1 and 2 Timothy and Titus: A Blackaby Bible Study Series (Encounters with God) - Softcover

Blackaby, Henry; Blackaby, Richard; Blackaby, Tom; Blackaby, Melvin; Blackaby, Norman

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1418526517 ISBN 13: 9781418526511

Verlag: HarperChristian Resources, 2008

Inhaltsangabe

Let five premier teachers of God's Word lead you to a closer, more intimate understanding of God's message to His people. Intended as companions to the Blackaby Study Bible, these guides also stand alone as a complete study of a book of the Bible.

The lessons include:

• Leader's Notes
• 7 studies based on reference materials included in the Blackaby Study Bible
• An explanation and interpretation of Scripture
• A story that illustrates the passage in focus
• Other Bible verses related to the theme
• Questions for reflection
• Suggestions for application in everyday life.

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Henry T. Blackaby is the author of Experiencing God, which has sold more than 7 million copies and has been translated into 50 languages. He is president of Blackaby Ministries International, an organization he founded to help people experience God in a more intimate way.

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Encounters with God The First and Second Epistles of Paul the Apostle to TIMOTHY and TITUS

By Henry Blackaby Richard Blackaby Thomas Blackaby Melvin Blackaby Norman Blackaby

Thomas Nelson

Copyright © 2008 Henry Blackaby, Th.M., D.D. Richard Blackaby, M.Div., Ph.D. Thomas Blackaby, M.Div., D.Min. Melvin Blackaby, M.Div., Ph.D. Norman Blackaby, M.Div., B.L., Ph.D.
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4185-2651-1

Contents

An Introduction to the First and Second Epistles to Timothy and the Epistle to Titus..............................7An Overview of Our Study of the First and Second Epistles to Timothy and the Epistle to Titus.....................11Lesson #1: The Importance of Sound Doctrine.......................................................................15Lesson #2: Praying for Those in Authority.........................................................................27Lesson #3: Qualifications for Church Leadership...................................................................37Lesson #4: Women in the Early Church..............................................................................47Lesson #5: Marks of a Truly Rich Life.............................................................................59Lesson #6: The Pursuit of Righteousness...........................................................................71Lesson #7: The Mercy of God.......................................................................................83Notes to Leaders of Small Groups..................................................................................91

Chapter One

Lesson #1

THE IMPORTANCE OF SOUND DOCTRINE

Doctrine: a rule or principle that forms the basis of a belief system

B Bible Focus

As I urged you when I went into Macedonia-remain in Ephesus that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine, nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which cause disputes rather than godly edification which is in faith. Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith, from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk, desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they say nor the things which they affirm. But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully, knowing this: that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine, according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God which was committed to my trust (1 Tim. 1:3-11).

The apostle Paul had taught in Ephesus for two years, but at the time he wrote his first letter to Timothy, he was again traveling in ministry. Timothy, his long-time colleague and frequent representative, had been left behind in Ephesus to continue to give doctrinal and organizational stability to the church there. It appears that shortly after Paul left Ephesus, teachers arrived on the scene to offer a message that was a mixture of regulations from Judaism, speculations from pagan Gnosticism, and genuine Christian doctrine. These false teachers created discord, and hearing of it, Paul wrote not only to encourage Timothy but also to provide a document Timothy could read authoritatively to the church.

Paul wrote first and foremost that the purpose of God's commandments is to produce genuine godly love in the human heart. Idle speculations, fables, and a preoccupation with one's ancestry do not produce love but rather, disputes. In just a few sentences, Paul gave a template for evaluating every doctrine-oriented message a person might ever hear. We are wise to ask, "Does the message produce godly love, or does it generate discord?" The message that produces godly love is the right message!

Paul then brilliantly provided a succinct reason for the law of Moses: to bring about conviction in the hearts of those who are failing in their love for God or other people. Paul listed ten categories of people that are corrected by the law. These ten categories of people line up with the Ten Commandments.

The law, Paul wrote, addresses those who are lawless, insubordinate, ungodly, unholy, and profane-in others words those who do not honor the Lord their God, who have other gods before Him, make for themselves carved images, who take the name of the Lord in vain, and who refuse to keep the Sabbath holy. The law confronts those who are the murderers of fathers and mothers, those who do not honor their fathers and mothers. The law stands against those who are manslayers, fornicators, sodomites, kidnappers (also translated thieves), liars, and perjurers-those who commit murder and adultery, covet and steal, and bear false witness against their neighbors.

Keeping the law is not the end game for the Christian, but rather the foundation for "the glorious gospel of the blessed God." Paul pointed toward a message of good news that creates love in the human heart. Whereas the law stands against sin, the gospel creates newness of spirit-it generates sincere faith and purity of heart. Whereas the law convicts, the gospel calls a person freely to receive and extend forgiveness, which produces a clean or "good" conscience. Paul pointed Timothy toward sound teaching that is based upon the law but not limited to it. The word for sound in this passage, hugiainein, literally means health-giving. The law stands against anything that tears apart the fabric of human life, and the gospel in turn, promotes everything that fosters healing and wholeness.

Both the law and the gospel were vital, Paul taught; one does not negate or replace the other. Even so, the two are different in purpose and effect. Whereas the law defines sin and the need for reconciliation, the gospel presents salvation for the sinner and offers the means of reconciliation. Whereas the law contains and restrains, the gospel unleashes the human spirit and allows it to soar. It is the gospel that has true transformative power to those who believe.

Many believers today experience a degree of tension between following both God's commandments and the traditions of the faith, and living in freedom in Christ Jesus. We each want to be free of anything that might shackle us or keep us from fulfilling our potential. However, we also know we need moorings and rules to keep us from dashing our futures against the rocks of error and from destroying relationships in our haste for personal accomplishment. The exact balance between what is fluid and what is fixed is often difficult to determine.

How much of the Old Testament law are we to keep as believers in Christ Jesus? Which laws apply to us and which don't?

How can we discern which teachings are diverting us from the true gospel message with the potential to destroy us individually and as a church?

How can we stay pure in our love, clear in our consciences, and sincere in our faith?

These questions are just as pertinent to us today as to believers in Paul's time.

A Application for Today

"I just don't...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: HarperChristian Resources
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2008
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 1418526517
• ISBN 13: 9781418526511
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 96
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Thomas Nelson; https://www.thomasnelson.com/about-us/; ; Damson Lane; Hull; East Yorkshire; HU8 7DS; Vereinigtes Königreich
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