Nathan Neighbors
Follower of Christ, Husband, Father, & Youth Pastor
Today we begin Paul’s second letter to Timothy. Paul loves Timothy like a son and it’s easy to see the great relationship they had as you read these letters. Paul writes this letter from prison. But even from prison, Paul is still an encouragement to Timothy and the churches. In this letter Paul was not only an caring pastor to Timothy, he was family.
Often we get caught up in the business of ministry and we forget that church is a family. I love how Paul encourages Timothy in this chapter by reminding him of the faith of his mother and grandmother. These women poured into Timothy the Word of God at a young age. Paul reminds Timothy that he comes from a long line of believers and God has a special plan him.
“I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power of love and of self-discipline.” – 2 Timothy 1:5-7
May we remember where we come from and who has come before us in the faith. Whether you come from a biological family that followed Christ or not – you come from a long line of faithful men and women of God in your church family.
Let that family of faith help to fan into flame the gift of God in your life. May the church family help you to boldly step out and be a faithful witness of Christ.
“But you, man of God, flee from all this and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.”
– 1 Timothy 6:11
What does Paul mean by, “flee from all this”? What is “all this”?
Look back at the the previous ten verses. Paul takes time in the previous verses to instruct Timothy in three key points to be a faithful follower of Christ.
1. Serve Well. (vs. 1-2) Especially as an employee or slave. As a believer, your witness can be seen in your work. The way you work, your work ethic and even the way you treat your superiors can effect your witness.
2. Stay Away From Drama. (vs. 3-5) Don’t get caught up in godless talk and gossip. This is wise advice for ministers. It’s easy to get distracted by the evil one and thrown into drama which can hurt your witness and distract you from the call on your life to minister to others.
3. Be Content. (vs. 5-10) It is true that vs. 10 says that, “the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil,” but that’s doesn’t give us the right to assume that money (if used well) is totally cool. I think you have to read vs 6 too. It says, “But godliness with contentment is great gain.” Money isn’t evil in and of itself. We can have money and things and still be godly, but there is a fine line. Believers must be careful to live content. When we get caught up in wanting more, we are on a slippery slope toward trying to be self sufficient. May we put our full faith in God to supply all our needs (not our wants). May we want for more of Him and less of things. May we live content.
I have been guilty of missing the mark on all three of these topics. But this is such wise advice for Timothy and for all of us.
This part of the first letter to Timothy includes some of my favorite passages. Paul spends most of the time in these two chapters giving encouragement and instruction to Timothy and church leaders on how to pastor the churches. He talks about dealing with conflict, caring for widows and other pastoral care issues. There is also great counsel to Timothy and others on issues of what they eat and drink and basic godly living topics.
But my favorite verse in these two chapters is found in 1 Timothy 4:12.
“Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.” – 1 Timothy 4:12
This verse has meant a lot to me over the decades. It was special to me when I was a teenager and has been a key verse I’ve leaned on as a student pastor. I have pointed hundreds of teenagers to this verse countless times. It’s important that we not assume that the young need to wait to do ministry when they are grown. Children and teenagers are not the future of the church. They are just as much the church now as they will be then. Every believer (young and old) can make a difference for the Kingdom. Even today we have teenagers from our church sharing the Gospel of Jesus in Honduras. What Paul is saying in this verse is encouraging to young people. He’s telling them the best way to be respected and not looked down on for being young – is to set the example. Don’t act foolish. Live in such a way that you set the standard. Live by the standard of Jesus in the way you speak, live, love and also in your faith and purity.
There is no minimum age for service in the Kingdom of God. There is no bar set for when you can begin making disciples. The standard we follow is that set by Jesus. Go, make disciples. Live a life worthy of the Lord and lead others toward Jesus by your example and by your words. Go serve well today.
Nathan Neighbors 