Daily Devotions
1 Timothy
"If you instruct the brethren in these things..."
Text: 1 Timothy 4:6
A QUICK REVIEW OF PASTORAL DUTIES
It would be helpful at this juncture to review briefly the pastoral duties that Timothy had to discharge:-
1. Combatting false teachers
a) He had to deal with false teachers firmly and authoritatively.
b) False teachers could potentially cause serious damage to the church (1 Timothy 1).
2. Prayer ministry
a) Prayer was a definite ministry Timothy had to faithfully engaged in.
b) Prayer can be a very significant and extensive ministry (1 Timothy 2).
3. Leadership
a) Timothy had to examine potential leaders.
b) If they checked out they would be appointed for ministry (1 Timothy 3).
i) As elders
ii) As deacons
iii) As deaconesses
4. Correcting false ideas
a) This is similar to the work of combatting false teachers.
b) Except that the focus is more on correcting rather than combatting (1 Timothy 4).
THE MINISTRY OF TEACHING
The pastoral ministry has a very strong teaching focus. This is obvious in the following text.
“If you instruct the brethren in these things,
you will be a good minister of Jesus Christ,
nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine
which you have carefully followed.”
1 Timothy 4:6
1. “If you instruct”
a) The word “if” (NKJV) may be a little misleading.
b) This word was actually not there. It is an attempt to translate the participle “instruct”.
c) Another way of translating the participle is the use of the word “when”.
2. An alternative translation
Another way of translating the word “instruct” (participle) is to use the word “when”. The translation now reads, “When you instruct the brethren.”