Paul's first letter to Timothy.
Paul spent many years traveling about and starting new churches.
He developed a large team of co-workers in this mission.
Timothy was one of these.
Paul was once in the city of Lystra and he met Timothy's faithful mother and grandmother.
He was impressed by Timothy's passion and devotion to Jesus.
So Paul mentored him for many years and eventually started sending him on missions to different churches.
When Paul got word about a group of leaders who infiltrated the influential church in Ephesus--
they were spreading incorrect views about Jesus and what it means to follow him--
he sent Timothy to confront these leaders and restore order to this church.
After Timothy arrived there, Paul sent this letter to follow up and instruct him on how to fulfill this mission.
The letter has a really cool design.
There is an opening and closing commission to Timothy to go confront these leaders in their bad theology.
These surround two large central sections that are full of really practical instructions
about the problems that Timothy faced in the Ephesian church
Finally, all these sections are linked together or concluded by a series of three poems
that each exalt the risen Jesus as the king of the world.
Let's dive in and you will see how it works.
Paul opens by recalling how he sent Timothy to Ephesus
to confront these leaders who were spreading their strange teaching.
He describes how these guys are obsessed with speculating about the Torah,
specifically the early stories and genealogies in the book of Genesis.
As we will see they had developed all kinds of weird teachings about food and marriage and sex
that were not consistent with the teachings of Jesus or the apostles.
He even names some of these people: Alexander and Hymenaeus.
He describes how their teaching has divided the church.
It has generated controversy.
Paul says this is actually the first clear sign that their teaching is distorted.
When genuine Christian teaching is done it is faithful to the way of Jesus.
It results in love and genuine faith.
He says the purpose of the Torah anyway is not to fuel speculation.
Rather, its purpose is to expose the truth about the human condition, as it did for Paul.
Correct teaching about the Torah will lead people to see the grace of God revealed in the Messiah
who came to save sinful, broken people.
Paul closes here with a poem that honors King Jesus over all.
He calls on Timothy to shut these men and their false teaching down.
He then addresses very specific problems in this church caused by the false teachers.
First of all, he calls Timothy to hold regular church prayer gatherings
to pray for the governing leaders of Rome and for peace.
Because peace in the land creates an ideal setting for Jesus' followers
to keep spreading their message about the God of peace who wants all people to be saved,
the God who sent Jesus as the only mediator to give his life as a ransom for all, in contrast to the false teachers.
Paul reminds Timothy that God wants to rescue the whole world.
Prayer is going to keep this at the forefront of their minds.
Paul then addresses problems related to men and women
who are being influenced by these corrupt leaders in Ephesus.
He first shuts down a group of men who were getting drawn into angry theological disputes started by the teachers.
He says these guys should learn how to pray.
Then he confronts a group of wealthy women in the church
who were treating the Sunday gathering like a fashion show.
They were dressing so upscale that they would shame most of the other people who could not afford such a wardrobe.
Not only that but some of these women were also usurping leadership positions in the church.
They were teaching others the bad theology of the corrupt teachers.
So Paul shuts these women down.
He says they should not teach or lead in the church.
It goes on to explore the story of Adam and Eve and the serpent from Genesis chapter 3.
This is one of those sections in Paul's letters where, like Peter said, he is kind of hard to understand.
There are many different views about what Paul meant here.
Some think that Paul is prohibiting women from ever teaching or leading men in any church
and that his comments about Adam and Eve are about how God has ordered that only men should be leaders in the church.
There are others who think that Paul is prohibiting women from having leadership authority over men in a church
but that once educated, women should and can teach as leaders in a church under male leadership.
There are still others who think that Paul is only prohibiting these women in Ephesus
and that his comments about Adam and Eve are a comparison of how these women have been deceived by the false teachers.
Whichever view you take, Paul is clear that these Ephesian women need to come under Timothy's leadership
and get a proper theological education.
The goal is to help them grow so that they could one day become like the outstanding female ministers
that Paul mentions in his other letters, like Phoebe or Junia or Priscilla.
Paul continues to address this leadership crisis.
He calls Timothy to appoint a small healthy team of husbands and fathers
who will act like elders or overseers for the church.
These should be men of outstanding character and integrity.
They will work alongside a team of deacons.
It is a Greek word that means servant.
These are men and women who actually lead and do the ministries of the church.
they are to have the same kind of character as the elders.
Altogether, these people should be known for healthy relationships and their families
because that will demonstrate their ability to lead in the church, which is God's family.
The way of life that they live all together is consistent with the story about Jesus
which is explored in the closing poem about his incarnation, his death, his resurrection, his exaltation as king,
then the spread of his new family throughout the whole world.
Paul's second body of instructions for Timothy
are again very specific to the problems caused by these bad leaders.
He first corrects their bad theology.
They have been telling people to stop eating certain kinds of foods, most likely meat,
and to stop getting married, which Paul thinks is ridiculous.
So he goes to Genesis 1.
He reminds Timothy that God's entire creation is very good, including food and marriage.
It is all to be received with gratefulness by those who know and give thanks to the Creator.
Paul then moves on to address problems about the church's care of widows.
This very important ministry was being taken advantage of by younger wealthy widows,
most likely the same trouble making women from chapter 2.
They would sign up for the church's support
but then spend their days sleeping around, spreading gossip and damaging the church's reputation in the city.
Paul is having none of it.
He says that only older widows that have no other family support qualify.
For these, the church should show the love of generosity of Jesus.
Paul then addresses problems among some older men in the church.
Timothy is to respect their age, but not their misbehavior
which seems to be alcohol-related.
They are damaging the church's reputation in Ephesus
So Timothy is, in love, to confront them and have them step down if they are in leadership.
Paul adds this interesting side note that this does not mean that Timothy himself should never drink.
Given his stomach problems, he should probably have a glass of wine each night with dinner.
Paul then addresses a problem among Christian slaves.
Some of them were disrespecting their Christian masters.
So, yes, the gospel creates equality among Jesus' followers.
However, Paul thinks that equality needs to be implemented in a strategic way
that does not compromise the mission and witness of the church.
If Christians become associated with slave rebellions they are compromised.
The Christian transformation of the Roman household had to be implemented strategically
so that their neighbors could be persuaded and not repulsed by this new vision of God's family.
Paul closes the letter by calling Timothy again to confront the corrupt leaders.
Paul here exposes their motives: to make lots of money by accumulating followers
and then charging them all high rates for their teaching.
These teachers betrayed Jesus and his message of contentment and simple living.
Paul instructs the wealthy Ephesian Christians to become rich in good works and generosity,
to be people who submit all of their resources to King Jesus.
He is the one who inspires the final poem
about how he is the true king above all other kings.
1 Timothy is a really important letter.
It helps us gain a holistic vision of the nature and mission of the church.
What a Jesus community believes will directly shape how that community lives and behaves in its city.
So, its theology and its beliefs have to be constantly critiqued and formed by the scriptures and the good news about Jesus.
How the church is perceived in public is also very important to Paul.
Christians should be known as people who are full of integrity, known for good works,
known for serving the poor and the most vulnerable,
all out of devotion to the risen King Jesus.
That is what 1 Timothy is all about.