2 Timothy 1:13 Pattern following

2 Timothy 1:13 What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus.

Here again there is an emphasis on orthodoxy. (See for example 1 Timothy 6:3). What Timothy has heard from Paul he must keep as the pattern of sound teaching. No sooner is orthodoxy established than the danger of dead orthodoxy also raises its head but Paul is clear - the keeping of the pattern of sound teaching, by Timothy must be done always with faith and love in Christ Jesus. All of us, especially ministers, need then to keep the pattern of sound teaching and to do so with faith and love in Christ Jesus. The former means construction some sort of systematic theology from God's Word and then constantly exposing it to Scripture. The latter also demands exposure to the Word but with an eagerness to live out what we find in God's Word so that our faith in God and our love to him are constantly growing. Gill suggests that this verse alludes to artists, who first make outlines. Having made a rough draught they then lay on their colours. The original lines are the rule and pattern for the whole work. What Paul has in mind is what has often been called the rule of faith.

2 Timothy 1:8 Not Ashamed

2 Timothy 1:8 So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God.

Paul makes several references to suffering in the pastoral letters and here he comes back to the subject once again. He himself is in prison but he does not want Timothy to be ashamed of him (as Onesiphorus was not) or of the testimony about our Lord that has led to him suffering in this way. Perhaps he has the saying in Mark 8:38 in mind (If anyone is ashamed of me ... see also 2 Timothy 2:12). Rather, he says he wants Timothy to join with me in suffering for the gospel .... (see 2 Timothy 2:3 for the only other instance of this wording in the New Testament). Paul is very demanding then, as is the gospel itself. However, it is by the power of God that Paul is doing what he does and that is how he expects Timothy to proceed to. Most ministers do not end up in prison even for the testimony about our Lord but there must be a willingness to join in the suffering for the gospel that so many have known down the ages. This is possible for us by the power of God. 

Titus 1:6, 7 Elders Negatives

Titus 1:6, 7 An elder must be blameless, faithful to his wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient.  Since an overseer manages God’s household, he must be blameless – not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain.

Here are the requirements for elders or overseers. The heading says that An elder must be blameless. This is repeated in verse 7. It means that with regard to family life he must be  faithful to his wife and a man whose children believe (better are trustworthy) and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient.  Verse 7 gives five negatives and verse 8 six positives which we can look at again. The negatives are not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. People who are overbearing or who lose their tempers easily or get drunk or are violent or just looking to make money can never be effective elders. Rather, a receptive attitude, calmness, soberness, gentleness and a lack of interest in money are the sorts of qualities that will go a long way to enabling a man to be a blessing.

1 Timothy 1:12 Give thanks

1 Timothy 1:12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service.

Here in 1 Timothy, the Apostle Paul gives thanks to Christ Jesus our Lord. He is thankful that there on the Damascus road so many years before Christ had called him to serve as an apostle. He is thankful both for the strength Christ has given him to do the work and for the implied trust in being placed in such a position. This is especially so in light of the fact that he (13) was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man. No doubt Paul could remember how very weak he felt when he was carried into Damascus blind and struck down. God had give him the strength, however, to recover and to be baptised and to begin preaching Christ and to be the energetic apostle to the Gentiles that he became. How greatly honoured he was to have been given such privileges. Any man who is given the strength to preach God's Word and who is entrusted with the gospel is under an obligation to always be thankful for such great privileges. It is surely not going too far to say that every man called to the ministry and exercising it should take time at least once every day to thank God for the task to which he has been called and for the strength to do it.