After the Apostle Paul lays the foundation of what a church is according to God, he begins to give instructions on how we should conduct ourselves as God’s household, by teaching the church how to pray in light of God’s plans.

After Paul dropped off Timothy to Ephesus in order to help shepherd the church, probably 8 years had passed since they had seen each other. So, Paul takes pen to paper, not knowing when they would reunite, and sees it necessary to write to Timothy concerning how the church should operate. At the centre of all this comes his first exhortation - preach and protect the gospel. 

Our sin always has ourselves at the center, whereas true doctrine always has Jesus at the center. Apostle Paul shows us in his first letter to Timothy that false teaching causes division but the truth of the gospel results in genuine love and a pure heart.

God's people Israel were called to obey God as a right response to His grace, as a privilege, and as a witness to a watching world so they would see His greatness. In Jesus, we are called to do the same.

God calls his people to be united together, so they can equip each other to live a life worthy of the gospel.

In the book of Revelation our Lord Jesus gives us a vision of the church in glory so we know what to hope for and to empower us to persevere.

Jesus’ promise to be with his people is fulfilled in part by the presence of his Spirit in each and every disciple, and also as he leads his church through Spirit-filled men who take care of his flock until he returns.

The way Christ guards the holiness of the church is by the use of the neglected grace of Church Discipline. It is driven by the salvation of the sinner and the holiness of the church.

Jesus builds his church by making himself known by the power of his Spirit, then through the Spirit Jesus equips the church to be a proper reflection of himself. Jesus does this to achieve his mission by making himself known through the witness of his church.

Jesus was very clear about the cost of discipleship. If we live for him, we should expect to be treated the same way he was. In this sermon, we look at the Apostle Paul’s example of suffering for the church as he labored to present them all fully mature in Christ.