MOOR of the Word with Pastor Chuck Pourciau

As we navigate through the Bible, we see that God intends for the husband to care for and support his wife. When a wife is widowed, that support is gone. But she is still to be cared for. Because of that, God takes special interest in the plight of women who have lost their husbands. God has no patience with those who would bring harm to a widow or orphan. Exodus 22:22-24: “You shall not afflict any widow or orphan. If you afflict him at all, and if he does cry out to Me, I will surely hear his cry; and My anger will be kindled, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless.” That’s rather blunt, I’d say. But it shows how God is the defender of the defenseless. And he provides this defense and care through his church. 

Nothing so easily makes or breaks a young pastor as his conduct with women. Thoughtlessness or indiscretion, as well as outright immorality, violate his calling to lead the flock to purity. Younger women must be confronted with their sin and encouraged to godliness. They must, however, never be led into sin, but be treated as beloved spiritual sisters whose purity is the highest consideration.

When confronting rebellious family members, we are to do so lovingly. After all, it’s love that led us to confront them in the first place. He counsels Timothy not to “sharply rebuke” an older man. This verb is a strong term that references harsh or violent rebuke. And this was not how to confront a brother or sister. He is prohibiting what could be termed as verbal violence. Even rebellious Christians are not to be hammered with harsh words. It is not the way of love and it almost certainly will not have the desired result. 

Timothy was leader of a spiritual family in the city of Ephesus. Part of his role, and that of other brothers and sisters, was loving confrontation. Based on what we studied earlier in this epistle, there were some in the family who had abandoned truth and godliness. Others had, according to Paul, shipwrecked their faith. Some women were acting unbecomingly and seeking to usurp the role reserved only for men. Alternately, some men were aspiring to leadership who weren’t qualified. Therefore, Paul listed qualifications necessary for pastors and deacons. These lists were not born in a vacuum. Rather, his doing so indicated there were those who lacked the qualifications who were seeing the offices nonetheless. 

Timothy was a young man in the reckoning of his culture. He faced some formidable foes in the Ephesian false teachers. Paul reminded Timothy of his constant prayers on his behalf, as he remembered Timothy’s tears. About three years after writing this first epistle to him, Paul had to exhort Timothy to rekindle his spiritual gift in 2 Timothy 1. He reminded him that power, not fear, came from God. Paul urged him not to succumb to fearful fatigue and turn away, as so many others had. And would.

Timothy was a young man in the reckoning of his culture. He faced some formidable foes in the Ephesian false teachers. Paul reminded Timothy of his constant prayers on his behalf, as he remembered Timothy’s tears. About three years after writing this first epistle to him, Paul had to exhort Timothy to rekindle his spiritual gift in 2 Timothy 1. He reminded him that power, not fear, came from God. Paul urged him not to succumb to fearful fatigue and turn away, as so many others had. And would.

Didaskalia (teaching) is found fifteen times in the three pastoral letters of Paul. As you might expect, it involves the systematic explanation of Scripture. This can be done one on one, in small groups, or with the entire congregation. In short, the effective pastor is involved continually in disseminating the truth of Scripture to his people. He does so by many different means. 

The verb “give attention to” was a present active indicative verb. It is an ongoing activity. It never ceases. This was to be Timothy’s continual focus. It was to be a way of life. This encompasses not just the act of teaching, but all the commitment, study, and preparation associated with it. Such a commitment will consume much of the pastor’s time. If it doesn’t, disaster awaits. In this era of Internet accessibility, there is the temptation for the pastor just to download sermons others have prepared, look over them leading up to Sunday, and then preach them as if they were his own. 

Paul instructed Timothy to be an example in love. Of course, Paul was referencing Biblical love, since it is vastly different from the version of love proposed by the world. Biblical love involves self-sacrificing service on behalf of others regardless of how one feels. One does not have to feel affection toward someone treat them lovingly because Biblical love isn’t based on emotions.

Note how Jesus described Biblical love in John 15:13: “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.” There is no mention of how one feels toward the person they sacrifice their lives for. The godly pastor gives his time and energy to the people he is called to serve. He devotes his life to building them up in the Lord. In every church, there are some who may make this difficult to do, but difficulty doesn’t excuse us from the task. 

How was Timothy to be an example? First, he was to be an example in speech. Our speech must reflect he will and ways of God. In my previous church, there was another pastor in the county known as the cussing preacher. How seriously do you think his congregation took his sermons?