A GOOD MINISTER

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In Christ, Mark

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

If you point these things out to the brothers and sisters, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished on the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed.

1 Timothy 4:6

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

What makes a good Christian minister?

We find some of the answers to this question Paul’s first letter to his missionary partner, Timothy. You may recall that Paul had dispatched Timothy to pastor the Ephesian church and in this letter we find him providing guidance as he had done ever since the day he recruited his brother leader in Christ. Paul wanted Timothy to be successful for the cause of the Gospel in Ephesus during his time there.

With this, here are the qualities of a good minister that we have learned so far in 1 Timothy.

1. A good minister fights the battle well, holding onto faith and a good conscience.

Timothy, my son, I am giving you this command in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by recalling them you may fight the battle well, holding on to faith and a good conscience (1:18-19).

Some Christians in the Ephesian church (specifically Hymenaeus, Alexander, and Philetus) allowed themselves to turn from the truth of the Gospel and in doing so, shipwrecked their faith. Paul calls out their heresy in his second letter to Timothy which included them spreading word that Christ’s return had already happened (1 Timothy 2:17-18). Such blasphemy was destroying the faith of believers who took their words as truth.

Paul mentions other false teachings that had infiltrated the Ephesian church such as meaningless talk like myths and endless genealogies (1Timothy 1:3-4, 6). He also mentions future deception from spirits, demons, and hypocritical liars who would also seek to mislead people to live disobedient to God (1 Timothy 4:1-3).

Timothy’s work as a pastor wouldn’t be easy as he worked to maintain the sanctity and purity of the scriptures and the Gospel message. He would need to fight the battle well with a sustained faith and clear conscience if he was going to not just survive but thrive in his ministry work.

2. A good minister invests in prayers for people.

At the start of 1 Timothy, chapter 2, we find Paul bringing the importance of prayer to the forefront.

I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. Vv. 1-4

If the Christian church in Ephesus was to become the body of Christ the Lord wanted them to be, they would need to be dedicated to praying for one another and all others. As we see in Paul’s exhortation, no one was to be excluded from prayer. Petitions, intercessions, and/or words of thanks were to be lifted up to “all people”.

These prayers were important for two main reasons in Paul’s view.

First, they would promote lives that were defined by peace and quiet as people strived to maintain godliness and holiness. This imagery displays a church and its people united in serenity and a commitment to be Christ-like in their Gospel work.

Second, the prayers of the Ephesian church for all people would be seen as good and pleasing to God...and the church should always want to be in favorable standing with the One who is its Head. 

A good minister not only prays for his congregation but for those outside the church as well and these prayers are as natural as breathing.

3. A good minister upholds the standards set forth by the word of God.

In the latter part of 1 Timothy 2, we find Paul urging Timothy to make sure the men and women of the church were meeting expectations for proper conduct.

The men were to “pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing” (v. 8) while the women were to dress decently and modestly. They were also to remain quiet in the church, learning in complete submission and never assuming authority to teach men (Vv. 9-12).

An undisciplined church, operating disobediently against the word of God, is a church destined for failure, a church the Lord will not bless. Paul didn’t want the Ephesian church to face God’s judgment and punishment, thus his words of guidance to Timothy.

4. A good minister upholds his own standards.

At the beginning of 1 Timothy, chapter 3, we find a list of qualifications for anyone who would be appointed as an overseer (pastor) of the church.

Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task. Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full[a] respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap. Vv. 1-7

Obviously, Timothy met these standards or Paul would have never sent him to pastor the Ephesian church but it’s not just enough for a minister to have adequately checked all the boxes for the pastoral position. They need to continue to maintain and uphold them while they are in church leadership.

In other words, good ministers are always self assessing to ensure they remain above reproach in the work they are doing in the church. Nothing can be more damaging to the body of Christ than a pastor who allows Satan to lead them into sinful scandal that becomes discovered. Unfortunately, too many church leaders let down their guard, fail to don their full armor, and end up in personal and spiritual ruin, dragging their church along for the ride.

Obviously, there’s too much at stake for ministers to not stay grounded in the Lord who placed them in their positions with an expectation to shepherd and lead His people to salvation and a better relationship with Him.

In today’s verse, we find Paul letting Timothy know that if he would “point these things out to the brothers and sisters” in the Ephesian church, ensuring they knew the scriptures and what the Lord expected from them while staving off any attempts of Satan to poison the church with false doctrine, then he would be “a good minister of Christ Jesus” who was “nourished on the truths of the faith” and “the good teaching” that he had received from Paul and others.

If you are wondering whether or not your minister is good, check him against the scriptures. For when you validate this way, anyone masquerading as a pastor but leading in unscriptural ways will be exposed.

And unfortunately, there are more than a few out there so be on guard.

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.