How did the Gospel reach you?

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Federation Rocks – Queensland – Chinaman Creek Limestone

There is much in the Epistles of the Apostle Paul to Timothy that is relevant to all who are involved in Christian ministry today.

Reflections for the first nine weeks of 2019 have been prepared to assist those who are entering or already engaged in a process of discerning what is the will of God for their future ministry. The nature of that future ministry is not limited to what Paul described in these Epistles.

My intention is to provide a resource for all who love Jesus and seek to serve him. It is not restricted to those who hope to enter into holy orders.

Second Epistle of Paul to Timothy 2: 1-10, 22-26 (NIV)

¹ You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. ² And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others. ³ Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. ⁴ No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer. ⁵ Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown except by competing according to the rules. ⁶ The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. ⁷ Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.
⁸ Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel, ⁹ for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s word is not chained. ¹⁰ Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.
…

²² Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. ²³ Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. ²⁴ And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. ²⁵ Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, ²⁶ and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.

How did you hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

The opening verses depict how the good news has been passed from generation to generation so that we, and those who come after us, may hear and receive and believe. As many as five generations of believers are indicated in verse 2: Paul > witnesses > Timothy > reliable people > others.

It is imperative to continue to pass on the good news. Although Paul has admitted he was suffering for the gospel, he has shown how God’s word is not so constrained.

Timothy was to expect suffering. Today in scores of countries Christians continue to suffer for their faith. Boldness is required so that God’s word will be proclaimed. There may yet be many generations of God’s elect who will obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus if only the church today remains bold.

Where are the Lord’s servants of tomorrow? Perhaps some of them are today’s opponents who will come to their senses and escape the devil’s trap.

How committed are you as one of the Lord’s servants today?

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God’s call

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Federation Rocks – Victoria – Bendigo Metasandstone and Ballarat quartz

There is much in the Epistles of the Apostle Paul to Timothy that is relevant to all who are involved in Christian ministry today.

Reflections for the first nine weeks of 2019 have been prepared to assist those who are entering or already engaged in a process of discerning what is the will of God for their future ministry. The nature of that future ministry is not limited to what Paul described in these Epistles.

My intention is to provide a resource for all who love Jesus and seek to serve him. It is not restricted to those who hope to enter into holy orders.

Second Epistle of Paul to Timothy 1: 3-12 (NIV)

³ I thank God, whom I serve, as my ancestors did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. ⁴ Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. ⁵ I am 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.
⁶ 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. ⁷ For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. ⁸ So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God. ⁹ He has saved us and called us to a holy life – not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, ¹⁰ but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Saviour, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. ¹¹ And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. ¹² That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet this is no cause for shame, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day.

What is it to hear (or sense) and then to respond to the “call” of God?

There is a close relationship between salvation and vocation. Christians have been saved not only from a life of sin but also to a life of holiness (verse 9). God has called his people to a holy life because he himself is holy. His own purpose and his grace, given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, are the key elements here. We bring into his presence nothing of worth except our willingness to surrender everything to him.

When Paul was called, he “was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher” (verse 11).

There are allusions in this passage to God’s call upon the life of Timothy (verses 5 and 6). When you or I receive and respond to the call of God, we may take courage from Paul’s encouragement to Timothy: “the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline” (verse 7). There is no reason, therefore, for shame in responding to his call (verses 8, 12b). God is able to guard what each of us has entrusted to him, our very selves, until the last day.

Tend the whole flock

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Federation Rocks – South Australia – Oorlano Metasomatite

There is much in the Epistles of the Apostle Paul to Timothy that is relevant to all who are involved in Christian ministry today.

Reflections for the first nine weeks of 2019 have been prepared to assist those who are entering or already engaged in a process of discerning what is the will of God for their future ministry. The nature of that future ministry is not limited to what Paul described in these Epistles.

My intention is to provide a resource for all who love Jesus and seek to serve him. It is not restricted to those who hope to enter into holy orders.

First Epistle of Paul to Timothy 5: 21-25 (NIV)

²¹ I charge you, in the sight of God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, to keep these instructions without partiality, and to do nothing out of favouritism.
²² Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, and do not share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure.
²³ Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses.
²⁴ The sins of some are obvious, reaching the place of judgment ahead of them; the sins of others trail behind them. ²⁵ In the same way, good deeds are obvious, and even those that are not obvious cannot remain hidden for ever.

Here is a serious charge for all involved in Christian ministry and particularly for those in positions of leadership. All that Paul has instructed Timothy to undertake must be done “without partiality”. As for Timothy, so for every Christian leader: “do nothing out of favouritism”.

What then follows (verse 22) could be regarded as possibly stemming from favouritism but is sound advice even if favouritism is not involved. The “laying on of hands” could refer to commissioning somebody for a specific work or purpose or it could refer to administering the sacrament of absolution for the confession of some specific sin. Paul may have been cautioning against granting absolution if there was not already a genuine repentance. This could be the sense of the next clause of verse 22: “do not share in the sins of others”.

Verse 24 is a natural consequence of that cautioning. It presents a timely warning for the church today. The body of Christ is to exercise care against too hastily giving somebody the benefit of the doubt if, by so doing, the care of other members of the church may be at risk or in jeopardy. Providing loving care for his flock is a key responsibility for all who love Jesus.

“Do not neglect your gift …”

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Federation Rocks – Western Australia – Brockman Iron Formation

There is much in the Epistles of the Apostle Paul to Timothy that is relevant to all who are involved in Christian ministry today.

Reflections for the first nine weeks of 2019 have been prepared to assist those who are entering or already engaged in a process of discerning what is the will of God for their future ministry. The nature of that future ministry is not limited to what Paul described in these Epistles.

My intention is to provide a resource for all who love Jesus and seek to serve him. It is not restricted to those who hope to enter into holy orders.

First Epistle of Paul to Timothy 4: 6-16 (NIV)

⁶ If you point these things out to the brothers and sisters, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished on the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed. ⁷ Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. ⁸ For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. ⁹ This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance. ¹⁰ That is why we labour and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Saviour of all people, and especially of those who believe.
¹¹ Command and teach these things. 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. ¹³ Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. ¹⁴ Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you.
¹⁵ Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. ¹⁶ Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.

What are the giftings which God has entrusted to you for ministry in his kingdom? Have you identified these giftings ? Have others confirmed that these are indeed gifts which you should use? Are you confident in them?

Paul has urged Timothy not to neglect the gift given to him (verse 14). That this gift is to be directed towards Christian ministry is inferred by Paul’s reference to prophecy and the laying on Timothy of the hands of the body of elders. Paul’s urging brings to mind the parable of the talents in the Gospel according to Matthew (25: 14-30). In that parable the servant who had neglected to use his talent wisely was regarded as “worthless”.

“Train yourself to be godly” (verse 7) counselled Paul, and then, “Watch your life and doctrine closely” (verse 16). No one in Christian ministry stops learning. No one has reached such a pinnacle of knowledge or experience that further learning in godliness is unnecessary. Paul has urged Timothy to be diligent in a range of matters, referring not only to how he was to conduct himself in his leadership and ministry but also how he was to develop and make progress in the roles entrusted to him.

We are enabled to teach others and to help others to grow only if we ourselves are actually growing.

Criteria for Christian leaders

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Federation Rocks – Tasmania – Tasmanian Dolerite

There is much in the Epistles of the Apostle Paul to Timothy that is relevant to all who are involved in Christian ministry today.

Reflections for the first nine weeks of 2019 have been prepared to assist those who are entering or already engaged in a process of discerning what is the will of God for their future ministry. The nature of that future ministry is not limited to what Paul described in these Epistles.

My intention is to provide a resource for all who love Jesus and seek to serve him. It is not restricted to those who hope to enter into holy orders.

First Epistle of Paul to Timothy 3: 1-13 (NIV)

¹ Here is a trustworthy saying: whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task. ² Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, ³ not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. ⁴ He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect. ⁵ (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) ⁶ He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. ⁷ He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.
⁸ In the same way, deacons are to be worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain. ⁹ They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience. ¹⁰ They must first be tested; and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons.
¹¹ In the same way, the women are to be worthy of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything.
¹² A deacon must be faithful to his wife and must manage his children and his household well. ¹³ Those who have served well gain an excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus.

This passage refers to two offices or orders of leadership in the early church: overseer (sometimes translated as “bishop”) and deacon. We must be wary of imposing church structures with which we are now familiar back in time upon a fledgling church (circa 62-66 AD) which was made up of localised groupings of followers of Jesus and the small number of evangelists and teachers who moved between them.

These criteria for leaders are not extraordinary, in fact they are representative of what was required in the Roman Empire for society’s secular leaders. Within the church there would have been elders and others who met these criteria but had not been charged with the responsibilities described here.

For all who aspire to serve Jesus in Christian ministry there is a clear warning in verse 6. Leaders are not to become conceited, not to be “puffed up with conceit” (NRSV), and thereby fall under the same judgement as the devil.

Conceit and pride have a nasty influence. Some fall prey to these, believing that through length of service or frequency of attendance they have earned the right to lead. Paul has warned against any “spirit of entitlement” that intrudes into a person’s life and engenders a wrong motive for serving God.

Motive for Christian ministry

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Federation Rocks – New South Wales – Hawkesbury Sandstone

There is much in the Epistles of the Apostle Paul to Timothy that is relevant to all who are involved in Christian ministry today.

Reflections for the first nine weeks of 2019 have been prepared to assist those who are entering or already engaged in a process of discerning what is the will of God for their future ministry. The nature of that future ministry is not limited to what Paul described in these Epistles.

My intention is to provide a resource for all who love Jesus and seek to serve him. It is not restricted to those who hope to enter into holy orders.

First Epistle of Paul to Timothy 2: 1-7 (NIV)

¹ I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people – ² for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. ³ This is good, and pleases God our Saviour, ⁴ who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. ⁵ For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, ⁶ who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time. ⁷ And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle – I am telling the truth, I am not lying – and a true and faithful teacher of the Gentiles.

Surely here is the reason for Christian ministry: to please “God our Saviour, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (verse 4). Firmly believing that God desires that all should be saved enables us to see all people through the eyes of the loving Father. Any one who may appear to us objectionable, past redeeming, under the influence of the evil one, is nevertheless created by God “in his own image” (Genesis 1: 27) and is therefore somebody he desires should be saved.

Verse 1 urges prayer: “petitions, prayers, intercessions and thanksgiving”. Verse 5 directs our attention to the one through whom we pray, the “one mediator between God and (hu)mankind, the man Jesus Christ”. Jesus Christ is not only the one mediator, he is the one Saviour “who gave himself as a ransom for all people” (verse 6). “All people” reinforces that God wants all who have been ransomed by Jesus Christ to accept the salvation he won for them.

One of the primary motives for our Christian ministry must be our conviction that Jesus Christ died for all and that the Father wants all to be saved and to come to a knowledge of that truth.

The importance of sound doctrine

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 Canberra’s “Garden” of Federation Rocks

There is much in the Epistles of the Apostle Paul to Timothy that is relevant to all who are involved in Christian ministry today.

Reflections for the first nine weeks of 2019 have been prepared to assist those who are entering or already engaged in a process of discerning what is the will of God for their future ministry. The nature of that future ministry is not limited to what Paul described in these Epistles.

My intention is to provide a resource for all who love Jesus and seek to serve him. It is not restricted to those who hope to enter into holy orders.

First Epistle of Paul to Timothy 1: 1-11 (NIV)

¹ Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Saviour and of Christ Jesus our hope,
² To Timothy my true son in the faith:
Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
³ As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer ⁴ or to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. Such things promote controversial speculations rather than advancing God’s work – which is by faith. ⁵ The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. ⁶ Some have departed from these and have turned to meaningless talk. ⁷ They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm.
⁸ We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. ⁹ We also know that the law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, ¹⁰ for the sexually immoral, for those practising homosexuality, for slave traders and liars and perjurers – and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine ¹¹ that conforms to the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me.

The salutation Paul has used here (verses 1 and 2) is fuller than in any other of his Epistles.

Paul has observed that “certain people” are spreading “false doctrines” (verse 3). The “sound doctrine” Paul required Timothy to uphold is identifiable as that which “conforms to the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God, which he entrusted to (Paul)” (verse 11).

Timothy was charged to command that false doctrines no longer be taught. Paul required this of Timothy but he also required Timothy to note how this was to be done. Paul emphasised that this was to be done in love. Timothy was require to have and to show that he had “a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith” (verse 5) as Timothy encouraged those for whom he was responsible to advance God’s work.

What motivates you to serve Jesus and to undertake ministry to advance his kingdom? Is it love rather than malice? Is it a desire to use the teachings of Jesus properly and to discourage the spread of myths and the promotion of controversial speculations?

Is it to advance God’s work by faith? If the motive is not God-focused, the ministry will not be his.

Be constantly aware that, in order to refute false doctrines and any teaching which is “contrary to the sound doctrine”, a teacher must first be fully immersed in God’s word.