1 Timothy #7: Matters of the Church (1 Timothy 3:14-16)
1 Timothy #7: Matters of the Church (1 Timothy 3:14-16)
Janelle Greene (9/27/26)
Download (http://eastgatefellowship.org/studies/newtestament/1sttimothy2026/1tim07.mp3)
I’m always curious about the different expectations that people have when they come to church. I wonder about when people step through the doors of Eastgate, whether it’s the first time or the hundredth time, what are they expecting to find?
Those who have been to Eastgate many times might expect to be greeted with friendly faces. They might expect to grab a refill of coffee during the five minute break. They might expect to sign up for a new event or ministry. They might expect it to feel like winter on the inside while it is boiling lava hot in the rest of Florida.
Sometimes, we have found Eastgate to disappoint people’s expectations of what church should be. We have had some leave the church because they expected us to put more effort into how the church is marketed in the local community. Some have left because they expected us to spend more time weighing in on political matters or whatever things are dominating the 24 hour news cycles.
What are some non-negotiable expectations that you have for Eastgate, or all church communities that you participate in? For me, I expect to spend time studying scripture. I expect to spend time worshipping through music. I expect to support, and be supported, by the people in the church community.
This week, as we read 1 Timothy 3:14-16 (https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Tim%203%3A14-16&version=NLT), we will see Paul continue to reinforce his expectations for the church community. This book is a letter to a church in Ephesus, a place we are many miles and many years removed from. Yet, there is wisdom in this text that is meant to shape and cultivate every church community that is centered on Christ. It is through studying this word we are able to learn Paul’s expectations for a healthy church, and consider how well we line up with that at Eastgate.
We invite you to join us this Sunday as we study the word together at 10:00AM.
Click here (http://eastgatefellowship.org/studies/newtestament/1sttimothy2026/1tim07.pdf) for a pdf of the teaching slideshow.
20 Sept 2026
1 Timothy #6: Quality Control For Leaders (1 Timothy 3:1-13)
1 Timothy #6: Quality Control For Leaders (1 Timothy 3:1-3)
Rob Woodrum (9/20/26)
Download (http://eastgatefellowship.org/studies/newtestament/1sttimothy2026/1tim06.mp3)
Any group of people that seek to unite and accomplish a common goal are going to, by necessity, have leaders within the group. Even on game shows like Survivor, we see how people naturally fall into roles and leaders eventually emerge among the tribes. An old axiom says, “If everyone is in charge, then no one is.” . We had to learn those lessons early on in trying to re-imagine our approach to church in Eastgate. Leaders are part of the deal.
We’re going to continue our study in 1 Timothy this Sunday, reading 1 Tim 3:1-13 (https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Tim%203%3A1-13&version=NLT). Paul provides lists of character traits that the leadership of the church should embody. Why do you think it’s important for those who lead the church community to embody these moral characteristics? Is it a double standard…that is, should these traits only characterize the leadership, or is there something else to this?
The word Paul uses for church leader is episkope (http://www.biblestudytools.com/Lexicons/Greek/grk.cgi?number=1984&version=kjv), and it means someone who watches over things and investigates them…it is commonly called “an overseer”. Many denominations have created an office hierarchy out of this word…but the text doesn’t seem to support that. Words like “pastor/shepherd”, “elder” and “bishop/overseer” are more than likely describing the different functions of those who lead the local church. Read 1 Peter 5:1-2 (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20pet%205:1-2;&version=50;) …do you notice anything about those terms in this verse? We’re going to get into the gender-specific language the translators used for this passage – James Pruch has a really good article (https://jamespruch.wordpress.com/2021/08/26/1-timothy-31-7-for-men-only/) on the problem of most translations of this passage.
The other designation for leadership is “deacon”, which in the Greek is diakonos (http://www.biblestudytools.com/Lexicons/Greek/grk.cgi?number=1249&version=kjv), and it literally means “servant”. I suppose this is any function in the church community that serves the specific needs a community has…including what the cultural developments require. Things like teaching the children, music ministry, making coffee, doing media stuff….these would be included, in my thinking, as we make the generational and cultural leap to the 21st century.
Traditional formations of the church have created an elaborate hierarchy from passages like these…do you get any sense of an elevated class of people from what Paul says here? What is the overall sense of Paul’s instructions….and how would you apply it to church as you know it?
Ross Clemons, from the Panama City Rescue Mission will join us this Sunday for a brief update on what’s happening in that ministry. I hope you can join us, Sunday at 10 AM.
Click here (http://eastgatefellowship.org/studies/newtestament/1sttimothy2026/1tim06.pdf) for a pdf of the teaching slideshow.
19 Sept 2026
1 Timothy #5: God's Kingdom In A Fallen Culture (1 Timothy 2:8-15)
1 Timothy #5: God's Kingdom In A Fallen Culture (1 Timothy 2:8-15)
Janelle Greene & Rob Woodrum (9/13/26)
Download (http://eastgatefellowship.org/studies/newtestament/1sttimothy2026/1tim05.mp3)
Sunday we’ll be continuing our exploration of the 1st letter to Timothy – reading chapter 2:8-15 (https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20tim%202%3A8-15&version=NLT).
This passage continues Paul’s encouragement from the first part of the chapter – challenging both men and women to carry themselves differently from what the cultural expectations are. Paul does this a lot in his writing – and he cleverly subverts the norms of this broken world to show how the values of the Kingdom can operate even within the fallen culture.
This passage also contains a very difficult passage – one that’s stirred much controversy over the years. As we said at the outset of our teaching, we have to be good tourists when we come to these letters. We have to factor in the culture and historic setting and all of the influences that would prompt Paul to write the things he does to this ancient church. Our challenge will be to piece together a picture that can help us understand his words without forcing him to be contradictory to other parts of his writing.
It’s not an easy task – and I’ll warn you that we’ll spend a good amount of time exploring a handful of verses – but my hope is, it will be worth it and that we’ll all find it encouraging and freeing. Hope you can join us this Sunday at 10 am!
Click here (http://eastgatefellowship.org/studies/newtestament/1sttimothy2026/1tim05.pdf) for a pdf of the teaching slideshow.
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