THE STORY OF JESUS: 1 Timothy 1-3
“The goal of this command is love…” (1 Timothy 1:5)
Timothy was a leader in the church of Ephesus, where there were issues.
Paul is giving him advice on how to deal with other problematic leaders.
Some were teaching strange interpretations of the law (1:3-11).
Some men were turning their gatherings into battlegrounds (2:1-8).
Some women were treating church as their own personal stage (2:9-15).
Paul is reminding them all of the way of Jesus – of love, joy and peace!
Jesus is our example for how the church ought to conduct itself in the world (3:15).
Good leadership involves lowering oneself, not elevating oneself.
It is admitting our sin, loving others, and leading by example.
Some of Paul’s hard statements about women need to be understood in their context.
He is worried about how these women leaders were giving the church a bad name.
The goal of all his commands to Timothy is love, and that ought to be our goal to.
We will apply this goal differently in each context, but the goal is the same.
Does how we do church reflect the world’s values, or the values of Jesus?
What do you sense the Lord saying to you?
PRAYER
Lord, show me where my thinking about church is more a reflection of the world, than of You and Your love. Help me to be the kind of humble servant leader that You are.