Paul the
apostle desired for Timothy “his dearly
beloved” “son in the faith” to be well
equipped as a pastor of the church in Ephesus. Not only was Timothy's
personal life to reflect the life and truth of Jesus Christ, but also
he was to be an example for the believers as a pastor. Paul warned
Timothy of people who “shall turn away their
ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables”, and
because people with “itching ears”
would do so, in chapter four and verse five of this final letter from
Paul, he gave Timothy four things to do: “Watch”,
“Endure”, “Work”
and “Make full”
where we read:
But you
watch in all things, endure afflictions,
do the
work of an evangelist, make full proof of your ministry.
The
verse begins, “But you watch in all things, endure
afflictions,...” Paul began
with the word, “But”
which means “moreover, now, nevertheless and also”, and then
declared, “you watch” or
“be sober, calm, collected in spirit, temperate, dispassionate and
circumspect” “in all things” which
refers to “each, every, any, the whole, everyone and
everything”. Next Paul added, “endure afflictions” or
“suffer evils, hardships and troubles”. Rather than be a person
who followed false stories and fables, Timothy was to be a “sober
and calm” person who “endured” hardships and
“afflictions” which came into his life.
The
verse goes on to say, “...do the work of an evangelist,
make full proof of your ministry.” Paul continued with, “do”
or “make, prepare, constitute, appoint and declare” “the
work” which means “the business, employment, occupation,
undertaking, enterprise and accomplishment” “of an evangelist”
or “bringer of good tidings”. Timothy was to be continually busy
about the business of sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. Finally
Paul added, “make full proof” or “bear, bring to
capacity, cause to be shown thoroughly, accomplish and carry through
to the end” “of your ministry” which refers to
“Timothy's service and administration of executing the commands of
others”. Timothy was a “minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ”
as he “pastored” over the church located in Ephesus, and he was
to thoroughly accomplish all the Lord Jesus had for him to do within
his offices.
While
we think upon Paul's four objectives for Timothy, we should examine
our own lives by his standard. Are we “watching in all things”?
Do we “endure afflictions”? Are we active in “the
work of an evangelist”, and do we “thoroughly accomplish”
our “ministry” which has been given to us by the Lord
Jesus? Perhaps we may think these directives are given to “pastors”
and “ministers” alone, however, if we ponder these traits long
enough, we will soon discover that all who follow Jesus Christ as
their Savior and Lord have the same orders. May the Lord Jesus help
us to know and follow these four ways, and may He add any traits to
our lives which would be found lacking should we be inspected and
observed by others.
Next
time Paul tells Timothy he is “ready to be offered”,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look
for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be
Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the
Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com
; http://www.barnesandnobles.com
; download to e-books, and find it locally at
http://www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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