BLESSINGS FOR GOOD SPIRITUAL CONDUCT

My Dear Precious Child, In Paul's letter to Timothy he wrote that the believers to whom Timothy ministered should always pray for their kings and other people in authority so that the believers would live a quiet, undisturbed and tranquil life in perfect dignity and kindness. He commented that those kinds of prayers are good in the opinion of the Lord and Savior because He wants all men to come to a knowledge of the Truth, the Truth being this, "I am One with Christ, with Him as a mediator between men and Me, Him being the man Christ Jesus who gave Himself as a ransom for everyone." (Galatians 1:4) Paul wrote that the Truth was attested to in the fullness of time and that he was its apostle, preacher and teacher of that Truth to all the nations in true faith. (I Timothy 2:1-7) He wrote that it was his wish that in every place that people would offer prayers with blameless hands raised and that they be free of anger and dissension. Similarly, Paul advised that the women would dress and act properly, dressing modesty and quietly, not being decked out in fancy hairstyles or being adored in gold, pearls or expensive clothing, He advised that women would be completely submissive to their husbands and that they would learn in silence. Paul's Jewish training came out of hiding in these admonitions. He wrote that a woman should never be the teacher or in any way to have authority over a man; instead that she keep quiet because, as Paul wrote, Adam was created first and Eve was created after. He also reminded the believers that Adam was not deceived but it was Eve who was deceived and fell into sin. He surmised that the women would be delivered in childbearing IF they continued their lives in faith, love and holiness and of course IF the women remaining chase. (I Timothy 2: 8-15) If you will remember, Paul had been a loyal, obedient Jew and his traditional heritage occasionally rose to the surface and combined with My wisdom that I revealed to him. He had written to the believers in other churches that in Christ there are no males or females, Jews or Greeks, circumcised or uncircumcised, but that people are all One in My Body of Christ.(Galatians 3:28; Colossians 3:11; Romans 10:12) As a matter of administration, Paul told Timothy that when a man desires to be a bishop that he should be beyond criticism, married only one time, be even tempered, self controlled, modest and hospitable, that he should be a good teacher, not a drunkard, not contentious; but instead he must be gentle, a man of peace, a good manager of his household, keeping his children under control without losing his dignity, Paul wrote that if a man didn't not know how to manage his own household that he would not be able to take care of My house. A candidate for bishop must also be well respected in the community away from the church to ensure that he does not fall into disgrace and the devil's trap. (I Timothy 3:1-7) Paul also listed the requirement for a deacon, writing that men who desired that hospitable position must be serious, truthful, not overindulging in drinking alcohol, or yielding to greed. They must hold fast to their faith with a clear conscience. He advised that the candidates must be on probation before becoming deacons in order to prove themselves to be good deacons. He also referred to women in the church, saying that they must be serious, not being gossipers, that they should be temperate and trustworthy. He required that deacons also only be married once and be good managers of their households and children. He wrote that the people who serve well as deacons gain a worthy place for themselves in the community and be much assured in their faith in Christ Jesus. (I Timothy 3:8-13) He wrote to Timothy the expected character of those people who are in authority in the church, hoping that at his time of visiting them that they had taken the matters into mind. He was concerned that some of the people would turn away from their faith in Christ Jesus and would be obedient to deceitful spirits and doctrines taught by demons. Paul wrote to Timothy about those character requirements in case he was delayed in visiting them so that Timothy would know the conduct required for members of My household, the church of the Living God. He extolled the wonders of the mystery of faith in his letter, professing it as this: "Christ was manifested in the flesh, vindicated in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among Gentiles, believed in throughout the world and taken up into glory." (John 1:14; I Timothy 3:14-16) Paul left no stone unturned, but he outlined in his letter what he expected from the churches of which he had left Timothy in charge. Your Father of Wise Guidance