Messages

Paul has made it clear that women are not to be the authority figures in the church. So, who is called to lead? The obvious answer is men, but can it be just any man? Absolutely not, there is a high expectation for those who would even be considered to lead the church.

In this text, we will address one of the most controversial issues in the modern church: a woman’s role in the church. Paul explicitly says they must be silent. Is that really what it means? Does this expectation still apply today?

Paul claims that we should pray for all people. He even goes so far as to command prayer for the Emperor himself. Imagine having a temple in your town for the man who is putting people like you to death, and you are told to pray FOR that person, not against them! That was Ephesus!

As the disciples are walking seven miles from Jerusalem to Emmaus, Jesus goes through their bible, from the books of Moses through the Prophets (what we would call the Old Testament) and explains to them what the scriptures said about himself. There is no doubt: this is the greatest sermon we have never heard.

In this text, Paul calls out two people who didn’t lose their faith, they flat out rejected it. Their life and story, which Timothy would have been very familiar with, is used as a warning for Timothy to hold onto faith and a good conscience.

When most people think of Paul, they think of the "Great Apostle." The one who endured great suffering to take the gospel around the Roman world for the sake of the Gentiles. We don’t often think of Paul before he came to Christ.

Paul encourages Timothy to refute those who have departed from a sincere faith and have turned to meaningless talk. These people are focused on things that don’t matter, like myths, genealogies, and controversial speculations, rather than focusing on what matters most, namely, faith.

Outside of Paul himself, no one has more Bible writing credits in the New Testament than Timothy. Paul saw leadership potential in Timothy from an early age and Paul took him along as his partner in Ministry, where he quickly became Paul's most trusted ministry partner. Eventually Paul called Timothy to pastor the church in Ephesus, where he did so faithfully for decades.

Paul ends his letter to the Ephesians in the same way he ends many of his letters. He specifically asks these brothers and sisters to pray for his boldness while he is in chains for the gospel. He prays, not for people to be saved, but for boldness to complete the mission of preaching the gospel as God has called him to.

We live in the middle of a battlefield. It is sometimes easy to forget it when we are doomscrolling Facebook and shopping for avocados. However, Paul makes it clear that spiritual warfare is an ever-present reality in the life of a follower of Jesus. This is his encouragement for us: prepare yourself for battle.