with Elder Elico Manenji
✝️The Apostle Paul’s letters to Timothy and Titus are commonly referred to as the Pastoral letters and he shows deep concern for the pastoral responsibilities he had entrusted to the two young leaders, Timothy and Titus.
He shares a warm trustworthy relationship with the two fellow workers.
So, he wrote the letter in his final years of life showing how church life had developed since his early days of ministry.
Among the places Paul visited, where he was accompanied by Timothy and Titus was the island of Crete.
Here he found that the churches of Crete were in a state of serious disorder because they lacked the right leaders and were confused by false teachers.
Paul gave whatever help and direction he could but he had to move on to other places. So he left Titus behind to carry on the work and establish proper leadership in the churches there.
When he arrived in Ephesus, the Apostle further encountered more problems of false teachers and teaching which he had forewarned the Elders that it would happen.
There were self - appointed ‘experts’ who were causing harm in the church with unprofitable teaching based on ancient myths, legends, laws and genealogies.
Some of the teaching was so damaging that Paul decided the only way to deal with the offenders was to put them out of the church.
Since the Apostle could not stay in Ephesus indefinitely as he wanted to visit churches in other regions, he left Timothy to instruct the believers.
Whilst in Macedonia, the Apostle Paul fulfilled his desire to visit the Philippian church but he was concerned for Timothy and Titus whom he had left to deal with difficult church problems in Crete and Ephesus.
He then sent to them these Pastoral letters to encourage them to pursue the tasks entrusted to them by the laying on of hands to the gospel ministry.
The two ministers were are to establish order and strong leadership in the churches, instruct the people in Christian truth , and avoid wasting time with arguments on senseless issues.
In this chapter, the Apostle exhorts Timothy to hold fast to the faith and to have a good conscience.
He speaks of Hymeneus and Alexander who had made shipwreck of their faith by turning away from the true gospel.
*1️⃣1 Timothy 1:1-11: Pastoral greetings and concerns of correcting false teachers and their strange doctrines.
⏹️All spiritual greetings should reflect the Christian hope, that of Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. For we know not what we shall be but when He shall appear, we shall be like Him.
The Apostle Peter says, "Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, to obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you, and peace, be multiplied" (1Peter 1:2).
⏭️We shall be called to obtain His glory as we are predestinated to be conformed to His image. For where He is, there we hope to be with Him and what He is, that we hope to be. What He has, we hope to have.
The prophet Jeremiah says, "Thus said the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glories glory in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD which exercise loving kindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, said the LORD"
(Jeremiah 9:23-24).
⏹️The Apostle called Timothy his own son in the faith because he was converted to the faith by his instrumentality and regarded by me with the affection of a father.
Although Paul had no biological children of his own, he adopted Timothy as his spiritual son, the same thing he did for Titus.
The Apostle says, "For this cause have I sent to you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church" (1 Corinthians 4:17).
⏹️His instructions to Timothy is that there is no other doctrine besides that of Christ and His Church, so he was not to abide in fables and endless genealogies which is empty talking, or disputes of words and profane babblings of the Jewish teachers.
The Apostle says, "In whom you also trusted, after that you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that you believed, you were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise" (Ephesians 1:13).
⏭️Rather he encouraged Timothy to be of a pure heart, be of good conscience, be of unfeigned faith and laying hold of Christ as the Mediator who alone brings us into fellowship with God and all unseen realities.
The Apostle says, "God is faithful, by whom you were called to the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord"(1 Corinthians 1:9).
⏫ He teaches that the law was not meant to be an inspiration but a seeker of justice, so the law was not meant for a righteous man, but for sinners who had turned away from God's grace. Righteousness does not come by the law but by Christ, the fulfillment of the law and love, for in Christ is the vision of perfection and ideal life.
The Apostle says, "Why then serves the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator"
(Galatians 3:19).
The Apostle John wrote, "Whoever commits sin transgresses also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law"(1 John 3:4).
2️⃣1 Timothy 1:12-20: The gospel is a power and grace of God that changes and turns greatest of sinners into representatives of God.
⏹️It is evident that Divine grace calls the sinner and forgives the repentant person as God did with Paul and made him a minister of the same grace.
Divine grace converts the heart to faith and love so that the grace of our Lord is exceedingly abundant in us by Christ Jesus.
The prophet Isaiah says, "I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, your transgressions, and, as a cloud, your sins: return to me; for I have redeemed you" (Isaiah 44:22).
⏫Even when God’s forgiveness is full, free, complete and thorough, He does not forget the sin but He does not charge us of the forgiven sins, but remembers the forgiven sins and charges them upon the one who caused us to err against His law and love.
The Psalmist says, "Have mercy on me, O God, according to your loving kindness: according to the multitude of your tender mercies blot out my transgressions"(Psalm 51:1).
⏭️The memory of forgiven sins is favourable to humility which quenches pride as the sinner is made conscious of his worthlessness without the transforming grace and love of God as given in Christ Jesus our Lord and Saviour.
Jesus said, "I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance"(Luke 5:32).
"For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost"(Luke 19:10).
🅰️Appeal
The ministry of salvation is a warfare, it is a good warfare against sin and Satan fought under the banner of the Lord Jesus the Captain of our salvation.
It is a warfare in His cause and against His enemies. So his ministers are His soldiers and army who should be always engaged against the wiles of the devil.
Those who preach and teach the gospel are His ministers, they are to be engaged and must execute their office diligently and courageously, despite the oppositions and discouragements they may.meet along the way, they should know they always have Christ on their side, they never fight alone.
The Apostle says, "For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings" (Hebrews 2:10). Amen!!!
Elico Manenji
(+263712952704)
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