November 10, 2013 Twenty-fifth Sunday after Pentecost CALL TO WORSHIP: Lord Jesus Christ, your light shines on in the dark, and the darkness has never mastered it. You are the King of Glory, yet your glory is not to be served but to serve. You are the King of love and your love is to give yourself a ransom for many. You suffer what looks like defeat and emerge victorious. Your power comes to its full strength in weakness. Into the light of this kingship of yours we bring our lives, our hopes, our prayers. We come, O Lord, to be your servants and glorify your kingdom as we worship together. THE INVOCATION Reward them that wait for you, O Lord, and let the people be found faithful. Hear the prayers of your servants. O Lord, you have taught us that all our good deeds, without love, are worth nothing. Send us your Holy Spirit this morning and pour into our hearts your most excellent gift of love. Bind us together in peace, lift our hearts in rejoicing through your grace. In Jesus Name, Amen. PRAYER OF CONFESSION: O God, we admit that you take our sins seriously, while we try to take them lightly. We would like to think it doesnt matter what we do. If we hurt others by our words, or cheat others out of what belongs to them, it seems unimportant unless we are caught. When we come face to face with the Cross here in worship, we remember all our sins which crucify your way in the world. Forgive us for all our sins in the Name of Jesus Christ our Lord and hear now in silence those sins we have hidden in our hearts... Historical Background: A Faithful ministry: Timothy, a young man from Lystra, was probably converted during Pauls first missionary journey. When Paul returned to the area a year or two later, Timothy was recommended to him as a faithful disciple of Christ who would make a good traveling companion. From that time on. Timothy is associated with Paul. After Paul was released from his imprisonment in Rome he, Titus and Timothy went on a preaching tour. At Ephesus, Paul discovered that heresy was rotting away the church. It seems that the false teaching involved speculation about obscure matters rather than exposition about Christ and the Christian lifestyle of love. The teachers were characterized as proud, arrogant, contentious and greedy. As a result, Paul excommunicated two of the erring elders and put Timothy in charge of helping the church recover from its problems. Paul then went on to Macedonia where he wrote this letter to encourage Timothy in his restorative work. READINGS: 1 Timothy 3:1-13 New King James Version (NKJV) Qualifications of Overseers 3 This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop,[a] he desires a good work. 2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; 3 not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money,[b] but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous; 4 one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence 5 (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?); 6 not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. 7 Moreover he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. Qualifications of Deacons 8 Likewise deacons must be reverent, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy for money, 9 holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience. 10 But let these also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons, being found blameless. 11 Likewise, their wives must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things. 12 Let deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well. 13 For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a good standing and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus. May the Lord, mighty God, bless and keep you forever; Grant you peace, perfect peace; faith in every endeavor. Lift your eyes and see Gods face and Gods grace forever. May the Lord, mighty God, bless and keep you forever.
Posted on: Sun, 10 Nov 2013 00:07:44 +0000
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