Don't stop... serving! 1 Timothy 4:14

Do not ever neglect the gift you have, which was given to you through prophecy with the laying on of the elders’ hands. 

Immediately when we read this we’re drawn to the prophecy and laying on of hands.  That makes sense; those things seem other-worldly and out of our experience as believers. 

I’ve already treated the subject in some detail.  See here. 

To sum up, though, it suffices to say that the Apostle Paul, with other pastors, laid hands on Timothy to commission him as a pastor and evangelist, and that when they did, God gave them things to say about Timothy and gave Timothy particular giftings related to preaching and pastoring. 

Such things are not commanded nor described as normative, and the apostles are all dead; therefore, these things are not directly applicable to us. 

That said, there are a good deal of commonalities that our situation has with Timothy’s. 

1)  Every Christian still has a spiritual gift.  See these passages. 

2)  Thus, every Christian is to seek to use their spiritual gifts regularly, never neglecting their use – especially pastors. 

3)  God may not have given prophecy about us or about our pastors; however, the Scriptures describe service to God in every realm of service, for every good work.  As Paul here reminded Timothy of the prophecies made about him to give him strength to persevere in service, we must gather strength from what the Scriptures say about service for our perseverance in our service. 

4)  The elders commissioned their fellow elder, Timothy.  The roles of pastor and deacon, we see, and thus other roles Scripture mentions (like evangelist), should be roles that the local church decides – not the individual by himself. 

Some questions must then be asked. 

1)  Are you seeking to regularly operate in your gifting? 

2)  If you don’t know what your giftings are, are you regularly serving so that you can find out what they are?  If you’ve not regularly served, you probably have no idea what your gifts are. 

3)  Do you gather strength and courage from the Scriptures to operate according to your gifting?  Or are you depending on your own abilities? 

4)  If you’re in full time ministry, have you been sent by the elders of a local church? 

5)  Are you living in submission to the elders of your local church?

Father, I confess to you that I sometimes avoid serving according to my gifts because I’m tired, lazy – and sometimes because service is difficult and taxing.  I confess that I often rely on my own ‘track record’, abilities, and strength to serve you when I do – as if the building up of your Church was by my strength – not Christ’s.  I confess to you that I’ve not feasted on the Scriptures for the sake of your public glorification. 

I confess that by my self-dependence, I’ve made a god of myself and forgotten you. 

Thank you for the forgiveness purchased in Christ’s cross for me, and the justification secured in his resurrection!  His work is perfect and has perfected all his sheep.  Thank you for giving us gifts to joyfully serve you.  Thank you for the gifts you’ve given others so that we can know you more fully.  Thank you for the opportunity to serve you, and thus, to be relationally connected to you.  Thank you for the Scriptures, in which you remind us of your great power towards us who believe – of your Spirit who gives not only salvation, but strength to serve you.  Thank you for appointing the office of pastor so that we can be served well from your word – reminded every Lord’s Day of the great salvation you’ve given us through Jesus. 

Cause me and your people to gather strength from the Bible, be reminded of all you’ve done for us in Christ and given us in the Spirit, and to move forward, relentlessly serving you, because the time is short.  Strengthen us to proclaim your glory throughout this world! 

In Christ Jesus I pray,

Amen. 

Church Government is about Worship, Part III - 1 Timothy 3:16

(16e) … (he was) proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world…

Verse 16 is an early Christian hymn that Paul inserted in the midst of a section about how the church is to govern itself. Why? Because church governance and structure exists for the worship of God.

And particularly, this hymn is about Jesus. It’s about what he did in the world and what he accomplished – and how that brings about godliness in and among God’s people. He has secured a people for himself – and he has secured worship for the Father.

In these two phrases we see something particular about Jesus’ ministry. The Jews expected a savior from the nations of the world. They were oppressed, constantly attacked, and enslaved.

Now, that is in part their own fault. God told them unless they repented, those things would happen. And yet, God had promised salvation from the God-hating nations of the world.

Yet here we see the victory of Jesus proclaimed among the nations. And what is the victory of Jesus but the victory over sin and death? The hold of the devil over all humanity has been broken, the guilt of sin over the nations has been done away with, and the necessity of death and hell for the whole of mankind has been erased completely and forever for all who believe, who are called, who are set apart by Jesus’ blood.

And so Jesus’ proclamation among the nations was not merely a proclamation of victory for himself, though it was that, it was a proclamation of his victory for the world and for the glory of the Father – because his victory meant the godliness of the nations through mercy freely bestowed by God.

And we who believe in Christ are among those nations. Christ is mercy for us. His victory is our victory, his resurrection is our godliness, his entrance into life is our entrance into the Kingdom of God. And so we come to the next phrase – ‘believed on in the world.’

Christ has been believed on in the world – among the nations. He is God over all things, not just a national God. There is no room for relativism here. There is no room for ‘truth’ meaning ‘whatever works for you’ or ‘whatever religion you grew up with’ – Jesus is Lord over everyone and everything.

And in his mercy he has brought saving faith to the world. His death and resurrection haven’t merely secured the proclamation of God’s glory in the whole world – but belief in it. Jesus has gotten a people from every nation for himself to the glory of the Father.

And this is why we have church government.

Summary:
1) Jesus’ victory over death is for a proclamation to all nations, in his mercy.
2) Jesus’ victory over death secures saving faith among all nations, not just certain ones.
3) We thus, are responsible for the proclamation of his name to all nations.
4) This is the foundation for church governance: the mercy of Christ through his death and resurrection, saving all who believe for the glory of God.

Prayer:
Holy God! What can I think of now but your great mercy. You have given your Son into this world and over to a brutal and violent death – but to vindicate him. He was and is righteous, and so you rewarded him with a Kingdom which will never pass away. And you have through him given us the mercy of the Bible – and the grace to believe – and therefore, you have saved us – and you are saving people from the whole world.
Father, this is a glorious thing – and it shows your greatness. O give me a sensitivity to your glory in your word and let us respond appropriately in the Church in thanksgiving and honor to your name.
In Christ I pray, amen.

Church Government is about Worship. 1 Timothy 3:16, part I

(16a) And undeniably great is the mystery of godliness:

Paul’s just finished a section instructing Pastor Timothy about how he ought to lead God’s Church. He’s hit on soundness in doctrine, worship in response to God’s word, gender differences, disciplining people in the church, and church government.

And all this is such that God’s Church will glorify God by acting like Christ in the world.

Paul will continue to give instructions about how to govern the church in chapter 4, and so v. 16 seems a little out of place. But consider this: it is hard for Paul to go on too long about specifics in church governance without going back to worship and the celebration of Christ.

And we should learn from that. Propriety in ministry, in church government can be an idol. It can replace Jesus, even if we’re right in what we’re saying. We need to follow Paul’s example here – and thank the Holy Spirit for causing him to write this way. Paul returns to the core of everything – Jesus.

And he calls it the ‘mystery of godliness.’ By that he means that the end or goal or purpose of the proclamation of the Good News about Jesus is people becoming godly – being like God – and therefore, glorifying God – just as Adam and Eve should have done, being made in God’s image.

We cannot be godly on our own, but we depend on a preached message.

It’s a mystery that leads to godliness. Mystery in the Scriptures refers to something that was veiled in the Old Testament, before Jesus. There were signposts pointing to it, but it was hidden. But now, mysteries have been made known. Jesus has come. So when Paul refers to this as a mystery, what he’s saying is that we have been given the full disclosure of God himself about all of history.

This message is undeniably great. Note the celebratory tone. This truth is magnificent, it’s glorious, it’s heavy, it’s vital, it’s holy, it’s awe-inspiring, it’s amazing. And we know that to be true.

(16b) He was manifested in the flesh…

If Jesus was manifested, before he was manifested, he was hidden. We, however, live in the current reality of his being made known. God has revealed himself to us.

Jesus was revealed in the flesh. Flesh in Paul usually does not mean simply ‘physical.’ It refers to the entire world system under the control of sin – and destined for hell. It stands for rebellion against God, ignorance, darkness, and ultimately destruction.

Jesus was revealed into that world. The Holy God entered a sinful system as a human. And he did so in love – to relate to – to have friendship with – sinful people.

(16c) …vindicated by the Spirit

To be ‘vindicated’ means to be shown to be righteous, or in the right. Someone who is vindicated suffers unjustly, and at the last, justice is done and they are freed from that injustice and rewarded for their righteousness.

In this little word ‘vindicated’ live both the crucifixion and the resurrection of the Messiah.

Jesus never sinned. He always obeyed God. He never deserved the slightest pain – let alone punishment.

Yet, by God’s design, he suffered at our hands. We put him to death by the will of God the Father so that the punishment we had earned would be counted towards him. Christ didn’t deserve to die – we did – but he took it from God in our place, by our bloody and evil hands.

And because he was righteous, the Holy Spirit of God vindicated him. Could a righteous one, and one who had paid the penalty for our sins, stay dead? No! That would be unjust. And so the Holy Spirit raised him from the dead, in glory, showing him to be righteous.

In the old world of sin Christ died and rose, bringing in a new order of things, governed by the Holy Spirit. And the Triune God began to set the screwed up world aright.

He was patient with our sins, not punishing us. He punished Christ in our place. He raised Christ from the dead because Christ is the only righteous one! And as God gives his Holy Spirit, people join Christ in his status as ‘righteous’ – even though we sin so much. Christ has been vindicated – and so, one day, all who have his Spirit will be as well.

Summary:
1) Instructions about church government should be couched in worship in response to the Gospel.
2) The Gospel brings life change.
3) The Gospel was hidden, but is now made known.

Prayer:
God, we were separated from you. Lost in this world. Without purpose, without happiness, without meaning – destined to die. You sent Jesus and showed yourself to us. You killed him for our sins and raised him because he is holy – and through that you have declared us to be righteous – even though we’re not.
Thank you.
Thank you that one day we will be vindicated as Christ was through resurrection.
Cause these truths to sink into my heart to produce glory for yourself in my life.
Because Jesus died and rose and intercedes for me I pray – amen.

The high calling of the assembly of Christ - and of the individuals in that group - 1 Timothy 3:14-15

(14a) I hope to come to you soon…

Paul has just finished giving Timothy instructions about how to run God’s Church – how to act out the love of Jesus to the people of Jesus for the glory of Jesus.

And here again we see his love for his spiritual son revealed. He has been desiring to visit young Timothy. He expects to see him soon.

And this is the kind of love that Jesus produces between people. Paul used to be a Jew among Jews – a despiser of the Gentiles and a persecutor of Christ. Timothy was a half-breed who would have been spurned by the Jews – and certainly by Paul before Paul met Christ.

But both had been convinced that Christ saves sinners- and both entered into the family of God, in which they were brothers. Paul wanted and planned to see Timothy…

(14b-15a) …but I am writing these things to you so that, if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God…

Yet, Paul doesn’t know if he’ll be able to make it. That’s why he’s writing. So we can thank God for hiding from Paul whether or not he’d see Timothy again – because it caused Paul to write him and to give us God’s authoritative words about his Church.

Paul wrote with a purpose. There are ways that it is necessary to behave in the Church. He uses a strong expression here when he says ‘ought.’ It must be the case. It’s vital that one act this way.

And his purpose is that Timothy, a pastor in God’s Church, know what is necessary for behavior within the local congregation.

And we thank God that he has revealed to us, in this book, what is necessary! That should motivate us to read it. To know it. To practice it.

Paul refers to the Church as the ‘household of God.’ It’s the place in which God dwells. It’s the place in which those who know him dwell. It is God’s family, those loved of God, those destined to eternal life with him forever – with the Lord Jesus as the head of the house.

And just so we know what Paul’s talking about, God had him write ‘which is the church of the living God.’

What is God’s family? Who are those in relationship with him? Those who are in the church – the assembly of those who congregate because of a common confession – a common belief – in the Good News about Jesus the Messiah.

And special concern here is given to the fact that God is the ‘living God.’ He is active. He is reigning. He loves us even now, and we have fellowship with him even now. He is able to and will bring about his purposes. He is active in his Church.

(15b) …a pillar and buttress of the truth.

God here gives a further description of his family, the Church. It’s fitting to review what Paul has said so far! Timothy, a pastor, must teach right doctrine and must guide people to live out the practical implications of that sound doctrine. The result is that the whole Church should be responding to God in holy prayer and worship – and that it should spread throughout the world.

To accomplish that end, God instructs us to ordain Church officers, one group to teach, the other to serve.

And it’s the end here that we should emphasize – the truth. The goal of this whole thing entails the truth from God.

Pillars in the Old Testament refer not only to physical supports – but to bearing witness to God. They existed to remind us of what God has said in the Scriptures and what he has done in history. And so God’s Church is here to give testimony to God’s truth. That’s why falsehood must be corrected – and why pastors are under such a high charge! For us to bear good corporate witness, we must know the truth and live the truth.

Further, God says, the Church is the buttress of the truth. It is to lift it high, as a ceiling, or a high gate. It holds it up into the view of the masses. And ultimately, the Church exists to lift Jesus Christ up – and his message – Christ saves sinners – to the whole world.

And this is a bit of a warning. The Church must hold Christ high. This is a call to action – to duty – to sweat, blood and tears. There was no promise that Timothy’s church in Ephesus would continue to uphold the truth.

Paul wrote for a reason – he was giving Timothy the necessary information for the function of God’s Church – which was holding the truth of God on high.

And so grace is given us in this – that we have been made members of God’s family – and that he has spoken to us in his word, the Scriptures. Now we have the sacred duty of holding them on high for the salvation of the world and the glory of God.

Summary
1) The Gospel brings about loving community.
2) Paul has given us what is necessary, in this letter, for the Church, and a local church, to function according to what God wants.
3) The Church is God’s family, in which God dwells and acts.
4) The Church is to bear witness to the truth of God, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, revealed in the Scriptures.

Prayer
Father, thank you for your word. Thank you for sending people to preach the Gospel to us – and for truly good news about forgiveness and vindication and a future with you. Thank you for giving us your Son, delivering him up for our sins, and raising him from the dead for our ultimate life. I pray that we would together strive for churches that live to bear witness to Christ – to lift him up. I pray that I as an individual would act properly within that context, for that end. Captivate our minds with sound teaching. Give us grace for fellowship with you, and joyful announcing of your Son, in whom I pray – amen.

Why the strict requirements on deacons? And their wives? And kids? 1 Timothy 3:11-13

(11) Likewise also their wives must be dignified, not slanderous, temperate, faithful in every respect.

We’ve already seen that the role of ‘deacon’ in the Church is very important – they play an official role in the Church – being the hands and feet of Jesus in an official, ordained way. They are called to carry out Jesus’ mercy and love to those he has brought into his own body.

And so they are official agents of Jesus’ love for his Church. Thus, they must meet certain character requirements.

This verse details a few things about their wives. It’s clear from the early church literature that deacons wives served with them; they acted as a team. And so deacons’ wives were required to behave in certain ways. Interestingly, God begins this verse with ‘likewise,’ indicating that deacons’ wives have very high standards to meet as well.

They must be dignified, not slanderous, temperate, faithful in every respect. These are very broad categories – but to break it down – their manner of living must reflect well on Jesus. They must be able to hold their tongues, being careful in what they say, to speak only as Jesus would have them. They must be temperate – not pursuing pleasure in this world. And they must be faithful in all respects – not having any glaring disobedience – blameless as their husbands are required to be.

(12) Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well.

Remember that a Christian marriage is to reflect the love and relationship between Jesus Christ and the people for whom he died, his bride, the Church (Eph. 5, Rev. 21). As Jesus is a ‘one woman man,’ so must a deacon be.

And as Jesus gently, lovingly leads his household by his Spirit and his word, so must a deacon.

(13) 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.

Now, here’s where God gives us the rationale for these stringent requirements – even over the deacons’ family.

Here are the reasons:

A deacon who serves well gains a good standing for himself.

A deacon who serves well gains great confidence in the faith that is in Christ.

Note that these are for deacons who serve well – in contrast to those who do not.

The heart of these requirements is to make sure that the Church appoints deacons who serve well. We want the Church to show how great Christ is to all people. And so our elected officials are to behave in an exemplary manner.

If a deacon serves well, the Church and the world will look up to him. Is this not what we want? Christ to be honored?

The second reason goes along with the first – a deacon who serves well gains great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus. In other words, as someone who is called to be a deacon serves well, he grows in confidence, in boldness. He gets more courageous regarding the public proclamation of the faith of Jesus Christ. Consider Stephen in Acts! His role was to feed widows – but he was the first Christian martyr.

And so what’s the overall reason for these requirements? Deacons represent Jesus. When someone is called to an official Church role, they are called to represent Jesus in a particular way – and when they do so well, their role is magnified so that Jesus will be magnified all the more – even if it means that, like Stephen, the deacon may die.

Summary
1) Deacons’ wives, serving alongside deacons, must also represent Jesus well.
2) Deacons, like pastors, must show gentle, loving, authoritative, Christ-like leadership in their homes.
3) The reason for the strict requirements God places on deacons is that deacons end up representing Christ in an official capacity – growing in standing and boldness to those who need to hear about Jesus and be saved.

Prayer
Father, there are some strict requirements in this list. And beyond those strict requirements is the call to boldly, lovingly, winsomely bear witness to Christ in word and deed.

So first, thank you for orchestrating my hearing of the gospel from those who serve you. Thank you for granting me faith and Christ’s righteousness – for raising me to life and rescuing me.

Cause me to lead my household well, as Jesus’ has led us so lovingly. Cause me to serve you well so that Jesus will be honored – not me.

And it’s united to Jesus that I ask for these things – amen.

Deacons involve everybody. And deacon is still an odd word. 1 Timothy 3:10

(10)  And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. 

God here continues to give a list of requirements that one must meet to be appointed as a ‘deacon’ in God’s Church.  It’s probably worth revisiting the importance of this position. 

Elders/Bishops/Pastors are called to lead Jesus’ Church – and that happens as they teach his word, and guide his people into greater obedience to him.  They announce God’s word so we can first, have our sins forgiven; second, be relationally connected to God, hearing from him and responding to him; and third, to instruct us in how to glorify God. 

Every Christian must serve God’s Church in some capacity.  And every Christian must bear witness to Christ and his Gospel outside of God’s Church. 

However, there are sometimes duties that must be taken care of in some official capacity as needs arise, that will rob Pastors of the time to do their duties well, and that will not happen organically without a structure in place. 

Jesus’ Church is his body – it exists on earth to represent him and to save sinners – and it must function properly.  Deacons are ‘hands’ and ‘feet’ in a sense – for Jesus.  They are to serve for the health of the body according to its needs – exercising the love of Jesus for the needs of the moment. 

And because they represent Jesus and his saving, merciful work in an official capacity, great things are required of them. 

That’s why this verse that God had written requires testing.  Simply put, God requires deacons to be tested and found blameless. 

One thing that’s very interesting here is that Paul says ‘let them be tested’; he doesn’t say ‘you test them.’  He commanded Titus to appoint pastors – but here he seems to be saying that there must be a community role in appointing deacons. 

In Acts 6:3, the Church in Jerusalem, massive as it was, is called together by the apostles to pick deacons.  The apostles then ordained them. 

So the whole Church picks deacons and tests them.  In Acts, we see this as an act of love – as the body comes together to decide how to love individuals in the body. 

We see that the pastors give them guidelines in terms of how to do so in Acts – and here as well, which means that instruction is received by the congregation in how to test people – what the requirements are.  Particularly, the requirement here is that they be tested morally – they must be blameless. 

Now, of course, that doesn’t mean ‘sinless.’  It does mean that they are living outwardly moral lives that will not bring the Good News about Jesus into bad repute. 

So then, the community comes together in love for those in need – knowing that Jesus’ love must be the life that runs through the whole body.  It is his bride, the collection of people he died for – and we must love them. 

And sometimes a system must be put in place to do so – and so those who are put in official positions must be called by the whole Church – people who are blameless – who represent our Savior well in their characters as they represent him in their actions of mercy to the people that he uniquely and savingly loves.

Summary:
1)  Deacons represent Jesus in official roles outside of the pastors' roles.
2)  Deacons are to be called and tested by the church.
3)  The church is to pick people who are blameless and represent Jesus well in their character


Prayer:
Father, thank you for loving us.  You have given us great mercy in giving us new birth through the resurrection of Jesus.  And you've given us mercy by calling us into your Church, in which we are sustained by the food that is your word.  It's your love that shows us your glory - what greater joy could we have?


And yet, you have mercy on us in tangible ways as well.  You've set up a system to meet our non-spiritual needs - and you've called us all to be involved in it.


I ask you to grant perseverance in holiness to the deacons at our church.  And I ask you to give us wisdom as we participate in testing and appointing them.  And I ask you to give our elders wisdom as they teach and apply your word to your flock - so that we will all grow deeper in our knowledge of and love for you.


Because of Christ's service to us we can ask for these things - amen. 

Deacons. What in the world are they there for? 1 Timothy 3:8-9

(8-9) Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.

God here gives instructions for the other Church office which is described in Scripture – the office of ‘deacon.’

This begs the question – what’s a deacon? Well, to start with the obvious – not an elder. And again to state the obvious – not every person is a deacon.

That said, the word translated deacon merely means ‘servant.’ It’s interesting that this particular word only occurs twice in Scripture, and the other time, it actually means ‘servant.’

Given that, it’s very interesting that deacons were not ordained by the Lord himself, nor are they prescribed for Titus’ church-planting ministry.

However, we learn from church history and from Acts 6:2 that deacons were put into place to take charge of responsibilities that needed to be taken care of in a continuous capacity that were in addition to the proclamation of the Scriptures – namely and importantly, the physical care of people in the Church.

Now, this doesn’t excuse elders from physical care of people. Obviously, the apostles healed people as Jesus’ willed it. And elders should come pray for the sick (James 5). However, as overseers are entrusted with the spiritual care of the Church of God, so deacons are entrusted with necessities which are outside of that realm.

As such, they serve a very important function. Didn’t our Lord on this earth feed the hungry? Open the eyes of the blind? Heal the lame? Did he not come not to be served, but to serve – ultimately giving up his life in exchange for many lives (Mark 10:45)?

And so deacons, in an official capacity, represent their Lord in a unique way. Because of this unique, public title and appointment, they must fit certain requirements – such that Jesus is honored and the witness of Christians about Jesus to the world is unhindered.

As a result, many of the requirements of elders are the same for deacons – because they deal with Christian character and conduct – because Christian character and conduct are direct reflections of Jesus’ own life.

In the two verses in question, we see a common thread again – deacons are not to be living for pleasure in this life – but for the next world. This is just as Jesus endured the cross for the joy set before him and is now seated at God’s right hand.

There are two additional features: that deacons must not be double tongued, and that deacons must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.

To have a double-tongue means that one speaks differently to different people. What you get is not necessarily what other people get from such a person. Such a person ‘plays to his crowd’ – he is not forthright – he is a people-pleaser. This is why v. 10 is important (“let them also be tested…”).

Why are people double-tongued? In a negative sense, because they fear people and fear how people may treat them if they’re completely honest. In a positive sense, because they desire honor from people.

Both of these are bad. But consider the Lord himself. Was he consistent? Was he a fearer of man? Did his message ever change? No – he proclaimed the Gospel – the wrath of God and the mercy of God for sinners – even though it cost him his life. If anyone had reason to fear man, he did – he was about to be tortured by his creatures’ hands. But he set his face out of a love for the Father and endured the cross.

And if anyone had reason to seek honor, he did. He’s God! But he set aside his right to glory for greater future glory through the redemption of the Church.

A second requirement is different here: “They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.”

The mystery of the faith, here, is the Gospel itself. It’s called a mystery because it is the fulfillment of all that the Old Testament foreshadowed and promised – and now it is revealed in ‘the faith’ – which is not to say ‘our personal faith’ – but rather, the teachings that were accepted as authoritative. In other words – deacons must be sound in doctrine.

And they must hold it with a clear conscience – or a clean, cleansed conscience. That is to say, these people, deacons, must have an ability to distinguish between right and wrong – between pure and impure – and this is the fountain from which their holding to right doctrine flows. God has cleansed them, changed them, made them new – and so they hold to the apostolic teaching of Jesus.

Summary:
-Deacons are to carry out specific church roles that the pastors cannot because of their duties.
-Deacons are held to high standards, since they carry an official title from God’s Church.
-Deacons represent Christ in a unique, merciful, physical, serving way.
-Deacons therefore must fit many of the requirements that elders must.
-Deacons must not be people-pleasers.
-Deacons must have good doctrine.
-Deacons must show fruit of regeneration.

Prayer:
Father, thank you for sending Jesus to save us – not only from our guilt but from every stain of sin in the world – all suffering as well. Help me put my hope for complete salvation in the return of Jesus. And I thank you that you’ve promised his return. Help us to be like Jesus here – not acting for peoples’ pleasures – but for yours. Teach us your word and bear fruit in us. Give us wisdom in appointing people to service. Honor your name and the name of Jesus through your Church! Because Jesus died for us, we pray – amen.

1 Timothy 1:18b

(18b) “…in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you…”

God’s given Timothy, and pastors, and to some degree Christians a job: apply all of the Gospel to all of the lives of all of God’s people. And then he says that this command is in agreement with prophecies that were at some point made about Timothy.

Of course this raises a bunch of questions. What prophecies about Timothy? What does that mean to us? I got no prophecy! Or did I?

We need to answer the first question first to see how to apply this phrase to our own lives – what prophecies about Timothy?

From this verse we learn that the prophecies made about Timothy are about his charge to safeguard the Gospel in the Church.

1 Timothy 4:14 says, “Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you.”

So, at some point a council of elders in a church laid hands on Timothy. There was prophecy at this point – and that prophecy resulted in Timothy being given a ‘gift.’

The gift is hinted at in the context. 4:12, 13: “set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity…devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching.” And verse 15: “Practice these things…”

So it seems as if the gift is significantly tied to Timothy’s charge. He’s to preach the word. He’s to apply the Gospel in the life of the Church. He’s to be a pastor!

Further, in 2 Timothy 1:6, God said through Paul to Timothy, “…fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands…”

It doesn’t seem as if Paul would be talking about something different here – he’s assuming Timothy knows what he’s talking about. And in the context here, it’s again about Timothy’s ministry role.

And here we see Paul not mentioning the elders – which is still an office that we have – but talking about his own role in giving Timothy the gift. And Paul’s an apostle. And all the apostles are dead. So we may have something that was unique happening to Timothy.

So what happened here? 1) Timothy was chosen to be an evangelist and pastor. 2) Paul, the apostle, and the elders, instilled him and appointed him as such. 3) When that happened, prophecies were made about Timothy regarding his courageously proclaiming and applying the Gospel to God’s people. 4) Those prophecies resulted in Timothy being equipped by God to carry out God’s mission.

We’re going to see some things similar to our present situation and some things that are different.

Similarities: we still have evangelists and pastors. They still need to be appointed. God still gives people gifts for the sake of ministry – ministry happens because of the Spirit’s work in his people.

Differences: the apostles are dead. We can’t expect prophecies to be made about us – there’s no promise about that in Scripture. And so we shouldn’t expect gifts to be given through prophecy.

Okay, so how can we apply this to our lives?

1) The roles of evangelist and pastor are roles that need to be granted through the local Church.
2) That, by the way, means that parachurch agencies should not be ‘sending’ people into the roles which exercise authority in believers’ lives. That’s the Church’s job, under the authority of elders. Admittedly, I didn’t do this completely right the first time around. Praise God for the non-imputation of sin. And if you don’t know what that means, you should ask.
3) These roles given by the local Church are to be looked at by those in them for assurance in carrying out the task. In other words, when we’re weak, when we are shy, we need to look back at what the Church, by the authority of Scripture, has called us to do. And then we need to do it.
4) That implies that all these roles are ultimately given by Scripture – not with specificity to individuals – but in terms of task. We now don’t operate according to prophecy, but according to Scriptural command.
5) And that’s a very good thing. We have God’s very word which describes what we’re to do for his glory. Thank God!
6) We need to encourage each other in whatever roles God has granted to us with Scripture.
7) We need to boldly step into the responsibilities that God has given us in Scripture.

How do we sum all this up? We’re to look to Scripture for courage in whatever role God has put us in, and to the authority of the Church in applying Scripture, so that we will boldly apply the Gospel to God’s people so that love will spring from us because of the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives.

Prayer:

Father, thank you for your word. Thank you that you have both given us responsibilities and the power, through the Spirit, to carry them out. We get scared, and we’re sorry for that. Cause us to rest on the promises in your word and to be bold for the sake of the Gospel always. Cause us to be dependent on you – we can’t be responsible by our own strength. Use us for your glory. Give us wisdom in appointing people to the position of pastor – and give our pastors wisdom in exercising authority in your Church.

Make Jesus known among us and through us and from us and to us, for the sake of his great glory. Amen.

What to do on the Sabbath....

One of the Pharisees' biggest problems with Jesus was that they thought he was always breaking the Sabbath.

But their big theological problem was that they were always asking the question, 'What should we prevent people from doing on the Sabbath?'

They should've been asking, 'What should we DO on the Sabbath?' But... they didn't. We should.

Campus Ministries and the Local Church

There's a wonderful article on the subject of the relationships of campus ministries to the local church here.