"Till I come, give attention to the reading, to the exhortation, to the doctrine.... Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all. Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you"--1 Timothy 4:13, 15-16. (I have highlighted the definite articles each from the Greek text, because they affirm the focus of public ministry, the Word of God.) [Paul to Timothy, ca. A.D. 65]
Paul's admonition here is directed to three emphases in Timothy's public ministry. When believers met in assembly, Timothy was to: 1) attend to the reading aloud of the Scriptures; 2) attend to exhortation-encouragement flowing from the Scriptures; and 3) attend to the doctrine, the organized or systematized teaching of God's Word.
Timothy was to meditate on these [literally, keep giving meticulous care to these(meletao in the present tense, active voice, imperative mood)], to give himself entirely to them ("be in these things,"... "be absorbed in them"), and to continue orpersevere in them...for in so doing, he and his listeners would be delivered from the evils of the age. Strong imperatives for young pastors from the aged Apostle! It is evident that Paul's confidence in accomplishing God's purposes was solely in the Word of God.
What was to be normative to Timothy has become dreaded in evangelical churches today! Doctrine has become the dreaded "D" word! Some see it as divisive; as though truth and error admit to little difference (need I say that doctrinal truth by nature is quite intolerant of error!). Others see it as dry and boring, as though God's truth is unrelated to human experience. Still others avoid doctrine like the plague, fearful that it minimizes love, as though love can be sentimentally divorced from truth.
Not so with the Apostle Paul! And in his Pastoral Epistles, 1Timothy, 2 Timothy, and Titus, he communicates the importance of sound doctrine. Did you notice--PastoralEpistles--letters to those who would be responsible for emphases in assembly gatherings! Pastors, elders, seminarians: Take note! As kindly as possible [and] with empathy, having pastored for 14 years, I ask, "Are the believers in your assembly well grounded doctrinally or not? If not, why not?" Believers: Are you well oriented to biblical truth so that you can propagate and defend doctrinal truth? Or are you leaving such to the "pros"?
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Get Ready and Be Prepared -
Read the Word, Study the Word,
and Pray.!!..
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