Why First Timothy?

“Every church needs to be able to answer two questions: What is our plan for making disciples? Does our plan work?” – Dallas Willard

At Cascade CRC, we see that our corporate life is governed by three practices:

• Fellowship

• Outreach

• Discipleship

Fellowship is how we interact with each other, caring, praying, and supporting. We spent my first year here focusing on Fellowship. 

Outreach is how we look beyond our church's four walls and influence the world around us. Over this past year we've talked about how to BLESS our neighbors, how to share our faith, and how to extend practical grace to the world around us. Queen, It's a New Day was a highlight, an event where we helped homeless women find future opportunities while sharing the Gospel and literally washing their feet.

This coming school year we'll transition from outreach to discipleship.  A disciple is a student. In Jesus' time, disciples would follow their teacher, developing skills and attitudes that mirror their teacher's. These practices were caught as much as they were taught, so discipleship happened all through life; not just in a classroom.

To help kick things off, we'll spend the Fall studying the book of 1st Timothy. This is a letter written to a pastor for a specific reason. Paul writes:

“Although I hope to come to you soon, I am writing you these instructions so that, if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.” - 1 Timothy 3:14–15

In other words, Paul is writing this letter to encourage both spiritual growth and organizational health. He seems to believe that how we function as a church will influence our growth in grace.

Pastor Phil Newton offers five reasons for a discipleship-focused church to preach through First Timothy. 

1. It urges Christian leaders to be humble yet bold.

Paul’s humility sets the tone for pastoral warmth in the letter (1:12–17). Even when Paul challenges Timothy to confront false teachers, he encourages to do this as an act of love, not out of superiority and pride.

2. It covers the vital details of church life and order.

Paul laid out priorities for praying (2:1–4, 8), public worship (4:13–16), preaching (1:3–4; 4:6–12, 15–16; 5:17–18; 6:17–19), caring for members (5:1–16), roles of men and women (2:8–15), and correcting erring members (6:3–10). He gives urgency to elder and deacon plurality, with elders responsible for ruling, preaching, and teaching (3:1–13; 5:17–22). “How one ought to behave in the household of God” points to “a prescribed manner of living in which” the corporate conduct “is to assume a specific shape because of theological realities” (Philip Towner). 

3. It offers a window into the value the early church placed on good theology.

For those thinking that 1 Timothy lacks theological moorings, au contraire mon frère! Paul’s greeting has theological richness (1:1–2). He sets forth the right use of the Law, a perennial theological issue (1:8–11). His doxologies in 1:17 and 6:14–16 spur robust worship. His explanation of prayer is anchored in the mediatorial work of the Incarnate Christ (2:1–6). His description of the church expands our grasp of healthy ecclesiology (3:15). His confessional statement motivates the church to mission (3:16). His theology of divine judgment brings caution to the process of setting apart elders (5:19–25). His charge to “fight the good fight of faith” is grounded in Christological thought (6:11–16). 

4. It provides wise counsel for Christians’ spiritual lives and ministries.

Paul exhorted, “Wage the good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience,” as the first personal charge to Timothy in a letter that would be publicly read (1:18–19). He continued by calling for disciplining himself for the purpose of godliness (4:6–8), not neglecting his spiritual gift (4:14), immersing himself in faithful ministry (4:15), and paying close attention to himself and his teaching (4:16). The passion of his closing exhortation, “O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you,” breathes the air of intensity and attentiveness (6:20). 

5. It shows how the gospel is central to our existence and purpose as a church.

One scholar points out that the health of the gospel appeared to be at stake in this letter. So Paul’s instructions didn’t come as merely practical advice from an experienced minister but so that Timothy might stand upon the gospel with this congregation. The confidence in Christ Jesus as our hope (1:1), warnings about substitutions and distortions of the gospel (1:3–7; 4:1–5; 5:3–5), and specifically detailed gospel passages (1:15; 2:3–6; 3:16; 4:10, 6:13–16) reiterate that our churches ought to be all about the gospel—in both preaching and practice. 

We'll begin our series this Sunday. See you there.

-Pastor Tim