Study Desk

It is a true statement that anyone whose goal is to serve as an elder has his heart set on a good work.

An elder must be such a good man that no one can rightly criticize him. He must be faithful to his wife. He must have self-control and be wise. He must be respected by others. He must be ready to help people by welcoming them into his home. He must be a good teacher.

He must be a good leader of his own family. This means that his children obey him with full respect.

If a man does not know how to lead his own family, he will not be able to take care of God's church.

An elder must not be a new believer. It might make him too proud of himself. Then he would be condemned for his pride the same as the devil was.

As the Scriptures say, "When a work animal is being used to separate grain, don't keep it from eating the grain." And the Scriptures also say, "A worker should be given his pay."

The Spirit God gave us does not make us afraid. His Spirit is a source of power and love and self-control.

God saved us and chose us to be his holy people, but not because of anything we ourselves did. God saved us and made us his people because that was what he wanted and because of his grace. That grace was given to us through Christ Jesus before time began.

And I suffer now because of that work. But I am not ashamed, because I know the one I have put my trust in. And I am sure that he is able to protect what I have put into his care until that Day.

A soldier wants to please his commanding officer, so he does not spend any time on activities that are not a part of his duty.

Do your best to be the kind of person God will accept, and give yourself to him. Be a worker who has no reason to be ashamed of his work, one who applies the true teaching in the right way.

Before God and Jesus Christ, I give you a command. Christ Jesus is the one who will judge all people—those who are living and those who have died. He is coming again to rule in his kingdom. So I give you this command:

Now, a prize is waiting for me—the crown that will show I am right with God. The Lord, the judge who judges rightly, will give it to me on that Day. Yes, he will give it to me and to everyone else who is eagerly looking forward to his coming.

The Lord will save me when anyone tries to hurt me. He will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. Glory forever and ever be the Lord's. Amen.

To be an elder, a man must not be guilty of living in a wrong way. He must be faithful to his wife, and his children must be faithful to God. They must not be known as children who are wild or don't obey.

An elder must be ready to help people by welcoming them into his home. He must love what is good. He must be wise. He must live right. He must be devoted to God and pleasing to him. And he must be able to control himself.

He saved us because of his mercy, not because of any good things we did. He saved us through the washing that made us new people. He saved us by making us new through the Holy Spirit.

We were made right with God by his grace. God saved us so that we could be his children and look forward to receiving life that never ends.

Epaphras is a prisoner with me for Christ Jesus. He sends you his greetings.

And now in these last days, God has spoken to us again through his Son. He made the whole world through his Son. And he has chosen his Son to have all things.