 Okay, good morning everyone and welcome to the class on 1st Timothy. We were studying 1st Timothy chapter 5. Today we look at the rest of the passage from verses 21 onwards and then we'll move on to chapter 6. Before we begin studying 1st Timothy chapter 5, can one of you please lead us in prayer please? Anyone? Yes, thank you Asha. Dear God, thank you Lord for as we're about to learn the continuity Lord. I pray that your spirit helps us to understand and grasp whatever customers and the message you want. I pray your blessing and peace over her and I thank you Lord as she's teaching me to continue to pour your spirit and Lord help us to as we're digging deeper into the knowledge and truth Lord that we may understand what you have for us and what you've got for us God. Thank you Lord for this class and thank you for everything Lord. And you name it for Amen. Amen. Amen. Thank you Asha. In 1st Timothy chapter 5, we looked at what Paul is writing to Timothy regarding relationships within the church. And then that is verses 1, 2 and 3. Then verses 4 and 4, verses 4 to verse 8. He talks about believers' responsibility towards their own family, especially with regards to the older folks, widows. And then in verses 9 to 16, he talks about the church's responsibility towards widows, those who were the older widows, 60 and above, if they did not have anyone to care for them and they were part of the ministry of the church. They have been praying, they have been involving themselves in ministering in the church, actively involved in praying for various needs of the church. Then it was the church's responsibility to take care of the widows, but if they have a family, then Paul says, teach this to the congregation, teach this to the church that it's their responsibility to take care of their parents, even as God has given them the means to do that and they should not just put on the responsibility to the church. The church can take care of widows who have no one to address their needs, help them to care for them. And then he also talks about the younger widows, his advice on how they need to get married so that they are busy taking care of their husbands, their children, and they're not busy bodies running around gossiping and open to all of these false teachers and their teachings, because they have the free time, they can become easy victims of praise to these false teachers and their false teaching. And also because they're free and they're going around busy bodies gossiping from home to home because they have no responsibilities, they can easily even spread these false teachings and get many into this whole false doctrines and false teaching and they can cause utter confusion in the church so he's saying it's best if these younger widows also are married and also that they don't give rise to their own sensual passions through which the enemy can easily destroy their lives and take them away from the faith as it was happening with certain widows. Then we move on to verses 21 to verses 23, 21, 22 and 23 where Paul is writing a personal note to a spiritual leader or to a spiritual leader. So can somebody please read verses 21 to verse 23 please. This Timothy chapter five verse 21 to 23. I charge you in the sight of God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels to keep these instructions without partiality and to do nothing with nothing out of favoritism. Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands and do not share in the sin of others. Keep yourself pure. Stop drinking only water and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses. Amen. Amen. Thank you Divya. So, you know, it's interesting that Paul is charging or exhorting Timothy reminding him that God and God, the Lord Jesus and the elect angels are watching him even as he is fulfilling his calling, his responsibility, his God given responsibility in overseeing the churches at Ephesus. Here the elect angels basically means not the fallen angels but those, you know, angels that God has created. So he's reminding them that God, Jesus and the elect angels are watching him. Now, the strong statement basically reflects, you know, the serious nature of Timothy's job or the serious nature of the job of a leader in the local church, you know, even as they serve God, you know, they must, even as they serve God, they need to know the truth of this fact that, you know, even though we cannot see God, you know, that this eternal God that we serve, you know, we need to do everything that is pleasing to him. So the first priority should be not to please people, not to preach or teach what is pleasing to people's ears or not giving to people's, you know, wishes and requests and them trying to, you know, guide us through what needs to be done in church or what needs to be preached in church, but even as we serve this eternal God, you know, we must please him in everything that we do. So Paul is charging Timothy to do everything out of prejudice, out of prejudice, do nothing with prejudice or with the partiality. So do nothing out of prejudice. Prejudice basically means, you know, having prejudging or having personal preference for certain people, treating some people nicely. Some people, you know, I know not giving them privileges, giving them the opportunity and some, you know, even if they are doing things that are wrong, not correcting them, you know, overlooking their mistakes and faults and also do nothing out of partiality, which is, you know, doing nothing out of favoritism. You know, so Paul is basically telling Timothy that even as you discipline people, you know, you must handle that without prejudice, you know, or without partiality. Maybe Timothy might be inclined to be especially harsh towards people who have previously hurt him or who are gossiping about him or trying to, you know, put him down or try to, you know, be a hindrance towards him. You know, and he's saying that, you know, don't be especially harsh with these people. But when you bring about discipline, you know, you should need to handle everyone at the same level. And also when, you know, you are going about disciplining people, you know, it must be handled without favoritism. Maybe one might be inclined to not expose the sin of a close friend or somebody who is extremely popular or influential or wealthy. You know, we don't want to expose their sin and Timothy can, you know, be in that place where because they're popular or they are elders in the church, their deacons, their bishops, older in the Lord by age, you know, or they're extremely wealthy or influential. You know, he might not expose their sin, but, you know, people who are not in those sections or, you know, things that I just mentioned, you know, he can be extremely harsh with them or he can expose their sin or, you know, judge them in church, expose their sin in church, talk about what they're doing, because, you know, Paul asked him to do that. But he says, even as you, you know, handle, you know, all of these things, bring about discipline in the church, don't bring, do it with favoritism. You know, don't be partial, because, you know, God, Jesus Christ and the angels are watching you. So we also, you know, it's a lesson that we can also learn. You know, don't show favoritism or personal preferences to people who speak the same language or from the same culture or the nation that you come from. The people group, the tribe that you are from, or just because people are, you know, wealthy, influential, popular, you know, we know their sins, but we don't call it out. We don't address it. But people who kind of hurt us or, you know, are not very friendly to us or are not in those high level society or places of position and honor. We can kind of, you know, judge them or we can be rude to them or we can, you know, show partiality in certain cases, which Paul is saying, don't do that and ask intimately to avoid doing that as a leader. So as a leader, you know, in whatever position God has placed us, wherever he has placed us, within the church or outside the church, you know, we need to treat everyone equally and fairly. No bias based on language or cultural backgrounds, no preferences based on social or economic status. You know, everyone should be given the same opportunity based on their skills, their expertise, their qualifications and, you know, give them the opportunity to excel in that area. And everyone is expected to live by the same standards and carry out the same responsibility, whether it's in the church or in the family setup or outside the church as well. There's something that we need to remember, something that we need to, you know, also ensure that as leaders, we are doing this because, you know, just imagine if God had to show favoritism. Where would some of us be? Where would I be? You know, so we need to always think about that and ensure that we are giving the same opportunity and expecting everybody to live by the same standard and carry out the same, you know, standard or responsibility that is required of them. And if it's not, then, you know, we pull them up, we speak to them, we deal with them in the same way we would deal with anybody else. Okay, West 22 he says, do not lay hands on anyone hastily, nor share in other people's sins, keep yourself pure. So it's basically talking, again, he's telling Timothy, you know, don't be hasty in appointing anyone as a leader, don't be in a hurry, you know, laying hands on anyone, you know, this is using the sense of ordination. So Paul is cautioning Timothy to, you know, let a man prove himself, you know, before he's, you know, you appoint him as a leader, as an overseer, as a bishop, as a deacon, you know, don't be in a rush, you know, because time must season a man and his ministry. So give people time, watch their life, watch their character, their attitude, their commitment, and then take them to the next level. Okay, so lay hands on basically is, you know, since ordination simply recognizing, recognizes God's calling. It's all the more the reason not to be in a hurry because, you know, these are important positions where we are not just putting people in a place of position but we are actually recognizing God's calling over their life. So be sure if this is God's calling over their life as a spiritual overseer, as a head, you know, you need, you shouldn't be in a hurry, give people the time. Time should be given to allow those gifts and calling to be demonstrated in that person's life before, you know, they are obeying or before they're given a place of importance or a place of position, or, you know, calling to a specific ministry or a specific role in the church. Okay, so a man should not be ordained as an elder, just thinking because we think or Timothy thinks that he's spiritually ready. But, you know, if the person lacks spiritual maturity, then we are doing much more harm to that person and to the church, because, you know, it's going to cause a lot of strife and division and unnecessary problems and difficulties. Also, it opens the door for Satan to, you know, to come and bring in division and strife and disagreement and, you know, and when we take that step to discipline that person, you know, if he falls into sin, you know, he could even go away from the church. He could cause a division in the church. He could, you know, go away from God. And that's why, you know, Paul also mentions about this. We studied this in 1 Timothy chapter 3 verses 6 to 7, you know, you don't make a recent convert, you know, put him in a place of position. And we looked at why he says that because Paul says he can become arrogant, fall into punishment and, you know, he can even go outside the faith and not only bring disgrace to people in the church but out of the faith. And he can also be caught up in the devil's trap. So he's, again, you know, you know, trying to tell him or remind him about what he needs to do and how he needs to appoint leaders in the church. Okay. So, you know, we also as people are part of the body of Christ. Some of us have team leaders in church. We have various positions of authority in the church. You know, we should not take this as a very casual approach and, you know, who we take on in our team, who we appoint as people in our team, or even appoint as leaders of team of various teams in our church, volunteer groups in our church. But, you know, you need to first in watch the person, give them a certain responsibilities before you give them a title or a role or a position, you know, see if they are faithful, they're committed, you know, and if they are faithful and committed and they do things well, then you can take them to the next level and then prayerfully decide, you know, whether you want to give them that position, that role, that title for the calling that God has called them to. Okay. So, you know, if people come to you and say, you know, you know, this funds that we have as a church, we can, you know, bifurcate these funds into this way, we can do this and this with these funds so that we can keep ourselves pure. So, it's very important instruction for a spiritual leader, you know, we must not become part of an accomplice in crime with what other people say and do. We can, you know, bifurcate these funds into this way, we can do this and this with these funds, so that we can multiply this, we can invest into business or we can invest it into some saving schemes and stuff like that. And when we invest it, you know, it helps us to multiply this, this money or these funds in the church, and you can think that's a very exciting suggestion or, you know, a good plan. But, you know, it's important that you pray about it. And you think if it's not the right thing, then, you know, communicate with that person. Or if the person comes to you and, you know, is saying that he's dating a non believer once you get married, you know, you can just communicate the truth from God's word. But we as a church believe, stand for whether he's indulging in certain sinful things in this life, areas of his life, fall into some temptation, you know, then let him make a decision if he wants to start a business. And he says, you know, and those business deals are not going to be very, very clean. But, you know, the person says, faster, you know, if you can share some of the church funds into my business, then, you know, I can give you so much of a percentage of the profits. Or if he's doing things and not in the right ways, you're saying he just brings that money and says, you know, I've been doing this business and this is my profit and I want to give some things to church. You know, don't be an accomplice in his crime because you know that the means of how he acquired that wealth is not in the right way. The way he's done his business is not clean, it's not white, you know, it's not pure in God's sight, it's not holy. You know about it, don't accept the money though it's a huge sum, you know, give it back. So sometimes, you know, we need to help people when they come, you know, help them to make the right decision. You give them the right word, through some God's word, show them from scripture, help them make the decision. But if they are, you know, going ahead and making their own, you know, decision going the wrong way, then, you know, don't include your name in it. Don't be partner with them, you know, step away, do your part in telling them what is right, what is wrong. But don't step in with them because you are getting some benefits or because there are people of high position, rank, wealth, and you're afraid that if you don't, you know, tag along with them, if you don't go along with them, then you can lose your position, you can lose the benefits that you're having in the church. There can be a lot of problem and difficulties, so you say yes to them. You know, so it's important that we need to take a stand as leaders in doing what is honoring in God's sight and, you know, and that is what Paul is telling Timothy. So we can share in others, in sins of others by setting an example before them. We can also share in the sins of others by approving of them or ignoring them, approving of what wrong things that they're doing or even ignoring them is also, you know, sharing in their sins because we're not taking a step to correct them. We can also share the sins of others by joining a church that spreads, you know, wrong teachings, false doctrines, because then we become part of them and we are sharing in their sins as well. So, you know, we need to be very careful as leaders when we listen to people, their ideas, their thoughts, because subtly they can, you know, deviate us from the truth, subtly they can, you know, lead us away and we can get into a lot of unnecessary mess which can, you know, break down the ministry that we are building, the church, division, chaos, confusion and a bad name. So Paul is telling Timothy, be careful of these false teachers and he goes on to tell why, because, you know, these false teachers are doing all of these, what they're teaching, what they're preaching is to gain money, to make money, which we'll be looking at in a few verses from now. And he says, keep yourself pure, you know, if Timothy was called to observe and assess the lives of others, discipline others, call out their sins, correct them, you know, and teach them, then it's important that he pays even more attention to his own life. So Paul is telling Timothy, hey, you know, you're in this position of leadership overseer of, you know, the churches at Ephesus, you are somebody who has to preach and teach the correct doctrine, the right way of living, how to conduct your life and your ministry. And even as you're teaching leaders how to be those good spiritual leaders that God has called them to, even as you're assessing people to the, you know, who has to be in what role, what position, even as you are there to correct people, call out their sins, it's important even more that you pay attention to your own life, you know, and so this is also an important call for us, you know, even as we go about doing ministry preaching and teaching, sometimes we can preach and teach and not apply it in our own lives, which can become a big danger, a big threat, we can, you know, just subtly allow sins into our own lives, fall into a lot of temptation. We think it's okay because we cover it up with a lot of our own theological explanations. Other scripture passages are truth from God's word, but, you know, like God says in the book of Numbers, I think Numbers 32, 23 says, you know, your sin will find you out. So whatever we do to cover our sins, you know, our sins will find us out, it will come out in the open. So it's very important that as leaders, we are watching our own life, our own character, where we are going, what we are speaking, what we are saying, how we are living our lives, even as we preach and teach and, you know, administer discipline in the house of God. It's important that we live disciplined lives. And then he goes on to tell Timothy, you know, because he's a personal note to a leader. It's personally just to Timothy, all of these verses that we read from verse 21, 22 and 23. He says, no longer drink only water, but use a little wine because Timothy had the stomach issue. So he says, don't just keep drinking water, but use a little wine because of your frequent infirmities. Okay, so Timothy had this ongoing stomach problem. We do not know how long he had it and how long it lasted, but, you know, because wine has some medicinal use. So he says, take wine. And he says it because in those days, they might not have had other medications that help stomach issues, stomach related problems. So we need to look at this worse in that context. But today, should we take wine as an excuse for our stomach issues if you have? No, because we have various medicines for various stomach related issues or various health issues. So we can't hold on to this verse. This is very relevant in Paul and Timothy's time. So this does not give us the license to indulge in drinking wine or, you know, in drinking alcohol. Yes, Se. Yes, Pastor. Was there a historical record of the water in Ephesus that resulted to Timothy's tummy ache? I just wanted to confirm that because I think I've seen something like that. I was thinking maybe you might know, maybe there was something that happened that time with the water that must have made Timothy have this tummy ache. Yes. I mean, I read that, you know, the water was not, he was drinking, was not very good, was not very clean, was not very healthy. So he says, you know, avoid drinking a lot of water. So use a little wine for your stomach. Yes. Yes. That's some commentators. I've read it as well. They say that yes. Thank you for pointing that yes. Okay, so we'll move on. Any questions so far? Any thoughts? So I don't know if this is a wild question. Was the wine Paul referred to, was it alcoholic wine? Because they had different kinds of wine back then, right? There were wines that were in alcohol. That was the way they treated it and there were wines that were alcoholic. So I was just wondering if this context of wine that Paul referred to, take you lead to wine was alcoholic. I don't have much information about that. But yes, you know, like I said earlier in one of our classes when I think Kennedy asked that question. No, who, but I think it was Kennedy. I'm sorry if it's not Kennedy. Then somebody did ask the question about, you know, is it okay for us to drink one or two glasses of wine? And then I quoted various scripture passages and I said, you know, it can start with. Okay. Thank you, Kennedy. Yes. I didn't want to put you on the spot. So we can start with wine. It can be whether it's alcoholic, non-alcoholic. I don't know, but it can always progress into, you know, drinking more stronger drinks, getting to become alcoholic. So it's, you know, it's just good to, when you have nowadays, when you have so many other healthy drinks to drink, you know, don't give a foothold for the evil one to just step into and get you tempted into drinking, you know, stronger drinks, drinking more alcoholic drinks. So whether it's starting with a wine that is non-alcoholic to getting into, get you into, you know, drinking something that is alcoholic. But, you know, like Paul says in Corinthians, I think it's Corinthians chapter 10 was 39, second Corinthians chapter 10 was 39, 31, sorry, second Corinthians 10, 31. He says, you know, whether you eat or drink, whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. So you can be drinking a non-alcoholic wine and, you know, you know what's in your glass. But, you know, somebody who sees you, who's, you know, a new believer or somebody who's growing in their faith, a child or a teenager would think that, you know, it's okay for us to drink wine. They would not know that you're drinking non-alcoholic wine. So that is what he's saying in every little area of our life. We need to be so careful because, you know, people are watching us and the younger generation, especially, I'll give you an example. Like I think I've said this before as well as example, you know, in Children's Church, we were serving, you know, for the communion. You know, sometimes, you know, we say wine and grape bread and wine or wafer and grape juice. And, you know, this child in school for the Christmas program, grade eight of the Children's Church. So his friends for the Christmas party in school said, hey, why don't you bring, you know, a bottle of alcohol to school? He says, no, we don't drink alcohol at home. My father doesn't. He says, hey, but you'll drink wine at the church. So, you know, this child didn't want to say no to his friends. So he, without his parents knowing, brought alcohol, got into trouble. The principal was called the parents. And then the father shalt because he says, I don't drink alcohol at home. I don't know. So what made you get this? And the principal, as he said, still because wine in church. And then, you know, immediately the father called me and wanted me to help the child and speak to him and things like that. And from that day on, as I stopped saying, you know, bread and wine, we just say grape juice, you know, and say, this is not wine. Children, this is grape juice because they're so innocent. They just take it as that we know we're giving them grape juice. But, you know, they substituted a non-alcoholic wine to an alcoholic wine. And the child thinks it's okay for us to drink because we drink it in church. And the non-Christian friends, the others also said the same thing. So, you know, we need to be very careful. So, like, you know, I don't know there's, I mean, I knew there's non-alcoholic wine and some, but in this context, I really don't know if it was a non-alcoholic wine. But we need to be very careful what we're drinking, what we're watching, what we're saying, where we're going because people are watching us. So, we don't become a hindrance like Paul says. We don't become a hindrance, a stumbling block, you know, so that we are able to communicate through the gospel and people to receive it from us without any hindrance. Yeah. Thank you, Father. Okay. Thank you, Sayi. Yeah. We'll move on versus 24 to 25. She says, can somebody read that, please? Verses 24 to 25. Can I read faster? Yes. Thank you, Asha. Go ahead, please. The sins of Sam people are conscious going before them to judgment, but the sins of others appear later. So also good works are conscious and even those cannot remain hidden. Thank you. So these verses 24 and 25, you know, seem to tie back to the issue of leaders sinning, which we looked at in verses 19 to 20. And the need for timidity to keep himself away from becoming a partner in other people's wrongdoing, what he mentions in verse 22. You know, and Paul is saying, Apostle Paul is saying, in this regard, some people's sin are out in the open. You know, we can see it, you know, and they can be judged. And some people's sin are, you know, it's not exposed. We don't know, you know, and it will be exposed at a later time. And, you know, at that time, it can, it will be judged, but there are some people sin who's exposed. Some people's who's not exposed, but will be exposed at a later time. So, you know, let them not think that their sin will not find them out or their sin will not be exposed. Similarly, you know, when people do good, some of the good deeds that they're doing, you know, is evident to everybody what they are doing. You can be seen in the open, but for others, when, you know, when they're doing some good deeds, it can be behind the scenes again. It's not evident before people, it's temporarily hidden, but, you know, Paul says that they will be rewarded by the Lord. So, to these words, you know, Paul is cautioning Timothy. Basically, he is appointing of leaders, you know, he says sometimes, you know, you can see people very clearly in the outside. You can, their sins can be evident or their good deeds can be evident, but sometimes, you know, some people's sin, you can't see it. And you can overlook that and, you know, appoint them as leaders and that can be very dangerous. Or sometimes, you know, you can overlook and not see people's good deeds because they're doing it without being noticed, without other people wanting to know. They're just doing it very quietly and you can, they can be overlooked in them being appointed as leaders. So, what he's saying is, you know, as when you're appointing leaders in the churches, you know, take the time, you know, be very slow, get to know the person very well. And also, you know, even as you are looking at the outward aspects of their life, also, you know, wait on God for his discernment, his leading and his guiding. So, this can also apply to our lives, you know, the same truth. So, you know, take time to see, to pray, to wait on the Lord and the Lord will show you and lead you. And, you know, sometimes he will even expose people's sin and you will know it's not the right person for this job. Sometimes he will show you their inner motives of their hearts, their good deeds and you will be able to see clearly and know their calling and what God has called them to and if they are the right people for that specific position. So, this is chapter five where, you know, Paul is basically talking or writing to Timothy about the church at different aspects of the church, where he's telling them, you know, how people should relate within the church, the believers' responsibility is towards their own family, church's responsibility towards fiddle, then how, you know, to lead spiritual leaders. Then he drops a small personal note in between for Timothy as a leader in verses 21 to 23, and then he talks about the outcomes in verses 24 to 25. Any questions? Chapter five? No questions? Okay, then no questions. And all is clear. Then we'll move on to chapter six. So, can somebody please... Yes, Sister Avani? No, ma'am, I'm just raising hand to read. Okay, okay, go ahead. Please read chapter six for us. All of us can follow in our Bibles, please. First Timothy chapter six. Yes. Thank you, ma'am. First Timothy chapter six. Let all who are under a yoke as slaves regard their own masters as worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and the teaching may not be reviled. Those who have believing masters must not be disrespectful on the ground that they are brothers. Rather, they must serve all the better, since those who benefit by their good service are believers and beloved. They must teach and urge these things. 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. Now, there is a great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing with these, we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you were made the good, about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession. To keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will display at the proper time. He who is the blessed and only sovereign, the King of kings and the Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in the unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see, to him be glory and eternal dominion. Amen. As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share. Thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future so that they may take hold of that which is truly life. O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge. For by professing it, some have swerved swerved from the faith. Grace be with you. Amen. Amen. Thank you, Stephanie. So in chapter six, you know, for our study, we will basically divide this chapter into six sections based on what Paul is addressing, writing to Timothy and the churches at Ephesus. Verses one and two is talking about workplace relationships. Verses three to five is talking about words of truth. And in six to ten, he talks about godliness with contentment. Verses 11 to 16, he talks about the life of a man of God. And verses 17 to 19, he's talking about the responsibilities of the rich, those who are blessed with riches. And verses 20 to 21, he talks about God, standing Timothy to God, what has been entrusted to him. So this is, you know, this section of the letter is the last section in this letter that he's writing to Timothy. So we look at chapter six, okay, verses one and two where he talks about workplace relationship. So can somebody else read verses one and two again, please, for us? One and two, please. Those who are one of the Yoke of Satan should regard their masters as worthy of full respect so that the name of God and the teaching will not be brought to disrepute. And those who have been, and those who have been leaving masters are not to show them less respect on the ground that they are brothers. On the contrary, they should serve all more diligently, since those benefiting from their service are believers whom they love. Thank you. So here, you know, we see that Paul is saying, telling the born servants, basically slaves, we know that slavery was very prominent. And slaves was very, something was very prominent in the Roman Empire and the Roman world. There were many slaves, but the church was a place where slavery was destroyed. So it was not uncommon for a master and a slave to go to church together. So a master would go to the same church like a slave would go because both of them have accepted the Lord Jesus as their Lord and Savior. And in some cases, in some house churches, you know, a slave would be an elder in the church, be a deacon or be a bishop. The master was expected to submit to the slaves spiritual leadership, you know, and such radical thinking was an offense to many, but glorified God and eventually brought about the whole destruction or destroyed slavery in the Roman world. But there's something that's so wonderful to see in the church and how people related to one another in the church as brothers and sisters. And their leadership positions was not based on their social status, but, you know, they're standing in the Lord or they're calling who God has called them to be. But in our context, you know, here, you know, we can look at it or learn from this that, you know, some of us are employees, you know, and as employees, you know, whatever position that we have, we have somebody above us. You know, as employees, we are to respect, we are to honor our employers, those who are our bosses or supervisors. And, you know, even if they are difficult to handle, even as they, you know, we can't get along with them. You know, we find it very difficult to even speak to them relate to them. But it's important that, you know, we, it's important that we, you know, do things in a way that keeps the unity in the team. You know, we work as unto the Lord. We respect our bosses for whoever, you know, whoever they are, whatever they're doing to us, irrespective of that, we respect them because they are in the place of position. We are under them. And why do we do it, Paul is saying, do it so that, you know, it brings glory to God and God is not dishonored. And this is so important because, you know, wherever we are working, you know, how and what we work is a testimony to, you know, who we believe in our religion, the God we serve, the God we worship. And it's an opportunity that we can use to bring glory to God in our workplace and also bring glory to God to his name and to his kingdom. So, you know, if you don't live lives that are honoring, you know, it's very sad and the way that we dress, the way we conduct our lives, our character, the things that we indulge in, if it's not honoring in God's side, it's very birdly. Then, you know, people would make fun of the God that we serve. They will blame the, blame God, they will blame the church for our behavior as Christians in the workplace. So, you know, sometimes, you know, putting down our own, it's okay to put down our own egos, let go of our own egos, our own pride, our own self honored, so to say, in certain cases, not in all cases, but, you know, we need to be discerning to speak the truth, yes, but speak the truth in love, but at the same time, you know, do things in an honoring way to respect our bosses and work with integrity and honesty and uprightness and live lives that are godly, so that, you know, it does not bring dishonor to the God that we serve and worship and also to his church. Yes, Sayyid? Yeah, thank you, Pastor. I'm just trying to, or maybe I should start this way. In the light of the recent events in the past, about all that like movements and how in the past the church has justified the place of slavery from the scriptures and then there were others who said no, that's not how to rightly interpret scriptures that God was never in support of slavery and then now coming down to this passage we're reading here. How do I effectively explain to someone that this is not the justification for slavery but it's more or less basically how do I put it though? It's more or less like an understanding between the master and the servant or the slave. I don't know if you could just help me out here basically because I could use this scripture to justify slavery and say, oh, it's okay to have slaves. The Bible says here, this is how we should remove the slaves, but I know it's not that. I was just hoping maybe you could just do some clarification on this passage when it comes to the issue of slavery. Okay, this passage actually is not justifying slavery but it's talking about how the church has, in the church all of us are one. Like Paul says, there's no June or Greek, male or female, all of us are one in Christ Jesus. So in this context it's not justifying slavery but it's talking about in the context of how we have to honor those we are employed to. But it's saying that even the world that we live in, of course, there was slavery at that time, but he comes down to say even if you slaves, even if you have believing masters, that's what he goes on to say in verse two, don't take benefit of them. So, you know, the church is not teaching us to fight against, I mean, in that sense of, you know, go against this, how can I put it? Yeah, even though the systems in the world exist, which is not honoring in God's sight, which is not God ordained or this is not what God initiated or brought about. For example, even the government that we have, you know, we studied in Romans, right, whatever government is there, you know, is brought about by the people. And it's important that we honor our government, we pay our taxes, we give them the respect that is due, we follow the laws that is there. But in certain cases, yes, when it's not the right law, which is brought about by the government, then we go by God's standard or what God has taught us in his word or what he's laid out in his word for us, we follow that. But then, you know, we still, because government is something that God brings about his authority even to the government, to the church, to the family, he has a government structure in the family, government structure that is ordained for the church, government structure that is, sorry, an authoritative structure that he's ordained in the workplace, in the government, in the civil government. So, you know, we need to follow God's authoritative structure, what he has placed in various sections of our life, various areas of our life. But at the same time, you know, when it comes to doing things that are not right, which is laid out by these various structures, whether it's the church and the family, then we take a stand on based on what God has asked us to do. So here, you know, of course, Christianity or Christians had a great role to play in wiping out slavery. But also we see that even though the slave system was there, they didn't fight against the slave system, but ministered to slaves, there were slaves who were part of the church, slaves who were given responsibility in the church. And, you know, the same time Paul is saying in verse two, hey, you slaves, even though you are leaders in the church, but when you go back home, you know, you have to, you know, follow God's authoritative structure in the workplace. So in the church, you know, your master is, you know, submits to your spiritual leadership, even though you are his slave, but in the work, in the home or in the workplace, you know, you are no longer a spiritual leader there, but you are a slave there. You need to, you know, follow the God's authoritative structure that he's placed in the workplace, which means that you can't say that, okay, because my master is a brother, you know, we are all both equal before the Lord, so he has no right to tell me what, you know, I have to do a slave. Can you imagine this? Okay, my master is my brother, but equal before the Lord, he has no right to tell me what to do. And, you know, so Paul is saying this kind of attitude ignores the fact that God has called us into various different relationships. The submission is commanded in the home, in the church, in the workplace, and equality in Christ Jesus does not eliminate God's order of authority or the authority structure that he's placed in these various areas of our life. So he's saying, you know, if you have a believing master, then, you know, he expects you to work hard, you know, then you need to work hard, you need to listen to him, you have to show the right attitude. You know, you can't think because I'm a slave, I'm a believing slave, now we are brothers in Christ, he has to favor me about all the other slaves who are not believers, because I'm also Christian, he's also Christian, he cannot order me around, he cannot tell me things, he has to give me benefits because I'm one in the Lord. No, he's saying, you know, in that situation, you are expected to work for him, to work hard, you know, be dedicated, all the more be dedicated to him, all the more work hard, all the more show the right attitudes because, you know, you are serving a brother in Christ who is your master. Okay. Yes, say. Oh, thank you for the explanation. I just wanted to see maybe this might help us. The KGB says servant, and then the CJB, the complete Jewish Bible, which I read, and says slave. I don't know maybe that could actually change my interpretation. In a certain way, but I think maybe there's a difference between servant and slave. A servant maybe is one who voluntarily serves another, right? And then a slave would be one who is taking forcefully. So I don't know maybe, could it be that Paul here was talking to Timothy in terms of a servant who voluntarily is serving and which case applies to an employee and an employer relationship. I don't know maybe that could help us, you know, in looking at it. So here, basically, the NKJB says born servants. Oh my gosh, we pay past our time for our break. Sorry about that. But I'm so sorry, class, I just completely overlooked our break time. Okay, it's 1058. We'll come back, you know, at 1108. Okay, is that okay? Is that fine? Yeah. Okay. Okay, then we'll continue with say his question. Okay. Thank you, everyone. Sorry.