Posts
Remembering that Paul was writing to Timothy, who Paul had sent to Ephesus to take his place, lets
us get a glimpse into troubles Timothy faced as a young pastor who’d followed
Paul – the beloved “old pastor”. My
commentary picked up and expanded on many wise things Paul brought up.
“Paul admonished Timothy to minister to the various kinds of
people in the church, and not to
show partiality. Since Timothy was a younger man, he might be
tempted to ignore the older members, so Paul urged him to love and serve all of the people.”
Paul also advised Timothy regarding ministry to widows who
had no social safety net financially.
Then he discussed Timothy’s relationship with officers in his
church. “It is a wonderful thing when
the elders and deacons and other officers work together in harmony and
love. It is tragic when a pastor tries
to become a spiritual dictator or when an officer tries to be a preeminent big
shot.”
“There were two kinds of elders in the church: ruling
elders who supervised the work of the congregation, and teaching elders, who taught the Word of
God. These elders were chosen from the
congregation on the basis of God’s call,
the Spirit’s equipping, and the witness and work of the men themselves … If
spiritually minded leaders do not supervise the various ministries of the local
church, there will be chaos instead of order. However, this supervision must not be dictatorial … The church is not
a business … The ruthless way some
church leaders have pushed people around is a disgrace to the gospel.”
Paul also covered the disciplining of elders in verses 19-21. My
commentary listed many other passages which cover the disciplining of members. “The purpose of discipline is restoration, not revenge. Our purpose
must be to save the offender, not to drive him away. Our attitude must be one of love and
tenderness … Paul’s first caution to Timothy was to be sure of the facts and the way to do that is to have witnesses … Paul’s second caution was
that Timothy do everything openly and
aboveboard. The under-the-counter
politics of city hall have no place
in a church … If an officer is
guilty, then he should be rebuked before all the other leaders. He should be given opportunity to repent, and
if he does he should be forgiven. Once he is forgiven, the matter is settled and should never be brought up
again.”
Paul’s third caution is that Timothy obey the Word no matter what his personal feelings might
be. He should act without prejudice against or partiality for the accused officer. There are
no seniority rights in a local church; each member has the same standing before
God and His Word. To show either
prejudice or partiality is to make the situation even worse.”
My commentary summed it all up: “No pastor or church member is perfect, but
that should not hinder us from striving for perfection. The ministry of a local church rises and
falls with its leadership. Godly
leadership means God’s blessing, and that is what we want and need.”
Father God, thank You for these wise words that are as
relevant today as they were in Timothy’s day.
Help all of us to let them sink into our hearts so that we will relate
to others in our church with Your
heart of love.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
No comments:
Post a Comment