MOOR of the Word with Pastor Chuck Pourciau

The pastor must “discipline” himself for the purpose of godliness. Discipline is from gumnazo, from which we get our words gymnasium and gymnastics. It means to train or to exercise and references rigorous, strenuous, self-sacrificing training an athlete undergoes. The very idea of disciplining himself means that it doesn’t just happen naturally but that it requires effort that is often unpleasant...

The guarding of the Christian mind is a crucial part of sanctification. We must cultivate our minds on the things of Scripture and not clutter them with that which fights against the Scripture we study. The pastor is to have a mind saturated with the Word.  There is no place for foolish, silly myths that are in reality the doctrines of demons. The godly minister maintains his conviction and his cl...

If Timothy were going to be used of God to instruct and warn, he had to be a model of a good servant of Jesus Christ, not a demeaning taskmaster. The way to defeat false doctrine is not only by denouncing and refuting it, but also by positively teaching and living the truth. The primary focus of the ministry is to be positive, to build up the people of God, because sanctification is more than avoi...

The weakness of the church results from pastors who do not do what Paul counsels here. They have failed to draw the line clearly between truth and error and build their people up in the rich and sound doctrine of God’s Word. Such weak preachers are often said to compensate by having what some call a “pastor’s heart.” MacArthur: “A pastor’s heart, however, is not measured by how good a man is at pe...

Timothy will be performing a valuable service by “pointing out these things to the brethren.” The pastor should not be known for constantly negative preaching, but proper warnings do have their place. To fail is to fail to teach the whole truth and to mislead the hearers. 

The dietary regulations of the Old Testament were temporary, intended to teach Israel the importance of discernment and to isolate them from the pagan societies that surrounded them. To reimpose these eating restrictions now would be to manufacture a works righteousness system that denies the work of Christ and dishonors God. Mandatory celibacy and abstinence from foods in general or particular is...

The teaching of these false teachers was characterized by avoiding marriage and abstaining from certain foods. It is not wrong for one not to be married. Paul was an example of a single man. It was not wrong to practice fasting, as it’s an important spiritual discipline. What is wrong is to demand it as a means of salvation. It is to teach that one must not be married and must adhere to certain fa...

Apostates, as we learned in the previous verse, have been paying attention to the doctrines of demons. How do they come by these teachings? This verse shows that demonic false teaching is given through human agents. Here Paul describes it as being “by means of the hypocrisy of liars.” This phrase literally translated is “hypocritical or deceitful lie speakers.” Demons use human deceivers to publis...

What is the source of this apostacy? In the final words of verse 1, Paul noted that those who fall away from the faith have been “paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons.” Satan and his minions constantly seek to deceive all people. When someone identifies with a Christian community and is seeking the truth, Satan will fight tenaciously to keep them from true faith. The word...

Deviations from true faith have been common throughout the history of the Lord’s people. To commit apostacy is to turn away from following the Lord.  False teachers and those who fall away from the faith will appear in all eras of the church. There will always be those who make a temporary response to the gospel, but have no genuine faith in God. We should not be surprised when they leave, and sho...

God became man, died for our sins, triumphed over death, was honored by angels and feared by demons, and ascended into heaven. This message was preached all over the world and many believed and were saved. That is the heart of the message it is our mission to proclaim to the world.

Here we have the central message of the church encapsulated in a single verse. The Word of God is a vast, inexhaustible storehouse of spiritual truth. Out of all that truth, what is most essential for the church to uphold and proclaim? Paul gives the answer in this verse: The message of Jesus Christ. That is the core of what we teach and preach.

We, the church, neither invent the truth nor alter it. We, rather, receive it and deliver it. We are to support it, proclaim it, promote it, and safeguard it. It is the sacred, saving treasure given to sinners for their forgiveness, and to believers for their sanctification and edification, that they might live for the glory of God. The church has the stewardship of Scripture, the duty to guard it...

The idea of the church as the household of God also appears often in New Testament writings. Paul added further clarification to his point by declaring that the household of God is the “church of the living God.” This stresses, once again, that the church is God’s possession. We belong to him.  The description of the Ephesian assembly as the living God’s church was especially apropos. It was the i...

No great sports team can neglect the fundamentals, regardless of how achieved they are. No matter how long they have been excelling at their sport, they must give continuous attention to the fundamentals of the sport. If you ever neglect the fundamentals, failure is not possible, it is guaranteed.  The apostle Paul knew the importance of stressing the fundamentals. He penned this letter to Timothy...

We love and esteem those who serve selflessly and humbly among us. Those who seek esteem through arrogant manipulation, we reject.  Faithful deacons will be respected and honored by those they serve. It is only by commanding such respect that deacons can be examples, since respected people are the ones emulated.

What does Paul say about these women within the church? Women who serve the church must first be dignified. Paul uses the same word here that he used in verse 8 to describe male deacons. Christian must live serious lives with high standards for their behavior. This will lead people to admire them from their tenacious spiritual devotion.  They are also challenged not to be malicious gossips. The te...

“Let them first be tested” is a verb that means that one is approved after being tested. The present tense of the verb indicates an ongoing testing and not just a one-time event or probationary period. These men are constantly under examination and can be disqualified at any time.  Deacons are to be under continual testing before they officially are ordained and begin serving as deacons. Once they...

I the beginning of 1 Timothy 3:8, Paul declared that deacons must be men of dignity, and we discussed that in yesterday’s podcast. After declaring that positive trait, he proceeded to issue three negative ones.  Brothers and sisters, integrity must be a trait of every believer, and it must be guarded and, when necessary, defended with tenacity. In my business, one can be the recipient of unflatter...

Deacons are servants of the church. When seeking servants, God looks at the heart, not the resume of accomplishments. That is his primary concern when calling deacons to service in the church.  The original meaning of this word group had to do with performing menial tasks such as waiting on tables. That definition gradually broadened until it came to include any kind of service in the church. In J...

Church leaders must live morally upright lives so that they do not, as Paul stated here, fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. Leaders face many temptations from the very nature of their position, without unnecessarily adding others.  Ephesus needed to choose carefully its leaders, and so do we. We need to pray that God will raise up the men of his choosing. The future of the church depen...

The godly character of an elder must not be manifested only in his personal life, the church, and his home. He must also have a good reputation with those outside the church. The Greek word translated “reputation” is the word from which we get our word martyr. It is a reference to testimony of validation. A martyr validates that his commitment is absolute. The word speaks of a certifying testimony...

One facet of good home management is keeping “his children under control with all dignity. That qualification is not meant to exclude men without children, but merely assumes they will be present. The term “under control” is a military term. It designates the lining up in rank under one in authority. His children are to be respectful, well-disciplined followers of Christ. Anyone who has ever had c...

All leadership seeks to accomplish one goal: influence. Leaders seek to influence people to achieve their objectives. Influence is a direct result of teaching and example. What a man is will influence his followers to be fully committed to what he says. Teaching sets the nails into the mind, but example is the hammer that drives them in deep.

Rather than being pugnacious, the church’s leader must be “gentle, peaceable . . .” A gentle person is considerate, genial, forbearing, and gracious. He is quick to forgive and remembers good, not evil. He is not a ledger person in that he doesn’t keep a list of wrongs committed against him. We all know of people who maintain all wrongs ever committed against them who like to resurrect them at the...