FIRST TIMOTHY PART 37

A STUDY IN FIRST TIMOTHY

Chapter 4:

“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;” (Verse 1; KJV)

Paul alerted Timothy to a time when there would be a number of Believers that would leave the faith. This was not something that Paul was speculating about; rather, he was passing on what the Holy Spirit had revealed to him. So many of the problems that the modern church faces today are caused by individuals that are deaf to the Holy Spirit and alive to their own interpretations. It is not a question of what we think, but of what the Holy Spirit says! The next step is the hard one, for when we are given the Truth, we must present it! I believe the Holy Spirit is still speaking, but so few are listening. Much of the preaching today is based on pleasing the multitudes. Happy people keep the coffers full, while uncomfortable hearers close their wallets.

If one can read the Scriptures objectively, one will see that throughout the New Testament there is a thread of continuity pertaining to “latter times.” If we can shred our popular “end time” scenarios, we will see that the first century Believers believed that the Lord would return in their lifetime. Today, we apply what the New Testament writers meant for their hearers to what we are experiencing in our generation. Even though many of the warnings about “latter times” could fit into the twenty-first century, the primary purpose of the Scripture was to alert them of their coming apostasy. We must be careful not to upgrade Scripture to fit our dispensation.

The Holy Spirit said that the cause of slipping away would be twofold. They would listen to teaching that originated from those with seducing spirits operating in their lives. These false prophets would trick people into believing that works, not faith, is what pleases God. Secondly, the reality of the teaching was that Satan wanted it taught. These types of teaching were for fleshly edification; if it feels good, it must be right.

This is what the Ephesian Church would experience very shortly. Even though we could fit this verse into our modern lives, we must first keep it in its rightful place!

FIRST TIMOTHY PART 24

A STUDY IN FIRST TIMOTHY

Chapter Three:

“This is a true saying, if a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.” (Verse 1; KJV)

Paul states that if any man desires (earnestly seeks, aspires or sets his heart upon) to become a bishop (overseer, elder, pastor) he is seeking a noble task. The problem arises when one desires positional authority without Divine directive. As we found in our earlier study, there were men that were desirous of being teachers, but were spiritually unqualified. Paul wanted to thin out the carnal office seekers by listing 23 qualifications to be a bishop. (16 are from this chapter and 7 more he listed in his letter to Titus.) Today, those who desire a ministerial position can achieve it with little or no requirements. There are no checks and balances and, as a result, many pulpits are occupied by carnally led individuals.

During the New Testament era, there were many self called, self taught and self righteous overseers that were leading their followers in the religious game of the blind leading the blind. Paul was saying if an individual wanted to be a leader, he must follow God’s leading. To make sure he would qualify to be a Bishop, he could take a self administered test and see how he would fare. It would be very difficult for a person to achieve complete compliance without a Divine calling. It goes without saying, that whom God calls, He equips. As we go through this list, we will see how these behavioral patterns were, and are, difficult and challenging to those seeking the office of a bishop.