1 Timothy 5:3-16 :“Managing Relationships in the Church - Widows and vulnerable people”

Today we have  an excellent  opportunity  to  take a closer look at  the diaconal  ministry  of the church.  In Paul’s first  letter to Timothy  he has written to him, among many other things,  concerning two offices in the church -  the eldership and diaconal ministry.  In Chapter 3: 1-13 he outlines the essential qualifications for elder and diaconal leadership. Both offices are essential to good church governance. We see the outworking of this  in Acts  6:1-7  in terms of the  synergy  between the apostles (prototype elders)   and the  7 men full of the Spirt and wisdom (prototype deacons),  chosen  to solve  a matter that was threatening the peace and harmony and therefore the testimony of the early church. 

The eldership is entrusted with the   human leadership of the church under the Lordship of Christ, and under directive of the Word of God, and the diaconal ministry exists to make the gospel that the elders preach look good by showing the love of Jesus in tangible ways. The diaconal ministry like the ministry of the elders   is a beautiful and rewarding ministry. To see people helped and restored through the truth and grace given by our Triune God is a glorious thing to behold!

In our passage we now have an opportunity to discover diaconal ministry in action. We have here a case study of vulnerable people in the church – widows. Note, the principle can be applied to all types of vulnerable people in the church.  In this case it is the widow. If a woman loses her husband, who is given to her by God as a protector, she becomes vulnerable.  This is true today and in biblical times this was especially so, and therefore much is said in the Bible about the protection about vulnerable people. Strangers or foreigners , orphans  and widows were  classified  as vulnerable.  God has a heart for the vulnerable. James has a specific word on this matter: “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction…” [James 1:27].  In Psalm  68:5 God is called  “the Father of the fatherless and  protector of widows”.[1]This is what  made the  early church act like she did  in Acts 6:1-7.  God measures  the spiritual temperature of a society and of the church by the way they  care for the vulnerable.  It all flows out of the law of God  which  in summary says: ”You shall love the Lord your God…. You shall love your neighbour”. [2]

Our passage  is  most extensive treatment of the subject in the Bible concerning the care of the vulnerable. Two great subjects  emerge here: the issue of  church and community support for widows and at the same time, the widow is encouraged to  take responsibility  and  to make positive contributions to the church's ministry.

Diaconal Team Leader : Douglas Reissner 

EXPOSITION

1.      Honour widows  who are truly widows: The opening line  (v.3) introduces  the controlling  thought of  our  passage. The church must honour (Gr.  timaō  lit. to revere, value)  those widows who are  (Gr.ontōs) – lit. alone, desolate.  But how do we know which  widow  is eligible  for  church support?

2.      Evaluate their needs (vv. 4-8). The church is not called to provide support to widows indiscriminately. Therefore some guidelines are provided.   This is the kind of wisdom that  a diaconal ministry needs.  Before we continue this thought we need to remember that the OT considered re-marriage as the ideal for a widow. Where re-marriage was not possible, a widow could stay either in the house of her parents (Gen. 38:11) or that of her in-laws (Ruth 1:16). In our modern society it is good that a husband should make adequate provision (housing, pension fund, life policy) for such an eventuality. But the fact of the matter is that life is not always tidy. A young woman loses her husband to a heart attack or in  a   car accident. She is left with three children and very little means. What now?  The first principle  is this: Honour widows  i.e. don’t neglect them; don’t disrespect them by ignoring their plight.  Cry out to God for them; stand with them; love them, support them emotionally, physically and spiritually, and let the church help  them however it can. Here is how help  ought to be sought: This is biblical wisdom

(i)           Widows with families  (v.4)  ought  to be taken care of by their family members.. It is a matter of godly virtue  and  v.8 makes it clear that  neglecting  the needs  of such  a vulnerable  person is tantamount to denying the faith … in fact it is worse than being an unbeliever.  The logic is rooted in obedience to the fifth commandment: "Honor your father and your mother" (Ex.20:12; Eph. 6:2). Parents   spend their lives working for the welfare of their children. When it comes to such a time  at which  a parent  becomes vulnerable it would be a sin  for their children and grandchildren  to  neglect  them. 

(ii)         Widows without families (5:5, 9-10); These are distinguished from widows having support or financial means – they are truly widows. They are all alone. But this is not the only criterion. The character of this kind of widow is  also considered in vv. 9-10.   So, in this passage  we find an extended discussion on what  a ’real’ widow is and what  kind of widows should be supported and not supported. The  church  (or presumably  the deacons on behalf of  the church)   are called  to  examine the  practical circumstances  in which  the  widow  or the vulnerable person finds  herself.   If she is all alone, without any means of support  (i.e. no husband  and no extended family),  at least sixty years of age (v. 9), the culturally recognized age of retirement, as well as  at  an age at which remarriage was unlikely[3], and  if she  is  a woman who has a  reputation of good works in the church and in the community, a faithful  ‘one husband  woman’,  faithful mother, hospitable, caring for the church and  the afflicted in her life   she would be eligible for church support.  The standard for bona fide church support  is incredible high, you may think, and yet this is an exposition of the  life of a normal Christian woman of God.

We see that  practical need alone was insufficient grounds for receiving financial help from the church. The church,  having many  financial responsibilities could subsidize only the activities of widows with exemplary lives of faith.  But more than that the widow was also one that did not  simply hope  in the support that  the church would give. Her supreme hope was ultimately in God (v.5).  She knows that ultimately He is  her Provider. Clearly, the widow eligible for financial support was the one who manifested godliness  in every part of her life. Therefore, to qualify for church support the widow had to be truly all alone, she needed to have  demonstrated  a life of  God centered service and she  needed to display   a hope that was continually  fixed on God, with prayer and supplications.

(iii)             Widows that do  not qualify  for support. In v.6   mention is made of the widow who is self- indulgent. That  thought may be connected  with the younger widows of vv.  11-15, and provides  a graphic contrast to the widow described in v.5.   The bottom line, says Paul is that there are  some widows who show no  trust, devotion, love or faithfulness to God. She lives for her pleasures. She is dead in her sins, meaning that she is unconverted. The church is not  under any obligation to support her. Now we need to understand that this is  generalization. Not every young widow would be indulgent. Paul was clearly observing a general trend in  society,    a  pattern of behaviour among young widows,  and he wants to avoid that undue pressure is exerted on the church’s limited resources. And so the general advice and rule was  that young widows were not to be considered for enrolment  on the list  of widows supported by the church (v. 11).  The general advice given  was that young widows should remarry. They should not be placed on a widows list, by which the church became responsible for their support. Once it is granted, it is very difficult to undo the support of a vulnerable person.   Vv.11-15  makes some critical observations in this regard. Younger widows would be more subject to  strong physical desires that would draw them away from Christ. Their  strong  desire to remarry in v. 11  could lead them  to marry unbelievers who would inevitably draw their hearts away from Christ. Many people get into a bad relationship because they think that they  desperately need a relationship. It’s a common occurrence that Paul warns against.                              

           A second reason not to include young widows on the list  appeared  to be the tendency to become idle, to flit from house to house and, worse yet, to become gossips and busybodies, saying things that are inappropriate (v. 13). It may mean that young widows, their financial burden lifted, lacking the spiritual maturity to apply themselves to prayer and other tasks of ministry associated with the list, became lazy and even counterproductive. V.15 indicates this to be true: “some have  already strayed after  Satan”. Some have already departed from the faith (see 4:1f)   

What Paul has just laid down as reasons for excluding young widows from church support now leads to the logical conclusion: They should marry. Obviously they should only remarry in the Lord  (see 1 Corinthians  7:39). 

CONCLUSION

This passage helps us to understand  the responsibilities and manner of working  of diaconal ministry  as an arm of the church’s ministry :

1.      To ensure  that real  need is addressed.

2.      To ensure that  people  are really helped. Most help is short term. The work of the diaconate is to  prayerfully seek solutions in which  the person  in question is helped to cope on their own. Dependency is never encouraged as a rule in the Bible.

3.   The only time the Bible envisages an ongoing   support structure is when the person in question is aged  and unable  to  look after themselves financially. Even then  the criteria for supporting such a person are  that  she  must  reflect a consistently godly demeanour, in which she is able to demonstrate that she has lived a life of godly virtue, and  that  she continues even now to hope in God and help the church by her prayerful demeanour.         

4.      This passage  clears the church’s ministry from  a sense of false guilt. Any pastor can give you many stories about strangers who call the church and ask for some kind of assistance – and any pastor can tell you how hard it is to deal with such situations with love, but without getting ripped off. The principles revealed here are extremely relevant today, when many look to the church as a place where the poor and needy should be able to come for financial help.  Let us pray  for our diaconate, and let us thank God for this ministry of good works  that makes the gospel look good! Amen  

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[1] See also  Ex 22:22-23; Deut.  27:19; Isa 1:17 ; Jer.  22:3-4

[2] Ex 20:1-21 ;Mark 12:28-31

[3] Presumably, at this age the temptations that faced the younger widow (vv. 11-15) would have ceased to be a serious concern.

1 Timothy 5:17-25: “Relationships in the Church: Your Relationship with your Elders”

A good relationship with God and people is  inherent  to the teaching of the Bible. It is  at the heart of the 10 commandments  and  it is reaffirmed by Jesus in Mark 12:30,31 : “Love God … love your neighbour…”.  

The 5^th Chapter  of   Paul’s letter to Timothy  deals  with relationships  at  different levels.  

(i)                 In  5:1-2  Paul  tells  Timothy how to relate, as a pastor  to older men, younger men, older women and younger women in the church.

(ii)               In  5:3-16  Paul helps Timothy  in terms of relating  to widows and vulnerable people in the church. We  will consider this  text, God willing  in February 2017  when we plan to have a “Diaconate Awareness Sunday”  explaining, and  showcasing our diaconal ministry.

(iii)             In 5: 17-25  Paul  explains  how  we ought to relate to  the  elders of the church, and how to understand their   calling and character.  

To this matter  we now turn our attention. 

  

The matter of  the elder and diaconal leadership  of the church was   already raised by Paul in Chapter 3: 1-13.  In the matter of eldership  Paul had  stated that “ If anyone aspires to the  office of an overseer, he desires  a noble task” (3:1)  after which he also gives a list of  necessary qualifications  (3:2-7).

Now as we come to our text in 5:17-25,   Paul deals  with  5  further  aspects   relating to  the office of the elder: 

(i)  5:17,18: The remuneration of  the  full-time elders- particularly those who are set apart  to labour  in preaching and teaching. 

(ii) 5:19-20: The  church discipline for elders who sin.

(iii) 5:21: The importance  of being impartial.

(iv)  5:22-23:  The importance of not  being hasty in the laying on of hands (w.r.t elder ordination)

(v)    5:24-25:  The importance of discernment.

1.      5:17,18 : The remuneration of  the  elders that rule well – particularly  those who are set apart  to labour  in preaching and teaching:

The emphasis here is on  the elders  who  “ruling well“. It  appears  as if the elders  of the  early churches were remunerated, because  they put in a lot of work and effort into the work of shepherding the flock, and Paul has particularly those in mind  who were set apart  for the  preaching and teaching  of the Word.  Such elders  who  ruled well in the church, and  especially those  that laboured  in the Word [Gr. kopos lit.  “toil  resulting in weariness” (Vines) ]  ought to be considered  worthy of double honour.  Since the  Word of God  is central to the church’s life  because the Word accurately preached  maintains the proper  Christ centered focus  of the church, it is important that  the church recognizes this appropriately. Such elders who rule well,  and who diligently labour in the Word, says  Paul are  worthy of double honour.  What is meant by double honour?  It means  generous provision, but this would  depend on  their efficiency,  as the adverb ‘well’  indicates.     

V.18  (a quote from Deut.  25:4)  is linked to this thought, and the argument  goes that if  God is concerned that working animals are adequately fed, how much more concern must He not have for those that labour  on behalf of the church. Paul’s second quotation  follows, “The labourer deserves his wages”. These words were in fact spoken by Jesus in Luke  10:7. [1] Comparing  pastoral work to   the work that  oxen or  labourers  do may not sound very flattering, but it does  in essence describe the work of the pastor.  Biblical pastors do a lot of plodding work, a lot of menial work. They are, after all,  only servants. However,  Paul  says, that such work  ought to  be tangibly appreciated  in the church.

2.      5: 19-20 : Church discipline for elders who sin : Those who do not rule well

Paul now turns from  good pastor –elders who deserve recognition and appreciation  to bad pastor elders who deserve  to be rebuked. He  address the  manner  in which  sinning elders need to be addressed.  Paul gives two directives in this regard:

(i)                  What to do when an elder is accused  (v.19)

(ii)                What to do when an elder is found guilty  (v.20)

In the first instance  Paul says  that  the church  is not  to receive  an accusation against an elder except  on the evidence of    two or three witnesses (v.19) i.e. the charge must be substantiated by several people. This is an OT principle (Deut. 19:15)  which is maintained in the NT ( 2 Cor. 13:1 cf. Matt. 18:16). This  regulation  is important  for the protection of  pastor –elders , who easily become the subjects of gossip and slander. A smear campaign can ruin a pastor’s ministry. Therefore it is important  that such charges  are actually proven. Hear-say   is not good enough. Facts  and witnesses are needed.

In the second instance, when an elder is  proven guilty  (and remains guilty or unrepentant  –  note the present tense), such  should be rebuked in the presence of all.  The general rule is that private sin ought to be  confronted privately,  and public sin ought to be  dealt with publicly. When elders sin against the church, they must be dealt with before the church, so that  the rest may stand in fear. Church discipline is necessary  because  the heart and life of the church is at stake. If problems are routinely ignored and glossed over, this produces  an atmosphere  where others will be tempted and encouraged to sin.  Church discipline  causes people  to take note .

Such an action, in terms of public rebuke  must always be the  last resort  however, and it is never a cause  for  gloating. It  is a very sad  thing  for  church elders to sin. Many   of God’s flock are devastated when that happens.

3.      5:21 : The importance  of being impartial

Now Paul   solemnly charges  Timothy with a very important matter, “ I charge you to keep these rules without  prejudging (Gr. prokrima – jumping to conclusions), doing nothing from partiality (favouritism).”  In the matter of dealing with elders  and people  it is very important that  a sense of  fairness must prevail. The history of the church has often shown the opposite, where sinning priests, pastors  and elders have  sometimes been  protected by the system and excused  from their sin, whilst  many a church member has continued  to  live  with the  bitterness of injustice.

Pastor-elders  must strive to  be impartial , and  where  two people  or parties  are at odds  with one another  it is important  that  sides are not taken ; that truth is established and that people are helped forward . At all times elders will strive to keep people together, since God is a God of peace   and the Holy Spirit is a Spirit of Unity and the Lord Jesus Christ has died to make us one.

4.      5:22-23 :  Be careful in  hasty laying on of hand (  with reference to elder ordination)

In context, the laying on of hands  here probably refers to pastor – elder  ordination. In the pastoral epistles  we have two  other occasions when mention is made of the laying on of hands  [1 Tim 4:14; 2 Tim 1:6].

It is a very common human tendency to make premature and hasty decisions  which should have  been made with  adequate testing and prayer. There may of course be an opposite mistake,  when  we fail to make a decision at  all. The general rule is that it is  better to take time with the appointment of   church leaders.

There is an added thought linked to this statement, “nor take part in the sins of others”.  If through excessive haste a mistake is made or  if the person chosen as a leader in the church    happens to be spiritually unqualified or acting unwisely or sinfully (and contrary to the  character expressed in 1 Tim 3:1-7), Timothy may  find that he shares  in the sins of others or find himself implicated  in other people’s  misdeeds[2]. There is no thing such as sinning in isolation. An eldership can go through a very difficult time as a result of one man's sin, and much energy  needed elsewhere can be wasted and drained    when  the eldership  faces internal  sin issues. When this happens it almost feels that the gospel is  put on hold, while much  precious time is  spent on  resolving sin issues. 

Paul  wants to spare  Timothy  from these things . He wants  Timothy to  keep himself pure  by making wise, godly  leadership  appointments .

5.      5:24-25 :  The importance of discernment

These verses develop Paul’s emphasis on the need for caution and  add  a further reason to avoid haste. The fact of the matter is that  people are frequently different  from what they appear at first. Frequently we underestimate or overestimate people. The point is that  true character only surfaces over a period of time, and therefore time is needed to establish proven character. The passage in 1 Timothy  3:1-7 makes it clear that an elder’s character must be established  before  he can serve  as such.

Now, says Paul, ”the sins of  some men are conspicuous, going before them to judgement…”. The  case is clear  here, but other cases  “the sins  of others appear later”, The same criterion can be applied  to  good works. Some are  immediately apparent, “ and  in the same way  also good works are conspicuous”,  and other good works take a little time before they surface  “…and even those that are not  cannot remain hidden…”

The point is that we cannot judge by mere appearances. We need discernment. We learn this from an iceberg. 9/10 of the iceberg is hidden below the surface. In the same  way  9/10 of a person’s character is  hidden from view, and  is  this this  9/10  which is  the substance of the iceberg. It is this major fraction  that   does  the damage, as the captain of the Titanic discovered too late. We therefore need time to make an assessment  of a person’s character. Attractive  personalities and people  often have hidden weaknesses, whilst ordinary, unassuming people  may have hidden strength. Don’t judge a book by its cover, the English  Proverb says. You need to read it to make an assessment, and reading takes time.   Elders must never be chosen on the  superficial basis of having  high  business or political profiles.  Christian character is everything. It is the essential  test that an elder  must pass.  We need to learn to discern between the seen and the unseen, the surface and the depth, the appearance and the reality.

SUMMARY:

So then we have   learned 5  things  in understanding  and dealing with our  pastors or  elders: 

1.      Appreciate them when  they rule well

2.     Deal with them  fairly   when they do not do well.Make sure that any charge against an elder is substantiated by two  or more  witnesses. 

3.      Elders should be impartial , avoiding all favouritism

4.      Elders should be carefully chosen 

5.      A proper  discernment  needs to be made with respect to choosing elders.  Look beyond  outward appearance. 

Whenever the church takes these principles seriously, mistakes will be avoided and the church will be  preserved  in peace and love,  and God’s Name will be protected and  honoured. 

Amen!

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[1] Context: Jesus charge to the 70

[2] see also Galatians  6:1

1 Timothy 5: 1-2 : “Managing Relationships in the Church”

"Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity."

(1 Timothy 5:1-2 ESV)

Paul’s  first letter to Timothy  contains  advice on  many  a subject  that a young pastor  may  struggle with in the course of his ministry. As I look back on   my years of pastoral work I can certainly identify with   every issue raised here, and I thank God that  the Bible  always provides such accurate  insight  and  solutions to the complexities  that churches  commonly  face  in this fallen world.

In   Chapter 1  Paul  addresses  the  perennial problem of false teachers and false teaching  (1:3-11)  followed by  a statement on the nature of the true gospel (the antidote  false teaching), providing also a  testimony of his own  conversion experience  (1:12-17). This is  followed by a reminder that  being a gospel minister means to be engaged in  a spiritual war,   in which sadly all too many  men  have  lost their direction, because they did not cling to the gospel (1:18-20).

Chapter  2 contains a  reminder concerning the  importance of  public prayer for  all sorts of people, a practise which  we also  follow as  indicated in our  own  church bulletin (2:1-7). Paul also  gives directions  to both men and women  as to how they ought to behave in  public worship,  speaking  particularly  to the   Christian women   in the church  at Ephesus, who were being influenced by  the  huge  feminine cult of the goddess Diana in  that city.  

In Chapter 3  Paul lays down foundational truths  for church government  as he outlines   the  traits that ought to characterize  the  ministries of elders (3:1-7) and deacons (3:8-13).

In  Chapter 4  he reminds  Timothy again  of the subtle  nature of spiritual deceit, and the importance of training for  godliness. He reminds himself that his youthfulness  in the pastoral ministry ought not to be an obstacle, but that  with the help of God  he ought to set an example  in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity towards the different age groups found in the church. Paul  encourages Timothy  to exercise  his ministry with the authority  invested in him  by  God through  his ordination  in the church under the leadership of the council of elders.

Chapter 5  is now before us.   This chapter deals mainly with   various relationships in the church.

(i)                  Vv. 1- 2. How to relate  to different  people  and age groups in the congregation.

(ii)               Vv. 3- 16.   Relating to those in the church  who are in need , especially  widows, and how to  discern and help   those who are truly in need.

(iii)             Vv. 17-20.  Relating to   church elders,    and  some helpful directives  concerning how we should deal with  full time pastor – elders.  

(iv)              Vv. 21-25.  Finally,  Paul charges  Timothy  to  be free from prejudice and  partiality as he goes about his duties.  He also warns  Timothy  to be careful  not to get dragged into the sins  of    others.   The chapter concludes with advice for treating Timothy's stomach ailment, and a reminder that both sins and good works will  eventually become evident.

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Since each of those  divisions  in chapter  5    are relevant and  important to us, I will try to deal with all of them in turn. Today we will only  focus on verses  1 and 2,  in which Paul outlines  the importance  of  dealing  with  various  kinds of people  in the  church. 

Vv. 1- 2 .  Relating  to different age groups in the congregation

The basis  of  Paul’s reminder to Timothy  is the fact that the church is the  household  of God  (3:15). 

The church is   to be seen as  family – a family called into being by God.  In this context  Timothy is called  to be a pastor-teacher  to this local family of God   and   he is  to lead by way of  example in speech, conduct, in love, in faith  and in purity (4:12). He was called by God to read the  Scriptures to his congregation and to  teach the Word of God  as he had received it from the apostle Paul.  This  important work if persisted in , says   Paul  “ will save  both yourself and your hearers”  (4:16).

But how exactly should he deal with his hearers- his congregation? 

Is it to be   a “one size fits all” approach?  

Apparently not!   As we have already seen, the church is  like a family, and that is  how  pastors and  all of us need to relate to one another in the church. It is very clear that we do not  treat everyone in the family equally. We do not treat  the old  and young, men and women  in the same way.  Paul instructs Pastor Timothy  that  he ought to  appeal to older men as fathers,   and older women as mothers. Younger men  were to be treated as brothers and younger women as sisters. The church consists  of these various  categories of people who need to be helped to live their lives    under the gospel.  This is the specific   work of the pastor-elder -  to help  his people to live  out the  implications of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ  in this world. We have seen already  that he needs to be an example of this  in his own life (4:12).

The  problem  is that  older men  and older women, and younger men  and younger women of the church do not always  live in a way that  honour the gospel of our Lord Jesus  Christ. So how does a Pastor deal with those  who  are departing from the faith,  or those  who  are devoting themselves to  deceitful spirits  etc. (4:1-3)? How do you deal with  angry, quarrelsome men in the church? (2:8) How do you deal  with women  in the church who  have  more of the local  Diana culture than the Christ culture in them?  How do we deal with all kinds of believers who  get involved in irreverent, silly myths? (4:7)?   

Here’s how you do  it , says Paul

1.       With Respect to Older Men

How do you deal with an older man when he  goes wrong?

v.1 “Do not rebuke (epiplēssō -  lit. to strike at) an older man (lit. presbuteros –  an older man or a church elder-) , but  encourage  or exhort  ( parakaleō)  him as if he were your father”.  Incidentally, the  word "elder" here is not used in the sense in which it used generally in the Bible i.e.  an officer of the church  (see  5:19);   it is used here in the sense of  an older man  as the ESV correctly translates.So Paul is not saying  that one should  ignore  the sins  which an older man may commit   in the context of the  church.   The emphasis here is   on the harsh  tone in which  it is done. Don’t rebuke (lit.  don’t strike at him) an older man . Don’t be aggressive to him.  If correction  is necessary, says Paul,    it should be done by way of an  exhortation,  literally a coming alongside him  and speaking  to him as if  it were  your father.  Your relationship with your  own father is supposed to be the standard for how you treat other older men. Similar counsel  is  also  given  in Galatians 6:1   in terms of  dealing with  a brother  who is “caught in a transgression”. Paul counsels   the Galatians to restore ( katartizo –  lit. to mend)  such a person in a spirit of gentleness .   So,  Timothy  as a pastoral role model  must  be gentle  in dealing with older  people who sin,   because his age calls for respect, something  that our modern generation has forgotten.   The law of God in Leviticus  19:32  reminds us in this regard: “ You shall stand  up before the gray head and honour the face of an old man, and you shall  fear your God…”

There may come a period when life with an older man   becomes  challenging. Unfortunately, sin  fuelled by Satan never ceases  with age. We have to fight sinful impulses  until the very end. The limitations of  an older body  tends  to cause frustrations. Add to that  the  very real  experience of memory loss and so  a  stubbornness and lack of co-operation which  an older   man  had never experienced before, becomes evident.  The Bible says that   we  must gently exhort such men, sometimes again and again.  This can  be  very  challenging, but   we love them through this difficult phase of their lives, remembering that in the Lord they are our fathers.  Paul tells Timothy that this is how  an  older  man  with sinful manifestations  is to be treated  in the congregation.  Do not rebuke an older man harshly but exhort him as if he were you father.

2.  With respect to younger Men :

'Treat younger men as brothers!’  When younger men in the church sin, Paul advises Timothy  to treat  them as brothers. “Do not be harsh with them”  is implied here.    Again, we  must not be tempted to think that  this means that we are to ignore their  sin. We are simply  learning  here that we are to deal with the sin of  a younger man in a particular way. We are to come alongside him  as a brother  (note the family relationship again!). A brother  stands with you  when you have fallen. 

Proverbs  17:17 says  : “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity”. 

Everybody falls down at some time. Everybody has their  spiritual wilderness experiences, and family heart-aches,  and career set-backs.   A brother will stand with us in such times. A brother  is a person  who  tells you the truth.  He doesn’t beat around the bush. He is  prepared to tell you that you are doing wrong, but when you have fallen into sin you know that he  stands with you. When you appear vulnerable and weak  he  will think no less of you.  He will  pray  with you and  counsel you  back to health.   A true brother  always remembers  that he is a fellow sinner, saved by the grace of God. He knows that only the grace of God  keeps  him, and therefore he is  not judgmental in that sense, although, if he is a spiritual man, he will represent the mind of God  to his fallen brother.  So Timothy is to treat the younger men as his brothers in Christ.

3. Treat Older Women as Mothers.

When older women sin  (and again we remember that there is no one that does not sin), how shall a pastor like Timothy deal with them?  Paul says :  “Treat them as you would treat your mother”. How do you treat  a mother? With utter respect!  Mothers and Fathers  are highly honoured in the Bible: “Honour your  father and your mother”( Ex. 20:12).

And so the NT has some special reflections  on mothers in this regard.  The Lord Jesus  thinks of his mother on the cross. He  says  to  the  apostle John in the face of His impending death :  “Behold your mother.”  Following this, John took her into his house and looked after her (Jn.  19:27).  So too with Paul. He writes to the congregation in Rome and he speaks of the mother of a certain Rufus, and he says that she “has been a mother to me as well” (Rom. 16:13).  That is the attitude which must underlie the  discipline of an older woman. When an older woman  sins  in the church and it becomes known  to  the  elders, such  a one  must not be ignored and she  must be  admonished  and treated appropriately.  She is to  be approached with the same consideration as one would approach an erring mother. A loving son  must correct his own mother with humility  and spiritual wisdom. And Timothy is counselled here by Paul  to approach the older women of the congregation in this way.

4. Treat  younger women as sisters, with  all purity.

How would Pastor Timothy, himself a young man,  deal with  any young woman who had fallen into sin in his congregation?  Paul counsels him,   “treat  her  like your  sister, with absolute purity”. Absolute purity” means never doing anything that would cause her any  harm  –  physically, mentally, spiritually or emotionally. Timothy is to be careful in his relationships with females, especially younger female.  In every way he needs to conduct himself  with  the deportment of a minister of the gospel . He needs to be above reproach. He needs  to deal with his sisters in the Lord  with  the utmost integrity and in all purity. All Christian fathers and mothers are committed to the ideal of “absolute purity” for their sons and daughters. You must do nothing to break that trust. That is the love of a brother and sister.

We are called to live like that in this impure civilisation. We are called to live in absolute purity in such a culture where  young vulnerable people are easily exploited.

And so we learn from this  text  to  be sensitive and respectful to one another.  Sensitive ministry will promote the church's unity and guard its witness to those outside. We need to learn to  value relationships in the bonds of the gospel . We need to  learn  to respond appropriately to different  ages and sexes, keeping the  directives of the Bible in mind.  Rules of respect in social relationships may vary somewhat from culture to culture, and the church and its leaders must be sensitive to obey them, but the biblical culture  is clear.

This  goes  against so much that we assume in our culture today. We think that everybody is the same, but Paul knows that everybody is not the same and we   need  to recognize that. This is God’s design and command , and we will do well to respect that.

May God endow us with   rich wisdom to live as the church of God  in this fallen world.  May God give  us grace to show thorough respect for one another, without compromising  on sin, and always remembering that we ourselves are also capable of sinning. Therefore a patient, respectful, gentle ministry  will  be the only  pastoral ministry that will  serve us well in the ministry of the church.

Amen.

1 Timothy 4:6- 16: “Remaining Faithful To The End”

After  last week’s   Scripture reading and exposition of  1 Timothy  4:1-6, entitled “Some will depart from the  Faith“, you might have  wanted to ask, like the disciples in response to Jesus  statement at the last supper,  “One of you will betray me”,   …  “Is it I Lord?” (Mk.  14:18-19). 

Others might have asked, "Can I remain  faithful to  God until the end?" 

"How do I know that I will remain faithful to the end?" 

Good question, and I am so thankful that the apostle  is reading  Timothy’s mind  and  our anxious thoughts here,  and therefore  his counsel to us this morning is very helpful and practical.

To begin with then, please take note  of the background against which Paul says this to Timothy, the young pastor at Ephesus. He says this against the background of spiritual deceit and  apostasy and false teaching which he calls in  v.7  irreverent, silly myths, or more literally,   ‘profane and   old wives myths’.    

Our modern society   is no different. Just looking at a magazine shelf at a bookshop   leaves us under no illusions what  our  people   preoccupy themselves with in terms of  finding ultimate satisfaction. And so there  is a  true market place  for all sorts of  therapies and techniques from Astrology to Zen Buddhism to relieve stressed  souls -  all of course apart  from   the prescriptions  of  our God and Creator. 

Jesus  never said,   do yoga  or transcendental meditation,  and de-stress yourself  as you  surround yourself with positive energy fields by  doing Feng Shui on your house and  buy  crystals, in order to be delivered  from whatever worries and ails you.  

He never said,  “Go to an African witchdoctor or  his  counterpart in  many a charismatic  church, the  so called “man of God” who  magically removes all your love problems and  financial burdens.  

Jesus said : “Come to me all  who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn  from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest  for your souls.” (Matt. 11:28,29)

Some  in Ephesus apparently forbade people to marry  and others focused on  what to eat and what not to eat, when the basic simple truth is that  EVERYTHING God created is GOOD, and when   we give  thanks for and pray over our food   then it is even more  good, because God is  honoured by our eating and drinking.

Others appear  to be absorbed with their bodies. This too is a  phenomenon  of our modern  culture. There is, of course, nothing wrong with exercise. It has “some value“, says Paul. But surely the excessive attention  and endless  energy  given to our  outer  appearances   impresses others  for a short while  - but what more does it do?  How does that keep us faithful to the end and for eternity?

If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed. Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.

I am learning  never to  take practical  godliness for granted  in Christian people. Paul did not! In writing to Timothy, Paul  felt it necessary to remind him  to  “put these things before the brothers”.  We are to train others, but in order  to train others, the trainer himself   must be subject to the  rigors  of  training. As a pastor in a difficult  environment  at Ephesus  is important  that  He keeps himself  in  spiritual shape, if he is going to be faithful  to the end…. For many have made shipwreck of their faith. The training associated with  godliness  is  far more valuable  than  physical training.

The ground  and substance  for training in godliness is to be  in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine.

Negatively,  he is to avoid  getting  caught up in irreverent, silly myths.  A good servant of Christ is  not called to chase rabbits . He is to be a single minded man.

Positively speaking  He is to train (Gr. gumnazō)   himself in godliness.  Let us focus on this  for a moment  and let  this  counsel encourage us  to  see how we may persevere to the end  without any fear that ‘we may lose it’ .

Principles for training in godliness  :

Commitment:  Train yourself :  “No pain – no gain”.  No one  makes it to the level of Olympics without  paying the price of daily rigorous training. Similarly,  godliness  does not come without  paying the price of daily spiritual training which God has designed for our growth in godliness. 

There is a price to godliness. It doesn’t come cheaply, nor does it come  easily. You need to plan for it, and more importantly  you need   to actually do it.  The Greek word  “train”  from which  we get our  English word  “gymnastics“   implies hard work and perseverance with painstaking , diligent effort, therefore  implying commitment.

Timothy was personally responsible for his  growth and progress in godliness. It is true that all we  do for God  is by grace, and yet  it is also true  that grace does not come if we do not  work out  our salvation  at the same time (Phil. 2:12,13). 

Somebody put it like this: “It takes two to grow a potato: God and the farmer !”  God is first.  

The farmer second. God uses farmers to  produce potatoes. That is the way in which God works.  The same is true  for the work of the church. 

God is first. We are second. God uses  His people   to do the work  of  evangelism  and discipleship. And so, potatoes do not grow without  farmers  and churches do not grow without evangelism and discipleship.  

But  our text is not speaking primarily here about evangelism and discipleship. It speaks about something far more basic. It speaks of   a basic, underlying  discipline called  godliness, and many of us struggle more with this  than we  realize. We are essentially very focused  on our daily  existence, and are  disciplined  in keeping our  business, studies, home, but not disciplined at all  when it comes to training  in godliness .  That is why there is such a  tendency to look for shortcuts.  People  always look  for  a miraculous infusion of godliness.  The truth is that God does work in a mysterious way to make us  godly, but He does not  do this apart from  calling us  to  exercise  the personal responsibility to train ourselves in godliness.

We all need training in this area. Timothy needed it.  Paul reminded  Timothy  in 2 Tim  1:7 that “God did not give us a  spirit of timidity,  but a spirit of power, of love and  of self discipline“. Timothy  needed to grow  out of his natural timidity. He needed to grow in these three areas mentioned. He need to learn  to be   bolder, and to understand the  nature of biblical love better (1 Cor.  13:4-7) and to   be  more self- disciplined. 

Jerry Bridges reminds us  that one meets many talented and capable Christians, but one meets fewer godly Christians. The emphasis in our  age is on serving  God  and accomplishing things for God. As good  and necessary as that may be, it is not the first thing  we need to do.  The first thing that we need is to grow in godliness.  

Here’s an important thing to understand.  In God’s economy being is before doing!  Many Christians  invert this, and  this leads them to self- absorption and idolatry. 

Many   think  and say to themselves,  “I do, therefore I am a Christian!”  The truth is the other way around: ”I am a Christian, therefore I do.. .”   There  is  a  wide  gulf between the two. The first is called ‘dead works’ and the  other is called  ‘ a faith that pleases God ‘  (Hebrews 11). The one leads to  duty-ism, and the other leads to joy. It is for joy that we have been redeemed by Christ.   

And now you will see why  Paul says  what he does in  vv. 9-10: The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance. For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Saviour of all people, especially of those who believe. 

The Christian  life, the godly life, must be lived from the centre. Who is at the centre? Jesus Christ ! So,  the  training that you need to be engaged in is to constantly  focus  sharply on the Lord Jesus Christ and on His attributes. What   is it that Timothy and we need in this regard? Ah,  says Paul, "don’t be intimidated by  the thought of your youthfulness (don’t look at the outward), but  focus on   portraying  and being like Jesus … set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity." That is godly behaviour. And it takes training, because it is not natural for us to think and act like that.

What else   must Timothy do  to increase  personal godliness?  Paul says: “Timothy, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching”. Expose  your people   to the reading, preaching  and  teaching of God’s Word in order that they may be trained in godliness!  That is the work of the pastor. That is Timothy’s  work.   

But we can also turn it  around.  How can I  as a church member grow in godliness? By regularly  sitting under the  Word of God  brought  by   my  God appointed pastor.  My advice is that you need to take every opportunity to bring yourself under the Word of God. Every Christian should be  a thorough student of the Bible. The Hebrews  were rebuked,   since they  should have been able to teach others, they still needed to be taught  in the elementary truths of God’s word  (Hebr. 5:11-14). 

If we are to train ourselves  in godliness  we must give  Bible study  priority in our lives . The results of this   will be evident. 

Proverbs 2:1-5 tells us :  1  My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, 2 turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, 3 and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, 4 and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, 5 then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God.

In conclusion Paul says: Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress. Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.

Practise… progress… persist … TRAIN. 
What is the outcome? “By so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.“  By doing this you will make it to the end !

WHERE CAN WE FIND THE TIME TO DO ALL THIS ? 

You  will always find  time  to do what  is important to you.

How important is the practice of godliness to you? Is it important enough to take priority over your own routines  and your excessive desire  for  recreation and scores of other activities ?  

Unfortunately  many professing Christians  are  busy with many things, but not  busy  with cultivating  those  Christian graces  which are essential to  being Christ-like and  therefore godly. For this reason many  Christians seem to  display   little fruit and power in their lives. Our best time and energy should be  invested in  the pursuit  of training ourselves for the purpose of godliness- to be more like  Jesus. Paul says that this practice   holds promise for both the present life and  the life to come. This practice  alone will ensure that we remain faithful to the end.

Amen !