The 21st Century Man of God, from 1 Tim. 4:12-16

I am a man with a calling. I am called to preach the glorious gospel of Christ. I am among those who have been called to share the gospel and plant churches in other nations. I am called to be pastor of a great church. I am proud to be in the number of those whom God has called. More than that, I am humbled to be chosen by God for the tasks He has blessed me with through the years. And it's been a lot of years--almost 41. 

I think the fact I still have a passion to be involved in the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ gives me a small amount of authority to speak about the 21st Century man of God. I want to share some timeless truths from Paul's first letter to Timothy. As I contemplated this late last night, l considered beginning with chapter one. Night turned to day; the ideas became more focused. Please consider the following as God's counsel for the 21st Century pastor. If you are not among that number, consider praying that these self-evident truths will be a reality for your pastors. 

V12 – 14 reveal the man of God and the lifestyle he practices. Today, we have time to look at verse 12.

Paul begins with the people’s perspective about who Timothy was: let no one despise your youth. We do not know how old Timothy was when Paul said this. Most believe Timothy was somewhere between 35 and 40. One man said that Timothy may have been young in years, but he was not young in the Lord. He had a rich heritage.

I have read things by Charles Spurgeon that he preached when he was just barely 21 and I had to remind myself that his deep thoughts originated from such a young man. Timothy was a man with that kind of spiritual heritage, taught since his childhood about the things of God.

When the Bible introduced Joseph to us, he was a young man—a teenager. He was the second in command in Egypt by age 30.

When we meet David, he is also just a young man. He is mentioned for his wisdom and courage, even at such a young age.

But Rehoboam, a young man, was one who caused all to despise his youth. He rejected wisdom from the elders of the land and followed the foolishness of his peers.

The wise young pastor must be careful to be a Joseph and a David, not a Rehoboam.

Be an example – the Greek word is tupos; we get type from this. A clearer word for us would probably be pattern. This is the frightening thought: new believers, especially, are going to pattern themselves after the images of Christlikeness that they see in us. I was never more aware of this than when on the mission field. As we led men and women to Christ, we knew they would need a mentor. They would need a role model to follow. It’s cliché to say it, but you are the only Bible some people will ever read. You are the best example of Christlikeness some will ever know. This is especially true for the pastor.

I am disturbed by the low expectations some pastors place upon themselves. I am equally disturbed by the unreasonable expectations some churches place upon pastors and their families. That reality notwithstanding, it is the pastor of whom we speak now. He must be the example that God called him to be.

Paul lists 6 areas in which the pastor must be an example of Christlikeness:

·       In word – John Phillips wrote that Timothy’s everyday speech was to be of such character consistency, and content that it would make people think of Jesus. This usually applies to the spoken word. The invention of social media has given rise to a new way to speak with others. Does your social media speech make people want to follow Jesus, or is it divisive, distracting, and disheartening? I was rebuked on social media for admonishing a group of believers who were condemning a pastor of a well-known church. It was clear, though, that their “words” were bringing division, not healing, to the situation.

·       In conduct – if you have KJV, it reads conversation here. The better translation is conduct, though 100 years ago conversation referred to conduct. John MacArthur wrote, “An excellent minister is required to be a model of righteous living who manifests his biblical convictions in every area of his life." One reason for this is that people will follow what they see more than what they hear. Another reason is that a preacher has more authority in his message if people see that he practices what he preaches.

·       In love – as MacArthur puts it, this is self-sacrificing service on behalf of others, without respect as to who they are. A man and his wife turned against their pastor at one church several years ago. He even spoke against him in business meeting. The pastor went to see him later that week. The man said he couldn’t believe he was there. The pastor told him that it was evident something bothered him, and he wanted to understand what he had done to offend him. He admitted that he was put up to speaking out like that. As the pastor left, the man thanked him and told him it meant a lot to him for the pastor to take the time to listen to him.

·       In spirit – this word is missing in some translations. Since the majority of Greek texts use it, we will, too. Spirit is used for one’s attitude. The pastor must approach the ministry with a right attitude about his ministry. I have been surprised by some who groan to me about having to study to preach. I have been amazed at those who have said that think a lot about resigning or leaving the ministry altogether. There is also the attitude of humility. Peter told the elders in 1 Peter 5 to be clothed with humility. We don’t deserve to handle the Word of God; we are privileged to preach. Spirit refers to passion, according to Warren Wiersbe. We need to be passionate about what God has called us to do.

·       In faith – we are speaking of faithfulness, of unswerving commitment. When it comes to ministry, the pastor must be consistently trustworthy. Pam and I attended a wedding once up in Memphis. The associate pastor assigned to do the wedding forgot. There was another preacher there who was available to do the ceremony. The associate pastor ambled in sometime during the reception. The pastor must be dependable.

·       In purity – A.T. Robertson described this as the sinlessness of life. MacArthur points directly to sexual purity. Oliver Greene described it as biblical holiness. It goes without saying that we are not asserting sinless perfection. We are speaking of being disentangled from the ways of this world, of this culture. We don't have to smell like and wear the garments stained by sin in order to be among them and reach men and women. Paul already wrote about being an example in word. Here's where purity overlaps that truth: watch your language! Let the world see that there is something different about your speech.

The 21st Century Man of God must be an example. Pray you will be one. Pray your pastors will be that example.