1 Timothy 4:6-10

If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed.  Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.  The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance.  For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.

Job descriptions are important to the success of every leader.  The minister of the Gospel needs to understand what is expected of him.  Paul wants to make sure that Timothy understands what his ministry should entail.  These same responsibilities continue to be ours as we strive to serve the Lord and help others to do the same.

EXPLAIN TRUTH AND EXEMPLIFY FAITH: Ministers of the Gospel need to understand that their job is not to create content.  The job is to remind believers of the truths found in the Word of God.  The doctrines of the faith were created by God and revealed in Scripture.  We are to study the Scripture and then proclaim it to others.  However, as is true in the home it is also true in minister: “more is caught than taught.”  The minister must practice what they preach.  We are called to be an example of faith in the context of our families and the people the Lord calls us to serve in ministry.  Explaining Scripture verbally will be greatly enhanced by the exemplification of those principles in the life of the minister.

EXPEL MYTHS AND EXPRESS GODLINESS: The minister must not allow himself or his congregation to become fascinated or distracted by false teachings.  Paul calls this irreverence or silly myths.  The minister’s job is to avoid these things, expose them as being false teachings, and expel them from his congregation so they don’t take a foothold in the church.  Passivity or indifference cannot be the posture of a minister.  Rather, we are to actively pursue godliness in our lives and the lives of the congregation.  There are spiritual disciplines such as the study of Scripture, prayer, and relationships with other believers that are essential to building and maintaining godliness in our lives.  Just like exercise is essential to building physical strength.  Spiritual strength in built through persistent and disciplined exercise of spiritual disciplines in dependence on the Lord.

EXERT EFFORT AND EXPERIENCE HOPE: Ministry is hard work.  There is a physical, mental, and emotional strain associated with serving people in Gospel ministry.  Laziness is incompatible with ministry.  We are to strive and struggle together in our fight against sin in our own lives and in the lives of others.  We will not always be successful in this struggle, but we must never give up or give in to sin.  There are times when we will become discouraged and frustrated because of our own weakness and the lack of progress we see in the lives of the people we serve.  It is important to remind ourselves and others of the hope of the promises of God.  We must set our sights on the hope of eternity and help others to do the same.  He will save us from sin through faith in Christ.   

APPLICATION: Know the Word of God and make it known to others through the way we talk about the Lord and the way we walk with Him.  Be vigilant to identify and confront false teachers and teachings.  Be faithful to practice the spiritual disciplines of prayer, study of Scripture, and participation with the body of Christ.  Work hard in the struggle against sin but never lose hope in times of failure knowing the God will fulfill all of His promises.

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