By Kevin Rutherford The apostle Paul
personally trained Timothy to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Acts 16:1-5).
He chose Timothy because of what he saw in the character of Timothy. Not
everyone should be trained to be a preacher of the Word of God. Only those with
the right character need to be prepared for preaching. Timothy had a good
reputation among Christians before Paul trained him to be a preacher. The Bible
says Timothy was “well spoken of by the brethren who were at Lystra and Iconium
(Acts 16:2).” Paul also knew Timothy to be a man of “genuine faith (2 Timothy
1:5).” Not every man should be encouraged to preach. In fact, some should be
discouraged from doing so. Once Timothy’s
apprenticeship and training with the apostle Paul was completed, Paul sent him out
to work. Yet even then Paul wrote letters to continue to educate, edify, and
encourage Timothy. Paul puts it this way, “I write to you so that you may know
how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of
the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth (1 Timothy 3:15).” Looking
to those letters helps us to understand what Gospel preaching really is about.
Sadly, too many members of the Lord’s church have not studied the word of God
enough to know what preaching is about, including some who are preachers. Timothy has been
told by Paul to stay in Ephesus and work with the church there for a while.
This is a church with an eldership (Acts 20), and yet it is a church that still
needs a strong preacher to work with them and strengthen them (1 Timothy 1:3).
Let’s see what we can learn about preaching from what Paul said. 1. Paul tells Timothy he needs to do is “charge some that
they teach no other doctrine (1 Timothy 1:3-11).” a. The truth must be
preached. b. The truth must be
preached and practiced from a pure heart, good conscience, and sincere faith. 2. Paul shows Timothy the importance of being grateful and
giving glory to God (1 Timothy 1:12-17). a. Paul was thankful
for the blessings of salvation and preaching. b. Paul understood the grace of God was exceedingly abundant
toward him. c. Paul gave God all
of the glory for this. 3. Paul tells Timothy to go to war (1 Timothy 1:18-20). a. He is to wage the
good warfare, which is the spiritual war waged with Word of God as the Sword of
the Spirit. b. He must fight the
spiritual war with faith and a good conscience. 4. Paul encourages Timothy to pray (1 Timothy 2:1-7). a. Preachers must be
men of prayer who think in terms of praying for all people. b. Preachers work and
pray for all people with the understanding God desires all people be saved and
come to a knowledge of the truth. 5. Paul instructs Timothy in the qualifications of elders
and deacons (1Timothy 3:1-13). a. Preachers must
preach these qualifications and encourage the application of them. b. Unqualified elders
and deacons will hinder the preacher’s work and hold back the church as whole. 6. Paul encourages Timothy instruct the brethren concerning
those who depart from the faith having given head to the deceptive doctrines of
demons (1 Timothy 4:1-11). a. Some speak these
lies with hypocrisy and sear their consciences. b. Preachers must
avoid doing this, but they must also warn the brethren about such if they are
to be a good minister. 7. Timothy is told by Paul how to conduct himself so that is
not looked down upon for his youth (1 Timothy 4:12-16). a. Preachers must be
examples in word, conduct, love, spirit, faith and purity. b. Preachers must
give attention to reading, exhortation, and doctrine. c. Preachers must
take heed to themselves. 8. Paul tells Timothy how to treat the members appropriately
(1 Timothy 5:1-25). a. Exhort older men
as fathers, and younger men as brothers. b. Exhort older women
as mothers, and younger women as sisters. c. Honor widows that
are widows indeed. d. Do not receive an
accusation against an elder except from two or three witnesses. e. Rebuke elders who
are sinning. 9. Paul warns Timothy of those who preach the wrong things
and who preach for the wrong reasons (1 Timothy 6). a. Run from
covetousness and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, and
gentleness. b. Guard what is
committed to your trust. |
- Kevin V. Rutherford, formerly
of Warners Chapel church of Christ in Clemmons, NC (Currently an instructor at
Memphis School of Preaching in Memphis, TN). The congregation may be contacted
through their website: http://warnerschapelchurchofchrist.org/ |
Sunday, November 20, 2022
Paul Trains a Preacher
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment