October 6, 2025
Don’t Lose Your First Love
This is the first in a series of weekly articles based on Christ’s letters to the seven churches in the book of Revelation. This week's church is Ephesus.
Articles for tag: Timothy
July 1, 2023
Simple Faithfulness
By Jeff Faull What makes a good leader? Shouldn’t we who are followers of Jesus and leaders for Jesus want to know? A simple internet search brings up thousands of articles on leadership. Titles like “Five Qualities of a Good Leader,” “The Top Ten Characteristics of a Good Leader,” “Twenty Requirements for an Effective Leader,” and a myriad of similar options appear. Many of those articles lay out the essential components of great leadership. The suggestions are endless. Characteristics like vision, strategic thinking, emotional intelligence, problem-solving, creativity, communication skills, decisiveness, empathy, charisma, and others top the lists. All these are
June 27, 2022
July 3 | Discovery
How many observations you can make about the relationship between Paul and the church in Thessalonica?
October 19, 2020
From Whom You Learned It (Oct. 25 Lesson Application)
This “Application” column goes with the Bible Lesson for Oct. 25, 2020: You’re Next (2 Timothy 1:13-14; 2:1-2; 3:10-17) ________ By David Faust Someone said that a diploma doesn’t prove you got an education; it means you had the opportunity to get an education. It’s good to go to high school or college, but it’s better to actually learn something along the way. I have diplomas on my office wall, but my ordination certificate hangs above the diplomas, because ministry means more to me than academic achievements. The witnesses who signed my ordination certificate stir fond memories. Their signatures are
October 19, 2020
Discovery Questions for October 25, 2020
COMPANION RESOURCES Lesson for Oct. 25, 2020: You’re Next (2 Timothy 1:13-14; 2:1-2; 3:10-17) “From Whom You Learned It” by David Faust (Lesson Application) ________ Study Questions for Groups By Michael C. Mack 1. What’s the biggest challenge you faced last week? 2. In what way did you represent Christ well over the past week . . . in your workplace, in this class/small group, or on social media? Ask three people—two readers and one reteller—to help. Ask the readers to read 2 Timothy 1:13-14; 2:1-2; and 3:10-17 one after the other, preferably from different Bible versions. Ask the third
October 12, 2020
Discovery Questions for October 18, 2020
COMPANION RESOURCES Lesson for Oct. 18, 2020: How To (2 Timothy 2:14-26; 3:1-9) “Don’t Get Sloppy” by David Faust (Lesson Application) ________ Study Questions for Groups By Michael C. Mack 1. What challenge did you face last week? 2. In what way was God’s power evident in or through your life over the past week? Ask three people—two readers and one reteller—to help. Ask the readers to read 2 Timothy 2:14-26 one after the other, preferably from different Bible versions. Repeat the process for 2 Timothy 3:1-9. Ask the third person to summarize the passages in one minute or less.
September 28, 2020
Lesson for Oct. 4, 2020: Teach (1 Timothy 4:6-16)
Dr. Mark Scott wrote this treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson. Scott teaches preaching and New Testament at Ozark Christian College, Joplin, Missouri. This lesson treatment is published in the October 2020 issue of Christian Standard + The Lookout. (Subscribe to our print edition.) ________ COMPANION RESOURCES “Are We Making Progress?” by David Faust (Lesson Application) Discovery Questions for Oct. 4, 2020 ________ Lesson Aim: Teach, by example and word, to save people. ________ By Mark Scott When public ministry and private life are out of sync, we call that hypocrisy. Paul called Timothy to make sure these two
September 7, 2020
Lesson for Sept. 13, 2020: Fight (1 Timothy 1:12-19; 6:11-16)
Dr. Mark Scott wrote this treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson. Scott teaches preaching and New Testament at Ozark Christian College, Joplin, Missouri. This lesson treatment is published in the September 2020 issue of Christian Standard + The Lookout. (Subscribe to our print edition.) ________ COMPANION RESOURCES “How to Have a Good Fight,” by David Faust (Lesson Application) Discovery Questions for Sept. 13, 2020 ________ Lesson Aim: Join Christ in the good fight of faith. ________ By Mark Scott It is difficult to misunderstand such one-word commands as “quiet,” “stop,” “go,” or “run.” The next several lessons have titles
May 1, 2020
A WARNING FROM EPHESUS . . . And Jesus’ Solution for When a Church Loses Its First Love
By Tyler McKenzie The Ephesian church was a first-century megachurch that had everything, and then, by all historical accounts, lost everything. Ephesus was the sort of city Paul liked to target: a hub of culture and a place of notoriety. He knew if he could plant the gospel in Ephesian “soil,” it would spread. Ephesus was a major commercial center—three trade highways ran through it—it was a port town, and it was tourist hub. One of the seven wonders of the world, the temple to the goddess Artemis, was located there. Some estimate the city’s population at a quarter-million people—massive
November 12, 2018
Lesson for November 18, 2018: The Church Grows in Europe (Acts 16:9-15, 22-34)
Dr. Mark Scott wrote this treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson. Scott teaches preaching and New Testament at Ozark Christian College, Joplin, Missouri. This lesson treatment is published in issue no. 12 (weeks 45–48; November 11—December 2, 2018) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ Lesson Aim: Pray for missionaries and other believers in areas known for the persecution of Christians. ______ By Mark Scott The first missionary journey (Acts 13, 14) was so successful that a church conference had to be called to handle the growth (15:1-35). Thanks to Peter’s testimony, Paul’s report, and James’ use of Amos
November 9, 2015
Lesson for November 15, 2015: From Derbe to Philippi (Acts 16:1-5, 8-15)
Dr. Mark Scott wrote this treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson. Scott teaches preaching and New Testament at Ozark Christian College, Joplin, Missouri, and has held preaching ministries in Missouri, Illinois, and Colorado. This lesson treatment is published in the November 8 issue of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark Scott The pioneer statement, “Go west, young man,” matches our text. Another way to say our title, “From Derbe to Philippi,” is “From Asia to Europe.” Those of us who live in the western hemisphere need to thank God for this text. Western civilization would have been
December 20, 2014
Leading Young
By Will Thomas Young ministers can overcome the challenges that have faced them since Paul wrote Timothy. I understand Timothy”s predicament. “Don”t let anyone look down on you because you are young,” the apostle Paul encouraged (1 Timothy 4:12). Timothy was a preacher and in all likelihood younger than most of the people in his church. Been there, done that. I had just turned 19 when I began serving as a minister. I had preached a fair number of sermons as a teenager in my home church and had always been a motivated student of the Bible. But suddenly, a
March 7, 2011
Lesson for March 13, 2011: Leadership Qualities (1 Timothy 3)
This week”s treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson (for March 13) is written by Cheryl Frey, a freelance proofreader and editor from Rochester, New York. ____________ Leadership Qualities (1 Timothy 3) By Cheryl Frey Because I make my living as a proofreader, I find it very hard to ever read a book for pleasure. But not wanting to miss out on all the wisdom to be found in good literature, I now check out books on tape or CD from the library. I especially love to listen to authors Brian Tracy, Zig Ziglar, Stephen Covey, and John Maxwell, who
August 8, 2010
Children and Baptism: In Search of a New Model (Part 1)
By Teresa D. Welch Susan and Kevin approached me after church and asked a series of questions I had heard before. “Could you talk to our son, Nathan, for us? He told us he wants to be baptized, and we don”t know if he is ready. What do you think?” Hearing questions about children and baptism was not uncommon in my role as a children”s minister, I regularly was asked by parents of elementary-aged children about matters of their child”s faith and readiness for baptism. However, the longer I served as a children”s minister, the more these questions concerned me.
February 21, 2010
The Art of Sauntering”“Contagious Excitement from the Word
By Terry O’Casey With a belch of diesel smoke, the bus speeds off to another site””just another stop in another too crammed, too rushed day. Rush, rush, rush””get off the bus, snap a quick photo, cram back on the bus””rush, rush, rush! Off to the next stop on the agenda””capture a quick memory””get back on the bus. In the rush the people caught a glimpse of Old Faithful, but completely missed Castle, Grotto, and the grandest of all, Grand Geyser. Only the unrushed get to see these marvels. Meanwhile the bus rumbles on. The rushed strain to see a distant
May 6, 2007
Demas Has Forsaken Me
A reflection on Demas’s desertion, Paul’s final imprisonment, and the quiet pull of “the world.” Learn why setting heart and mind on things above is essential—and how John Mark’s story offers hope.
