Transcript

One of the surprising things about the New Testament is that it never gives us what we would call “an order of service” for Sunday worship. When I was a young boy, it was typical for the ushers at my church to hand out something we called the “church bulletin.” It included announcements of upcoming events; it also listed an order for the Sunday morning service—the hymns we were going to sing, when the pastoral prayer was to take place, and what the text for the sermon was going to be that morning. You could usually set your watch for each element in the service. Frankly, it made worship rather predictable. In fact, if the Holy Spirit showed up, I am not sure He would be allowed to do much of anything if it was not printed in the bulletin.

Well, the apostle Paul never gives young Pastor Timothy an order of service: when to sing, when to pray, and when to take up the offering. What Paul does do, here in the second chapter of 1 Timothy, is give Timothy some key elements for a biblical worship service; in fact, these are the marks of a biblical church. If there is to be real order in the church, these guidelines are going to be followed.

First, we see order in the church that provides guidelines on praying. Paul writes in verses 1-2:

I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.

Paul uses four different terms here to describe prayer. “Supplications” stresses the thought of expressing our needs and desires. “Prayers” is a general word for just about any kind of prayer offered to the Lord. “Intercessions” indicates coming confidently to God.[1] And there are “thanksgivings.”

Imagine Paul telling Timothy and this church that their priority is to pray for their king—who happens to be Nero. I suppose if you can pray for Nero, you can pray for anybody else.

Remember that while you might not have voted for your local or national leaders, they were ultimately appointed by God. Romans 13 makes it clear God put them in that office and our role is to pray for them.

Praying keeps us from panicking. Paul writes that as we trust the Lord’s sovereign control, it allows us to “lead a peaceful and quiet life” (verse 2). If there was ever a time when Christians needed this reminder, it is today. Not many Christians are known for a peaceful and quiet disposition. It seems to me that the church is getting just as loud—just as angry—as the culture that is raging around us.

Paul reminds us of our mission in verses 3-4, saying that praying for the unsaved “is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved.” Our mission is not to make evil people better—they will still need the Savior even if they start acting a little better. People must be saved.

Paul reminds us next of the gospel, writing, “There is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (verse 5). A mediator is someone who reconciles two parties. Jesus Christ, as both God and man, accomplished this through His atoning death. He bridged this chasm between a holy God and sinful humanity when He “gave himself as a ransom for all” (verse 6). He bridged the chasm, and that bridge is in the form of a cross.

Next, the apostle moves on to give Timothy, not only order in the church that provides guidelines for prayer, but order in the church that provides guidelines for men.

The context is still public worship, but Paul shifts to the topic of leadership in the church. In verse 8 he writes, “I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling.”

“Men” here translates the Greek word specifically for males. Paul is effectively charging the men to lead the congregation in prayer. But not just any men. “Lifting holy hands” does not mean they are perfect, but it does mean they must be devoted to Christ.

No one in the audience should be thinking that the man up there praying is a hypocrite. Paul adds that his attitude should not be quarrelsome or angry. He is setting an example for the congregation, as they all pray for their leaders and their ungodly culture around them.

Paul then makes some comments on order in the church that provides guidelines for women.

Again, this is still within the context of the local church gathering:

Women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire. (verse 9)

In other words, church services are not fashion shows. In these days it was typical for women to display their financial status by weaving into their braided hair strands of gold or pearls. Paul says in verse 10 that he wants women in the church to be known, not so much for their physical beauty, but for a lifestyle of good works.

Paul’s next comments have produced a firestorm of contention. He writes in verse 11, “Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness.” The word he uses here for “submissiveness” does not mean a woman is a doormat to be walked over or abused or mistreated—that is absolutely unacceptable! The Greek word is a military term for rank. A colonel in the army has more authority than a private. That authority needs to be acknowledged. That private might be a godlier man, but he respects the authority of the colonel, and this keeps order in the military.[2] Paul is referring to order in the church, not godly standing with the Lord. This is simply God’s design for authority; it does not speak of a person’s essence or value.

Paul writes in verse 12 that a woman is not to teach or “exercise authority over a man; rather she is to remain quiet.” This is clearly prohibiting a woman from preaching to the congregation, which is the highest rank of authority in the local church. In fact, a man has twenty-four qualifications to meet before he himself can be qualified to speak on behalf of the Lord.

Some argue that this is a cultural mandate and times have changed. However, Paul connects this prohibition to creation, so it is a timeless principle. He writes in verse 13, “For Adam was formed first, then Eve.” This takes us back to creation week, when Adam was created first and then Eve was created from a rib in Adam’s side. By the way, that is a beautiful way of revealing that she was not created to be under his feet or over his head but by his side.

God created man to be the spiritual authority as the head of the household—he is the shepherd. And that is true for the church, too, which is nothing more than a collection of households. Authority in the home and the church is the same. Elders are men who shepherd the church, as we will see in the next chapter of 1 Timothy.

The apostle Paul concludes with a verse that has confused many people: “Yet she will be saved through childbearing” (verse 15). Obviously, having a child does not “save” her in the sense of spiritual salvation. “Saved” can be translated “preserved.” She is effectively preserving the human race. What an incredible position of love and influence God has given to women who are nurturing and influencing and raising up the next generation.

So, here is order in the church—through the role of women, the role of men, and the role of prayer.