The Good Minister of Jesus Christ
Study Text: 1 Timothy 4: 6 – 16
6 You've been raised on the Message of the faith and have followed sound teaching. Now pass on this counsel to the Christians there, and you'll be a good servant of Jesus. 7 Stay clear of silly stories that get dressed up as religion. Exercise daily in God — no spiritual flabbiness, please! 8 Workouts in the gymnasium are useful, but a disciplined life in God is far more so, making you fit both today and forever. 9 You can count on this. Take it to heart. 10 This is why we've thrown ourselves into this venture so totally. We're banking on the living God, Savior of all men and women, especially believers.
11 Get the word out. Teach all these things. 12 And don't let anyone put you down because you're young. Teach believers with your life: by word, by demeanor, by love, by faith, by integrity. 13 Stay at your post reading Scripture, giving counsel, teaching. 14 And that special gift of ministry you were given when the leaders of the church laid hands on you and prayed — keep that dusted off and in use.
15 Cultivate these things. Immerse yourself in them. The people will all see you mature right before their eyes! 16 Keep a firm grasp on both your character and your teaching. Don't be diverted. Just keep at it. Both you and those who hear you will experience salvation. (The Message Bible).
Introduction:
- The message of Christianity must remain scripturally sound, and her leaders must remain spiritually, emotionally, and physically strong.
- The soundness of a church depends on ministers and leaders who are sound in their faith and practice.
- The ministry of the Church must consist of individuals who possess a genuine divine call and direction, as well as adequate preparation, and they must have the undivided support of their congregations and church leadership.
- The gospel message must never be compromised, and each minister must honestly and actively seek to carry out God's will in his life.
- How does a person know the right direction? Paul not only gave Timothy a list of what to do, but more important, he gives him a list of what to be.
- Ministry is not so much what you do as it is what you are. This passage explains more than any other passage, the requirements for ministry, understanding of ministry, and thoughts regarding the role of the minister.
- Paul presented several factors that are a part of being a good minister. Earlier in the chapter he mentioned that a good minister warns people from error, and keeps himself from doctrinal error.
- Paul wrote that the good minister is involved in personal godliness. But in verse 12-16, Paul gave five marks of a good minister. Five things that he wants Timothy to pay attention to.
1. A good minister is a model of spiritual virtue. Vs 12
- The greatest single tool of leadership is an exemplary life. Paul lived a life others could follow and he reminded them of that. Look at the following verses:
1 Corinthians, 4:16, “I urge you to imitate me.”
1 Corinthians, 11:1, “Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ.”
Philippians in 3:17, “Join with others in following my example.”
Philippians 4:9, “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, put into practice.”
1 Thessalonians 5, “You know how we lived among you for your sake. You became imitators of us and of the Lord.
- The greatest message you ever will preach is the one you preach with your life. The example you set is absolutely critical. Notice what Paul says, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example.”
- He is telling Timothy, Timothy you’re young. “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young.”
- The question for you tonight is this: How do you as a young minister gain respect? What will you do? How will you get the respect of others?
- For people to follow you they must respect you. But if you are young, how do you gain their respect?
- You gain respect by revealing yourself to be a model of spiritual virtue. If ministers are going to be followed; if they are going to be believed; if they are going to be respected, it will be because the flock they are leading ignores their age and follows their example.
- They have to see virtue in your living. What kind of virtue? Paul gave some criteria for gaining respect:
i. The first place you set an example is in what you say.
- Usually the first thing people know about you is what they hear you talk about. The conversation of a good minister is exemplary. Jesus said, “Out of the overflow of the heart does the mouth speaks.” What should your speech be like? “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths.”
- In Ephesians 5:4: “Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.” A good minister’s talk isn’t filthy, it isn’t crude, it isn’t coarse, it isn’t foolish. Rather, it is uplifting.
- It is speech that speaks of a higher set of values, of a higher purpose. It is speech that is full of grace, seasoned with salt.
ii. The second place you set an example is “conduct.”
- The issue here is lifestyle or behavior. It has to do with living a righteous life. The preacher is to be a model of righteous living in every area of his life.
- The places you go. The things you do. The things you buy. The way you live. This is absolutely critical.
- Keep out lusts and passions and worldly inclinations. Keep up the life of faith and love. Take heed to yourselves lest your example contradict your doctrine, lest you unsay with your lives what you say with your tongue. You must be an example in your life.
iii. Third, an example in love.
- The kind of love that is based in serving others in laying down your life. Paul told Timothy that he must do the same.
- How will you overcome your youth in the eyes of people? Through your sacrificial giving of yourself to them and to the call of God upon your life.
iv. Be an example as well in faith.
- This means faithfulness, loyalty, or better yet, consistency. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 4:2, “Now it is required of those who have been given a trust they must prove faithful.”
- The mark of a good minister is that he is consistent, steady, and is given to the things of God day in and day out, not just when he is in the limelight.
v. Then Paul said to be an example in purity.
- The word here means purity in the area of sexual chastity. A good minister is sexually pure. A good minister lives a sexually pure life.
- This is an area the enemy would love to attack because it has such a devastating effect.
- So a good minister is a model of spiritual virtue. Don’t let anybody look down on your youth, but set an example that they can follow by being a virtuous person.
2. A good minister has a biblical ministry.
- In verse 13, Paul said, “Until I come. Devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture to preaching and to teaching.”
- Timothy was to be continually devoted to the Word. In other words, Paul is telling Timothy that when it comes to your life, Timothy, a way of life for you is to be a student of the Word of God.
- The public reading of Scripture would be the equivalent of what we would call the sermon. To understand its function in the Early Church we need to understand how it functioned in the synagogue.
- In Luke 4, Jesus stood up and unrolled the scroll. He read from the scroll and then explained what it meant.
- You see a similar pattern in Nehemiah 8:8 where they read from the Scripture then gave meaning to the Scripture. So in 1 Timothy 4, Paul has in mind the reading and exposition of the Scripture.
- A good minister reads the Scripture, studies the Scripture, explains the Scripture, preaches the Scripture, and challenges people to obey it.
- The call to the ministry is a call to be a student of the Word of God. The apostles said we will give ourselves to prayer and the ministry of the Word.
3. A good minister fulfills his calling.
- There are people who go into the ministry and unfortunately bail out. One of Satan’s greatest weapons is the weapon of discouragement. The enemy of your soul, the enemy of our Savior, wants to discourage you so you will lay down your weapons and quit fighting.
- You must not let that happen. Paul understood that. He said to Timothy in verse 14, “Do not neglect your gift.” This indicates that Timothy was in the balance — that maybe things were getting tough. Or maybe he had already neglected his gift.
- It is possible that Timothy had forgotten that God had given him a gift, and that this gift was now falling into disuse. So Paul said, “Timothy, have you forgotten these things?”
- He was in a tough church; he was about ready to give up. He had become timid and fearful so Paul wrote, “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, of self-discipline.”
- The ministry is not a life of ease. There is an enemy. There is a battle, and there will be times when you will be pressed beyond measure. And in that moment you must remember your calling.
- Who knows where God will lead you. You cannot know what the future holds or where the Holy Spirit will lead you. But you can know that He will be with you. So you must be true to Him. Whatever He has called you to do, stay at it.
4. A good minister is fully absorbed in his work.
- Paul said in verse 15, “Be diligent in these matters. Give yourself wholly to them.” Paul told Timothy that he must be whole-hearted about the ministry.
- This is the greatest course. It deserves the maximum effort. This is not the place for a person who is half-hearted. This is not for the person who can’t decide what they want to do so they try several things along the way in addition to the ministry. Your calling is to serve God.
- There may be times when it is necessary for you to be a tent maker. There may be unique people whom God calls to live that lifestyle. But as a general rule for most of the ministers will do best when they focus on one thing and do it well.
- When we give our heart to it, a good minister is fully absorbed in his work. You must be committed to it wholly. It’s not I’ll do this and if it doesn’t work out I’ll do something else. That kind of commitment will never weather the storms that are a part of serving God.
5. A good minister is constantly growing spiritually.
- Look at what Paul wrote, “so that everyone may see your progress.” So that everybody can see it.
- Let’s face it, no minister is all that he should be or will be at any given time. A good minister is one that is growing.
- A good minister is one who knows he has not arrived and that people benefit by seeing his growth and development. You cannot lead growing people if you are not growing. You cannot hope to produce spiritual development in people if you are not spiritually developing.
- There will never be a time when you will be adequate. There will never be a time when you will say, “I have arrived.” There will never be a time when you have all that you could possibly have or will you have grown as far as you can possibly have grown. You have to be committed to growing spiritually.
- As you start ministry, spiritual development comes more easily because there is a greater sense of inadequacy, which results in a greater dependence. But, as time goes by competency begins to develop and if you are not careful, as competency rises in your life, dependence on God decreases and you will stop growing. You must guard against that. A good minister is constantly growing.
- What are the main keys to spiritual growth and development? Time with God and that’s prayer. Time in the Word, that’s study. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them. Because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.
Conclusion:
- This teaching applies to all Christians. Yes, in this section Paul focuses on Timothy, the paradigm of the good minister or Christian leader, who must pursue spiritual priorities and pay attention to his lifestyle and calling.
- But we shouldn't be fooled by the term minister--the principles apply to all believers, just as all believers are to be vitally involved in ministry.
- The leader or minister is to be a model. In the leader's ministry and life God's Word and its application must be central. Attention to these basics will make a critical difference.
