Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev20120318.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
1 Timothy: God's Ministry Roles For Church Leaders And The Local Church
Part VII: The Need For Adult Male Believers To Pray For An Effective Local Church Ministry
(1 Timothy 2:1-8)
  1. Introduction
    1. God raises up adult male believers in the local church who are called and led of God to take an overview of the the local church for its functioning and ministry.
    2. However, the order and function of this institution is affected not only by issues within it, but by those outside it in the government, requiring God's supernatural help, and this points to the need for prayer by all adult male believers in the local church as a top priority as 1 Timothy 2:1-8 explains (as follows):
  2. The Need For Adult Male Believers To Pray For An Effective Local Church Ministry, 1 Tim 2:1-8.
    1. 1 Timothy 2:1 is introduced by the inferential particle, oun, translated "therefore" (KJV) ["then" NIV] that ties chapter 2 to Paul's chapter 1 focus on Timothy's need to counter false teachers within the church, U. B. S. Greek N. T., 1966, p. 722; Arndt & Gingrich, A Greek-English Lexicon of the N. T., p. 597-598.
    2. However, Paul's attention in 1 Timothy 2 at verse 2 turns to the church's relation to civil rulers outside the church, so men like Timothy have a superhuman assignment to oversee the local church's welfare both in relation to problem teachers within as well as problem rulers outside the local church.
    3. Thus, Paul "urged, exhorted" (parakaleo, Ibid., p. 622-623) four types of prayer be made, 2 Timothy 2:1b:
      1. He called for "petitions for the fulfillment of definite needs which are keenly felt" (Wm. Hendriksen, Expos. of the Pastoral Epistles (NTC), 1974, p. 91), the meaning of deesis , Ibid., U. B. S. Grk. N. T.
      2. Paul called for "requests for the fulfillment of needs that are always present" (Ibid., Hendricksen, p. 92), the meaning here of proseuche, Ibid., U. B. S. Grk. N. T.
      3. He called for "pleading in the interest of others . . . without holding back' in any way" (Ibid., Hendriksen, p. 93), the meaning here of enteuxis, Ibid., U. B. S. Grk. N. T.
      4. Paul called for "thanksgivings," the meaning of eucharistia, Ibid., Arndt & Gingrich, p. 328-329.
    4. Paul urged that these prayers be made as a top priority, 1 Timothy 2:1a; Ibid., Hendriksen, p. 91.
    5. Paul urged that these prayers be made regarding "all men," a term he clarifies in the context at 1 Timothy 2:1c to mean kings and all who are in high government positions, 1 Tim. 2:2a; Ibid., Hendriksen, p. 93-94.
    6. Paul urged that these prayers focus on God's work to impact such civil leaders to allow the local church room to have a "tranquil and calm life in all godliness and gravity," 1 Timothy 2:2 b; Ibid., p. 94.
    7. The expressed reason for such prayer is that such a state best provides for local church order and proper function of the spiritual gifts in the body so it can disciple the world, making such prayer "excellent and acceptable" in the "sight of God our Savior," 1 Timothy 2:3-4; Ibid., p. 95. In times of persecution, one can minister as a martyr for Christ, but in-depth discipling occurs only if the church has a tranquil and calm life where its spiritual gifts can minister, Eph. 4:11-16! (Bible Know. Com., N. T., p. 734)
    8. The importance of the church's need to minister the truth this way is stated in 1 Timothy 2:5-7 as follows:
      1. Paul noted that there is only one Mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus, making it imperative that the lost get to hear the Church's Gospel of Christ so they might be saved, 1 Tim. 2:4-5.
      2. Indeed, Christ gave Himself as a ransom for all men, including the lost world, which testimony is to be proclaimed to the world in "due" or in "an appropriate season," 1 Timothy 2:6; Ibid., p. 99.
      3. After all, Paul himself had been ordained a "herald" and an apostle of this salvation Gospel for all men, a calling Paul emphasized was truly given unto him by the Lord, 1 Timothy 2:7.
    9. Thus, Paul urged that such prayers be made by all adult male believers, by andras, the root noun being aner (Ibid., U. B. S. Grk. N. T.; Ibid., Arndt & Gingrich, p. 65-66; Ibid., Hendriksen, p. 102-105), and that they "lift up . . . hands" (a respectful position in Paul's era) in the sphere of holiness "without wrath and evil deliberation" (Ibid., p. 105), without such sins that make prayer to God unacceptable (Psalm 66:18).
Lesson: Local church adult male believers as a first priority of ministry must in righteousness pray extensively for matters that affect their local church from within and from without, that they have a tranquil, calm life so the spiritual gifts have room to disciple the nations.

Application: May we men heed this call, and may the whole local church body promote it as well.