Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all. Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee. 1 Timothy 4:15-16

The Apostle Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit instructed Timothy to “meditate upon these things” Do you meditate upon the Word of God daily? Alot of Christians when they hear the word meditate, they think of new agism, but the word meditate simply means “revolve in the mind” Do you ponder and chew on the Word of God daily? 

The BIble says “The Book of The Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate upon it day and night , so that you may be careful to do what is written in it” (Joshua 1:8) Last night I was reading on the reformation movement, the whole core of the issue is the Church abandoned the authority of scripture , man-made doctrines and practices crept in and overtook the Church. The reformers went back to the Word of God, Christ alone, Faith alone, Scripture alone. 

Paul is teaching Timothy to meditate upon the Word of God in everything that he does. The Bible should be the foundation of your Church’s doctrine and practices. But also he instructs him to “give yourself entirely to them” If your going to talk the talk you also needs to walk the walk. This can be applied to all Christians, faith without works is dead (James 2:26)

We must submit to the authority of Christ, as Jesus said ““If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24) If anyone desires to be a disciple of Christ, a Christian, you must deny yourself and submit to The Lord Jesus Christ. You must submit to the authority of the Word of God, you must submit to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. 

Why? As Paul says here “That your progress may be evident for all” As the Shepherd of the Church, you must set the example for the flock. Its one thing to preach the Word in and out of season, but you must also live the Word in and out of season. You must be the Shepherd for the sheep, if you dont your just another wolf leading them to the slaughter. This is a higher calling that shouldn’t be taken lightly, again meditate upon the Word of God

A warning then is given “Take heed to yourself and your doctrine” Watch yourself and your teachings, are you being obedient to God or are you off on the broad road to destruction? (Matthew 7:13) This is why you need to meditate upon the Word of God daily and examine yourself. “In doing this will save you and those who hear you” Don’t be a stumbling block for others coming to Christ, be obedient to Christ and His calling upon your life, meditate upon the Word of God daily, Amen!

Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. 1 Timothy 4:12-14

In most cultures, even in our Western culture today, most people view your wisdom and capabilities based on your age. This was especially how it was in the Greek and Jewish cultures, younger people were typically in subjection to their “elders”. So the Apostle Paul was preparing Timothy, as a young man, to be prepared to take on this leadership role even though many would despise him because of his young age. While life experience can bring much wisdom, the Holy Spirit brings alot more wisdom. 

We need to remember this within the Church today, we often dismiss the younger people or children, as if they have nothing to offer to the body of Christ. However if they are filled with the Holy Spirit, they have godly wisdom beyond their age, and gifts given from above. Don’t be so quick to dismiss the younger people in the Church. As Jesus said ““Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 19:14)

So how was Timothy going to lead or win these people over? The Apostle Paul instructed him “ be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity” Be a living example for Christ, be a walking testimony, understand that all eyes are on you! Many people might not read their Bibles, but they are watching you, how you live, how you conduct yourself, what you say, walk in the spirit. 

What is one of the main jobs of the Shepherd of the Church? Create entertainment events to bring in large crowds? No, the Apostle Paul instructs Timothy what his main job is “

give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine” Preaching and teaching the Word of God is to be your main focus as the Shepherd of the Church. Todays Church has all these worldly programs for “Church growth” ect, ect But how many Christians in that Church are fed the Word of God? How many of them know how to evangelize to the local community or answer objections to the faith from opposing groups?

You need to feed people , Jesus said “Man can’t live on bread alone but every word that proceeds from God” (Matthew 4:4) The reason most Churches are dead is because they have been starved from the Word of God. You can’t build a Church on carnal things and expect a spiritual Church. The foundation of the Church must be Christ and his word revealed by the Holy Spirit in obedience to our Heavenly Father

Now being a Shepherd of the Church is not an easy calling, however as the Apostle Paul told Timothy “Do not neglect the gift that is in you,which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership.” Your calling is from God and not yourself. If your Pastor appointed themself, this is a red flag, the Holy Spirit calls who He wants as the Shepherd of the Church and the elders of the Church approve by laying their hands on the Pastor. The Apostle Paul lists all the qualifications earlier in this letter, but don’t neglect this calling because you have been given a gift from the Holy Spirit, that has equipped you for service, Amen!