Place Names

Some 10 place names appear in the pastorals, four areas and six cities.
These are

1. Macedonia (1 Tim 1:3)
2. Ephesus (1 Tim 1:3, 2 Tim 1:18, 4:12)
3. Thessalonica, Galatia and Dalmatia (2 Tim 4:10)
4. Troas (2 Tim 4:13)
5. Corinth and Miletus (2 Tim 4:20)
6. Crete (Tit 1:5, 16)
7. Nicopolis (Tit 3:12)

2 Timothy 4.9, 10 Team Ministry

2 Timothy 4:9, 10 Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia. Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry.

One of the big ideas about pastoral ministry in recent years has been team ministry. The truth is that most pastors have had to work as part of a team. That is certainly how Paul worked and how he thought of himself. In the closing chapter of  2 Timothy he mentions several co-workers. In verses 9 and 10 five are mentioned, two of them being Gospel writers. Their mention highlights four ways in which fellow team workers may be a help (or a hindrance). There are deserters, disappointments turned good, those who move on and those who stay. Demas, of course, was a disappointment. Back in Colossians 4:14 and Philemon 24 all appears to be well and Paul says nothing untoward about him. But by this time, love for the world has led Demas to desert Paul and to go to Thessalonica on his own initiative. There is no reason to believe he was ever restored. What a sobering fact. In the case of Mark the story is much happier in that there was a time when for good reason Paul thought him unreliable and a disappointment but he can now write Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry. We should not be too quick to write people off. In between these two we learn about Crescens and Titus, one having gone to Galatia and the other to Dalmatia, where they were no doubt very much needed, although Paul would clearly have loved to have had them with him. The sadness and relief in the phrase Only Luke is with me is palpable. One man ministry is neither desirable nor truly possible. The team will often encourage but there will be disappointments along the way as well.

1 Timothy 3:13 Good service

1 Timothy 3:13  Those who have served well gain an excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus.

In 1 Timothy 3:8-13 Paul talks about deacons and the required qualifications. At the conclusion of these he adds (verse 13) that Those who have served well gain two things - an excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus. There are two obvious advantages in serving as a deacon then, and by extension serving the church in any capacity. First, there is the excellent standing it gives. The idea seems to be that of a firm place to stand. Secondly, there is great assurance, boldness or confidence. As we serve the Lord we grow in assurance then  - more firm, more confident. This is not the chief aim of appointing someone as a deacon or in some other capacity of service but as we do the work so assurance will increase. Assurance, of course, has many sources but getting on with doing the work in hand for God's glory is an unspectacular but important source not to be overlooked. This assurance will not come merely from having a title - deacon or minister or whatever. It will only come if a person does the work.

Proper Names

The name of Jesus appears some 31 times in the pastoral letters.
Three Old Testament characters are mentioned - Adam, Eve (1 Tim 2:13, 14) and David (2 Tim 2:8).
In all three letters we begin with the name of Paul (1 Tim 1:1, 2 Tim 1:1 and Tit 1:1)
Timothy's name appears 4 times (1 Tim 1:2, 18, 6:20, 2 Tim 1:2)
Titus's name appears twice (2 Tim 4:10, Tit 1:4)
The historical character Pontius Pilate is mentioned in 1 Tim 6:13

A number of characters (24 or 25 altogether) are mentioned just once (or sometimes twice)
1. Hymenaeus and Alexander (1 Tim 1:20, Alexander is called the metal worker in 2 Tim 4:14)
2. Lois and Eunice (2 Tim 1:5)
3. Phygelus and Hermogenes (2 Tim 1:15)
4. Onesiphorus (2 Tim 1:16, 4:19)
5. Demas and Crescens (2 Tim 4:10)
6. Luke and Mark (2 Tim 4:11)
7. Tychicus (2 Tim 4:12, Tit 3:12)
8. Carpus (2 Tim 4:13)
9. Priscilla and Aquila (2 Tim 4:19)
10. Erastus and Trophimus (2 Tim 4:20)
11. Eubulus, Pudens, Linus and Claudia (2 Tim 4:21)
12. Artemas (Tit 3:12)
13. Zenas and Apollos (Tit 3:13)

1 Timothy 3:4, 5 Family Man

1 Timothy 3:4, 5 He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?)

Prominent among the qualifications for elders in 1 Timothy 3 is the statement that an elder must manage (or rule or preside over) his own family well and see that his children obey him. An explanation is given as to why this element is felt to be so important - (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) That line of argument suggests a number of things. First of all, there is some sort of analogy between church life and family life. They are clearly separate spheres and yet there are similarities. The sorts of attributes one would look for, therefore, in a father are the sorts of attributes one would also look for in a good elder. If a man's family life is a bit of a mess, if his children disobey him, if they show him no respect, then there should be warning lights flashing when someone suggests that he be considered as elder material. This does not mean to say that a single man cannot be an elder or that a married man who is childless cannot be one either. Rather a suggestion is made as to the sort of thing to be on the look out for when looking for an elder. If a married man is struggling to manage his family, best not give him another burden to carry. In the case of an unmarried man you will need to imagine what he would be like in a family setting. Just as a father manages his household so an elder presides over the church.

1 Timothy 2:11,12 Women Preachers

1 Timothy 2:11, 12 A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet.

Traditionally evangelical Christians have taken the view that only men should be preachers. In more recent years the sight of women preachers has become more and more common. 1 Timothy 2:11, 12 is a classic verse on the subject. Paul makes two statements there, one more positive and one more negative. The first statement is that A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. Our eye today, in the west, immediately goes to the quietness and submission but for others the striking thing would be the A woman should learn. She must be a disciple. Some still deny the right of women to learn. Paul will have none of it. They are to learn. All are to be encouraged to learn the truth, men and women alike. The quietness and full submission leads into the more negative -  I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet. The assuming of authority over a man is banned (in light of creation and the fall; see verses 13, 14) alongside the teaching. The word used suggests something like self-assertion. The ban presumably is not on all teaching but teaching where men would be under the woman's authority. It is conceivable, therefore, that a woman may pray or read Scripture or give a report when men are present but preaching by a woman to a mixed congregation is clearly outlawed by this statement. All the members of a church should be learners. As many as possible should be teachers but no woman must teach a man or assume authority over him. It is important for ministers to facilitate this.