Family

Reading:  1 Timothy 5:1-8
    
    Paul stresses family ties throughout this section.  Timothy needs to treat the members of the Ephesian church like he would treat his own family.  “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 Tim 5:1-2).  Older men deserve the respect of a father; older women the respect of a mother.  Calling Timothy’s contemporaries brothers and sisters implies tenderness and closeness, yet he also warns him to maintain “all purity.”  The family connection should affect how we talk with (and about) each other, how we resolve conflict, and how we respond to conflict together.  Christians are family.  We should bring the best of family dynamics to our interactions with each other.

    Paul also advises Timothy to be judicious in how the church handles widows.  “Honor widows who are truly widows.  But if a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show godliness to their own household and to make some return to their parents, for this is pleasing in the sight of God”(1 Tim 5:3-4). Christians should repay their parents by caring for them in their old age, acknowledging the sacrifice they have made by raising us.  “But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever”(1 Tim 5:8).  These are strong words.  It is not enough to provide for ourselves; there are many others related to us to whom we have obligations.  Those who do not respect family bonds are not following Jesus.  

    God has expectations about families.  He wants us to love our families, treat them with kindness, and care for them when in need.  What is surprising is that how we live with our families inevitably influences the health of a local church.  If we will not care for our families, the church may be burdened (1 Tim 5:16).  If we  do not know how to treat a father, mother, sister, or brother, then we will fail to treat our Christian brethren appropriately.  No one has an ideal family life, but we can all love our brothers and sisters like family and honor our parents.

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One Thing to Think About: Do I treat my brothers and sisters like family?

One Thing to Pray For:  Loving families, both physical and spiritual
 

Diet and Exercise

Reading:  1 Timothy 4:6-16
    
    Like physical health, maintaining spiritual health centers on diet and exercise.  Paul has just warned Timothy of apostasy stemming from some listening to “deceitful spirits and teachings of demons”(1 Tim 4:1) and encouraged him to remind them of what God accepts (1 Tim 4:5).  “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”(1 Tim 4:6).  There are good words that we can be “trained in.”  On the other hand, there are “irreverent, silly myths”(1 Tim 4:7) that must be avoided.  Paul wants Timothy to publicly read Scripture (1 Tim 4:13) and keep a close eye on his teaching (1 Tim 4:16).  Teaching matters because it is the spiritual diet of the church.

    Spiritual health is not strictly intellectual though.  “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”(1 Tim 4:7-8).  The words of the faith are intended to be lived and practiced; we must “train (ourselves) for godliness.”  Just as bodily exercise brings benefits, spiritual exercise makes us stronger now and prepares us for the life to come.  We grow stronger as we see the transformation the gospel makes in real conversations, real relationships, real budgets, and real temptations.  This is why Timothy must not just teach but also “set the believers an example”(1 Tim 4:12) and “keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching”(1 Tim 4:16).  Paul wants Timothy to practice what he preaches.

    The trouble with diet and exercise is that even when we know they are linked to our physical health, we still struggle with them.  We need to fill our hearts with God’s words so that our minds are renewed.  But it is also vital that we practice what we have heard—acting to show love to others, disciplining our bodies and minds, speaking words of encouragement to others, praying for others, and treating our families in better ways. 

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One Thing to Think About: How will I exercise myself in godliness today?

One Thing to Pray For:  Proper spiritual diet and exercise today
 

Making Rules for God

Reading:  1 Timothy 3:14-4:5
    
    Paul summarizes that his instructions for Timothy are so that “you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth”(1 Tim 3:15).  Christians are God’s people (“the household of God”) and our work is to support, uphold, and spread “the truth” about Jesus.  This includes what Paul calls “the mystery of godliness,” that “he was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory”(1 Tim 3:16).  This poetic description of the gospel story (from a human perspective) is not merely a set of assertions we endorse, but connects to how we live, speak, and love.

    But some will reject the truth.  “Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared”(1 Tim 4:1-2).  The Holy Spirit prophesies departures from the faith (apostasies) which originate with Christians heeding the wrong voices (deceitful spirits, demons, and liars).  But the essence of the departure is unexpected:  “who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth”(1 Tim 4:3).  This apostasy will involve making rules for God.  It marks as spiritually dangerous things God has approved (marriage and food, 1 Tim 4:4-5).  It takes our proper desire for holiness and perverts it, insisting on rules God has not given.

    Apostasy can take many different forms.  Often it involves teaching that God will forgive anything, so we can live however we choose.  But this apostasy takes the opposite form:  making rules for God.  Perhaps we feel closer to God by denying ourselves things.  Perhaps we feel better than others who indulge.  Perhaps we see an opportunity to bind our personal opinions on others.  It is not spirituality to make long lists of things we are forbidden to do, especially when those lists do not originate with God.  While we may have opinions and personal rules, we must carefully distinguish the difference between my rules and God’s—lest we make rules for him. 

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One Thing to Think About: What kind of apostasy is the greater danger for me personally?

One Thing to Pray For:  Strength, awareness, and discernment to never “depart from the faith”
 

The Character of Deacons

Reading:  1 Timothy 3:8-13
    
    Just as he has given guidelines for the character of overseers, so Paul advises Timothy as to what “deacons” should be.  The word translated “deacon” in this text is the generic term for a servant.  Paul has in mind a special class of servants who will be a unique part of how the church accomplishes its work.  “Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain”(1 Tim 3:8).  Like elders/overseers, Paul expects deacons to have developed personal discipline in their speech, addictions, and view of money.  “They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience,” meaning that they grasp the gospel and make earnest effort to live by it.  

    Paul also warns against prematurely appointing men to the work:  “And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless”(1 Tim 3:10).  He is not advocating “provisional” deacons who must prove themselves over a probationary period; he is highlighting men who have distinguished themselves as trustworthy by prior behavior.  Paul has guidelines for deacons’ wives (1 Tim 3:11) and home lives:  “Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well”(1 Tim 3:12).  Like overseers (1 Tim 3:4), deacons demonstrate their fitness to serve by the way they show fidelity to their wives and manage their children.  He wants Timothy to promote this kind of selfless work as a tone-setter for the church and a way to accomplish important spiritual tasks.  “For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus”(1 Tim 3:13).

    God’s plan for local churches includes men who are devoted to serving in special ways.  They are trustworthy and dependable; the church is counting on them.  They are examples in character, knowledge, and relationships.  Most of all, they are like Jesus because they are willing to serve. 

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One Thing to Think About: Is my conscience clear (1 Tim 3:9)?

One Thing to Pray For:  God to continue to raise up men of character to serve his people 
 

The Character of Overseers

Reading:  1 Timothy 3:1-7
    
    As Timothy works with the church at Ephesus, Paul wants him to seek out, develop, and appoint men to oversee the group.  Here he gives guidelines for the type of man he should look for.  “The saying is trustworthy:  If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task”(1 Tim 3:1).  Though some are improperly ambitious, Paul stresses that it is still good and appropriate for men to seek spiritual leadership.  “Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money”(1 Tim 3:2-3).  Each of these characteristics implies a good man who has disciplined himself over a period of years.  These traits—from self-control to hospitality to gentleness—are not something he occasionally does, but have become who he is.

    His character is also shown by his role as a father.  “He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church?”(1 Tim 3:4-5).  God expects an overseer to have children who respect and obey him.  This is a proving ground for his ability to lead.  Paul also adds that “he must not be a recent convert”(1 Tim 3:6) and that “he must be well thought of by outsiders”(1 Tim 3:7), which both imply that he has some time in the faith under his belt.  Timothy should look for men who are not a flash-in-the-pan, but whose faith and character are stable and proven.

    Paul is guiding Timothy to the kind of character he should seek as he builds the leadership at Ephesus.  Character is not revealed in a moment, but over long periods of time in a variety of areas.  A man who can teach well but is a drunkard does not have the character needed for the role.  A man whose family obeys him but who leads by violence and harshness does not have the character needed for the role.  No man is perfect, but we can all seek to develop this type of character in our personal lives and homes.  

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One Thing to Think About: How might these verses create an unrealistic expectation of overseers?

One Thing to Pray For:  God to continue to raise up men of character to lead his people