KEEP THE MAIN THING, THE MAIN THING

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope,

To Timothy, my true son in the faith:

Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer or to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. Such things promote controversial speculations rather than advancing God’s work—which is by faith.

1 Timothy 1:1-4

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Today, we begin a study of Paul’s first letter to his protégé, Timothy, and as we will see, this letter is written well into Paul’s relationship with his “true son in the faith” who was ministering within the church of Ephesus at the time of the Apostle’s writing.

We first find Timothy come on the scene during Paul’s second missionary journey as documented in the sixteenth chapter of Acts.

Paul came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was Jewish and a believer but whose father was a Greek. The believers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him.

Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey. So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers. Vv. 1-5

Similar to Jesus, Paul was always on the lookout to add new Jesus disciples to his missionary team and although young (it’s estimated he was in his late teens or early twenties when he meets Paul), Timothy’s reputation within his community of Lystra and Iconium peaked the Apostle’s interest. From that point forward, Paul would become Timothy’s mentor in the ministry.

Paul would go on to dispatch Timothy as his representative, first to the church in Thessalonica:

So when we could stand it no longer, we thought it best to be left by ourselves in Athens. We sent Timothy, who is our brother and co-worker in God’s service in spreading the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith, so that no one would be unsettled by these trials. 1 Thessalonians 3:1-3

Then, he is sent to Macedonia as Paul headed to Jerusalem:

After all this had happened, Paul decided to go to Jerusalem, passing through Macedonia and Achaia. “After I have been there,” he said, “I must visit Rome also.” He sent two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, while he stayed in the province of Asia a little longer. Acts 19:21-22

After this, Timothy went onto Corinth:

I have sent to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church. 1 Corinthians 4:17

Later, the scriptures indicate that Timothy was with Paul while the Apostle was imprisoned in Rome and Paul wrote these words to the Philippian church, hoping to send Timothy to them:

I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you. I have no one else like him, who will show genuine concern for your welfare. For everyone looks out for their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel. I hope, therefore, to send him as soon as I see how things go with me. Philippians 2:19-23

And upon Paul’s release from his incarceration, he sends Timothy off to Ephesus, following up the assignment with this first letter we’re beginning to look at today, a letter that is often categorized as a pastoral epistle, grouped with the second letter to Timothy and the letter to Titus.

With this background in place, let’s look at Paul’s opening words to his missionary partner:

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope,

To Timothy, my true son in the faith:

Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer or to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. Such things promote controversial speculations rather than advancing God’s work—which is by faith.  1 Timothy 1:1-4

Why did Paul feel the need to write to Timothy?

Our passage tells us that there were problems in the Ephesian church, specifically false teaching of doctrine. These errors in proper instruction were grounded in a devotion to “myths and endless genealogies”.

Here we find the root of issues within the Christian church that have existed since its advent. This root is deeply grounded in a diversion from the scriptures which are to be the foundation of church instruction and principle. There is no other more authoritative word than the very word of God Himself.

But in Ephesus, we see that there was a greater emphasis placed on whimsical stories that had more footing in fantasy than on the scriptures. Myths were things that false religions placed their hope in as they worshiped a multitude of gods. They had no place in the Christian church and it promoted "controversial speculations" rather than the truth and "advancing God's work".

Ditto for an obsession with ancestry and what had been done for the generations. Most of these genealogies were focused on people who had no faith in the one true God at all let alone have any understanding how everything in the past had pointed to the present and the implementation of God’s plan of salvation through Jesus His Son. In Christ, God formed a new covenant with mankind and all people had access to the kingdom. All they had to do was simply believe in Christ as Savior.

With this, the main focus of the church was and is to be the Gospel. Period. Not on anything else.

This is what our Lord demands and expects the church to be. We’re to keep the main thing (the Gospel) the main thing.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.