1 Timothy 4

1 Timothy 4 - Good Ministers

Phil Campbell MPC, 29^th October 2000.

For the last year or so, our family's been in the process of looking for a DOG. What do you look for if you're buying a new dog? Well, there's a list. A list of features we're looking for; that makes me think the perfect breed for the Campbell family hasn't been invented yet. We reckon Beagles are cute. But they're a bit too expensive. And you've got to learn to read the CODE in the newspaper ads. Like the 8month old beagle yesterday looking for a new home... and the ad said VERY ACTIVE. Which means it's probably scratched all the paint off their doors, gets out every time you open the gate; jumps all over you with mud on its feet.

We're looking for the sort of dog that never needs exercise, that doesn't eat much, that has adorable eyes and a friendly personality, and that comes when it's called first time. And if it can MOW THE LAWN and bring in the newspaper, that's an extra bonus.

Now you make up a list like that for a small thing like looking for a PET DOG. I want to ask you this morning, what goes on the list if you're looking for a MINISTER. Last week we looked at OVERSEERS or ELDERS. Well, today it's my turn to get uncomfortable. Because here's a section where the apostle Paul is talking to his apprentice Timothy - about the QUALITIES that are meant to be there in a LEADER OF THE CHURCH.

1 Timothy 4. As Paul spells out to Timothy what it takes. He tells him what it takes to be a GOOD MINISTER. And not a bad one. Not a second rate one.

Good Ministers...

That's what the chapters about, and you can see it most clearly if you start at verse 6. Paul says, "If you point these things out to the brothers, you will be a GOOD MINISTER of Christ Jesus."

We'll see the details in a minute. But for now just bear in mind, he's talking about what it takes to be a GOOD MINISTER. Which literally means, a GOOD SERVANT. That's what the word MINISTER MEANS. And Paul's spelling out the qualities of the sort of person who is going to SERVE CHRIST JESUS well.

Now I guess you could say, well, everyone's got their own ideas about what makes a GOOD MINISTER. I mean, I know when I was fresh out of Moore College in my first year in ministry, old Mrs Hambly who always used to sit on the left hand side in the middle, she said "It's nice to have a new minister straight out of college, because we CAN MOLD HIM INTO JUST HOW WE WANT HIM. Which for Mrs Hambly included a list like wearing robes. Upholding the really IMPORTANT traditions of the Presbyterian church like the threefold Amen. And the list went on.

Everyone has their own list of preferences. But you'll notice it's not so much about being a good servant of EVERYONE and measuring up to their personal preferences - this is about being a good servant go CHRIST JESUS.

1. Guarding against False teaching

And first of all I want you to notice this. A GOOD MINISTER GUARDS AGAINST FALSE TEACHING. Whatever shape it takes.

And you'll see that priority number 1, the issue Paul brings to the top of the list, is to help people HOLD ON TO THE FAITH. In the face of all sorts of DECEPTIONS.

And the trouble with deceptions, is that they always sound so good. Which is why they're DECEPTIONS.

Take a look at verses 1 to 3 and you'll see what he's saying. And it's funny, first time you read it, it sounds like something out of a HORROR MOVIE. Deceiving spirits. Things taught by demons. And you're thinking, gosh, pagan altars and child sacrifices and howling at the moon at midnight. No way I'd ever get caught up in that stuff. Smell a oiji board a mile off.

But DECEPTION doesn't work like that. Deception looks GOOD. Looks RIGHT. Looks RELIGIOUS. And if Timothy is going to be a GOOD MINISTER, a good servant of Christ Jesus, he'll be sounding the alarm. Which won't necessarily be popular with the people being deceived.

Keep reading - verse 2. And it doesn't sound good does it; "Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been cauterised - seared with a hot iron.

And what's the terrible stuff they're teaching? See here's the surprise. Because it sounds so... well, so innocent, doesn't it. I mean, you can't even SEE the devil and the demons in it. In fact, the funny thing is, they're not PROMOTING THE DOING OF ANYTHING NAUGHTY AT ALL. Just the opposite. Because these devil-driven cauterised conscience hypocrite false teachers... all they're doing is going around with a list of NO-Nos. Prohibitions.

Don't get married. Stay pure. Don't eat this, and you can't eat THAT. Read what he says "They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods - which God created to be received with thanksgiving."

Sounds like a sort of a cross between a nun and a seventh day Adventist. Which hardly sounds like the stuff the devil puts around. But here's the point. The point is, our Gospel is NOT ABOUT A NEW SET OF LAWS. And the devil wants to say IT IS.

And so here are these false teachers who are binding the consciences of Christians by teaching them not to marry. Or that REAL Christians can only eat KOSHER FOODS. And they're missing the whole point - that Jesus has done away with all that. And brought something completely new. Eat and drink what you like. Get married if you want to get married. Because, he says, EVERYTHING God created is good, verse 4, and NOTHING IS TO BE REJECTED if it's received with thanksgiving, because it's consecrated by the word of God and prayer.

So whether it's meat from the sacrifice at the temple of Diana, or if it's bacon and eggs, DON'T LISTEN to anyone who wants to say it's MORE SPIRITUAL NOT TO EAT IT. Say thankyou to God for it and tuck in.

And A GOOD MINISTER who's caught on to the TRUTHS OF THE FAITH and has held on to GOOD TEACHING... a good minister is going to POINT OUT THIS SORT OF THINGS. And stop Christians being caught up in rules and rigmaroles and myths about only eating fish on Fridays. So you know what Paul says? Funny, isn't it. The sort of mental picture you get of a minister, he's the guy who goes around saying DON'T DON'T DON'T. But it's the opposite. He says in verse 6, a GOOD MINISTER OF CHRIST JESUS says there's ONE DON'T. And that is, DON'T LISTEN. Don't listen to the sort of people who want to give you a list of EXTRAS. And he says "If you point these things out to the brothers, you'll be a GOOD MINISTER OF CHRIST JESUS, brought up in the truths of the faith and the good teaching you have followed."

And so Paul says to Timothy, have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives tales and the sort of superstitious nonsense that gets passed around in the name of being RELIGIOUS. That's not what it's about.

Because in the end it's simple. And the truths of the faith and the good teaching Timothy's followed up to now says this: the way you're put right with God, the way you're saved, it's by resting your faith confidently in JESUS CHRIST. Instead of in your list of do's and don'ts that sound so religiously impressive... and yet have got absolutely NOTHING to do with Jesus.

2. Godliness Gymnasium

Now that's not saying for a minute that the way we live doesn't matter. It matters a lot. In fact, Paul's got a simple word for the way Christians are meant to live. It's the word GODLINESS. That's what we aim for. And I reckon it's not a word that we use nearly enough. GODLINESS means reflecting the nature of God in your character. Showing the family likeness. And it's a great word to sum up what we're aiming for in our Christian lives.

Godliness means loving what God loves and hating what God hates. And when you see it being lived out you can recognise it a mile off. And so do you notice, the next quality to look for in a good minister is GODLINESS. Have a look at verse 7. Paul says to Timothy in verse 7, "Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives tales; RATHER, TRAIN YOURSELF TO BE GODLY."

The word he uses is there is literally GYMNASE YOUR SELF to be Godly. The muscle-building word.

Now for the last couple of months, I've been doing the UNTHINKABLE for me. And that is, twice a week I've been going to the GYM. Pouding it out on the treadmill, then lifting weights on the supported row machine, and the chest press and the leg press and the whatever other press you can think of. And it's hard work. Takes a certain degree of commitment. And let me tell you, when I see the guys who have been at it longer, I've got a long way to go. One bloke the other day stacked every weight in the place onto the leg press and was lifting I reckon about the weight of a small car.

Now Paul says, translate THAT... to how hard you're training to be GODLY. To REFLECT THE NATURE OF GOD in the way you're living.

He says, working out in the gym's fine. And if you like, you can jog for two hours a day. But here's what's REALLY IMPORTANT. TRAIN YOURSELF TO BE GODLY. Godliness is spiritual fitness. And it's fitness that lasts for eternity. That's what he says in verse 8. Physical training has some value. But GODLINESS has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.

Amazing, you know, the GYM RELIGION at Healthworks at Everton Park, the commitment level is TREMENDOUS. Costs a heap to join; there are people there, they turn up every day; go through THE PAIN of stretching yourself 'til it hurts. All for the sake of building up their bodies. No eternal value at all.

Well GODLINESS isn't just good for this life; it's the one thing that YOU CAN TAKE WITH YOU when you die. Good for this life, says Paul, and the life to come as well. So if Timothy's going to be a good MINISTER, he's got to make sure he qualifies to be a GYM INSTRUCTOR in the stuff that counts for eternity. Godliness.

And that's going to show itself in the ways you can see spelled out down a little bit further in verse 12. Here's what godliness is going to look like. Don't let anyone look down on you because you're young - this is Paul talking to Timothy - BUT SET AN EXAMPLE for the believers in SPEECH, in LIFE, in LOVE, in FAITH, in PURITY.

Qualities he's got to be training for as a leader of God's people. And so even though he's only young, instead of looking down at him, people will be saying, listen to the way that Timothy SPEAKS. Look at his LIFE. Look how LOVING HE IS. Look at his purity. Look at his faith.

3. Keeping the Main Thing the Main Thing

There's another quality to put on your list when you're defining what a GOOD MINISTER looks like. It's someone who's labouring and striving for the right thing. And people easily get CONFUSED about this. What is the WORK OF MINISTRY? Well, if you ask lots of ministers, it's about BAPTISING PEOPLE; it's about MARRYING PEOPLE. It's about BURYING PEOPLE. As someone said to me the other day, Hatch, match, and dispatch. As if those are the fundamentals of the job. Well, they're great life events to be a part of. And I guess that's one of the privileges of ministry. But it's NOT WHAT THE JOB'S ABOUT.

Take a look at verse 9. Because a GOOD MINISTER OF CHRIST JESUS will have RIGHT PRIORITIES. "This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance, (and for THIS we labour and strive) - that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the saviour of all men, AND ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO BELIEVE."

Paul's LABOUR... his STRIVING... the thing his energy goes into - is to call people to PUT THEIR HOPE in the LIVING GOD. The God who offers SALVATION IN CHRIST JESUS to all mankind. Paul LABOURS AND STRIVES to see people BELIEVING THAT. Accepting it. So they'll receive the salvation God's offering. Which will mean there's a labouring and a striving to reach outsiders. And not just have a holy huddle with insiders.

Paul says, God's provided a salvation for everyone. And we need to be calling on them to believe. And accept God's salvation before it's too late. That's what we labour and strive for, says Paul. That's the job.

And let me tell you, it's very easy to slip into maintenance mode, isn't it. For all of us. To be inward looking instead of outward looking. To have opportunities like the John Chapman visit next month and not get around to inviting ANYONE ALONG to hear the call to BELIEVE ON JESUS AND BE SAVED.

Paul says Good Minister labour and strive FOR THAT.

DEVOTED TO PREACHING AND TEACHING THE WORD OF GOD

Somebody once said "The greatest challenge facing any man is TIME." And it's true. How you use your time, what you make your PRIORITIES, in the end, it's the biggest issue you can face.

I know there's a story about one minister, he took a survey in his church and he asked people what THEY THOUGHT he ought to be doing. And to put down how much time they reckoned he ought to be spending on each.

Well, the surveys came back and he added it up. The hours added up to about 217. All the things they thought he ought to be doing with his time. And hardly any of them said this. Hardly any of them said DEVOTE YOURSELF TO PREACHING AND TEACHING THE WORD OF GOD.

But that's what Paul says Timothy should devote himself to... if he's going to be GOOD SERVANT OF CHRIST JESUS. Verse 13. See it for yourself. Because here's what he says. "Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of scripture - and to PREACHING AND TO TEACHING."

Devote yourself to THOSE THINGS he says. Cause if you want to lead God's people, that's how. By teaching GOD'S WORD.

Now I know one minister who lives a few blocks from his church. And he tells people... he's proud of it ... that he can get a sermon ready in the time it takes him to drive from his house to the church on a Sunday morning. And he says he has to do that anyway. Because he's so busy the rest of the time doing everything else. Administration. Writing letters. Committee meetings. All good things. So he prepares what he's going to TEACH in the car on the way from home to the church. One of his parishioners said, We should buy him a house a BIT FURTHER AWAY.

Can you see, Paul's saying the MODEL FOR MINISTRY, the MODEL FOR CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP, is first and foremost about being devoted to teaching God's word. And it's a priority that's got to show. Paul says Timothy was gifted. A gifted preacher and teacher. It was a gift God's given him. But he was neglecting it. And he needs pushing along. Paul says, DON'T NEGLECT YOUR GIFT. Work at it. Because preaching and teaching the WORD OF GOD is fundamental to Christian leadership.

d) Progress, not perfection

There's one more. And it's reassuring for someone like me. Because you'll see in verse 15, there's a degree of REALISM in what Paul's expecting. He says to Timothy, here's the job description. Here's the model. Protect people from anyone who wants to reduce the GOSPEL to a set of RULES. He says, TRAIN YOURSELF IN GODLINESS. He says, get your priorities right; and TEACH THE BIBLE WELL. But he's not expecting PERFECTION. Just PROGRESS.

Verse 15. Be DILIGENT IN THESE MATTERS. Take it seriously. Give yourself WHOLLY TO THEM... so that everyone may see your PROGRESS. Be real. Press ahead. Work hard at it, and let people see the struggle. Because it's the same struggle for all of us.

CONCLUSION

Well, there it is. The picture of a GOOD MINISTER. Not perfect at any point; but PROGRESSING. And I guess the first thing I've got to say is Maurie and I have got to put our necks on the block. And invite you to KEEP A CLOSE WATCH. Encourage us in exactly those ways. Keep us accountable; make THAT LIST, YOUR LIST... for what you're expecting from your ministers.

Can I say along with that, the reason you want us to BE LIKE THAT, is because YOU WANT TO BE LIKE THAT AS WELL. And it's like I said last week - that all it's doing is asking Christian leaders to MODEL WHAT'S EXPECTED OF EVERYONE. It's not a matter of saying, well, LEADERS have got to TRAIN THEMSELVES TO BE GODLY, and we don't have to bother. We do... so YOU DO. And so your aim as well should be to training yourself in your speech, in your life, in your love and faith and purity. Practice it by gritting your teeth and doing it even when you don't feel like it. Just like at the Gym.

Timothy's job is a great privilege. Because you can see the results in the lives of other people. Paul says to him, take this stuff seriously - watch your LIFE AND DOCTRINE closely - how you live, what you teach - we're in verse 15. Persevere in them, because if you do, you won't just make it to the finishing line yourself - there'll be a whole lot of others with you. "Persevere in them, because if you do, you'll save both YOURSELF and your HEARERS. And there's no bigger responsibility than that...