A Pastor’s Charge
The first letter that Paul pens to Timothy is such a powerful work for the church. Paul considers Tim his “true child in the faith (1 Tim. 1:2). He was a product of the faithfulness of his mother and grandmother, and was taught about Jesus from a young age. As a young man, Paul had taken him under his ministerial wing and mentored him to place him in leadership at the church in Ephesus. The purpose of writing Timothy is to guide him as he sought to set the church in order and to combat legalists who had infiltrated the church teaching a false gospel.
At the beginning of the letter, Paul urges Timothy to stick to the basic truth of the Gospel in everything he does. This is a theme that will continually be brought up in the letter. In Chapter 2, for instance, Paul reminds Timothy that the purpose of his ministry has always been to preach this Gospel to all men, regardless of race or creed, in hopes that they might come to know Christ. (1 Tim. 2:1-8) This is the central mission of the church as well. We are called to share Christ with the nations!
As a pastor/overseer/undershepherd, our central goal is to teach and preach the sound doctrine of this Gospel. Paul tells Timothy that he must “…give attention to the public reading of scripture, to exhortation, and teaching.” (1 Tim. 4:13). For me, this is the main purpose of my ministry in the church. I am not called to focus on winning a popularity contest, getting the most people in my church, or gaining the largest ministry budget or fancy building. The foundation of the pastor’s ministry is the preaching of the Word, and guiding people into the truth of the Gospel.
In the letter, we also see the qualifications of pastors and deacons. (1 Tim. 3) They are very similar and important. They can also be summed up in one sentence. A Pastor, as well as a Deacon, must be Spirit-led in ALL aspects of his life. Pastors are accountable for these guidelines and will be judged more severely (James 3:1) due to the influence they have been given in the church as leaders. We must strive for faithfulness in all aspects of our lives!
Paul gives several other guiding words to how Timothy is to operate within the church. These include how to guide older and younger congregants (1 Tim. 5:1-2), taking care of widows (5:3-16), and dealing with church discipline. (5:19-22) The most important instruction, however, comes from 1 Timothy 4:12. Pastors are called to set an example in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity. In fact, we all who claim to be followers of the Risen Savior must set this example for others! This is how the world will know that we are God’s children! (John 13:31)