Paul
the apostle began his letter to Timothy his “son in the faith”
with an introduction of his title – “apostle”, his
declaration - “and Lord Jesus Christ, which is
our hope” and his blessing -
“grace, mercy, and peace, from God
our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.” In
chapter one and verse three of this letter, Paul begins his
instruction to Timothy by reminding him of his duty to “charge
some that they teach no other doctrine”
where we read:
As I besought you to
abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia,
that you might charge
some that they teach no other doctrine,
The verse begins, “As I
besought you to abide still at Ephesus,...” Paul
employed the words, “As I besought” which
is “parakaleo” in the Greek language and means to “call
to one's side, be called for, summoned, admonished, exhorted, begged,
entreated, encouraged and instructed” “you to abide still”
or “to remain with, to continue with one, to hold fast or tarry”
“at Ephesus” which means “permitted” and was “a
maritime city of Asia Minor, capital of Ionia and under the Romans,
of proconsular Asia, situated on the Icarian Sea between Smyrna and
Miletus”. We find “Ephesus” was first mentioned in the
book of Acts in chapter eighteen and verse nineteen where Paul
“entered into the synagogue, and reasoned with the Jews.”
The
verse goes on to say, “when I went into Macedonia” Paul
mentioned the timing of his summoning to Timothy - “when
I went” which means “to
transfer or continue on” “into Macedonia” whose
name means “extended land” and was “a country bounded on the
south by Thessaly and Epirus, on the east by Thrace and the Aegean
Sea, on the west by Illyria, and on the North by Dardania and
Moesia”. “Macedonia”
was first mentioned in the Bible in Acts chapter sixteen and verse
nine where Paul had a vision and “There stood a man of
Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help
us.” Paul did as the man in
his vision instructed, and he shared the gospel of Jesus Christ with
the people who were located there.
The verse continues, “that
you might charge some that they teach no other doctrine,” After
reminding Timothy of the calling and timing of his overseeing of the
church in Ephesus, Paul gave the specific instruction for Timothy to
carry out there - “that you might charge”
or “to transmit a message along from one to another,
declare, announce, command and order” “some” which means
“certain or certain ones” “that they teach” or
“instruct or give instruction to” “no other doctrine”
which refers to “a different or deviating school of thought,
philosophy or belief”. Though Paul the apostle brought the gospel
of Jesus Christ to the church in Ephesus, there were among the church
members those who taught “other doctrines” which did not
correspond to the grace of God. Timothy's commission was to
superintend over the church in Ephesus and command these false
teachers to not to teach these heretical doctrines.
As we meditate upon Paul's
instruction to Timothy, let us imagine that we are the one given the
task of keeping false doctrines out of our church. How do we think
this would be received? What if we were younger in age like Timothy
than those who were promoting these false teachings? In order to
understand the Bible more clearly, we must ask the Holy Spirit of God
to teach us His ways, and as we imagine ourselves in the positions
such as Timothy and Paul, we will not only understand the scriptures
but will also be able to apply them to our lives. Let us first
consider there are “other doctrines” than the gospel of
Jesus Christ which are promoted in the church, and secondly, there
are times we will be in “charge” of bringing those
heresies not only to light but also to halt them so others will keep
away from them. May the Lord help us not only to know the difference
between true and false doctrines, but also be bold enough to stopped
them when we can.
Next
time Paul shares about “fables and endless genealogies”,
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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