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A Good Minister – 1 Timothy
A Good Minister – 1 Timothy
The letters of 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus have been called the ‘Pastoral epistles’. This is taken from the word ‘pastor’. According to Webster's online dictionary, the word comes from "the Middle English pastour, from Anglo-French, from Latin pastor herdsman, from pascere to feed." Hence it basically means ‘shepherd’. Those that were the shepherds of God’s people were also called elders and overseers (bishops) (Acts 20:17 and 28). Timothy wasn’t an elder. In fact, he was a youth (cp 4:12). He was to appoint men to be elders - older men who had faithful families and had been disciples for some time.
Timothy was sent by Paul on various trips to deal with various problems in churches. He was sent to Corinth where he reminded brethren of Paul’s teachings (1Cor. 4:17; 16:10-11). He went to Thessalonica to encourage those brethren who were suffering persecution for their faith (1 Thess. 3:1-10). In 1 Timothy, we see that he was ‘left’ in Ephesus so that he would ‘charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine’ (1.3). This was needed because ‘certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion’ (1.6). Paul will warn several more times about various false teachings that Timothy would have to deal with.
Timothy and Titus were evangelists, which means they were proclaimers of the good news of Jesus (2Tim. 4:5). They were thus to ‘preach the word… reprove, rebuke’, and exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine (2Tim. 4:2). In doing this work they were servants of Jesus (4:11, 2Tim. 4:5).
To this end, Paul instructed Timothy what he would have to be doing in order to be considered a good servant of Jesus: ‘put these things before the brothers’ (4:6). He was to “command and teach these things” (4.11). He was to ‘practice these things’, to immerse himself in them’ (4.15). He was to “command these things as well, so that they may be without reproach” (5.7). As Paul was ending this letter, charged Timothy “to keep these rules without prejudging” (5:21). Again, Paul commanded that he would “teach and urge these things” (6:2).
The reason for such continual emphasis upon ‘these things’ is simply because there were many false teachers proclaiming many different things. Paul speaks of this in 1:3-4; 4:1-3; 4:7; 6:3-5; 6:20-21). A good minister / preacher / servant then is a faithful proclaimer of the gospel, a constant opponent of false teaching, an encourager to the discouraged and struggling, and an example unto all.
Since most of us are NOT preachers, our problem is how to relate to men who are. Do we listen? Do we accept rebuke? Do we follow the example? Do we esteem them for their work? Do we support them (both financially and morally)?
Hugh DeLong
