We know we should be subject to our authorities.
We know we should esteem very highly our authorities within the church.
Here we learn that we should count our authorities in the church that do a good job worthy of double honour.
How do we practically do that?

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Last week we learnt that pretty much 9 times out of 10, we can get what we need by just doing the basics: reading our bible, being in prayer, serving through our local church, looking after ourselves physically...
Occasionally though, life does throw something at us that we can't deal with ourselves. We need help. (This might be a financial situation, a work situation, a health situation whatever.)
There is only one thing worse than being in a situation as tough as this: seeing someone you love in a situation as tough as this.
Seeing something we love experience something incredibly difficult is very hard for us, and we can feel helpless. We really want to help but we’re not sure how.
1 Timothy 5:11-16 should change that. How? Let's find out...

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Us believers say with pride: "true Christianity is not a religion, it is a relationship."
And that’s true and it is wonderful. Thanks to the decision we made about Jesus, we get to enjoy a relationship with God.
But, we can forget, that one of the clearest ways a great relationship with God is demonstrated is through our relationships with other people, especially other Christians.
What principle do we need to understand to make sure we treat people right?
Let's find out...

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Two weeks ago we said, as concerning The Good Fight of Faith, to win it we have to stay in it.
Last week we learnt that to win it, we have to train for it.
This week we'll see that to win it, we have to focus on it.

What does this mean and how do we do that? Let's take a look...

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Let me start by showing you a training schedule that will benefit your faith...
...and we look at this and, though it may well be a benefit to our faith, we think "eurgh! That looks less like a relationship with Jesus and more like a week in the workhouse."
This highlights a problem to us: often when it comes to godliness, the question we struggle with is not 'how do I train in godliness', it is 'why should I train in godliness'.
That is what the Apostle Paul is going to teach us today... 

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Today, we look out on a new battlefront. 
We have studied the battle front of doctrine (chapter 1) and the battle front of authority (chapters 2 and 3). Chapters 4, 5 and the first two verses of 6 focus on the battlefront of people.
How are we to be with people to ensure success in the fight?
Tellingly, the first person we need to put under the spotlight here is not our nosey neighbour, not our frustrating family member, nor our bothersome boss… its us...

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Growing up as kids, we’re always told to ‘behave properly’ in church.
Usually this meant keeping quiet, dressing slightly more smartly than we would usually, being polite to people, not mucking around during the songs.
Those might be good things! But as we grow up, we realise there might be other behaviours we ought to display 'in church'.
What are these other behaviours and why are they so important?
Let's take a look...

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We have some family chores in our household: Isaac is in waste management, Robin is in hospitality. The boys, of course, want a raise. Like good capitalists, they’re thinking 'if I had a little more money, I could use it really effectively.'
The parents, of course, are happy for them to have a raise… but something we want first is to see them be faithful with what is currently on their plate. Once we see that, we’ll know they’re ready for the promotion to greater responsibility and more work.
How does this principle work out in the life of every believer? And what does it have to do with the qualifications of a deacon? Let's find out...

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Today we see that a pastor needs to be proven.
He's not the only one...

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1 Timothy 3:1 This is a true saying, if a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.
Here’s the truth: if a man wants the job of pastor, he wants something very good indeed.
Last week we saw that, for a church to Fight the Good Fight of Faith, they need a Fully Qualified pastor. (And we saw 7 things in particular that God expects a pastor to be).
This week, the flip-side: 6 things a pastor cannot be.
This will help us ensure we don't follow a bad one, and it might tell us a little about how the flesh wants to ruin our personal ministry efforts too...

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