HERE'S A TRUSTWORTHY SAYING ...
PAUL'S ADVICE TO TIMOTHY IN EPHESUS

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Welcome to Ephesus

• Prominent First Century church
• Acts 18 – Paul and Apollos started in synagogue
• Need for the Spirit
• Jews and Greeks
• Acts 20 – Wolves and Shepherds
• Revelation 2:1-7 – The later Ephesians had been through internal strife

Timothy’s Mission

• Paul leaves Timothy in Ephesus
• I Timothy 1:3-4 – Timothy is to promote God’s work and refute “other teaching.”
• Misuse of the law
• God’s work vs pointless controversy

Paul’s Testimony

Trustworthy Saying 1 – Christ came into the world to save sinners He makes Paul faithful and shows mercy Faith and love of Jesus

I am the worst sinner I was a blasphemer, persecutor, violent I acted out of ignorance and “unfaith”

“PISTOS”

The “Certain Ones”

• putting value on controversy: myths and endless genealogies which amount to speculation (1:4);
• engaging in empty discussion (1:6);
• responding to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons (4:1);
• guided by the hypocrisy of liars (4:2);
• forbidding marriage and promoting abstinence from foods (4:3);
• emphasis on godless and silly myths (4:7);
• desire for controversy and disputes about words (6:4);
• believing godliness is a means for gain (6:5)

Cling to Your Faith

• Includes more than just doctrine
• Includes conscience
• Others have shipwrecked their “faith”
• Hymenaeus and Alexander were thrown to Satan so that they would learn not to blaspheme!
• Fight the good fight = Keep this charge

Healthy Teaching

• ... or who do anything else that contradicts the healthy teaching that comes from the glorious Good News entrusted to me by our blessed God. (1 Timothy 1:10-11)
• Some people may contradict our teaching, but these are the healthy teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. These teachings promote a godly life. (1 Timothy 6:3)

My thanks to Dr. Eugene Peterson (Professor Emeritus of Spiritual Theology at Regent College, Vancouver, British Columbia) for helping me with a portion of this lesson. This good article by Dr. Peterson is useful for anyone in ministry.

Chris Benjamin

West-Ark Church of Christ, Fort Smith, AR
Evening Sermon, 14 February 2010

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