A Beloved Son - Tuesday with 2 Timothy #2

2 Timothy 1:2 To Timothy, my dearly beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

Timothy was like a son to Paul. They traveled together, preached together, and suffered together. Timothy was his child in the faith. If we remember Paul’s love for Timothy in these two epistles, we see how, I believe, God wants seasoned pastors to help, mentor, and disciple younger preachers and younger pastors. Paul loved Timothy and wanted Timothy to be a good pastor and a faithful servant of Jesus. There was no jealousy on Paul's part. Jealousy in the minister is ugly, but it’s been there from the start (Luke 9:46). Most men, by nature, are competitive and competition is not a bad thing. But if a competitive nature causes you to be jealous of others, and regard their growth and the Lord's blessing on their ministry as a point of contention, then that’s shameful. If a young man, full of zeal for Christ is outstripping his fellows in work and service for Christ, the answer is not to tear him down until there is nothing left but a shell, too broken to do anything. Use his zeal to light a fire under you, and get moving. And, as Paul aged, there were things he couldn’t do anymore. Providence restricted Paul’s movements, chained to a Roman soldier will keep you from moving around. But Paul encouraged young Timothy, to go and do what he couldn't anymore and he certainly didn’t tear him down.

Paul and Timothy labored together serving the same Lord. The normal and Biblical way that young men should be prepared for ministry is through the church. A faithful pastor mentors and guides those men under their care in the Word of God and prepares them for their work. Let's be honest, a man, if he is diligent, can read and study and learn truths from trusted theologians and not have to spend $150,000 on seminary. It's shameful how men peddle the Word of God for filthy lucre. You cannot get the pastoral insight and training from a seminary processor that you would get from being in the local church and preaching the Word, guided by the pastor that actually knows you. I think fondly of certain men in my ministry and in my life who loved me enough to be truthful to me and help me along. They told me hard truths about myself and about my preaching because they loved me and wanted to help me. There may have been some things that Timothy didn’t want to hear, but coming from someone he knew cared for him and wanted the best for him made all the difference.

And may I add this, to any  preacher who is new to the ministry of the Word who reads this and thinks, “That’s not my experience! I haven’t had any elder pastors help me!” My question is, have you asked? Have you listened? Have you gone to men who started preaching well before you were born and asked for advice, counsel, books to read, doctrine to study? A man only has so much to give, and if he has a family, a church, his own friends, you won’t find him trying to pour his life into every single preacher that he hears is called to preach, especially if that man thinks they already know everything. But if you are humble enough to seek counsel from other men, then you’ll find men willing and eager to mentor you.