KEY SCRIPTURE:1Ti 1:5 KJV” Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:”

Apostle Paul instructs his Son in the Lord, Timothy, to make sure that he corrects those who may be teaching wrong doctrines to desist from it. In our key scripture, he states the right attitude by which he makes this instruction. He says it is out of a pure heart, good conscience and faith unfeigned..This attitude he has must also be the same attitude Timothy must hold in correcting those who are erring. This statement applies to three persons who are involved when making any corrections.

The first is the right heart. This means it must be done out of love. This relates to the person who is being corrected. Be empathetic towards that erring brother.

The next is a good conscience. This relates to having a fair mind, and it applies to you, the one correcting.

And finally, faith unfeigned, which relates to a right standing before God.

This teaches us that anytime we relate to people, we must hold these three persons in the right perspective. These are the person being corrected, ourselves, and then our attitude towards God.

Let’s consider in detail our approach to the one we are to correct. The bible says it must be of a pure heart, that is, a loving attitude. Vindictiveness and a judgmental spirit are always products of self-righteousness. In John 8:1-11, the Pharisees brought a woman to Jesus, accusing her of committing adultery. These people were full of bitterness, seeking a poor soul to condemn and stone to death. Their heart were far from being pure. The Lord asked them Let the man who has no sin cast the first stone at her. None of them could do it because they were all guilty. It is the universal guilt of men; that is why we must deal gently with those who err.
It is in the light of this that the Holy Spirit admonishes us in Galatians 6:1 as follows: Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.”⁹ Please consider the last part, that is, consider yourself less thou be tempted. Dear one, only God is without error, and we must always be considerate in correcting those who might have erred. The error committed by most people is demonically influenced. If you act in self-righteousness, the spirit that caused the fall of the brother can have an advantage over you.

The next attitude he talked about is a good conscience. The conscience is the sense of right or wrong that we hold about the things we do. A good conscience is being fair to yourself or being sincere about whatever we do. A good conscience has no prejudice of any kind. It seeks no advantage or selfish motive.

The last is our attitude towards God in handling the wrongs of others. Unfeigned faith is acting such that God’s name and word are purely honoured. We must always relate to people bearing in mind God’s standards and expectations of us in relation to that particular matter. We must do all things without a consciousness of the fear of God.

THOUGHT: ALLOW THE SPIRIT TO CONTROL YOU IN CORRECTING OTHERS

FURTHER STUDIES

Mic 6:8 KJV” He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?”

Jas 3:17 KJV” But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.”

KEY SCRIPTURE:1Ti 1:3 WEB As I urged you when I was going into Macedonia, stay at Ephesus that you might command certain men not to teach a different doctrine,”

The issue of wrong doctrines is a real menace in the body of Christ. In John 10:10, the Lord Jesus spoke about the thief. Although the interpretation has largely been referred to the devil, a critical scrutiny of the passage in totality reveals that the thief the Lord Jesus spoke about was the false teachers or prophets who came before him. The basis for fallacies proceeds from a wrong interpretation of the scriptures or traditionally held beliefs. With traditional beliefs, such individuals do not read the scriptures for themselves. They just pick up teachings that were given to them. A case in question is the Arian doctrine about Christ. Arius was an eloquent 4th-century priest who taught that Jesus is not one with the Father, but a created being. This teaching was the reason for the church council at Nicea that adopted the Nicene creed and also excommunicated Arius from the church.

It is rather unfortunate that the founder of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, Charles Taze Russel, also adopted the teachings of Arius about our Lord Jesus. Every pastor must never approach the bible with traditional held beliefs that are contrary to the fundamental beliefs of the universal church. He must always have a very open mindset and trust the Holy Spirit to rightly interpret the scriptures to him or her. The bible can not be well interpreted when you do not read the Bible well. The whole truth must be drawn from various portions that join together to clarify the truths.

Isaiah 28:13 shows us how to properly interpret the scriptures. Isa 28:13 KJV But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backwards, and be broken, and snared, and taken. It is when you have gotten a hold of the truths of scripture that you can also instruct those who err to stop their wrong doctrines. In the interpretation of the bible, the contextual truths should not be compromised, as the tenses of the verbs must be clearly observed for one to appreciate the meaning of the passage. One other principle is to always ask yourself what the original person who made the statement tried to convey to his or her audience or the person he or she was speaking to.

THOUGHT: KNOW THE TRUTH TO HELP THOSE WHO ERR

FURTHER STUDIES

2Ti 2:15 KJV” Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

Col 2:8 KJV Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

KEY SCRIPTURE:1Ti 1:2 KJV “Unto Timothy, my own son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord”.

Apostle Paul indicates to Timothy that he is his own Son in the Lord. Paul, on his second missionary journey, came into contact with the young man Timothy. Paul saw the great dedication and commitment in him to add him to his missionary team. Paul delegated him to go on a number of missions for him, Phi 2:19 KJV “But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timotheus shortly unto you, that I also may be of good comfort, when I know your state.”
Spiritual mentorship is a very necessary act that every Christian or growing child of God must engage in. It is one of the means to transfer knowledge and the proper nurturing of younger people in the Lord. The Lord Jesus applied the principle of mentorship to raise the disciples to a position where they could take over from him. The Lord taught them orally about the kingdom of God. He also trained them by doing certain miracles that they observed to go do likewise. He then trained them as He asked them to go out sharing the word of God. Matt 10:1

Apostle Paul instructed Timothy to also give or instruct faithful men to also teach others 2Ti 2:2 KJV” And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.” Scriptural mentorship is always God’s way of raising strong believers to increase the impact and extension of the word. A serious Christian should live an isolated life without impacting other younger Christians. Please note, a word Apostle Paul used in 2nd Timothy 2:2. 2:2.The word is faithful men. How can one find faithful men? Faithful men are always a product of the faithful lifestyle that the mentor demonstrates to the protege 2Ti 3:10 KJV But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience,.Apostle Paul had demonstrated a life of great discipline and a high level of integrity before Timothy, so he expected him to live likewise. The Lord Jesus said Sanctify myself so they may be sanctified John 17:19). It is the duty of the mentor to grow those faithful tendencies in the protege.

Apostle Paul asked for grace, mercy, and peace from God. These are indispensable virtues that every child of God needs to effectively serve the Lord. The grace of God is the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit working in the life of the Christian. Mercy is God’s kindness and goodwill He expresses towards our failures and shortcomings. Peace is the stability of the mind and heart despite what pertains around. We need to ask the Lord daily to grant them to us, as well as those younger in the faith.

THOUGHT: Make disciples of converts

FURTHER STUDIES

Mat 28:20 KJV” Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

Mar 4:11 KJV” And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:”

KEY SCRIPTURE:1Ti 1:1 KJV” Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope;”

Apostle Paul introduces himself by the mandate he has from God. He says he is an apostle of Jesus Christ. The word apostle is the Greek word ‘apostolus’, which means one delegated to fulfil a mission. It also means a messenger or one sent forth with orders. Paul did not send himself. In Acts of the Apostles 26:16,17, the Lord said the following to himAct 26:16 KJV” But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things. Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee;” In the preceding verses, the Lord appeared to Paul and instructed him to take the gospel to the gentile world. This task was keenly executed by him to the letter. Rom 15:19 KJV “Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.” Speaking about the journey from Jerusalem to Illyricum can be compared to traversing the whole of Africa, for example, from Cairo in Egypt to Cape Town in South Africa. Although not every one of us may have the same apostolic mandate as Paul had, every Christian has been commissioned to go to his world and share the good news with all that we encounter.

Secondly, he said he is an apostle through the command of God our Saviour. Please take note of the fact that God is called our Saviour. In Titus 1:3, the apostle Paul reflects on the fact that God is our saviour. Tit 1:3 KJV” But hath in due times manifested his word through preaching, which is committed unto me according to the commandment of God our Saviour;” The bible clearly establishes that our lord Jesus is our saviour. Mat 1:21 KJV” And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins”.The name of the Lord Jesus means Jehovah is saviour. This statement clearly reveals that Jesus and God the Father are one. Let’s consider a prophecy of Isaiah concerning Jesus, which states the following: Isa 9:6 KJV” For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. From this verse, we see that the Lord Jesus is called the everlasting Father. This statement reveals that the father is one with the son. The Lord Jesus is the creator of the Universe.

Apostle Paul refers to our Lord Jesus as our hope. This statement refers to the ultimate return of our Lord Jesus. This is our hope, and our activities must be done in the light of His coming 1Jn 3:3 KJV “And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.” Paul reminds Timothy that he’s got to maintain the hope of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. This consciousness would make you serve diligently and uprightly as well.

THOUGHT: JESUS IS GOD AND YOU MUST LIVE IN EXPECTATION OF HIS RETURN

FURTHER STUDIES

1Ti 3:16 KJV “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.”

Act 1:11 KJV” Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.”

KEY SCRIPTURE:1Ti 1:1 KJV” Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope;”

In our next series of studies, we will be studying various books of the bible. The import of this is to help the child of God appreciate the truths of scripture in a very simplified way, so he or she can easily apply it to his or her life, as well as being able to teach others.

Timothy was the son of Apostle Paul in the Lord. 1 Timothy 1:2 KJV” Unto Timothy, my own son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.”Timothy was the pastor of the church of Ephesians. As a young minister, he faced a lot of challenges, pressures, and conflicts from the church and its surrounding culture. To counsel and help him out of the difficulties he found himself in, Apostle Paul sent this personal letter.

History tells us this letter was written in 64 AD, probably just before his final imprisonment in Rome. We learnt from Acts chapters 25 and 26 that Paul appealed to be tried before Caesar during his trial in Jerusalem. He was sent to Rome as a prisoner. Most scholars believe that Paul was released about AD 62( possibly because the statute of limitations had expired) and that during the next few years, he was able to travel. During this time, he wrote 1 Timothy and Titus. Soon, however, Emperor Nero began his campaign against the church. It is believed that during this time, Paul was imprisoned again and eventually executed.

As his characteristic style is, he begins his letter to Timothy by stating that his apostleship is by God’s command. In verse 2, he established his relationship with Timothy. From here, he begins his fatherly advice, warning Timothy of false teachers( 1 Tim 1:3-11). He then urges him to hold on to his faith in Christ ( 1:12-20). He then moves on to talk about public worship and emphasises the importance of prayer( 2:1-7). He talked about order in the church meetings( 2:8-15).In chapter 3:1-16, he majored on the qualifications of a minister or a pastor. This led to the qualifications of other church leaders, elders, and deacons.

In chapter 4:1-16, he speaks again about false teachers, telling Timothy about how to recognise them and respond to them. In the next chapter, he gives practical advice on pastoral care to the young and old. ( 5:1,2), widows ( 5:3-16), elders ( 5:17-25), slaves ( 6:1-2). Apostle Paul concludes by exhorting Timothy to guard his motives ( 6:3-10), to stand firm in his faith ( 6:11-12), to live above reproach ( 6:13-16), and to minister faithfully (6:17-21)

In all these, we learn that every Christian must pass on the truths of scripture to a protege or a growing Christian, by systematically teaching him or her to know the general counsel of scripture as well as how to apply it to his day-to-day experience.

THOUGHT: TEACH THE YOUNG AND BE READY TO BE TAUGHT.

FURTHER STUDIES

Joh 21:15 KJV” So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.”

Mat 11:29 KJV” Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: Luke 21:36 KJV “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of MAN”.

The Lord Jesus in the above scripture instructs all children of God to pray always and not to give up, that they may be counted worthy to escape the trouble that would come on the world, and also to stand before Jesus Christ. This statement is quite amazing. Many have taught that once a person is born again, their access to heaven and the subsequent escape from the tribulation that would befall the world becomes automatic. We learn from our key scripture that we must pray without ceasing, so that we would be counted worthy to escape the troubles that would come into the world. I have realised that this prayer point is not one that most Christians do pray about. Well, the Lord Himself instructs us to pray this way and not to stop.

Why should we be praying to be counted worthy? The Bible said the following about Jesus. Heb 5:7 KJV” Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared; ” The Lord knew He would die and be resurrected on the third day. Despite what He knew, it was a fact that He had to pray ceaselessly and passionately so he would be saved from death. The point is, God is legally not permitted to do anything on this earth until men call on Him. (He gave the dominion of the earth to man, Gen 1:26-28). Satan would want to hinder every established predicted event. Prayer must ascend to heaven to stop him. In the life of the Christian, nothing happens automatically. Everything must be requested or contested through prayer. It is no wonder the Lord Jesus said, “men ought always to pray and not to faint” (Luke 18:1).

Dear child of God, please take heed to the Lord’s advice. Pray with passion about the need to be counted worthy to escape the tribulation. I can conclusively say that every Christian, in addition to living rightly, must pray passionately that he or she would be counted worthy to be raptured when the Lord appears in the clouds. Don’t be discouraged in praying to be counted worthy to escape the tribulations coming on men.

PRAYER

Thank you, heavenly Father, for your great mercies towards all mankind. I pray that you continually show mercy on me and on as many who call on you in truth. I pray we would be counted worthy to escape the trouble that would befall humanity and also to stand before our Lord Jesus. In Jesus’ name, I have prayed.

FURTHER STUDIES

Luke 18:1 KJV” And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;”

Romans 12:12 KJV Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;

KEY SCRIPTURE: Hebrews 10:23 KJV ” Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)”

The word of God is the highest authority in the universe. For all things are upheld by the word of His power (Heb 1:3). Declaring the word of God in actual fact is exercising dominion on the earth. The reason the Spirit of God calls on us to hold fast to our confession is that it is the devil’s greatest desire to stop the Christian from making confessions in faith. Satan is absolutely helpless in the face of the man who believes the word and boldly confesses it. The truth is that the man who believes the word and boldly confesses it is just like God Himself declaring His words. In confession, you act like the sound of an echo. An echo is just a resounding of the original words. It is never a new word, but the original which is resounded. Your belief receives the power, and your mouth triggers it.

Satan would do everything to keep you from maintaining that confession. Satan cannot operate in the God realm or in the realm of reality. He functions in the flesh realm. Where the Bible calls it, lying vanities. Jonah 2:8 KJV” They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy”. Just decide never to function from the natural plane, but to believe the word and to say what the word says. No matter what happens or what you see, do not be discouraged in maintaining your confession. Your confession must be bolder and stronger in the face of contrary evidence.

Remember that the Lord Jesus is the high priest of our confession. Heb 3:1 KJV “Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus”; As the high priest, he has a special duty to appeal to the Father on the basis of our confession of the word. When we fail to affirm the word, but rather say what the enemy tells us he is doing, we limit Jesus from playing His role as the high priest of our confession. He cannot appeal to the Father when our words do not resonate or go in line with what the word says. Purpose in your heart to believe the word and continually say what the word says

CONFESSION

God has spoken, and I affirm it as a truth. I am born of Him, and His Spirit in me dominates this world with His power. I do not live by what I see or by what I feel. I live totally by His word, by declaring boldly what He has said.

FURTHER STUDIES

Hebrews 13:5 KJV Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me”.

2 Corinthians 4:13 KJV We, having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak

KEY SCRIPTURE: Hebrews 10:23 KJV” Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)”

The above key scripture is a direct instruction telling us to hold fast to our confession of our faith. We should never be discouraged or give up on declaring what we believe. Please note that the word profess is the same as to confess.

It means to speak in consent or to say the same thing. It is a translation of the Greek word ‘homologia’, which comes from two Greek words, ‘homo’, which means ‘same’ and ‘logos’, which also means ‘word’. Homologia means ‘same words. To confess means to speak in line with the word of God.

Confession is a seal on our faith. Rom 10:10 KJV” For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation”. Our hearts believe the word, and that makes us justified or righteous
before the Father. When we confess what we have believed, it is like appending our signature to an agreement. Without the signature, the agreement is not executed. This is the reason the Bible says that when we make our confession to that which we have already believed, we are saved. Whenever we make a confession in line with the word of God, we fully establish whatever the word has said in that light.

Our key scripture says we must hold fast our confession, that is, we must never stop saying the things the word has said in relation to our faith. He added that God is faithful who promised. God cannot deny himself. Hebrews 6:18, put it this way: it is impossible for God to lie. This implies whatever God has promised is certain to come to pass if we do not get discouraged in signing forth what we have believed in our hearts. To sign what we have believed is to confess or speak out what we have believed, and we cannot be denied our answer.

CONFESSION

I continually hold fast my confession without wavering. My confession completes my faith and delivers into my hands what God has said.

FURTHER STUDIES

Heb 4:14 KJV “Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession”.

Hebrews 3:1 KJV ” Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;”