“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope, 2 To Timothy, my true child in the faith: grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.” (1 Timothy 1:1–2 (ESV)
The following excerpt is by Pastor J. Ligon Duncan. He preached the message entitled Encouraging Disciples June 13, 2004 when he served as Sr. Minister at First Presbyterian Church, Jackson, MS, He currently serves as Chancellor of Reformed Theological Seminary, Jackson, MS where he continues to teach in the department of Systematic Theology. The biblical text is I Timothy 1:1-2.
I want you to see four things that we can learn by example and reminder about how the church ought to be, what the church is supposed to be like. Just from Paul’s dear, kind, blessed words of greetings to Timothy.
- The Ministry of the Christian Church is According to the Commandment of God.
- The Ministry of the Christian Church Depends on a Clear Apprehension of Who God Is.
- The Ministry of the Christian Church is to be One of Encouragement
But thirdly, if you look at verse two, we seen another thing by way of example in Paul’s words. We see Paul’s example of encouragement. Notice his encouraging words to Timothy. Again, very formally. “Paul, an apostle according to the commandment of God.” Now it’s very tender, and Paul, though not being consciously didactic, he’s not consciously saying, ‘I will not say something to Timothy in order to teach Christians two thousand years from now.’ But it’s God’s word, and therefore it does teach us two thousand years from then. He’s truly, genuinely giving a greeting to Timothy, but the encouragement is palpable: “To Timothy, my true child in the faith.”
You see, the ministry to the Christian Church is to be one of spiritual encouragement. Can you imagine what it would have been like to have heard from Paul, that he considers you to be his true child in the faith? Can you imagine what an encouragement it is to hear from your Savior, in John seventeen, that it is His prayer that His Father would not love you less than He loves Him?
Now, friends, we have such a material with which to encourage one another in the Christian faith. Do we, do it? Paul can pause in the midst of this very important letter to say, “Timothy, I just want to say, you are a son to me in Christ.” He says it’s as if you have come from my own body, you’re my true son in the faith. Do we encourage one another in the church, and in the ministry, that way? Are we looking to encourage and mentor people in Christian service? Are we supportive of one another in the Christian life, or are we adversarial or indifferent?
Paul’s very example reminds us that we must actively encourage others in the Christian life, in the local church, and in the Christian ministry. Have you encouraged your deacons in what they do for you and for others? Quietly, sometimes, behind the scenes in this church—have you encouraged them in that? Have you encouraged your elders in the spiritual duties that they do in this church? Quietly and behind the scenes, but there, nevertheless. Encourage one another. Paul takes time to do so to Timothy.
4. We Must Minister from the Resources Granted to us by the Father, in Christ.
Fourthly, notice how he does it. At the end of verse two. “Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.” Paul points Timothy to the resources of Christian ministry as his encouragement. Timothy, you’re my true son in the Lord. Now here’s where you need to look for your resources: to the grace, to the mercy, and to the peace of God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. How does Paul encourage Timothy? By pointing him to the attributes of God. He is Savior, he is our hope, He is our Father, He is our Lord, but also by pointing to the provisions of God. He gives us grace, and mercy and peace.
You see, the Christian church is utterly dependent upon the resources granted to us from the Father in Jesus Christ. We do not have the power to do what God has called us to do. Do you know what the task is that God has given to us? God has said, “Now, here’s all I want you to do: I want you to raise the dead, and I want you to heal all the wounded in the church.”
That really boils down to what God is asking us to do in the church: I want you to raise the dead—when we go out to share the good news with those who are apart from Christ, we are being asked to take part in the raising of the dead, the spiritually dead. Ever thrown a life preserver to a person who’s dead? They have a hard time hanging on. Raise the dead. Heal the wounded. That’s all we have to do. I can’t do that! You can’t do that! Only God can do that, and we are pressed back on the resources that only God can give: His grace, His mercy, His peace. We are called to be faithful, but we rest on His resources.
So, there we see it. A God-appointed ministry; a God-conscious ministry; a ministry of encouragement; and, a God-resources ministry. All just in the words of greeting.
May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed day in the Lord.
Soli deo Gloria!
His Word Today 