HOW TO BE USEFUL TO OTHERS.
"How to Be Useful to Others" is based on two
letters Paul sent to Timothy about A.D.64 & 67.
Chapters are shown in brackets as are our
comments.
(You'll never be any real use to others until
you become a believer in Jesus Christ. If you
want to do that then tell Him in words like
these. "Dear God, I have been going my own way
but now I genuinely want to turn and go yours.
I believe you will forgive all my past sins and
give me a new life as a member of your family.
I believe the way to do this is through trust
in your Son Jesus Christ. Thanks for accepting
me." What we say from now on assumes you are a
believer.)
You are now God's child in the faith and on a
mission sent by Christ Jesus your hope, by the
command of God our saviour. May undeserved
favour, mercy and peace be yours from God the
Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.
Your goal is to be a channel of Christ's love
which comes from a pure heart, a good
conscience and a sincere faith.
If you find anyone teaching false doctrines,
directing themselves to myths and promoting
controversies rather than God's work - which is
by faith, command them to cease. God's law is
good for revealing what's ungodly and sinful,
murder, adultery, perversion, slave trading,
lying, perjuring and whatever is contrary to
the glorious good news that peace and life
comes through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
(Your mission is to share this good news).
You may have been a blasphemer, persecutor and
violently opposed to Christ due to ignorance
and unbelief. But Christ Jesus came into the
world to save sinners - even if you were the
worst. This is the truth and deserves full
acceptance. If that were the case, the
undeserved favour of our Lord was poured out on
you abundantly along with the faith and love
that are in Jesus Christ.
His mercy displayed His unlimited patience, as
an example for those who would believe in Him
and receive eternal life. "Now to the King
eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be
honour and glory forever and ever. Amen."
So fight the good fight holding on to faith
and a good conscience. Reject these and you'll
shipwreck your faith.
(1 Timothy Chapter 1)
Make requests, prayers, intercession and
thanksgiving for everyone in authority, that
believers may live peaceful and quiet lives in
all godliness and purity. "This is good and
pleases God our Saviour, who wants all men to be
saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.
For there is one God and one mediator between
God and men, the man Jesus Christ, who gave
Himself as a ransom for all men." Your mission
is to pass this message and true faith on to
others.
The result should be men who everywhere lift up
holy hands in prayer without anger or
disputing. Women should dress modestly with
decency and propriety, their adornment being
good deeds befitting those who profess to
worship God.
They should learn in quietness and full
submission not teaching or having authority
over men, for Adam was formed first and Eve was
the one deceived. They are to continue in
faith, love, purity and propriety.
(1 Timothy Chapter 2)
Here are the qualifications for anyone who
would oversee a group of believers when they
meet (church means a meeting). He must be
above reproach, have one wife, be temperate,
self controlled, respectable, hospitable, able
to teach, not given to drunkenness, gentle
not quarrelsome, not a lover of money, he
must manage his family well, have respectful
obedient children, not be a recent convert and
having a good reputation with outsiders.
If they have assistants or deacons, they are to
be men worthy of respect, sincere, sober,
honest, who keep hold of the deep truths of the
faith with a clear conscience, having a good
reputation with outsiders. Their wives are to
be worthy of respect, not malicious talkers but
temperate and trustworthy in everything.
Deacons are to have one wife and manage their
family well. "Those who serve will gain an
excellent standing and great assurance in their
faith in Christ Jesus."
This shows how believers are to behave when
they meet. Meeting means "the church of the
living God, the pillar and foundation of the
truth."
The centre of your life and of a meeting of
believers must be Jesus Christ.
"He appeared in a body,
was vindicated by the Holy Spirit
was seen by angels,
was preached among the nations,
was believed in the world,
was taken up in glory".
(1 Timothy Chapter 3)
The Holy Spirit says that some so called
Christian teachers will be hypocritical liars
who, having abandoned the faith, follow deceiving
spirits and things taught by demons. They make
up rules and regulations, for example about
marriage or ordering abstinence from certain
foods. But "everything God created is good, and
nothing is to be rejected if it is received
with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by
the word of God and prayer."
Point these things out to believers, train
yourself to live God's way for the benefit of
your present life and the life to come. You
have put your hope in the living God who is the
saviour of all who believe.
If you are young, don't let people look down on
you because of your age, but set an example in
speech, life, love, faith and purity. If you
are a teacher of a meeting of believers, devote
yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to
preaching and teaching. Do this diligently with
100% commitment and perseverance, so people can
see that what you teach and how you live
matches up, for the salvation and spiritual
growth of yourself and your hearers.
(1 Timothy Chapter 4)
If you need to rebuke older believers, do it as
if they were your parents. Treat the younger as
brothers and sisters with absolute purity.
You are to please God, by providing for your
immediate family and relatives. Not to do so
leads to blame and denies faith in Christ, a
worse position than that of an unbeliever.
A believer who is an older widow with no
relatives and really in need, will put her hope
in God and pray continually for help. The group
of believers you meet with, is to meet such
needs. Younger widows ought to have their needs
met by remarrying.
It's in order to financially support men who
oversee meetings of believers (church) and
especially if they teach or preach. Ignore
accusations against them, unless supported by
two or three witnesses. Overseers are
responsible for publicly rebuking believers
who come to meetings, yet persist in sinning
and so warn others.
Do nothing out of favouritism. Do not hastily
appoint an overseer to a meeting. Keep yourself
pure. Take care of your health.
The affect of sin is sometimes immediate and
sometimes it shows up later. The same applies
to the affect of good deeds. (1 Tim. Chapter 5)
Honour God's name by respecting your boss. If
he is a believer, serve him even better as a
brother benefiting from your service.
You'll come across so called Christian teachers
who peddle false teaching for financial gain
and are conceited, understanding nothing. Their
work produces controversy, envy, strife,
malicious talk, evil suspicions and constant
friction.
"But godliness with contentment is great gain,
for you brought nothing into the world, and you
can take nothing out of it." Be content with
food and clothing. Wanting to be rich leaves
you open to temptations and traps that can lead
to ruin and destruction. "For the love of money
is a root of all kinds of evil." It could cause
you to wander from the faith and be pierced
with many griefs.
"But you man of God, flee from all this and
pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love
endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight
of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to
which you were called" when you became a
believer. "In the sight of God, who gives life
to everything and of Jesus Christ... keep this
command without spot or blame, until the
appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which God
will bring about in His own time." God is "the
blessed and only ruler, the King of Kings and
Lord of Lords, who alone is immortal and who
lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has
seen or can see. To Him be honour and glory and
might forever. Amen."
If you are rich, don't arrogantly put your hope
in uncertain wealth, but put your hope in God
who rightly provides you with everything for
your enjoyment. Do good, be rich in good deeds,
be generous and willing to share. Thus lay up
treasures for yourself as a firm foundation for
life that is truly life.
Guard these truths, avoid the world's false
knowledge. God's undeserved favour be with you.
(1 Timothy Chapter 6)
You have been sent by Jesus Christ and God's
will, according to the promise of the life that
is in Christ Jesus. May undeserved favour,
mercy and peace from God the Father and Jesus
Christ your Lord, be with you.
Thank God, serve Him with a clear conscience,
pray constantly and keep your faith sincere.
Fan into flame the gift God's given you, for He
did not give you a spirit of timidity, but one
of power, love and self discipline.
Unashamedly testify about your Lord. Suffer for
the good news if necessary, by the power of God
who saved you and called you to live a pure
life, because of His own purpose and undeserved
favour. This was given you in Christ Jesus
before the beginning of time and now revealed
through the appearance of your saviour Christ
Jesus, who destroyed death and brought life and
immortality to light through the good news. You
have been sent as a herald and teacher of this
good news. So if this involves suffering, don't
be ashamed, because you know whom you have
believed and are convinced that God is able to
guard what He has entrusted to you, until the
day of judgment.
Use all this as a pattern of sound teaching
with faith and love in Jesus Christ. Guard the
good news entrusted to you, with the help of the
Holy Spirit who lives in you.
(2 Timothy Chapter 1)
Be strong in the undeserved favour that is in
Christ Jesus. Pass these teachings on to
reliable men who will be qualified to teach
others. Endure hardship like a good soldier, to
please your commanding officer Jesus Christ.
Don't be sidetracked into wasting your time on
civilian affairs. Similarly, strive with the
discipline and determination of an athlete, to
compete according to the rules and win first
prize. Reflect on this, the Lord will give you
insight.
Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead and
descended from David. Be ready to endure
everything, so that God's chosen ones may hear
the good news, be saved through faith in Christ
Jesus and enter into eternal glory.
The truth is that:-
If you died with Him
You'll also live with Him
If you endure
You'll also reign with Him
If you disown Him
He will disown you
If you are faithless
He will remain faithful
For He cannot disown Himself.
Remind believers of these things. Warn them
about quarrelling over words. "Do your best to
present yourself to God as one approved, a
workman who does not need to be ashamed and who
correctly handles the word of the truth." Avoid
godless chatter, it can lead you away from the
truth. Remember that God's solid foundation
stands firm, sealed with this inscription: "The
Lord knows those who are His and everyone who
confesses the name of the Lord, must turn away
from wickedness."
In a large house there are gold plates for
noble use and plastic garbage bins for ignoble
use. So clean yourself of all garbage and be
"an instrument for noble purposes, made holy,
useful to the master and prepared to do any
good work. Flee the evil desires of youth and
pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace and
call on the Lord out of a pure heart." Avoid
foolish and stupid arguments, don't quarrel, be
kind to everyone, teach and don't be resentful.
Gently instruct opponents, hoping God will grant
them repentance leading to a knowledge of the
truth, so they come to their senses and escape
from the trap of the devil.
(2 Timothy Chapter 2)
You live in a time when people love themselves,
love money, are "boastful, proud, abusive,
disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,
without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without
self control, brutal, not lovers of the good,
treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of
pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a
form of godliness but denying its power. Have
nothing to do with them." They gain control of
weak willed women who are swayed by evil
desires, always learning, but unable to
acknowledge the truth. Having depraved minds,
they oppose the truth and, as far as the faith
is concerned, are rejected. Their folly will be
clear to everyone.
Let your teaching, way of life, purpose, faith,
patience, love, endurance, persecution and
suffering be an example to others. The Lord
will rescue you always. Living a godly life in
Christ Jesus always brings persecution, while
evil men and imposters go from bad to worse,
deceiving and being deceived. But you are to
continue in what you have learned and been
convinced of in the holy Scriptures. They are
able to make you wise for salvation through
faith in Christ Jesus. "All Scripture is God
breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking,
correcting and training in righteousness, so
you may be thoroughly equipped for every
good work".
(2 Timothy Chapter 3)
Your instructions from God and Christ Jesus who
will judge the living and the dead when He
returns and sets up His kingdom are to:-
Proclaim God's word, being prepared at all times
to correct, rebuke and encourage with great
patience and careful instruction. The time will
come when men will get teachers "who say what
their itching ears want to hear". But you are
to "keep your head in all situations, endure
hardship, do the work of an evangelist,
discharge all the duties of your ministry."
Have the goal of being able to say at the end
of your life "I have fought the good fight, I
have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
Now there is in store for me the crown of
righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous
judge, will award me" on the day of Christ's
second coming - and not only for you, but for
all who have longed for His appearing.
If all human support fails you in this mission,
the Lord will stand at your side and give you
the strength so that the good news will be
fully proclaimed to everyone. He will rescue
you from every evil attack and bring you safely
to His heavenly kingdom. To Him be the glory
forever and ever. Amen. The Lord be with your
spirit.
God's undeserved favour be with you.
(2 Timothy Chapter 4)
HERE ARE SOME MAIN POINTS FROM TIMOTHY:
1. As a channel of Christ's love, your mission
is to introduce Him to others. For this you'll
need a pure heart, a good conscience and sincere
faith.
2. If you find "believers" acting contrary to
God's word, lovingly put them right.
3. Pray for those in authority, for peaceful,
godly and pure lives for believers among whom
women should not teach or have authority over
men.
4. Jesus Christ must be the centre of your
life and of meetings of believers. Leaders of
such meetings and their wives must be of the
required standard.
5. If you lead, your life must match the word
of God you teach. You'll find some leaders,
being "conned" by the devil, substituting their
rules and regulations for Christ.
6. Believers should provide for their
families. Meetings should provide for elderly
widows without families. Leaders should not be
hastily appointed, may be paid and members
who persistently sin should be publicly rebuked.
7. Flee from the love of money. Pursue
righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance
and gentleness so that your life bring honour and
glory to God.
8. Jesus is the Good News who destroyed death and
offers immorality. Before the beginning of time
God chose you to be a herald and teacher of this
good news with the power, love and self-discipline
of the Holy Spirit within you. You'll probably
suffer for this but God will guard what He has
entrusted to you.
9. Pass the above on to reliable male teachers.
Be disciplined and single minded about your mission,
don't be sidetracked from it. Remind believers of
these things. Pursue righteousness, faith, love
and peace, calling on the Lord out of pure heart.
Gently instruct opponents and don't argue with them.
10. Live a godly life as an example for others
and expect persecution. Live by God's word in
the Bible and you'll be thoroughly equipped for
every good work.
11. Have the goal of being able to say at your
life's end "I have fought the good fight, I have
finished the race, I have kept the faith." God
will enable you to achieve this goal. And thus
confidently expect to hear Christ say "Well done
true and faithful servant.
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