Articles
A Good Minister
When the apostle Paul wrote his letters to Timothy, they were to instruct, encourage, and edify him as a young evangelist and servant of the Lord. Late in the first letter, Paul wrote, “If you instruct the brethren in these things, you will be a good minister of Jesus Christ… These things command and teach” (1 Tim. 4:6, 11). It should not be surprising that Paul gives a young evangelist and minister instructions regarding the teaching he is to do! In the second letter, Paul plainly charges Timothy to “do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry” (2 Tim. 4:5).
So, what must be a part of what makes one a “good minister of Jesus Christ”? Obviously, instructing the brethren in the inspired words was a part of that, but Paul knows there is more to it than the teaching. He gives Timothy more things to consider and to do himself — for himself — that he might be just that. Consider the following words of Paul, and then let us consider if the ministers and evangelists within the Lord’s church today are heeding these Divinely-inspired words.
Meditating on God’s Word. Later, Paul will instruct Timothy, “Meditate on these things” (1 Tim. 4:15). The context tells us “these things” are the Divinely-inspired instructions Paul wrote and which are contained within this letter. There is a twofold meaning in that instruction worthy of our consideration.
First, meditate on [be concerned with, pay close attention to] the word of God. It should be the center of all his thoughts, study, and interest. He is responsible for revealing God’s truths to mankind and leading them in the way to everlasting life; there is no other message that can do this! He must know God’s word forward and backward, be thoroughly acquainted with as much of it as possible, and know how to identify and refute error when it arises. That will only be possible by a thorough knowledge of God’s word. It is no wonder that Paul, then, also tells Timothy to “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15).
But Timothy needed to meditate on God’s word and, at the same time, not be concerned with the uninspired words of men or, as Paul will also admonish him, “avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife” (2 Tim. 2:23). Time wasted on such foolish disputes could be better used in instructing the brethren in the pure gospel.
Give Yourself Entirely to Them. Beyond meditating on God’s Divine instructions, Timothy was also admonished to “give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all” (1 Tim. 4:15). Those who would be the listeners of Timothy’s message needed to see that his life was the practice of what he was preaching, as it should be with all who proclaim the message of God to man; they needed to see that he had devoted himself to that work and was not trying to split his time between that work and the cares of the world. As Paul would also instruct Timothy, “You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier” (2 Tim. 2:3, 4).
They also needed to see some “progress” in his life — that he was no mere babe teaching things he did not understand. This would coincide with Paul’s earlier words to Timothy that he “be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity” (1 Tim. 4:12). Since he would be exhorting the brethren to constantly grow and get stronger in the faith, he needed to show them by his personal life of faith that he had done the same. As someone once said, “There is nothing worse than good instruction followed by a bad example.”
Take Heed to Self and the Doctrine. Paul further instructs Timothy to “Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine” (1 Tim. 4:16). Again, we see a twofold instruction here to Timothy to take heed to (1) himself and (2) the doctrine. The ESV translates this as “Keep a close watch on yourself,” which is a good rendering that helps clarify what Paul is saying. As one who would be in the ‘public eye’ so prominently and frequently, it was important that he be always paying attention to himself to ensure he was not acting in an ungodly or unseemly way, and was always a worthy reflection of the character God’s instructions will produce.
At the same time, he needed to “Keep a close watch on…the teaching” he was imparting to others to ensure it was (1) unadulterated truth, (2) relevant to what the hearers needed to know, and — again — (3) that his life matched with what was being taught. No minister will be successful in the work if any part of this fails to meet with God’s expectations.
Continue in Them. The last part of Paul’s admonition is that Timothy “Continue in them [‘these things’ previously noted]” (1 Tim. 4:16). It is likely a given to most people that there is an expectation that one who is an evangelist and minister of God will not be one who has given up on his faith, but we might be surprised to know that many so-called ‘men of God’ in American pulpits have long ago surrendered their faith in God’s word and have traded it for the doctrines of men, social trends, and outright immorality. We should not be surprised at the result, though: Fewer and fewer who are interested in a message in the Bible that doesn’t agree with what is being taught in the pulpit or lived out by the ones teaching.
And even amongst preachers, evangelists, and ministers within the Lord’s church, great damage has been done by men who surrendered their faith later in life, trading their souls for a mess of pottage, financial gain, popularity, or fleshly indulgences. Many who were not strong in the faith followed their destructive example and have strayed from the path to eternal life.
The Results. When a man is indeed “a good minister of Jesus Christ” (1 Tim. 4:6), the result will be that you “will save both yourself and those who hear you” (1 Tim. 4:16). This will be possible because he has meditated on God’s instructions and conformed his life to them, has given himself entirely to those instructions to live them as fully and perfectly as he can [correcting himself when he does not], constantly examines himself to ensure his life is still in conformity to those instructions and that the instruction he does give is beneficial to all who hear. Of course, not all will be saved who hear, but some will.
An evangelist and minister of God’s word can have a powerful impact on the people and congregations he works with, if these things are followed. Quite often, he has one of the greatest influences on the direction of the congregation as a whole because of his teaching and example, so this is not something to take lightly or neglect.
With all this said, others — whether the public or the brethren of the congregation where he works in the Kingdom — must not set a higher standard for the evangelist/minister than what God has set, should not judge him any harsher than they would judge themselves (cf. Matt. 7:1-5), and neither should they have an expectation of perfection; he is, after all, still a fallible man.
Encourage the men who do this important work. Pray for them often. And let the truly “good” ones know you are thankful for them. — Steven Harper
