Acts 15:40 And Paul chose Silas, and departed, being recommended by the brethren unto the grace of God.
It was Barnabas who was first called to be a missionary. When the Christians in Jerusalem had heard about the Christians in Antioch, they sent Barnabas. Barnabas arrived in Antioch saw the need, and when and called Paul […]

Acts 15:20 But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.
There is a great controversy in the early New Testament church. Peter, Paul, and Barnabas have all spoken against requiring the Gentiles to be circumcised as a requirement of salvation. James, […]

Acts 15:10 Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?
Sometimes men in their haste to demonstrate their spirituality will make up rules that they claim that one must abide by in order to be deemed spiritual. It […]

Acts 5:12 And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people; (and they were all with one accord in Solomon’s porch.
In this passage we are told that the apostles were able to do many powerful miracles. As a result of these miracles, we are told that the church […]

Acts 5:11 And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things.
Ananias and Sapphira had just attempted to deceive their fellow believers. They had sold a piece of land and tried to tell Peter that they were giving the entire proceeds of the sale to the New Testament Church. […]

Acts 4:20 For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.
Out of the abundance of the heart does the mouth speak. Peter and John had filled their heart with the things of God and as a result, they could not stop talking about the good news. Christ was such an important […]

Acts 4:19 But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye.
Peter and John had just healed a man who was born lame. The religious leaders were in a quandary in that they did not want the […]

Acts 3:12 And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? Or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk?
Peter and John had just healed a man who was born lame. […]

Acts 2:15 For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.
Jerusalem had just seen a mighty work of God. The Holy Ghost had descended upon the followers of Christ and they were able to speak in a tongue whereby every individual was able to hear the […]

Acts 1:14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.
120 men and women joined together in the upper room praying to God regarding HIS promises. 120 individuals gave up their right to do what was right in their own eyes […]

Acts 1:11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.
The followers of Jesus had just seen him ascend up into heaven. How long they […]

Acts 1:7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
I want to know and I want to know now. Are we really any different from the little kid who is throwing a temper tantrum in front of […]

Acts 1:4 And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which saith he, ye have heard of me.
Before Jesus left this earth, HE commanded his followers to wait in Jerusalem until the Holy Ghost came. Christ commanded his followers to […]

Philippians 4:5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.
If you were a glutton, all those around you would know about the fact. In this passage, Paul is telling us that if you have learned to be temperate and to properly demonstrate self-control, then you need to be quick to […]

Romans 13:14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.
We are instructed to diligently add temperance to our faith, virtue, and knowledge. In this passage, Paul is admonishing us how we are to live our lives if we are not going to make […]

1 Corinthians 7:9 But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn.
In this passage, Paul is talking about one of the benefits of those who accept the calling of God to live a celibate life, dedicated fully to God. Paul was a single man who was able […]

Titus 1:7 For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker not given to filthy lucre; But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate;
In this passage we see the qualifications of one who desires to lead […]

1Corinthians 9:25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.
In 2 Peter 1:6, we are told that we are to add temperance to our knowledge. According to Thayer Greek Definitions, the Greek word that is translated temperance […]

Proverbs 16:32 He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.
Who are the men that are worshiped today? They are strong men, men who do great things. Sport starts, Hollywood actors who play the role of a hero, and rich men […]

Proverbs 31:17 She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms.

The seventh characteristic of virtue that Solomon was to look for in a woman he desired to marry was that she exercised in order to keep in shape. You understand that Paul wrote in I Timothy 4:8 that �bodily exercise profiteth little�. One who exercises is taking care of their body so that it will remain healthy longer. Solomon was not looking for a woman who all she did was exercise because then she would not have the time to demonstrate all the other characteristics that he was looking for in his future wife. In addition, he was also not looking for a woman who allowed her body and health to deteriorate simply because she was too busy doing everything else. Solomon was to look for a woman who cared enough about her health and future that she took the time to keep in shape.

I Timothy 2:15 Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.

Starting in I Timothy 2:9, Paul is instructing women how they are to abide in the church. Paul instructs women to be modest, to learn in silence, and then not to teach or usurp authority over man. To explain this last instruction, Paul details how it was Eve who first transgressed in the Garden of Eden. The first half of this verse is relating back to verse 14 that is referring to one woman, Eve. Because of Eve�s sin, it became necessary for a Savior. God sent that Savior not through man, but through a woman. If Eve had never had children, there never would have been a Savior.

Paul had been talking about one woman, Eve, when he mentioned that woman was saved by childbearing. However, once he is finished with his explanation as to why women are not to usurp authority over the man, then he transitions back into a general commandment to all women. Paul then instructs women to live in faith, charity and holiness with sobriety.

This final general commandment is no different then what he had instructed all Christians in various passages. The commandment to Christians is that they are to live their life in faith, love, and purity with self-control. This is no different for the women. Paul probably finishes this discussion with the general commandment so as to ensure that there is no confusion that the specific instruction does not violate the general commandment. In fact, the specific instruction is designed to enable women to better understand how they are to fulfill the general commandment.

Paul understood that it was important to give instruction to both the men and the women as to what was proper conduct for them during the worship of God. Paul took his teaching and went back to the basic foundation that Christians whether they are male or female have a duty to live in faith, love, purity with self control. However, because these terms are sometimes construed so broadly, Paul gave specific examples at how a woman can live her life pleasing to the Lord and still abide by these principles. This entire passage is similar to Jesus� teaching on adultery. Jesus took the general commandment of one not committing adultery and further explained that principle by stating that if one lusted in their heart, they were guilty of adultery.

You have a duty to live your life in faith, love, and purity with self-control. This sometimes means that you are required to do things out of deference for others. Yes, you may feel qualified to do something, but in order to live your life pleasing to God, you must defer to others. A Christian needs to understand that they are not living their lives for themselves, but they are living their life for the glory of God.

Living by faith is understanding God�s will for your life and living it. Sometimes you will have to do things that seem contrary to society today and even the belief of other Christians. However, you live by a higher standard. You must live your life by God�s standards, not by man�s standards. Just because others are doing it, it does not make their actions right in the eyes of God. You must be careful to live your life for God, live your life with self-control, putting God�s will first.