7 Paul's Charge Concerning The Minister

Paul’s Charge Concerning The Minister Letters to Timothy #7 –1 Timothy 6:1-21: Paul’s Charge
Concerning the Minister

• Having the right motive (1 Timothy 6:3-10)

  • Avoid conceit (1 Timothy 6:4 a)

    • Self-promotion is a common source of new and strange doctrines

    • Have you alone in all history found a new Bible truth everyone else missed?

    • Knowledge & education are tools to build up, not weapons to beat down (Jeremiah 9:23-24)

  • Don’t be addicted to controversy (1 Timothy 6:4-5)

    • Vigorous debate is healthy (Proverbs 27:17)

    • “Forewarned is forearmed”—there is a time to publicize and warn against false doctrine

    • Beware the fruits of such controversies: slander and suspicion (cf.Acts 21:21)

    • Do not take pleasure in an “us vs. them” mentality; weep for the lost (Php 3:18)

  • Be content with “enough” (1 Timothy 6:6-8)

    • Recognize that your true compensations are spiritual in nature

    • Remember the temporary nature of material wealth (Luke 12:16)

    • Be grateful for the necessities (Php 4:19)

  • Avoid avarice (1 Timothy 6:9-10)

    • Money itself is neutral; the love of it (and the material things it buys) is the problem

    • We are not here to see how much we can get, but how much we can give

    • Don’t serve just to see what you can get out of it in this life (Titus 1:11)

    • A “hireling” makes a poor shepherd—doing it for the wrong reasons (John 10:12-13)

• Living as a man of God (1 Timothy 6:11-16)

  • Pursue fruits of the Spirit instead (1 Timothy 6:11)

    • Righteousness (Romans 12:21)

    • Godliness (a worshipful way of life)

    • Faith (1 Peter 1:3)

    • Love (Romans 13:9-10)

    • Steadfastness

    • Gentleness (controlled strength)

  • Keep yourself ready for Christ’s return (1 Timothy 6:12-16)

    • Fight a good fight, all the way to the end

    • Keep yourself pure, knowing He may return at any time (John 14:3)

    • We must be prepared for the “long haul”

• Being a faithful minister (1 Timothy 6:17-21)

  • Practice and teach the proper attitude toward material goods (1 Timothy 6:17)

    • Remember the uncertainty of riches

    • Remember the absolute certainty of God

    • Enjoy what God gives you and be content

  • Follow and teach a fool-proof investment strategy (1 Timothy 6:18-19)

    • Be rich in good works, not just things

    • Share any wealth you have to God’s glory and the benefit of others (Acts 16:14-15)

    • Remember that your real treasure and real life is waiting for you in heaven (2 Corinthians 5:1)

    • Invest in good works—a stock that only goes up, with a guarantee you can trust! (Matthew 6:19-21)

  • Guard what you have been entrusted with (1 Timothy 6:20-21)

    • Literally, a deposit given by another and held on behalf of another (2 Timothy 1:12,b)

    • Avoid the “false knowledge” of this world

    • Remember that it is possible to fall away from your ministry (2 Timothy 2:16-18)

    • Stay on the alert and take the fight seriously