The Church as God Planned It ~ Chuck Swindoll

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Reformed Minister Looks at Headship

What Does The Bible Teach about Headship ~ Kostenberger

Headship in the Home

The Church As God Planned It ~ Swindoll

What Does the Bible Say About Women In The Church ~ Swindoll

Peter Lange's Commentary on Choosing Deacons

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EXCELLENCE IN MINISTRY Starting Strong—Doing What’s Right in the Work of Ministry 

The Church as God Planned It 

1 Timothy 1:1– 6, 18 –20; 2:1–8; 3:1–13; 4:11–16

LET’S BEGIN HERE 
Shortly before his death, Paul wrote three letters on the subject of the local church—specifically on pastoral responsibilities within the church. These letters are 1 Timothy (written in AD 63), Titus (AD 63), and 2 Timothy (AD 67). The Pastoral Epistles, as they are commonly called, provide believers with the earliest and most reliable guidelines for the local church. They dictate the way issues in the church should be handled, the philosophy that should be embraced within the church, and the manner in which the church should be led. Over the centuries, human tradition has often outshouted biblical principles and caused the church to get off course, which has resulted in every conceivable extreme in teaching and in doctrine, including heresy. In this expositional study of 1 Timothy, we return to the source—the Bible—and discover afresh how God planned the church to function.
LET’S DIG DEEPER 
1. Some Observations of the Church Today The local church today is too narcissistic. Our insistence on human tradition instead of biblical truth, worldly success instead of godly success, size instead of depth, and division instead of unification turns the church into a joke. But Jesus is no court jester, and His death and resurrection are no laughing matter.  Read MORE ...