have been hurt by a pastor or a spiritual leader and even thinking about church causes pain. How does the church keep Pastors accountable? How do we care for them to help prevent them from falling? In this section of scripture Paul gives us great principles to create a culture that helps pastors stay healthy so that they can continue to point the church to Jesus.

“It's not the church, it's the culture.” “It's not the church as an organization that is bad, it's the culture of the church that has become bad.” How many of you have heard excuses like this to justify an unhealthy church? The reality is, if the culture of the church is unhealthy then the church is probably unhealthy. So then, what type of culture should we strive after? We can have plans and strategies to live out the vision and the mission of the church, but without good culture those plans mean nothing. In this text we see Paul giving Timothy specific instructions that will serve to shape the church in a healthy way. Listen to this teaching to learn some healthy church plumblines that we must lean into. 

Entering the Christian life is a free gift of grace. We are reconciled to God by trusting in Jesus' sacrificial death on the cross alone. However, becoming a Christian doesn’t mean that we get to move in on easy street. We still face difficulties in life, and we must press on and endure. We are instructed to toil and strive in the disciplines of our faith so that we might endure hard times and be an encouragement and example to those who may despise us. 

One of the worse feelings is being on team, seeing everyone else doing a great job, and then realizing that you don't really matter. The team would do just as well with you. When this realization sets in, we become disengaged and disenchanted with whatever team that we are on. Sadly, many of us feel this way about church. We gather on Sunday and see the "professional" Christians "doing ministry" and we feel like we are not needed. This turns into apathy, and we end up finding ourselves sitting on the sidelines of church and even worse become disengaged with Jesus. However, as we see in this teaching, this is not the case. Every person plays a vital role in the life of the church. You need the church, and the church needs you. 

Certain passages of scripture can be more controversial than others. This passage is likely the most controversial passage in the entire New Testament—especially considering our current cultural climate. However, God’s word is good. We should never shrink back from it or apologize for it. And the truth is, when we align our lives to the Bible, we place ourselves in the path of greatest flourishing. So, as we dive into this teaching from 1 Timothy 2 we see that Paul is instructing Timothy on how things ought to be in within the household of God, or, the church. God has specific instruction for both men and women in church and under these instructions men, women, and the church all thrive.

What does God want? The Bible tells us about many of God’s desire, but one of his greatest desires is that all should be saved. But how is that possible? How is that we can be reconciled to God? In the 2nd Chapter of Paul's letter to Timothy Paul answers this very question. The answer to this question is the most important knowledge that any person can possess. Listen to Pastor Brent Van Sickles teaching on how God's desire for salvation is fulfilled. 

Religions are all based on rules, do's and don’ts, that end up defining us. We either feel weighed down by these definitions or we allow them to prop us up and we look down on others. This ultimately comes from an "unlawful" use of the "Law." In the Bible we see that a relationship with Jesus stands in stark contrast to living according to the law. The law defines, but Jesus redefines us. Listen to this teaching from 1 Timothy 1:8-20 to find out how. 

What do you do when you hear something that you know isn't true. Do you smile and nod and move on to the next subject. Do you argue and debate to get your point across. This scenario is exactly what Timothy experienced 2000 years ago as he led the fledgling church of Ephesus. Fortunately, Timothy’s mentor Paul had wise council for him, and this council was permanently solidified in the New Testament. Listen to this teaching to learn what the Bible says about false teaching and how to go about it. 

When times are tough, where do we look? Do we look to money, friends, achievements, experiences, or our own accomplishments to rescue us from our difficult situation? If so, how does that work out? Maybe we find a moment of reprieve, but then that wears off and we are stuck searching again for that which will give us true help in hardship. Listen to this teaching as we learn how to find lasting security—security that doesn’t fade over time and in which there is joy and hope. 

We hear about dark spiritual forces and think, “that’s so elementary… or fantastical.”  The secular worldview has permeated our culture in such a way that entertaining the idea can feel childish. However, doesn’t it seem reductionistic and simplistic to say that all evil has natural causes? The Holocaust, racism, school shootings, are just the consequence of one’s natural environment? Really, there is no evil in our world? In this text we see that we do in fact have a spiritual enemy. We discuss two of his greatest weapons against us. Finally we see that those who have trusted in Christ have nothing to fear and there is actually some things you can do to combat the attacks from this enemy.