Lord’s Day Message
Bible Verses: 1 Tim. 5 (NLT)
1 Never speak harshly to an older man, but appeal to him respectfully as you would to your own father. Talk to younger men as you would to your own brothers. 2 Treat older women as you would your mother, and treat younger women with all purity as you would your own sisters.
3 Take care of any widow who has no one else to care for her. 4 But if she has children or grandchildren, their first responsibility is to show godliness at home and repay their parents by taking care of them. This is something that pleases God. 5 Now a true widow, a woman who is truly alone in this world, has placed her hope in God. She prays night and day, asking God for his help. 6 But the widow who lives only for pleasure is spiritually dead even while she lives. 7 Give these instructions to the church so that no one will be open to criticism. 8 But those who won’t care for their relatives, especially those in their own household, have denied the true faith. Such people are worse than unbelievers.
9 A widow who is put on the list for support must be a woman who is at least sixty years old and was faithful to her husband. 10 She must be well respected by everyone because of the good she has done. Has she brought up her children well? Has she been kind to strangers and served other believers humbly? Has she helped those who are in trouble? Has she always been ready to do good? 11 The younger widows should not be on the list, because their physical desires will overpower their devotion to Christ and they will want to remarry. 12 Then they would be guilty of breaking their previous pledge. 13 And if they are on the list, they will learn to be lazy and will spend their time gossiping from house to house, meddling in other people’s business and talking about things they shouldn’t. 14 So I advise these younger widows to marry again, have children, and take care of their own homes. Then the enemy will not be able to say anything against them. 15 For I am afraid that some of them have already gone astray and now follow Satan. 16 If a woman who is a believer has relatives who are widows, she must take care of them and not put the responsibility on the church. Then the church can care for the widows who are truly alone.
17 Elders who do their work well should be respected and paid well, especially those who work hard at both preaching and teaching. 18 For the Scripture says, “You must not muzzle an ox to keep it from eating as it treads out the grain.” And in another place, “Those who work deserve their pay!” 19 Do not listen to an accusation against an elder unless it is confirmed by two or three witnesses. 20 Those who sin should be reprimanded in front of the whole church; this will serve as a strong warning to others.
21 I solemnly command you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus and the holy angels to obey these instructions without taking sides or showing favoritism to anyone. 22 Never be in a hurry about appointing a church leader. Do not share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure. 23 Don’t drink only water. You ought to drink a little wine for the sake of your stomach because you are sick so often. 24 Remember, the sins of some people are obvious, leading them to certain judgment. But there are others whose sins will not be revealed until later. 25 In the same way, the good deeds of some people are obvious. And the good deeds done in secret will someday come to light.
Outlines
1. Serving various people in the church life
In this chapter, Paul speaks very practically on how to care for people in the church life. First, he must recognise those who he serves are his family. When he exhorts them, he needs to beware of his attitude and the boundary according to the age and the gender.
2. Care for widows (the needy ones)
Then Paul mentions the cares of widows in a detailed way. Basically we can apply this to the needy ones who cannot care for themselves. Yet in this caring we need love and wisdom. For this Paul also shares some principles and examples for discerning.
3. Care for the elders and workers
To care for elders and workers, Paul has mentioned to respect them and care for physical needs. Concerning accusations against them, it must be taken care of in a very serious matter.
4. Care for Timothy himself
Paul also cordially asks Timothy to care for himself and offers his experience and suggestions in serving.
Next Topics: 1 Tim. 6
Church Meetings/Time/Place
Home Meeting: 24/2 Mon. 7:30pm, Richard & Flora’s
Young Professionals Meeting: 25/2 Tue. 7:30pm, Meeting Hall
Sister meeting: 26/2 Wed. 10:00am, Anne’s
Prayer Meeting: 26/2 Wed. 7:30pm，Meeting Hall
Young People Meeting/Pursuing for Adults：1/3 Sat. 7:30pm, Meeting Hall
Announcements:
- We welcome all the new ones who are joining us today and hope you can leave your information for us to contact you in the future.
- If the brothers and sisters see something need to be fixed in the meeting hall, please report to brothers Michael Lin or Richard Chen. If anyone has questions or suggestions for the cleaning service, please fellowship with brothers Richard Cui or Patrick Li.
- The church will have lessons for new believers on March 9, 16, 23, and 30. We hope many new believers as well as those who want to pursue and exercise can join these lessons.
- On April 18~21 (Friday night to Monday noon) the church plans to have a conference for both young people and adults at Collaroy. We hope many brothers and sisters can separate the time and participate together. The church will cover the cost for the young people. For details including the cost of the adults, please contact Brother Richard and Sister Lamee.
Intercession:
- Please pray for the gospel friends among us so that our Lord can open their hearts to see God’s salvation and be willing to receive the Lord and become the member in God’s family. Pray especially for those are just baptized (Brothers Leo and Jonathan, and Sister Shirley). May the Lord bless their whole life.
- Pray for the brothers and sisters who are travelling. May the Lord give them peace and joy during their trips. Pray especially for Sister Da-Nan Lu who went back to China. May the Lord care her health.
Serving Next Week: (Mar. 2)
- Sharing: Jason Wang & Yulin Wang
- Breaking the Bread: Richard Chen & Richard Cui
Serving Bread and Cup: Richard Cui, Jason Wang, & Jack Lee
3. Pianist: Hannah Cui
4. Cleaning: Raymond & Lucy family, Thomas & Lena, Ferry & Inda, Michael & Mandy Family, Yulin & Jessica Family
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