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The Ephesian church is about 10 years old. It's had some time to establish itself, but it's still young. But not only has it had time to establish itself, it's also had time for problems to arise. False teachers have begun to suggest ways of improving you spiritual life; external measures like fasting and dietary habits that sound very spiritual but in fact are not. So Paul writes to Timothy who's been ministering there for some time to encourage him to keep going in his ministry of teaching and preaching. |
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But it's clearly more than just Timothy he's writing to. He expects that Timothy will read the letter to the whole church. So what we find here is of particular importance to the leaders of the church but it remains of importance to all of us, because it teaches us clearly the sorts of things we should be looking out for if, together, we're to grow the Church. |
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So let's go through the letter looking for the sorts of things that Paul instructs Timothy to do in order to enable a local Church in its mission. |
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1. Work at the Word |
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The first thing to notice is that he's to work at the word. He'll have more to say about this in the second letter, but here we discover the following instructions: |
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• Use the word to oppose false teaching 1:3-7 |
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He begins by urging Timothy to stay so he can correct the false teaching that's creeping into the Church. How is he going to overcome this false teaching? By teaching them correct doctrine, v3, by teaching them the divine training that is known by faith, v4, by giving them instruction that leads to love, love that arises from a pure heart a clear conscience and a sincere faith. These in turn come from a clear understanding of the gospel. |
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• Use the Word to teach godliness. 4:7-16. "Train yourself in godliness, 8for, while physical training is of some value, godliness is valuable in every way, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. 9The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance." And how is he to do that? How is he to encourage the whole church to do that? Look at v11: "These are the things you must insist on and teach. 12Let no one despise your youth, but set the believers an example in speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. 13Until I arrive, give attention to the public reading of scripture, to exhorting, to teaching. 14Do not neglect the gift that is in you." He's to do it by teaching, by reading the Scriptures with them, exhorting them. And all the time living out the things he teaches in his own life. |
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• Work at improving in ministry skills. 4:13-16. Listen to the way it's expressed: He's to pay attention to the ministry of the word v13. He's to use the gifts God has given him v14. He's to put these things into practice, devote himself to them, so that all may see his progress. v15. He's to pay close attention to himself and to his teaching and continue in these things, v16. Notice the discipline implied by all this. Why is this discipline so important? Because by "doing this you will save both yourself and your hearers." There's an eternal motivation for this ministry of the word: the eternal salvation of those who hear and respond. |
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• Work knowing that God is pleased with you. Not only is there the knowledge that others will be saved but there's also the reward of knowing that God is pleased with you. 5:17: "Elders who rule well are considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching;" v25: "also good works are conspicuous; and even when they are not, they cannot remain hidden." Even if those around you don't notice the good things you do, God will. Jesus assured us that even when we act in secret in our service of him, God who sees in secret will reward us for our godly behaviour. |
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2. Make Prayer Central |
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Secondly Paul instructs Timothy as of first importance that prayer should take a central role in the meeting together of the church. So what concerns should take up our prayer time? |
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• Pray for all people. 2:1. He "urges that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone." I'm not sure whether he means to make a distinction between supplications, prayers and intercessions. It may be that he's simply wanting to be exhaustive in his list of the sorts of prayers we should bring to the Father. Or perhaps he's thinking about the different ways we bring our prayers to God. Some are urgent pleading for a particular need, others are interceding on behalf of another before the almighty King, others are simply speaking to God to express our desires. The main thing though is that prayer in this context is asking God for something. It's bringing our concerns and needs to him as a sign that we trust him, that we're dependent on him and that he is the source of our life. And it's not just for our local group of friends. It's for everyone. Our focus needs to be a broad one. Not that we can pray for everyone every time we gather for prayer, but our focus needs to be worldwide, not just parochial. We don't just pray for the needs of our immediate community, we pray for the needs of Christians around the world as their needs become known to us. |
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We're also to give thanks for everyone. That is, we're to keep our eyes open for the good things that God is doing. We should expect answers to our prayers and be ready to thank him for it when we see it. |
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• Pray for those in authority. 2:2. Paul encourages us to pray for those in authority. We rely on our leaders for good government, for peace and prosperity, for justice and equity. So we need to be praying that they'll govern us well. We need to pray that they'll have a desire that justice and equity would remain part of the Australian way of life. I sometimes wonder whether we're forgetting that that's part of our makeup, part of what we expect as Australians. Well, if it's to continue we need political leaders for whom it's a priority. So we should be praying for them. Praying that those who hold these sorts of values will be able to stand up for what they believe. |
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• Pray for peace and gospel progress. Why is this sort of prayer so important? It's so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity, v2. But then read on to v4. Why does he desire peace? Because God desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. If we're to be able to share the gospel with people we need an environment of peace and freedom, an environment that allows us to proclaim Christ without fear, without the disruption of civil unrest, without the inhibiting influence of corruption, etc. This is why Paul urges them to pray for their leaders, even though none of them were Christians. In fact the emperor at this time was Nero, who was probably the first Emperor to systematically persecute Christians. Mind you, he was very evenhanded about it. He also drove the Jews out of Rome along with the Christians. Yet Paul tells them to pray for men like Nero, because only if they ruled well would Christians be free to preach the gospel of God's grace. |
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3. Work at building Christian community |
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Thirdly Paul is concerned that the Church in Ephesus should work at building up the Christian community. We saw this especially in his letter to the Ephesians, but here as well, he urges them to live out the gospel in their relationships with one another. In particular we should be seeking to strengthen household relationships. |
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• expect responsible behaviour among the family. 5:3-6:2. |
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So he speaks to those who have mothers or grandmothers who are widowed. Women in those days were unable to provide for themselves. They couldn't own property and probably weren't trained in any income producing skill. So the Church had set up a system of pensions for those of their members whose husbands had died. But Paul insists that this shouldn't be used where there were family members who could and should care for them. He says there's a matter of justice here. Your parents have looked after you. Now it's your turn to look after them. |
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He speaks to the whole church about the importance of respecting those who are elders among us. Just as in a family the elders would be treated with great respect, perhaps unlike our own day when elders are often looked on as out of date or irrelevant, so in the Church elders were to be respected. They were to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. The experience of years of following Christ, especially when it's combined with a thorough understanding of God's word and an ability to teach that word, is to be valued highly. |
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In the area of workplace relations, workers are to show honour to their employers as a witness to the God they serve. If their employers are also Christians they mustn't take advantage of that spiritual relationship in order to undermine the lawful working relationship they have. Rather they should work even harder for them because that way they're benefiting a fellow believer whom they love. |
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Notice too, that in 5:1-2 he uses family relationships as the model for the way we should relate to one another in the church. It's probably reasonable to say that this is an instruction especially for Timothy and others who are leaders in the Church. The Church would have had a lot fewer problems over the past few years if every leader in the Church had taken these words seriously wouldn't they? |
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• inform your conduct by Scripture not culture. In 2:8-15 Paul gives a series of instructions on the behaviour of members of the Church, presumably when it gathers together. This is one of those passages that's been hotly debated and probably widely misunderstood by lots of people. We don't have time to go into it in great detail, but let me give you my interpretation of what he's saying. |
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First he's calling us to be counter-cultural in the way we behave together. Men are to pray rather than getting into arguments with each other. We're to leave the testosterone at the door when we come in. There's no place for the sort of rivalry and one-upmanship that's so common when men get together. If you can't get rid of the testosterone then channel it into your prayers. And don't leave the praying to the women. |
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Similarly, women are to clothe themselves with good works rather than the latest designer fashions. He isn't saying you can't wear jewellery or blow dry your hair before you come. But he is saying that there shouldn't be this competition to be the best looking, the best dressed, the one with the smartest or most expensive jewellery. If you want to compete then do it with your good works as is right for those who profess reverence for God. |
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Thirdly he speaks to women who live in a culture where the goddess Diana was supreme. Diana was the God of the hunt whose temple was supposedly tended by Amazons, warrior women who ruled the world, including the men in it. So in that context he warns the women of Ephesus to submit to the teaching of men like Timothy. He forbids them trying to take authority in the Church. He warns them that the fall was the result of Eve usurping the authority of Adam as the one first created and who therefore should have been consulted before making a decision as important as the one she made in eating the fruit. |
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The task for us is to work through the historical context to find the theological principle within. Well, I think it's this: there is no place in the church for someone usurping authority over those to whom God has given it. Scripture seems to say in a number of places that God has created a distinction in role between men and women in the marriage relationship. However, as we saw last week the way that works out in Christian behaviour is that the man is called to behave like Christ. That is, he puts off what authority he possesses in order to serve his wife. He relates to her in submission, just as she's called to relate to him in submission. Christian leadership is the sort that puts a towel around the waist and washes someone's feet. |
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So, can a woman teach in our modern context? I believe the answer is yes, provided she submits herself to the authority of Scripture. Of course the same answer applies to men teaching doesn't it? Is this meant by Paul as a put-down of women? No. It's simply a warning not to be sucked in by the values of the culture. In the end, our salvation depends on the grace of God, as he goes on to point out. |
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4. Promote a culture of truth, love and godliness. |
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Finally, he urges them to build a culture based on truth, love and godliness. |
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• aim for love not speculation. In 1:3-11 as he urges Timothy to oppose false teaching he does it from the dual viewpoints of truth and love. Timothy is to teach the truth of the gospel, but the aim of such instruction is love that comes from a pure heart, a good conscience, and sincere faith, v5. |
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• foster a grace not works mentality, 1:12-17. The reason that this is so important is that this false teaching was trying to draw people back into a works mentality; into a way of thinking that said you can earn your salvation, or you can fix your relationship with God by doing the right things. But it's so important to remember how we came by our salvation. Paul quotes his own case. He was the worst there is, a blasphemer, a persecutor, a man of violence. But what does the gospel say? "The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners -- of whom I am the foremost." Don't let anyone fool you with rules for Christian living. As he says in ch 4, "everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected, provided it is received with thanksgiving; 5for it is sanctified by God's word and by prayer." |
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• hope in God not wealth. Finally don't be trapped by the mindset of the world that says that wealth is the answer to all your problems 6:6-11. Money won't make you happy. In fact, he says, the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. If you're not careful it'll trap you and lead you astray and in the end plunge you into ruin and destruction. |
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Instead we should pursue godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness. If you're rich, don't be proud but set your hopes on God and be generous, rich in good works, ready to share. |
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So here's a model to help us fulfill our mission. Work at making God's word the foundation of our life. Make prayer central. Build our Christian Community on the basis of gospel values, and promote a culture of truth, love and godliness in all we do as a Church. |
