My approach over this past year has been to move very slowly through a particular book of the Bible, writing out the text as I go, looking closely at how parts, words, and ideas fit together.
Also - and this is important - I look for practical applications ... how the teaching applies to my inner life, for ministry, or for the church as a whole.
This takes several weeks, even for a short book. And when I hit the last verse, I devote my study over the next few days to reading through the book as a whole, start to finish, and taking notes on anything that strikes me now in overview.
What I noticed this morning is that Paul states his letter's purpose succinctly right in the center of the letter, at 3:14-15:
"I am writing you these instruction so that, if I am delayed [in coming to you], you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God's household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth."
This opened my eyes to the fact that, throughout this letter, Paul is not addressing the behavior of individual believers in isolation. It is all instruction to the church as a body.
That can be an important thing to keep in mind when reading individual verses pulled from the letter.
In fact, much of the letter applies primarily to the conduct of people who are in church leadership.
It would be an excellent text for a church committee, a board of elders, or a gathering of pastors to study together in depth.
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