1 Timothy
Stay the Course
Be Generous with Honor and Grace
April 28, 2024 • Andrew Cullen • 1 Timothy 5:17–25
Those who lead, serve, and teach well should receive double honor. There are two levels of honor. (1) Honor in the sense that one who leads well is respected and appreciated, and (2) Honor in the sense that one who leads well is provided for financially. At the same time, leaders must be given grace. Grace is unnecessary favor poured out on the undeserving. Leaders will fail. Leaders will fall. As followers of Jesus, we should be generous with honor when they deserve it and we should be generous with grace when they don’t.
Life Together
April 21, 2024 • Andrew Cullen • 1 Timothy 5:3–16
God designed us to live life together. Nuclear families live life together. Extended families live life together. And church families live life together. We want to be more than a collective of people who live according to common traditions and conforming values, but who barely know or like each other. Each one of us is created in the image of God. Each one of us can make a difference by using our gifts from God. Each one of us can find a place to belong in this church family. We aspire to be a church family who loves one another in mutually beneficial, symbiotic relationships.
What Difference Can I Make?
April 7, 2024 • Andrew Cullen • 1 Timothy 4:11–16
As a young leader, in a season of transition and a difficult situation, Timothy found himself comparing himself to Paul. He was less experienced, less knowledgeable, and less mature. Timothy was timid. He felt insecure. And yet, his credibility was rooted in his character, not his charisma or age. Timothy was gifted by God to help people know God through Scripture, which was affirmed by those who knew him. Timothy's authority, credibility, responsibility, ability, and dependability were not to bolster his resume or pad his stats. He was to be and to do for the sake of others.
Where Do I Belong?
April 14, 2024 • Andrew Cullen • 1 Timothy 5:1–2, Mark 10:28–30
When someone followed Jesus, they risked their family disowning them. Following Jesus does not exempt us from disappointments, pain, and problems. Following Jesus does not protect us from persecution. But following Jesus should never leave us alone. Followers of Jesus are family members. Family is meant to be a place of belonging, trust, and safety. There’s no place like home because there’s no people like family. Paul wants Timothy to help this church become the kind of family that says to people whose families have disowned them, “You belong with us.”
Train to be Godly
March 24, 2024 • Andrew Cullen • 1 Timothy 4:1–10
Paul’s first letter to Timothy was written while Timothy was a young man. He was living in a godless place, the city of Ephesus. One of the seven wonders of the world was built in Ephesus to honor the goddess Artemis/Diana, who was known as a mighty hunter and a fierce warrior. Music and art celebrated violence. Paganism was superstitious and plagued by myths and meaningless debates. Virtues like forgiveness, grace, and kindness were taken as signs of weakness. Christians were even facing increased persecution, which the apostle Paul knew from personal experience. Timothy’s responsibility was to train himself to be godly in a godless place. Godliness matters because God’s mission matters. The challenge is to train ourselves to be like Jesus, to be godly. The encouragement is that godlessness is an opportunity for the gospel to take root and grow.
As Each Part Does its Work
March 10, 2024 • Andrew Cullen • Ephesians 4:11–16, 1 Timothy 3
The church in Ephesus did not need Timothy. They had spiritually mature elders (Acts 20). They were living life together. They were following the teachings of Jesus. Timothy’s purpose was to help the church become healthy so that it was no longer necessary for him to be there. In the same way, pastors equip disciples of Jesus to make disciples of Jesus. Pastors do ministry, but in the same way that every disciple of Jesus is a servant (diakonos). We are all ministers (diakonoi) of Jesus in that sense. But pastors possess unique qualifications to perform a unique function. Paul defines that function as equipping the church for ministry.
Serve Well
March 3, 2024 • Andrew Cullen • 1 Timothy 3:8–13
The early church began to feel the effects of the apostles being stretched too thin. They had too much to do and not enough time. They had too many people to lead and not enough leaders. The apostles could not be involved in every decision, respond to every problem, and serve in every ministry. And so, the apostles delegated responsibility to qualified individuals so that they could prioritize what only they could do. In the same way, elders of a church can delegate responsibility to qualified individuals so they can prioritize what only they can do. These individuals as called deacons. Deacons lighten the load of the elders. Because deacons report to the elders, work alongside the elders, and are delegated responsibilities by the elders, deacons must demonstrate similar qualities as elders.
Counter-Cultural Worship
February 18, 2024 • Andrew Cullen • 1 Timothy 2:8–15
Timothy was responsible for bringing order to their Sunday morning gatherings, which had become somewhat chaotic, unhealthy, and self-centered. Worship had become a barrier to growth rather than a means of growth. Paul's use of “everywhere” flows from his emphasis on all people in vv.1-7. If the gospel is for all people, then what all churches “everywhere” do on Sunday when they gather should not become a barrier for people to see and know Jesus. There may be specific applications for Timothy and for Christians in Ephesus, but there are general principles for all people in every church.
Lead Well
February 25, 2024 • Andrew Cullen • 1 Timothy 3:1–7
A church cannot be healthy without healthy leaders. This is why God designed each church to be led by a team of spiritually qualified men. The qualities that Paul lists are not a litmus test for who can lead. Nor do they make an exhaustive list. They are examples of the kind of person who ought to be in a position of authority and responsibility. He does not draw lines of “do this” or “don’t do this.” He draws circles of principles that say “be the kind of person who...” is healthy.
For All People
February 11, 2024 • Andrew Cullen • 1 Timothy 2:1–7
When Paul believed that Jesus was the Messiah, his life changed. He was a blasphemer, but now he is a herald. He was a persecutor, but now he is an apostle. He was a violent man, but now he is a faithful teacher. And so, after looking back at his own testimony, Paul told Timothy to pray all kinds of prayers for all kinds of people… because God wants all people to be in relationship with Him… and God wants all people to grow in holiness like Him… which is made possible by Jesus serving as the mediator of and ransom for a new covenant for all people.
Fight the Battle Well
February 4, 2024 • Andrew Cullen • 1 Timothy 1:18–20
Paul tells Timothy not just to fight the battle. He tells him to fight the battle well. There is a right and wrong reason to fight and there is a right and wrong way to fight. Timothy must lead, teach, and correct as a transformed person. As Paul said earlier in 1:5, followers of Jesus, and especially leaders and teachers, ought to have a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith that overflows into love for all people, even those who have suffered a shipwreck of the faith.
All of Jesus
January 28, 2024 • Andrew Cullen • 1 Timothy 1:12–17
Paul was a sincere, zealous, God-fearing Jew. Paul believed he was doing God’s work. He thought that by persecuting, even murdering, Christians, he was protecting God’s people from heresy. Paul knew the attributes of God. But what Paul did not believe was that Jesus shared these attributes because Jesus was the Son of God, the second person of the Trinity. Understanding who Jesus was changed everything. It was Jesus who came to save sinners. It was Jesus who poured out so much grace that Paul could not contain it. It was Jesus who was patient with Paul. It was Jesus who showed mercy again and again to Paul. It was Jesus who trusted Paul. It was Jesus who appointed Paul to his service. It was Jesus who gave Paul strength. It was Jesus who offers eternal life through faith. Paul’s testimony points us to the one and only God who waits completely patient, pours out unnecessarily abundant grace, and shows mercy each time we fall.
The Purpose of the Law
January 21, 2024 • Andrew Cullen • 1 Timothy 1:8–11
The law that God gave to the Israelites was “good.” However, the benefit of the law is contingent on its proper application. There were teachers in Ephesus who were not applying the law properly. In the same way, we can try so hard to not be legalistic or dogmatic or narrow-minded that we become lax in our theology and lean toward an “anything goes” theology. Neither extreme is good. The purpose of the law is to help guide us and guard us as we grow. The law does not propel us, like the wind propels a sailboat. The law does not steer us, like teaching turns the rudder. The law acts as a compass that guides us in the right direction.
The Goal of Sound Teaching
January 14, 2024 • Andrew Cullen • 1 Timothy 1:3–7
The word used for “sound teaching” means healthy or wholesome. It's the Greek word from which we get the word “hygiene”. Sound doctrine is not just about truth. Sound doctrine grows healthy followers of Jesus. Sound doctrine benefits those who listen. Sound doctrine transforms people. Truth leads to transformation. As Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them by your truth. Your word is truth.” (John 17:17) Sound teaching is motivated by love, advances God’s work, and leads to transformation (head, heart, and hands).