God has given us one book that can change the entire direction of our lives, the Bible.

And in this study, journeying through scriptures, we will take a brief big-picture look at every book of the Bible, tracing God's unfolding story from Genesis to Revelation.

Our prayer is that this journey will stir your heart to open God's word daily.

Let's join Scott Pauli for today's study.

I had the wonderful privilege of growing up in a pastor's home and then not only living in a pastor's home but serving under the same pastor for nearly two decades of my life.

Now every week of my life I'm with different pastors. This very day, I have had the privilege

of spending time with a pastor of a local church. And I love preachers. I love God called pastors.

And I want to just say to you today, you ought to thank God if you have a faithful pastor, a shepherd that feeds you the word of God

and point you to the chief shepherd, which is the Lord Jesus Christ. Praise God for pastors. Do

everything you can to pray for them and to encourage them. And why do I begin our broadcast today

on that note? Because in our journey through

scripture, we've come to the section known as the pastoral epistles or the pastoral

letters. They're called this because they're written to young pastors to give them instruction.

The books I'm referring to are First and Second Timothy and Titus. Now, the word pastor itself is only used

once in the New Testament in Ephesians chapter 4 and verse 11, but it's equivalent. This shepherd

idea is used throughout, and it is the same office that is referred to as the bishop or the elder.

Well, First Timothy explains for us the heart of a pastor and the qualifications of a pastor and the duties of a pastor and the goals of a pastor.

And for that reason, these are referred to as pastoral epistles. Now, these letters are also

significant because there's some of

the last of Paul's writings before his martyrdom. And so they give us lasting instructions on how to do

the work of God in the last days. Now, before you tune me out or turn me off and say, well, if this is for

pastors, this is not for me. May I remind you that it is this very portion of the Bible that says all scripture is given

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