Category: 1 Timothy

“Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons. These people are hypocrites and liars, and their consciences are dead.”

My first job was working for my grandfather installing hardwood floors.  The one thing I remember the most is the early morning drives to the job in the old, rusting blue van.  As the youngest guy on the team, I had the worst seat – the upside-down bucket between the table saw and the nailing guns.  I especially remember one day when we were trying to find a job. We stopped to ask for directions from a guy at a gas station.  I remember that as we drove away, I looked out the back window of the van, and I saw the guy laughing. It didn’t surprise me when his directions took us the wrong direction.

Throughout the entire letter, Paul has been emphasizing a single theme with Timothy: the importance of teaching the truth.  He said that Timothy needed to guard the truth. He encouraged Timothy to be careful who he appointed as leaders, since they would bear the vital role of teaching the truth as well.  Now we find out why Paul thinks this is so important. Some people will hear and know the truth, but they will eventually reject it in their lives. They will become “hypocrites and liars” with “dead” consciences.  What a disturbing thought! Apparently, the entire purpose of building up Timothy and other leaders in the church is to protect people from turning away to false truths.

Here’s your freedom for today: godly leadership protects you from deceptive lies.  Paul tells us that their are evil spirits actively seeking to deceive us, to tempt us away from the truth.  No one should think they can stand up against that kind of trickery alone. The local church was given as a gift to each of us as a means of protection against the pleasant-sounding lies of the enemy.  The local church and its leaders were called to be teachers of the truth in Paul’s day, and that calling hasn’t changed. As long as truth matters (and it always will), the local church is called by God to loving represent that truth to a world that desperately needs it.  

 

“They will say it is wrong to be married and wrong to eat certain foods. But God created those foods to be eaten with thanks by faithful people who know the truth. Since everything God created is good, we should not reject any of it but receive it with thanks. For we know it is made acceptable by the word of God and prayer.”

My family played a trivia game tonight called beat the parents.  The idea is that parents have to answer questions about things that the kids know and love and vice-a-versa.  My kids were so excited about the game that they couldn’t even sit still. By round number three they were leaning on the table with their legs on top of the backs of their chairs.  By the end of round five my daughter was hoping up and down with excitement and my son was doing a little dance. No matter what the game, there is one phrase that always seems to come up at least once when we play games.  When things are going well for the kids, they just shout out “New Rule!” and then make up a rule that will help them win. Oddly, they still expect us to go along with their new rules, even though we never do.

As Paul continues to warn about false teachers, he suggests that they are the sort of people who want to shout out “new rule!”  God has created specific standards and expectations for humanity. The false teachers that Paul is describing want to add new standards, new expectations.  They want to judge people based not on the standards that God has laid out, but on the new standards they made up themselves. They want people to earn their place with God by what they don’t do, by what they say “no” to.

Here’s your freedom for today: assume that God is saying “yes” until proven otherwise.  There are far more things God says “yes” to than there are that he says “no” to. The world is full of opportunities and freedoms that God invites you to embrace.  Receive the things of this life as gifts from God in two ways. First, receive them with an ever deepening knowledge of the giver himself through His Word and prayer.  Second, receive them with gratitude. God is a good Father seeking to give you good gifts from a good world that He himself created. It is a good and godly thing to enjoy them.    

 

“If you explain these things to the brothers and sisters, Timothy, you will be a worthy servant of Christ Jesus, one who is nourished by the message of faith and the good teaching you have followed. Do not waste time arguing over godless ideas and old wives’ tales. Instead, train yourself to be godly. “Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.” This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it. This is why we work hard and continue to struggle, for our hope is in the living God, who is the Savior of all people and particularly of all believers.”

Several years ago, I decided that I wanted to compete in the Cape Cod Half Marathon.  I made the decision six months before the race, starting out with three 5-mile runs each week and increasing from there.  By the end of my training I was running a total of 25-30 miles every week. In the middle of my training, a friend asked me what I was doing to train.  Did I subscribe to Runner’s World Magazine? Had I done a lot of research on the best kind of shoes to run in? Was I current on the major debates about running form?  “No,” I said. “I just run a lot.”

In these verses, Paul compares the life of Jesus’ followers to the life of someone who is training for a race.  His teaching is simple: don’t get distracted by fancy ideas or superstitious nonsense (both of which appear in the life of a runner and the life of a Christian).  Just train hard. There are no shortcuts, no magic secrets. Everyone who starts the spiritual life honestly should feel the way a new runner feels: out of shape. Making the right spiritual decisions will feel unnatural and uncomfortable.  That may seem discouraging, but it’s the best possible news we can get.

Here’s your freedom for today: if making the right decisions doesn’t come naturally yet, that’s because you’re not done training yourself.  It doesn’t mean that you’re a failure. It doesn’t mean that you are worse than everyone else or that you should give up. It means that you – and everyone else – needs a lot of training if  we are to achieve a level of godliness. So keep on training, and then train some more. The more you train, the easier it gets.

 

“Teach these things and insist that everyone learn them. Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity. Until I get there, focus on reading the Scriptures to the church, encouraging the believers, and teaching them. Do not neglect the spiritual gift you received through the prophecy spoken over you when the elders of the church laid their hands on you. Give your complete attention to these matters. Throw yourself into your tasks so that everyone will see your progress. Keep a close watch on how you live and on your teaching. Stay true to what is right for the sake of your own salvation and the salvation of those who hear you.”

I began working for a church when I was 23-years old. Most of the people in the church were older than I was.  Several were founding members of the church while I was not. Many had been following Jesus longer than I had been alive. Nevertheless, I was placed in a position of authority.  I found myself struggling to learn how to earn the respect of those who were at times older and at times more mature than myself. I tried to make myself look older through how I dressed, how I spoke, and how I carried myself.  Eventually I discovered the vital leadership lesson that Paul teaches Timothy in these verses.

Any leader can eventually earn the trust of almost any follower of Jesus.  There is a simple formula for earning that trust – simple to understand if not to act upon.  The formula is this: maintain a consistent ministry. Simply put that means one thing: make sure that you live your life consistently with the message that you teach.  Some leaders choose to have double standards – one set of expectations for those they lead, but a different set of expectations for themselves. Eventually that kind of hypocrisy reveals itself. Authentic leaders hold themselves to the same standards they teach.  

Here’s your freedom for today: don’t worry if some people you are leading haven’t bought into your leadership yet.  You can win over almost anyone with consistency and integrity. There is no shortcut to winning over people to your leadership.  That’s ok. People should expect leaders to earn their trust rather than demanding it. If you find yourself in that position as a leader, don’t panic.  Most people are just waiting and watching. If you are faithful in following Jesus and faithful in your leadership, they will follow you eventually.

 

“Never speak harshly to an older man, but appeal to him respectfully as you would to your own father. Talk to younger men as you would to your own brothers. Treat older women as you would your mother, and treat younger women with all purity as you would your own sisters.”

“You want me to what?” she asked incredulously.  She had been telling me about an argument she got into with another woman in the church, and her plan was simple: never talk to the other woman again.  Unfortunately, she talked to me. I encouraged her to go and repair the relationship – to offer forgiveness and love and a second chance.

Followers of Jesus do relationships differently.  Like every area of life, they are following a different set of rules.  Here Paul gives a basic outline of those rules. Notice that they aren’t based on what you think the other person deserves.  An older man might make a foolish mistake and deserve harsh correction. Nevertheless, Paul teaches us to treat older men with respect.  Why? It is, in many ways, a practical set of rules. Older men and women will respond better if we use respect. Younger men will respond better to brotherly camaraderie.  Younger women will respond better if they are treated with dignity rather than being objectified. More importantly though, this is a choice to treat people based on who they can become rather than who they currently are.

Here’s your freedom for today: every interaction with another person is a creative act of transformation.  You have the power to help people change. That doesn’t mean that you can or should go around giving advice.  Instead, you offer people an opportunity when you treat them as if they are what they in fact are not but could be. For example, you can treat an older man as if he deserves respect, even if he doesn’t.  In doing so, you give him the opportunity to take a step towards becoming the person worthy of that respect. What could give us the courage to treat people this well? Only this: we know that God has treated each of us exactly like this.  He has treated us far better than we deserve, and it has inspired each of us to become better than we’d ever thought possible. It worked for us, so let’s give it a chance to work on someone else.