Daily Liturgy and Scripture

As Paul advises Titus further in how to build the foundation for a group of believers, he turns from the qualification of leaders to the behavior of those not in leadership. This is an important reminder for us today as well: the body of Christ is not defined only by those who lead us, although we are sometimes more quick to judge them than look at ourselves. What all of us do matters: it is all a reflection on the Spirit that guides us and the Lord we serve.

Paul's letter to Titus is a glimpse in to building a church in the early stages. Titus is facing those who have some teachings contradictory to Christ, but it also needs to build his support group. Setting up elders means that the pastor won't be alone, he will be partnered with others who can support him. God never sent anyone out as a lone wolf. Jesus sent the apostles out two by two, and we today need one another for support just the same as those in the first century.

As Paul closes his first letter to Timothy, he comes back to Timothy personally. To be a capable spiritual leader, it is important to me mindful of the source of our power, the gifts we have been given, and the faithfulness we should hold on to. God is certainly the author and perfecter of our faith, but we are participants in his work. He has chosen us for this purpose, so what we do is important.

It’s fortunate that today puts together Proverbs 31 with 1 Timothy 5, because the content is certainly related. Paul talked before about women not leading in church, because of the educational practices of the day. Women aren’t unimportant, however. It is still necessary for women to be of noble character (as outlined in Proverbs 31) and also to take care of others within the body of Christ. If there are older widows in need of care, they are still important. They are not forgotten. This is what the Church looks like when it shares authentic love within itself.

Paul continues to counsel Timothy in the way a pastor should conduct themselves, including particular advice to Timothy to have courage when leading those older than himself. Of course, anyone who puts themself through the rigor of spiritual leadership should be about the work, not worrying about whether or not they have some fatal flaw. God raises up those who he wants to serve him, and the body of Christ should support these people.

Pastors are not to do the work of the church alone. Timothy, to whom the letter is written, is a pastor. Paul doesn’t want him to be alone, though. He wants him to be surrounded with devoted men of God who love their wives (otherwise, how can they understand how Christ loves the Church?) and take the example of Christ they show to the world seriously. With a team like that, a pastor has the full body of Christ to work with.

As Paul continues teaching his young pastor protege, he comes to the matter of how to manage his congregation. It wasn't customary for women to be educated in this time period, so for women to lead would have been somewhat reckless. While the Spirit can certainly speak through women, orderly worship would have been much more outside the experience of someone unfamiliar with classrooms.

Paul again! This time, he is writing a letter to his star pupil, a young man he is mentoring to be a pastor. In this section, Paul is modeling the humility that often defines his writing, and also casts a picture of what Timothy's job is going to look like. It's no pleasure cruise, he will definitely encounter opposition. There will also come others who try to make the Gospel about something other than Jesus, but not Timothy: he must keep Jesus central.

Paul ends with a well-known passage on the armor of God, and we must be careful not to think we are some kind of superhero because of this. The command repeated over and over is to “stand,” not to fight. Most of the things described here are defensive pieces, things that keep us intact. The only offensive weapon is the sword, and that’s the Spirit. Certainly, none of us are big enough to wield that!

Paul extends his “loving and submitting” line of thought now to children, slaves and masters. While this verse has been used to justify slavery (conveniently leaving out the part about masters treating slaves well, I suppose), this is Paul’s attempt to say that there are many ways for the model of Christ and Church beyond husbands and wives. Anytime the opportunity comes to love someone and work for their good, we can do it again.