THE L.I.F.E. PLAN 1 TIMOTHY BLOCK 3. THEME 8 - THE PASTORAL LETTERS LESSON 1 (101 of 216)

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1 THE L.I.F.E. PLAN 1 TIMOTHY THEME 8 - THE PASTORAL LETTERS LESSON 1 (101 of 216)

2 THEME 8: THE PASTORAL LETTERS LESSON 1 (101 OF 216): 1 TIMOTHY LESSON AIM: Present Paul s first letter to his disciple, Timothy. SCRIPTURE: (1 Timothy 1:18-19) 18 This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare; 19 Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck: First Timothy begins another section in the structure of the New Testament. Let s recall the number sequence of the books of the New Testament: The first five books give us the gospels, the re-offering of the kingdom to the Jews, and the emergence of the church. Next come the nine letters of the apostle Paul addressed to the Gentile Christians. After them are four letters to individuals followed by nine letters addressed to Hebrew Christians. The four letters addressed to individuals have come to be called the pastoral epistles. Among the four, three individuals are addressed: Timothy, Titus, and Philemon. Each one of these men were leaders of a congregation of believers. Timothy and Titus were personal disciples of Paul. Collectively, the pastoral letters present the stance believers, and particularly leaders in the church, must take concerning the faith. In 1 Timothy we are to protect it. In 2 Timothy we are to preach it. In Titus we are to practice it. Philemon provides us with a case study where all of these can be brought to bear on the specific situations we face in life. It is of interest to note the location of the pastoral letters. They come between the two sets of nine letters addressed to that which we could call factions within the church: in this case, Gentile believers and Hebrew believers. In the ministry, this is often the position in which a pastor finds himself; between two opposing groups which naturally do not get along with each other. This situation can surface in an endless assortment of ways. Opposing factions may be difficulties between staff members, between individual members within the church, between families, or leaders, to name a few. It is not uncommon for the pastor to find himself between two opposing groups and pulled in one direction or the other. A pastor has to have a firm stance upon the word of God and in how he is led by the Holy Spirit to lead the church in order to not be pulled apart by these opposing forces. The Bible uses the situation between Jews and Gentiles to illustrate how God in the church has broken down every wall which separates any factions. It is often the responsibility and privilege of the pastor to point out that these walls are done away with and that those on either side of them can live together now in peace and harmony within the body of Christ. Timothy was a very special person in the life and ministry of Paul. On Paul s first missionary journey with Barnabas and John Mark, Paul had his first bad experience in disciple-making. John Mark, a young man with much promise and potential, turned away from the team and from disciple-making not far into their experience. Paul became bitter toward him, so bitter in fact that his bitterness caused his partnership with Barnabas to divide when Barnabas suggested they take John Mark with them again on their second missionary journey. Not willing to concede, Paul took Silas with him while Barnabas and John Mark went in the other direction. When

3 Paul s team came to Lystra, they met Timothy and his family, and a great relationship began. While Paul had many relationships with others and discipled many people, Timothy seems to have been his greatest success in disciple-making. Of him, Paul later wrote to the Philippians of his complete confidence in this young man and in his ability to do the work to the same level of himself. Two of Paul s personal letters to Timothy are preserved for us as a part of the New Testament Scriptures. Paul s relationships with John Mark and Timothy give us a great lesson in disciple-making. In John Mark we see that our first attempts at making disciples can be disappointing. We learned the process, tried to do it just as we learned it, and it ended in disaster. An experience like this is a crucial time in the life of a believer. The first response is, I tried it and it failed, therefore I will never try it again. This conclusion and resolve has been the experience of many would be world impactors. A better response to a failed attempt is to evaluate what went wrong, correct it, and try it again. This is what Paul did. His experience with Timothy turned out to be one of his greatest efforts in spiritual reproduction. For a time, Timothy was the pastor of the church at Ephesus. Paul wrote this letter to him to guide him in his work in the church. His principle message to Timothy was to charge him that he would uphold the doctrines of faith in Christ. In addition to this charge, Paul advised him on the organization and operation of the church, including the key roles of pastors and deacons. The letter begins with an introduction stating his charge to Timothy to keep and teach the doctrine. It is amazing that in their time when the church was in its infant stages, there were already some who were departing from the faith. We saw in our studies of Israel and their captivities what happens when we turn away from God. It is no different for the church and for believers today. Paul exhorted Timothy at a time when believers were already falling away to stay the course. His letters to the pastors also looked ahead to the end of the latter days when this trend would continue and increase. The message to Timothy is the same message to pastors today: keep, protect the doctrine. In the body of this letter, Paul instructed Timothy about the church at large and the minister in particular. Concerning the church at large, Paul s exhortation first is to order in the church. Men are exhorted to pray, fanning the fires of trust and belief in God and his Word. To the women, he says to fill the godly role God has given them to the fullest extent. Each one can encourage the other and build up the church by living by the Word. As another matter of order, Paul gave specific instruction concerning the pastoral and deacon ministries. Throughout the history of the church, these passages have guided men who have been called to these offices, and churches in the ordaining and serving of men in these capacities. First Timothy three is no doubt one of the most turned to passages of Scripture in the ministry of the church today as it speaks to the ministry of pastors and deacons. In the remaining half of this letter to Timothy, Paul looks ahead, calling attention to the times in which the church lives. The church lives in the latter days. The New Testament writers believed this two thousand years ago. From then until the end of man s history on earth, we are in the latter days. For the minister in the latter days, he is to continue to teach the Word and be an example of it in all of his relationships with people in any age group or category within the church. Doing so will help him fulfill the same charge given to Timothy to keep the faith. The pastoral letters written to these men long ago are as fresh and relevant today to the ministers of the gospel as they were to them when they were first written. The ministry is difficult. Those who are in it would do well to read the pastoral letters and seek to follow them as they go about their work still in these latter days.

4 LESSON OUTLINE THEME 8: THE PASTORAL LETTERS LESSON 1 (101 OF 216): 1 TIMOTHY I THE PASTORAL LETTERS A. Their number B. Their nature C. Their location II PAUL S RELATIONSHIP WITH TIMOTHY A. Their meeting B. Their development III FIRST TIMOTHY A. An introduction B. The church C. The minister SCRIPTURES TO BROADEN YOUR UNDERSTANDING 1. The pastoral letters 1 Timothy 2 Timothy Titus Philemon 2. Paul s ministry to and with these men Acts 8-28 LINES OF THEOLOGICAL CONNECTION 1. THE DOCTRINE OF GOD His call of men to the ministry 2. ECCLESIOLOGY The pastoral ministry The deacon ministry The organizational structure of the church 3. ANTHROPOLOGY Responding to the call to the ministry

5 QUESTIONS ANSWER KEY 1. How many books of the New Testament make up the pastoral letters? 4 2. Who wrote the pastoral letters? Paul 3. To whom were the pastoral letters written? Timothy, Titus, Philemon 4. What do we learn from the location of the pastoral letters in the New Testament? That the pastor is often found making peace between two opposing factions 5. What was Paul s main message to Timothy in his first letter? He charged him to keep the faith 6. Which passage in 1 Timothy is used often in the church today? 1 Timothy 3 7. The church still needs pastors today. Have you felt any calling of God toward this ministry? Student response 8. Read the pastoral letters to get an idea of some of the things a pastor has to deal with in the church and in the ministry. Student action

6 THEME 8: THE PASTORAL LETTERS LESSON 1 (101 OF 216): 1 TIMOTHY QUESTIONS TO INSPIRE THOUGHT 1. How many books of the New Testament make up the pastoral letters? 2. Who wrote the pastoral letters? 3. To whom were the pastoral letters written? 4. What do we learn from the location of the pastoral letters in the New Testament? 5. What was Paul s main message to Timothy in his first letter? 6. Which passage in 1 Timothy is used often in the church today? 7. The church still needs pastors today. Have you felt any calling of God toward this ministry? 8. Read the pastoral letters to get an idea of some of the things a pastor has to deal with in the church and in the ministry.