I Timothy #2
CHCC: April 22, 2007
When We All Get Together
I Timothy 2:1-15
INTRODUCTION:
Last Sunday, we looked at I Timothy chapter 1 where Paul gave a young minister named Timothy direction on how to handle false teachers in the Church at Ephesus. Paul charged Timothy to defeat Legalism by holding fast to the Gospel of Grace. In Chapter 2, Paul gets down to the nitty gritty. Some of the folks at ECC (that’s Ephesus Christian Church) --- where disrupting the Worship services. Here’s what Paul said should come first at ECC:
I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth. I Timothy 2:1-4
1. Connected to God I Timothy 2:1-7
In other words, the first priority is to stay CONNECTED TO GOD through Prayer. Look at the KINDS of prayer Paul mentioned. We make Requests for what we need. Intercession means praying for others. We give Thanks for the good things God provides. The Greek word translated “Prayers” is proseuche. It refers here to public prayers. It pleases God when we get together and pray for our Political leaders and all those who hold positions of Authority. The church is not supposed to be antagonistic to the government. We show our support for civil authority through our public prayers.
We pray for our National, State, and Local Leaders, so that God can give us a stable government. In a safe and peaceful community we have the freedom to worship and to spread God’s Word. So let’s take time to do that right now. (Prayer)
Paul has one more thing to say about prayer: I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing. I Timothy 2:8 Paul was NOT commanding them to lift up their hands. That was already the way they prayed. I found it interesting to learn that standing with raised hands was a common prayer stance for Jewish worship. The Jewish Christians carried this practice into the Church.
In fact, during the first 2 or 3 hundred years, the raising of hands became so strongly associated with Christian worship that Jewish Rabbis eventually banned the practice in their Synagogues. I read that the Jews also banned kneeling and prostrating themselves because these were also common prayer postures for Christians. That helped me understand why the Jews you see praying usually stand with hands at their sides, perhaps rocking back and forth. (Sunday, June 4th, 2006, Lifting Holy Hands, by Pastor Josh Larsen)
The practice of hand raising in Christian worship dwindled in the Middle Ages. Hand raising wasn’t the only expression of worship that died off during that time. Over all, Worship became more of a SPECTATOR experience… the Choir sang --- the Priest spoke (in Latin) and the Congregation watched in silence.
It wasn’t until the Reformation that participation in worship started up again. The reason Martin Luther wrote Hymns was because there weren’t any songs that a congregation could sing together. Most of those early Hymns were actually Poems put to music. The Music they chose was usually a familiar tune so it would be easy for everyone to sing along.
The Puritans who founded our country were not a demonstrative bunch. For them, to be Pious was to be quiet and solemn. That attitude has more or less shaped our culture. This week I went out with the Go-getters (our Seasoned Citizen’s group) and they got to talking about their own parents and grandparents. (elaborate) – In the past we had a less demonstrative culture in general … not just in worship.
I think our culture now is more demonstrative in general. I don’t remember my Grandparents expressing much affection to me, but I’m hugging and kissing all over my Grandchildren. And if we’re more demonstrative in general, it makes sense that we can be more demonstrative in Worship. If we can jump around and shout at a Spurs game, we should be able to express a little excitement in Church.
When we get caught up in Worship of our Great God, it’s Okay to let it show … whether its through your singing or lifting your hands or clapping or swaying or closing your eyes or just by the expression on your face. In my case, I got comfortable with hand raising when I traveled to India and Russia. The lifting of hands is common in their worship. And once I tried it, I liked it. Of course, when I visited Kenya, I saw Christians worshiping with what we called The Massai Leap. … Don’t worry; I don’t think that’s for me.
The point is not what we do or don’t do during church. What matters is that … when we worship together … we keep it new --- keep it fresh --- and, most importantly, keep it real. Which brings us to the main point Paul was making. When Paul said I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands, the emphasis was on the word HOLY. .
2. Representative of God I Timothy 2:8-10
When we get together as the Church, we REPRESENT God. It’s essential that people see Authenticity in our lives. When Paul says he wants to see HOLY hands lifted in prayer, he means that hands lifted in prayer should not be hands that steal or cheat or do harm to others. Hands raised toward God on Sunday should not be raised in anger on Monday. The hand lifted in worship shouldn’t be shooting an unsavory signal when a car cuts you off on the way home.
Hands have always been used as a Symbol of our Lives. When someone marries, we say they “give their hand in marriage.” We shake hands to seal a deal. We raise our hand when we swear to tell the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth at Court.
Notice that Paul did not say, I want men everywhere to lift up PERFECT hands. He said HOLY hands. It’s God alone who can make us HOLY. When we lift our hands, we are not saying “Hey, look at me, I’m one holy kind of guy.” Our lifted hands are open and empty, ready to RECEIVE. We are saying, “God, I offer you my life. Take it and make it holy.”
Now, if you’ve been thinking, “Boy, Skidmore’s pushing the envelope today, bringing up the whole hand raising subject,” wait until you see what’s coming next. One of the reasons we’re doing a series on I Timothy is because it’s one of the few books of the Bible I’ve never preached a series from. Well, when I took a look at verses 9 – 15, I realized why.
These verses are full of “hot button” issues. So if you’ve got any “hot buttons” … I’m going to ask you to pull the plug on them for a few minutes. Let’s give Paul a fair hearing. Here’s what he wrote to Timothy about problems in the Ephesian church:
I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God. A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent. I Timothy 2:8-12
(Now that I think about it, if I was smart I could have scheduled Ronnie or Dallas to preach this week!) Something about this strikes me kind of funny. It reminds me of an old Saturday Night Live sketch where these fat, chauvinistic guys sat around chugging beer and discussing “Women’s Problems.” It never goes over well for guys to tell gals what to do!
At any rate, these verses have caused Paul to be maligned by a lot of people.
Here are some of the things people have claimed these verses mean:
· Women must wear long Dresses and have long Hair (but not braided!)
· Women should not wear any Jewelry (and that applies to Makeup too)
· Women must do ONLY the kind of good deeds that are appropriate for women (probably involving the Kitchen or caring for children)
· In the church service, women should keep their heads covered and their mouths shut.
In case you don’t know, there are Church groups who have made every one of those rules for their women. And they’ve based them on these verses. I have to wonder how ANYONE could think Paul was making a bunch of Rules for the women in chapter 2 when he spent most of Chapter 1 railing against the evils of LEGALISM?
If Paul saw a list of rules like that, he’d be seriously upset. In fact, you could say: Paul would be aPauled! (so to speak)
If you want to understand Paul’s attitude toward women, look at Galatians 3:28 where he set forth this overriding doctrine: In Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Paul preached equality in Christ for everyone.
Keep in mind that Paul wrote this letter in response to specific problems at the Ephesus church. Let’s take a minute to understand the culture that Paul was addressing. On my trips to India I have observed that in most church services the men sit on one side of the aisle and women sit on the other with the children in front of the women’s section. Women usually cover their heads with part of the fabric from their Saris.
Going to India is kind of like going back to the First Century because their ways are very much like the ways of the early church. Men and women in the First Century church also sat separately, and women usually covered their heads.
That kind of arrangement seems old fashioned to us. But we need to realize what a Revolutionary place the church was during the First Century. In the Jewish synagogues, women did not even worship in the same room as the men. And in the Pagan religions, men and women usually didn’t mix at all (unless it was in some kind of immoral carousing.)
Church Services for the early Christians were the only place in all the world where men and women from different social classes and many ethnicities met TOGETHER on a regular basis. And they not only met together … they met as EQUALS before God. That was unheard of! Think about what this must have been like for the congregation at ECC. Slave Masters must have felt uneasy meeting together with their Slaves. It must have felt strange for Aristocrats to kneel in prayer next to a lower class merchant. It must have been uncomfortable for Jews to partake of the Lord’s Supper with the formerly despised Gentiles. It’s no wonder there was potential for a Culture War at ECC.
I’m going to read between the lines here and take a guess as to why Paul dared to go where no man had gone before --- and tell a bunch of women what to wear. The ECC church had two groups of women worshiping together who could not have been more different. The Jewish Women dressed in lose robes with heads covered … the same way they had dressed for the synagogue before they converted.
The Greek converts ALSO continued to dress they way they were used to when going to their Pagan Temples. They loved bedecked themselves with Jewels and wore their hair in elaborate braided styles. Add to that the fact that the Pagan worship these women were used to was very sensual in nature. Women were used to dressing in a provocative manner when going to the temple. This must have shocked the demure Jewish women. (Not to mention the poor Jewish men who probably didn’t know which way to look.)
Here’s what I think Paul was saying: Ladies, ladies.. Whether you’re rich or poor, Jewish or Greek, dress with modesty … and don’t draw attention to yourself with fancy clothes and hairstyles. The principle behind Paul’s instructions is simple: When you get together as the Church, remember that you Represent Christ. Dress and act accordingly.
3. Submissive to God I Timothy 2:11-15
Then Paul says, A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent. I Timothy 2:11-12
The Greek word translated be silent is the same root word that is translated as peaceful in verse 2. This word does not demand utter silence. It is not saying women should never speak in Church. Instead, it describes a quiet, peaceful attitude and manner.
My guess is that some of the ECC women were stirring up a Gender War in the church. I can picture them calling out questions to the men across the aisle. Perhaps some of them were trying to get their Husbands to speak out on a certain topic. Maybe some of them disagreed with what the Church Leaders were saying. Whatever their motives, they were causing disruption in the worship service.
Well, the women weren’t the only ones making a ruckus. Paul gave similar advice in verse 8 when He told the MEN to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing. Evidently BOTH the men and the women of ECC were arguing and bickering. Paul told the men to stop trying to dominate each other. And he told the women to stop trying to dominate the men. (Now, I’ll admit, he said a lot more to the women than to the men. But maybe he knew the women could handle a lot of detail. For us guys he needed to keep it short and to the point.)
Let me share with you a good quote Jack Lambert gave me last Sunday. He said, “We can agree to disagree agreeably.” That’s the kind of attitude we need to have in the Church. That’s the way men and women alike can Represent Christ to the world.
Now we come to two verses that have filled the pages of Commentaries with all kinds of interpretations: For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner. But women will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety. I Timothy 2:13-15
Let’s start with the last statement. What did Paul mean when he said that women will be saved (some versions translate it “restored”) through childbearing… Some think this is a reference to the birth of Christ. Others think it refers to the fact that even after the Fall, women retained the unique privilege of producing new life. Either or both could be correct in my opinion.
As for verses 13 and 14, Paul was NOT saying that Adam was superior to Eve as some have claimed. Genesis 1:27 makes it clear that God created both male and female in His image.
But Genesis chapter 2 gives more detail. After God created Adam, he waited a while before creating Eve. In the interim, Adam named all the animals --- but Adam saw that there was not a companion suitable for him. That’s when God took one of Adam’s ribs to form the woman.
When God brought Eve to Adam it was like a Father walking his daughter down the aisle to give her in Marriage. Genesis 2:24 tells what God intended for Adam and Eve when it says, For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. This Marriage relationship was meant for their pleasure AND for their protection. They were meant to work together in Unity.
Now, let’s skip over to Eve, talking to the Serpent in the Garden. Have you ever wondered why she didn’t she consult with Adam before she bit into that Fatal Fruit? Paul said that Adam was not the one deceived. To me that implies that Adam and Eve TOGETHER might have made the right decision. How different would things be if Eve had said, “Tell you what, Serpent --- I’ll talk it over with Adam. Then the two of us will ask God what He thinks --- and I’ll get back with you.” I have a feeling the Serpent would made a quick exit.
Of course, that’s not how it went. Eve decided she didn’t need to consult Adam … she didn’t even need to ask God. She decided SHE should call the shots. I think Paul recognized that same Spirit of Rebellion in the Ephesian Church. Some members of ECC were making the same kind of attempt to Usurp Authority that caused the original Fall in the Garden of Eden. Rebellion against Authority did Adam and Eve no good then … and it has no place in the Church today.
CONCLUSION:
I think there are several valuable lessons we can take from this section of Paul’s letter to Timothy. When we all get together as a Church Family:
· We need to remember, first of all, Connect to God through our Prayers.
· We need to be sure our Worship is Authentic --- from the heart.
· We need to remember that we Represent Christ when we decide how to dress and talk and behave in the Church.
· And all of us --- men AND women --- need to Submit to God’s Word as our Final Authority in everything.
That sums up the advice Paul gave to the church at ECC. And that is how we … here at CHCC …can be the church God wants us to be.
