PREACHER TEACHING PREACHERS ABOUT THEIR WORK AND BEHAVIOUR

THEME: “PREACHER TEACHING PREACHERS ABOUT…”
TOPIC: PREACHER TEACHING PREACHERS ABOUT WORK AND BEHAVIOUR AS EVANGELISTS- I TIMOTHY 1
INTRODUCTION
The theme of Paul’s first letter to Timothy, the evangelist left in Ephesus is expressed in I Tim.3:15 when Paul wrote “…but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of truth”. Paul wrote this letter to the young evangelist to instruct him concerning his work and behavior as an evangelist. Even though some of us are older than Timothy as at when he received this letter, the instruction of this letter can also apply to you and I today because we are evangelists and are faced with similar situations that Timothy found himself.
The purpose of Paul’s instruction to Timothy can be divided into two; firstly, he wrote to stop the infiltration of Judiazing teachers who had adopted Gnostic philosophies into the church. Secondly, he wrote to give instructions to Timothy concerning the application of Christian behavior as a community of God’s people. Paul specifically wrote to Timothy concerning his behavior and ministry to the need of the church.
I. BACKGROUND
At the time of Paul’s writing to Timothy, the concept of Gnosticism had become organized and prominent in the church. It was at this time that distorted views about the nature of Christ developed and many Christians were led into apostasy, away from the truth of the gospel.
Gnosticism is the teaching and believe that all matter is evil, only spirit is good. All the various sects of Gnostics even today maintain the world view that matter was and is evil and stood opposed to the spirit which was the only thing that was good.
The world view of the Gnostics consist the following among others;
A. God is light, good and eternal. Matter is also eternal, however matter is evil. According to Gnostics believe “creation” of the world resulted from succession of “aeons” or emanations that digressed from God. To the Gnostics, for one to understand the genealogy of emanations, such a one must acquire a higher or greater level of knowledge.
B. The Gnostics taught that since matter was evil, then the body was evil. This world view led to the believe and teaching that material and thus the evil body must be deprived of pleasure and physical needs like food etc, and thus subject the body to severe discipline.
C. They taught that, since the body is matter, there can be no resurrection of the material body.
D. To the Gnostics, redemption was not redemption from sins. Redemption was through self awareness, to be redeemed from material world.
In the years that preceded the establishment of the church, the teachings of the Gnostic heresy began in Greek, Rome and the Far East and subsequently Jewish religion and philosophies. When one therefore converts from any of the religions of these cultural groups, it was not long before the religious beliefs and philosophies of these religions generate into Gnostic heresy that found it way into the church. Therefore the chief concern of Paul in this letter as well as other inspired writers was to write doctrinal principles that will guide the church against the apostasy that will come.
The apostle saw a bad seed being sown in the church, he detailed Timothy, one of his converts, hence his son in the faith and one on whose prudence, piety and soundness in faith he could depend to remain in Ephesus to prevent the spread of a doctrine that would have been pernicious to the people’s soul.
The preachers work was and is still to charge those who preach false doctrine to desist from it .Some of these Gnostics Paul mentioned would have been some Judaising teachers who were members of the church, as we also have today among us.
II. FABLES AND ENDLESS GENEALOGIES
Preachers should rise to the challenge of keeping the church from fables. The preacher’s duty is to be sure that the church does not bestow her attention on fables, and should regard them as of no importance.
The fables Paul meant would have probably been idle and puerile superstitions and conceit of the Jewish rabies. These fables had much to do with speech and discourse, fictions and mystics . Today, these fictions compose of frivolous and unfounded stories which are regarded as of great importance , and men (even members In the church desire to incorporate these fables like the Gnostics theory of “eaons” being responsible for this evil earth and the teaching of the “ pleroma” )with the teachings of Christianity. These fables tend to draw off the minds of Christians from the truth, and is capable of corrupting the gospel of Christ. Preachers must always remember that one of the most successful art of the adversary of man’s soul has been mingling fable with truth, and when he cannot overthrow the truth by direct opposition he resolves to neutralizing the truth by mingling it with that which is false and frivolous.
Giving heed to fables and genealogies does not edify the church or the individuals involved rather they generate troublesome and angry debates. Preachers must be on the alert. Fables and endless genealogies are always the foundation of endless disputes because they are uncertain and consecutive.
Fables and enquiries on endless genealogies does nothing to promote true Christianity and the salvation of souls. They set no permanent principles of truth, they determine nothing that is really concerned with the salvation of men. There will therefore be no point of controversy worth much trouble if a matter is settled one way or the other when it will not tend to convert a soul from sin, or establish some important principles of promoting true Christianity.
Preachers should understand that the purpose of the charge to preach and teach sound doctrine and not heed to fables and genealogies is love. As preachers, we must show those who are corrupting the gospel with falsehood that instead of teaching foolish fables that does not edify, they should inculcate love, love that should emanate from pure hearts. The teaching of the truth on our part must stem from a pure heart and from a conscience that is free from guilt.
There can be no genuine love for God where the dictates of conscience are constantly violated, or where man knows that he is continually doing wrong . If a man wishes to be evidence of the love of God, he must keep a good conscience. All pretended love where man knows that he is living in sin is mere hypocrisy.
The preaching of the truth by preachers on the other hand should be of faith unfeigned, that is our teaching and preaching must be with confidence in God. As preachers, we cannot preach the truth and correct those who teach falsehood if we have no confidence in He who sent us. We are to preach the truth out of a faith that is not hypocritical, like the false teachers who exhibit pretended faith in the gospel in the bid to draw Christians from the truth with their fables.
When brethren stray from the new commandment of love, they will definitely turn aside to the idle talk of disputing over fables. One can be identified as having strayed from the love that is characteristics of Christians by his desire to dispute over non-biblical issues. This disputing over non-biblical issues are vain, meaningless and useless discussions that does not profit anything towards the edification of the church(II Tim.4:4). Preachers, teachers and evangelists must refrain from such useless disputing that will not edify the flock of God, and must be ready to reproof those in the house of God who may be drawn to such baseless disputes in the bid to bringing them to the truth.
Like the Judaizing teachers of Paul’s time, there are those among us in the fold who are desirous of being teachers in order to gain respect and honor as does the preachers and teachers of God’s word, yet they are not willing to pay the price of humble service and diligent study of God’s word. This group of teachers are those Paul wrote to Timothy about in II Tim.6:3-5 when he said “If any one teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ and to the doctrine which accords with godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which comes envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicion, useless wrangling of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain, from such withdraw yourself”.
These ignorant teachers, manifest the insincerity of their motives. Since such teachers don’t understand that the purpose of the Old Testament law was to lead men to Christ according to Gal.3:23-25. They cannot communicate correctly the things they affirm like the Judaizing teachers in Ephesus. Their desire alone thus disqualify them as teachers and preachers. It is only through long hours of prayerful study and godly living that we can learn the purpose of God’s word, and thus be qualified to teach God’s word.
Preachers and teachers should be diligent in their study of God’s word for it is only then that we can reproof, rebuke and correct those who will be teaching falsehood.
III. THE CHARGE
As one who had committed himself to the preaching of the gospel and edification of the church, Timothy was commanded to carry out his work as an evangelist , to teach in order to correct erroneous teachings in the church at Ephesus. This charge is important to preachers and evangelists today as it was to Timothy. Because we have those within the church who are carried away by all forms of doctrines, and owing to their ignorance of God’s word engage in disputing issues, Preachers must wake up to the challenge of teaching so as to correct errors and false teachings, and always preach the true gospel for the edification of the church.
Always remember that you are engaged in a warfare that is good for those who will win over sin through obedience of the preached gospel(II Tim.2:3, 4:7). Since we have been instructed concerning that which is right according to the word and will of God as Timothy , let us labor with a good conscience . We must not allow our faith to be led astray by a violation of what we conscientiously know to be true. When we compromise what we know is right for selfish gains, we end up destroying our faith.
In his letter, Paul mentioned two brethren in the church who allowed their faith to be compromised – Hymenaeus and Alexander. It was not that these two gave up being religious, but that they accepted and welcomed theologies that were contrary to the fundamental truth upon which the church is established as some today do among us. Like Hymenaeus and Alexander, those who allow their conscience to be compromised will lose their faith
In order that such negative influence of the erroneous teaching of such people in the church not spread to others, Hymenaeuses and Alexanders of the church today must be disciplined. Those who persist in sin should be disciplined to prevent the church from being injured by the actions of these types of brethren.
Before punitive discipline is meted on brethren who stray from truth, corrective discipline should be applied, where we can use scriptures to bring such erring Christians back to the faith. Discipline in the church should not be used by preachers as a means of getting even with brethren who are not getting along with the preacher as is the case in some congregations. The purpose of discipline should be to enable the erring brother or brothers learn the error of their way, and thus repent of such sins and be saved. Discipline should be meted with love and gentleness without compromising the truth of God’s word(Gal.6:1-2). Repentant brethren should be restored to the fellowship of the church as was the case in I Cor.5.
CONCLUTION
Both the work of the preacher and his behavior in the course of carrying out his duty are important for the sake of the ministry.
As preachers and ministers, we should avoid meaningless discussions that leads to disputes and profit nothing towards edification of the church. We should rather preach the truth in love, the truth that can save men’s souls, and be ready to refute falsehood in any guise.
Be diligent in studying God’s word in order to rightly divide the word of truth, and do not compromise your faith for selfish gains because your labour in His vineyard is not in vain(I Cor.15:58).


PRESENTED BY:
ETIM ECHENG ENYA
08063409493, 08029216666
timosetim@gmail.com