Stapleton Baptist Church

Today we get to explore the role of deacons. We first look to Acts 6 to see the roots of the deacon office and what a deacon does before moving on to 1 Timothy 3:8-13 to see who God says is qualified to serve in that vital role in His church.

1 Timothy 3:1-7 gives us the basic qualifications for who can lead God's church. We find that godly character is the greatest gatekeeper on the path to ministry. But the man must also possess a desire to serve in the role and an ability to teach God's Word to God's people. Thank God that he is not silent on how he intends his church to be led.

1 Timothy 2:8-15 brings us Paul's instructions for men and women in the church. We find that the roles of men and women in the church are not left to opinion, preference, or cultural adaption; rather, they are founded in God's good design from the beginning of creation.  We must ask ourselves if we are willing to obey God and trust that His ways are the best ways, especially for His church!

In 1 Timothy 2:1-7, Paul begins giving instructions for how a church should operate and how the people within it should relate to one another. Paul's first priority is that the church pray for all people, specifically for those in positions of authority. We get to explore the role we as Christians play in praying for our government leaders and discover there is a gospel-focus to it!

In 1 Timothy 1:18-20 Paul concludes his introductory charge rallying Timothy to "wage the good warfare" there in Ephesus. Paul reminds us that we have an enemy and we are in a war, but the good news is that we have everything we need to win this war through the power of the Holy Spirit and faith in Christ!

In 1 Timothy 1:12-17, Paul has an outburst of praise and thanksgiving for his own salvation. He highlights that God saved him from his ignorant unbelief and called him even while he was a persecutor of the church. Ultimately, Paul views his salvation as an example to lead other people to faith in Jesus.

1 Timothy 1:1-11 gives us the introduction to the letter to Timothy. In this passage Paul is rallying Timothy's resolve to remain at Ephesus in order to combat the false teaching. He reminds Timothy that our ultimate goal of our charge from God is love. Christian love originates in right knowledge of God and his love for us which then should translate to our love for others. 

This week we take time to explore some background information on the Pastoral Epistles (1 & 2 Timothy and Titus) in order to prepare us to get the most out of our time in them this year. We will answer the question, "Who needs the pastoral epistles?"

This week we have the privilege of listening to Logan Douglas open God's Word to us from Romans 12:1-2. Logan is an IMB missionary in the nation fo Iceland. 

This week we go behind the scenes to find a theology of Christmas by looking at Galatians 4:4-7.