Faith and Love: The Foundation of Church Stewardship

Devotional

Day 1: Discernment in Doctrine

Paul's charge to Timothy emphasizes the critical importance of sound doctrine and the need to avoid teachings that lead to speculation rather than faith. In a world filled with diverse teachings and philosophies, discernment becomes essential for maintaining the integrity of the gospel. Timothy is instructed to remain in Ephesus to ensure that the teachings align with the truth of the gospel, avoiding myths and endless genealogies that lead to aimless speculations. This discernment is not just about rejecting false teachings but also about actively promoting the advancement of God's plan through faith. The church's mission is to foster a community grounded in faith, where teachings are not speculative but rooted in the transformative power of the gospel. [03:08]

1 Timothy 6:3-5 (ESV): "If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain."

Reflection: Consider the teachings you encounter daily. How can you practice discernment to ensure they align with the truth of the gospel?

Day 2: Faith as Transformation

God's household plan is characterized by faith, which is foundational to the church's mission. This faith is not merely an intellectual assent but a transformative force that purifies the heart and results in love. Paul emphasizes that faith is the essence of God's stewardship, advancing His plan and purpose for the church. This transformative faith is what sets the church apart, enabling believers to live out their calling with a pure heart and a good conscience. As stewards of God's household, church leaders and members alike are called to embody this faith, allowing it to shape their lives and actions. [06:28]

James 2:17-18 (ESV): "So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, 'You have faith and I have works.' Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works."

Reflection: In what ways can you allow your faith to transform your daily actions and interactions with others?

Day 3: Love as the Ultimate Aim

The ultimate aim of Paul's charge to Timothy is love, which springs from a pure heart, a good conscience, and sincere faith. This love is not an abstract concept but a tangible expression of God's plan for His church, rooted in faith. Paul underscores that love is the goal of the charge, highlighting its centrality to the church's identity and mission. This love is the result of a heart purified by faith, leading to a good conscience and sincere relationships within the community. As believers, the call is to embody this love in all aspects of life, reflecting God's plan and purpose for His people. [07:59]

1 Peter 1:22 (ESV): "Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart."

Reflection: How can you express sincere love to someone in your community today, reflecting the purity and sincerity of your faith?

Day 4: The Sequence of Faith and Love

The relationship between faith and love is central to the church's identity and mission. Faith purifies the heart, leading to a good conscience and resulting in love, which is crucial for the church's growth and effectiveness in fulfilling God's plan. This sequence is not just a theological concept but a practical reality that shapes the life of the church. As believers grow in faith, their hearts are purified, leading to a deeper love for God and others. This love, in turn, becomes the driving force for the church's mission, enabling it to impact the world with the gospel. [09:54]

Colossians 1:4-5 (ESV): "Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel."

Reflection: Reflect on the sequence of faith and love in your life. How can you nurture this relationship to enhance your spiritual growth and impact?

Day 5: Stewardship of Faith and Love

Church leaders, as stewards of God's household, are called to maintain a focus on faith and love, ensuring that their teachings and actions promote these core values. This stewardship is built by faith and expressed through love, forming the foundation of the church's mission and purpose. Leaders are entrusted with the responsibility of guiding the church in a way that reflects God's plan, fostering a community where faith and love are central. This requires a commitment to sound doctrine, discernment, and a genuine love for the community, enabling the church to fulfill its calling effectively. [12:23]

1 Corinthians 4:1-2 (ESV): "This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy."

Reflection: As a steward of God's household, how can you actively promote faith and love in your community, ensuring that your actions align with God's plan?

Sermon Summary

In this session, we delve into Paul's instructions to Timothy in 1 Timothy 1:3-5, where Paul emphasizes the importance of sound doctrine and the ultimate aim of love. Paul instructs Timothy to remain in Ephesus to charge certain individuals not to teach different doctrines or engage in myths and endless genealogies, which lead to speculations rather than advancing God's stewardship. The essence of this stewardship is faith, which is foundational to the church's mission and purpose. Paul contrasts the aimless nature of false teachings with the purposeful and goal-oriented nature of God's plan, which is rooted in faith and results in love.

The charge Paul gives Timothy is both negative and positive. Negatively, Timothy is to avoid teachings that do not align with the truth of the gospel. Positively, he is to promote God's household plan, which is characterized by faith. This faith is not just a belief but a transformative force that purifies the heart, clears the conscience, and results in sincere love. Paul underscores that the aim of this charge is love, which springs from a pure heart, a good conscience, and sincere faith. This love is not an abstract concept but a tangible expression of God's plan for His church.

Paul's message to Timothy is a reminder that the church's mission is not to engage in speculative teachings but to foster a community grounded in faith and love. The relationship between faith and love is central to the church's identity and mission. Faith purifies the heart, leading to a good conscience and resulting in love. This sequence is crucial for the church's growth and effectiveness in fulfilling God's plan. As stewards of God's household, church leaders are called to maintain this focus, ensuring that their teachings and actions promote faith and love.

Key Takeaways

1. The charge to Timothy emphasizes the importance of sound doctrine and avoiding teachings that lead to speculation rather than faith. This highlights the need for discernment in teaching and the focus on advancing God's plan through faith. [03:08]
2. God's household plan is characterized by faith, which is foundational to the church's mission. This faith is not just belief but a transformative force that purifies the heart and results in love. [06:28]
3. Love is the ultimate aim of the charge, springing from a pure heart, a good conscience, and sincere faith. This love is a tangible expression of God's plan for His church, rooted in faith. [07:59]
4. The relationship between faith and love is central to the church's identity and mission. Faith purifies the heart, leading to a good conscience and resulting in love, which is crucial for the church's growth. [09:54]
5. Church leaders, as stewards of God's household, are called to maintain a focus on faith and love, ensuring that their teachings and actions promote these core values. This stewardship is built by faith and expressed through love. [12:23]
** [12:23]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:20] - Introduction to Timothy's Charge
[00:54] - The Importance of Sound Doctrine
[01:43] - The Aim of the Charge
[02:29] - Prayer for Purity and Faith
[03:08] - Avoiding False Teachings
[03:43] - God's Stewardship Explained
[05:05] - The Household Plan of God
[06:09] - Faith as the Foundation
[07:26] - Love as the Goal
[08:20] - The Source of Love
[09:00] - The Sequence of Faith and Love
[10:16] - The Essence of the Charge
[11:42] - The Church as God's Household
[12:23] - The Role of Church Leaders

Bible Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:
- 1 Timothy 1:3-5
- Ephesians 3:8-10
- 1 Peter 1:22

---

Observation Questions:

What specific instructions does Paul give to Timothy regarding the teachings in Ephesus? ([00:35])
How does Paul describe the nature of myths and endless genealogies, and what do they lead to? ([03:25])
According to the sermon, what is the ultimate aim of the charge given to Timothy? ([07:59])
What are the three sources from which love issues, as mentioned in the sermon? ([08:20])

---

Interpretation Questions:

Why does Paul emphasize avoiding teachings that lead to speculation rather than faith? How might this apply to modern church teachings? ([03:08])
How does the concept of God's household plan relate to the mission of the church today? What does it mean for faith to be a transformative force? ([06:28])
In what ways does a pure heart, a good conscience, and sincere faith contribute to the expression of love within a church community? ([07:59])
How does the relationship between faith and love define the identity and mission of the church? What implications does this have for church leaders? ([11:24])

---

Application Questions:

Reflect on your own life: Are there teachings or beliefs you hold that might lead to speculation rather than advancing faith? How can you discern and address these? ([03:08])
Consider the role of faith in your personal transformation. How has your faith purified your heart and influenced your actions towards others? ([06:28])
Think about a time when you struggled to love someone sincerely. How might focusing on a pure heart and good conscience help you in such situations? ([07:59])
How can you, as a member of your church, contribute to promoting God's household plan? What specific actions can you take to foster a community grounded in faith and love? ([11:04])
Identify a leader in your church. How can you support them in maintaining a focus on faith and love in their teachings and actions? ([12:23])
Reflect on your current spiritual practices. Are they leading you towards a deeper love for others? What changes can you make to ensure your faith results in love? ([09:54])
How can you encourage others in your small group to focus on the relationship between faith and love? What practical steps can you take together to strengthen this focus? ([11:24])

Sermon Clips

The aim of the charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and sincere Faith. Father, we want very much to realize the aim here of the charge. We want to be people who love from a pure heart and a good conscience and sincere Faith. [00:02:09]

The charge that he is leaving Timothy with here is first mainly negative: not to teach different Doctrine, not to devote themselves to myths, not to devote themselves to endless genealogies. This word endless I think is very important here because it contrasts with aim or tellos, goal, end. [00:03:00]

These other doctrines, these myths, these endless genealogies, and the resultant speculations that never land on anything solid, anything sure, they don't promote God's stewardship. That word promote there is important because it implies Paul wants the effect of ministry and Doctrine and thinking to go somewhere and promote something. [00:04:08]

Paul has an aim. He has something he wants to promote, and what he wants to promote is first expressed in terms of stewardship, God's household plan for the church. That word oikonomia is used, for example, in Ephesians 3:8-10. [00:04:53]

The aim of the charge is Love. Now, where does love come from? Three things, he says: it issues from a pure heart, a good conscience, and sincere Faith. So relate that sincere Faith as the source of love to Faith as the source or the essence of the stewardship. [00:07:59]

He wants to promote God's household plan, and you do that by faith. That is, he wants to promote love in the church, and the heart of how you do it is Faith. It comes from, and then he mentions three things: Pure Heart, good conscience, sincere faith. [00:08:20]

First comes faith, that is obedience to the truth, that yields a pure heart, and that yields love. Love one another from a pure heart. So you see the sequence here. I'm arguing that faith comes first, then the heart is pure, then love abounds. [00:09:54]

The aim of everything that he has said here—not different Doctrine, not myths, not endless genealogies, not speculations—the aim of all of that charge is love, or to say it another way, it is the advancement of God's household plan, and both of them, the love and the household plan, come from faith. [00:10:16]

The relationship between faith and a good conscience, which is, I think, how you maintain the felt experience of the pure heart and love. Love and faith are paired up at least five times in this letter. [00:11:22]

The entire household plan of God, and he's of course treating the church as the household, and he's going to call Elders stewards, household Keepers. In Titus 1:7, for an overseer, an elder, a pastor, as God's household manager must be above reproach, and so on. [00:11:42]

The church is viewed as God's house, the pastors are viewed as the managers of the house, the stewardship of the house is going to be built by faith, and the essence of that stewardship is going to be love, all of it rooted in a faith yielding a pure heart and a good conscience. [00:12:23]

The aim of the charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and sincere Faith. Father, we want very much to realize the aim here of the charge. We want to be people who love from a pure heart and a good conscience and sincere Faith. [00:02:09]

Ask a question about this sermon

Chatbot

Transcript

What was the most surprising thing in this sermon?

Were there any personal stories shared?

Faith and Love: The Foundation of Church Stewardship

Devotional

Day 1: Discernment in Doctrine

Day 2: Faith as Transformation

Day 3: Love as the Ultimate Aim

Day 4: The Sequence of Faith and Love

Day 5: Stewardship of Faith and Love

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Chatbot

Faith and Love: The Foundation of Church Stewardship

Share