1 Timothy, Day 3
So, you want to be a pastor . . . (I Timothy 4)
“I always say to young fellows who consult me about the ministry, ‘Don’t be a minister if you can help it,’ because if the man can help it, God never called him. But if he cannot help it, and he must preach or die, then he is the man” (C.H. Spurgeon, 1834-1892).
Nothing like a Spurgeon quote to begin a devotional focusing on Chapter 4 of I Timothy! This letter was written to Paul’s protégé to assist, encourage, and challenge him in his role as the shepherd of the church in Ephesus. Paul wrote the letter to explain the responsibilities of Timothy as the leader of the church. In the letter, Paul focuses on the preservation of sound doctrine, leading the church in an orderly way, and how Timothy was to fulfill his ministry duties effectively. The emphasis on his ministry duties begins in Chapter 4.
In the first part of Chapter 4, Paul addresses the reality that people will leave the faith. In this section, he addresses asceticism and how God has called the church to resist this false teaching because it contradicts Scripture (4:1 – 4). In the next paragraph, Paul challenges Timothy to deepen his understanding of God’s Word, “setting his hope on Him,” so that he can identify and resist “irreverent, silly myths” (4:5 – 10).
Paul’s final paragraph in the text begins with a command to teach the things Paul has addressed with confidence (4:11). He then challenges Timothy to 1) set the “example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity” (4:12); 2) devote time to reading the Scriptures publicly, explaining it, and then calling those who hear it to apply it to their lives (4:13); 3) passionately live out his calling as a pastor (4:14), and (4) make sure his life matches what he is teaching in word and deed (4:15). In the final verse of the chapter, Paul contends that if Timothy “keeps a close watch on his practices in life and his teaching,” then he will be saved and his ministry will bear fruit (4:16).
My first ordination service was on May 22, 2005. I Timothy 4 was read, and I was charged to be a pastor who loves his people, effectively teaching and exhorting them with the Word of God. In those moments, I had no idea what the journey would be like as a pastor. I had three young children and a wife who was all in. As I sit at my desk today, 15 years later, I am overwhelmed with the blessings we have enjoyed through our ministry together as a family. They have all been partners in the journey of leadership in the church with me. Their commitment to love the Lord and their partnership in service to Him has allowed me to live out so much of I Timothy 4 in my own life and ministry. Paul was not calling Timothy to perfection — he was calling him to the process of being perfected. Timothy was not the perfect pastor. I haven’t met one yet. However, one thing that is a distinguishing characteristic of every authentic pastor I have ever met is that they can’t help being one, because if they weren’t, they don’t know what they would do.
As I get older, I have more and more opportunities to speak into the lives of the Timothys of this next generation. Please pray for them! Pray that they keep their priorities straight, keeping their family as their primary ministry. Pray that they “rightly divide the word of truth” every time they open God’s Word. Pray that God encourages them and blesses their ministry with fruit from their obedience to His calling on their life. Pray for the battle that rages in a pastor’s life when they are doing what God has called them to do. Spiritual warfare is real! Pray for protection in all areas of their life. I believe that prayer and encouragement are the greatest gifts you can give to a pastor who has given his life to ministry.
Pastor Chuck