In this Scripture passage, Paul concentrates on relationships within the Body of Christ. Paul grabs Timothy’s attention and tries to guide his thinking on how to deal with issues that will surely arise, as he leads the church in Ephesus.
Paul has already acknowledged in the previous chapter that Timothy has his youth as a potential liability. And, he urges Timothy to not allow anyone to despise him—or set aside what Timothy may say—simply because he is young.
Now in this chapter, Paul sharpens Timothy’s focus on developing a level of caring that will appropriately mark his ministry among the Ephesians. Part of the solution to problem solving within the Church, Paul asserts, is to care appropriately for one’s fellow believers.
If I were to try to put into a sentence what Paul shares with Timothy, it might sound something like this: “Thoughtfully and prayerfully building respectful, caring relationships with fellow believers, helps expose the world to the power of Christ within His children.”
Let me say that again. “Thoughtfully and prayerfully building respectful, caring relationships with fellow believers, helps expose the world to the power of Christ within His children.”
Let’s take a look at four very specific Principles that form the basis for what Paul has to say.
Principle No. 1 (verses 1 and 2): “When making a point with someone, speak respectfully. Let the deep kind of God-breathed love temper your words. Speak as if you were speaking to your father, or mother, or sister, or brother.”
Right off the bat with this first Principle we enter a realm in our modern culture where listeners respond with a universal, “Huh?”
In our culture, we’re just not in the habit of extending respect to other people. And, our culture particularly doesn’t extend respect to older people. In fact, our culture has pretty much relegated anyone who has reached his or her senior years to a position seen as virtually irrelevant on every level.
I mean, after all, come on, older people are set in their ways, always living in the past, always talking about the good old days, always trying to get you to move backward, not forward; always resisting change.
Hey! Wait a minute. I’m one of those older people! Last August, I celebrated my 61st birthday. I’m set in my ways. I’m living in the past. I’m always talking about the good old days. I’m always resisting change.
Our culture does not generally respect what older people have to say. And, the truth is that, just like people of all ages, older people can find themselves stuck on this idea or that one. Sometimes being stuck on a particular idea stands in the way of valid progress, or valid action.
Nevertheless, Paul instructs Timothy to speak respectfully and with God-breathed love to the older men he might encounter.
When it comes to dealing with women, Paul urges Timothy to treat older women as he would treat his mother and to treat younger women as he would treat his sister. Notice how Paul emphasizes that, in his relationship with younger women, Timothy must maintain purity.
Purity. Now there’s a concept that our culture would never support. Why I could spend the rest of today, all day tomorrow, and most of the next day talking about issues of purity among members of opposite gender within the church. Everything from the way we dress to the way we speak. But, I think I will leave that for another time.
Paul knew that Timothy might encounter some resistance from the people in his congregation in Ephesus, so he offered him a key: “speak kindly, speak respectfully, and speak out of a heart of God-breathed (agape) love.”
In the next post, we'll examine another of the four Principles. Will you stay tuned? I certainly hope so.
Copyright © 2009 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.
