Good Ministers

If you instruct the brethren in these things you will be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine which you have carefully followed. But reject profane and old wives' fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness. For bodily exercise profits little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance. For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe. These things command and teach. (1 Timothy 4:6-11)

God has called, equipped, and commissioned every believer to be His servant—so how do we become good ministers of Christ?

The Dread of Job and the Fear of Paul

If you have ever journeyed through the whole of the Bible, you've come across that great Old Testament Hebrew poetic epic, the book of Job. It is a challenging book because it deals with realities every person faces: suffering, hardship, trial, and difficulty.

The opening chapters are striking. Job, one of the wealthiest men of his time four thousand years ago, receives wave after wave of devastating news in a single day. Raiders from the Sabeans steal a thousand oxen and five hundred female donkeys. Fire from heaven consumes seven thousand sheep. Chaldean thieves carry off three thousand camels and kill his servants. Then a final messenger reports that a great wind collapsed his oldest son's house and killed all ten of his children.

That was day one. On day two his health is taken. Chapter 2 ends with the once-wealthy Job seated in the dust, scraping the pus from his boils with broken pottery, while his wife tells him to "curse God and die." In chapter 3 he laments the day he was born, and ends with these words: "The thing I greatly feared has come upon me, and what I dreaded has happened to me."

I think similar words went through the Apostle Paul's mind when he saw the condition of the church he had planted in Ephesus.

The Wolves Paul Foresaw

Paul invested two to three years planting the church in Ephesus, facing constant adversity. He wrote to the Corinthians from there, "A great and effective door has been opened to me, but there are many adversaries." He nearly lost his life several times for preaching the gospel.

In his final meeting with the Ephesian elders, recorded in Acts 20, he expressed his concern:

I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God. Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. (Acts 20:27-30)

He had seen this already in Galatia and in Corinth. He left for about six years, and when he returned, the very thing he had feared had happened. The church was off course. So he left his associate Timothy there to set in order the things that were out of order.

As I urged you when I went into Macedonia—remain in Ephesus that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine, nor give heed to fables nor endless genealogies, which cause disputes rather than godly edification which is in faith. (1 Timothy 1:3-4)

A Desire to Be a Good Minister

Now Paul continues that instruction with an encouragement: "If you instruct the brethren in these things you will be a good minister of Jesus Christ."

I went back this last week and looked at my notes. The first time I taught this passage was October 24, 1999—eighteen years, three months, and eleven days ago, and roughly 954 Sundays back. For the last 954 Sundays this is basically what I've done: give forth the Word of God to the people of God for the building up of the body of Christ, here and in the Philippines, Africa, Germany, and across Europe. I've dedicated my life to it, and until Jesus calls me home, that's what I plan to do. My hope is to hear Him say, "Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into that which is prepared for you." Back in 1999 I wrote in my notes the very same desire: I want to be a good minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Sadly, Scripture and church history show us bad ministers too—those who came into Ephesus and every church since, causing division, calling people to follow them instead of Christ, giving heed to fables and teaching what Paul labels doctrines of demons. They were wolves in sheep's clothing. Paul calls Timothy to fight the good fight, to do the work of an evangelist, to preach the word in season and out of season, because a time will come when people reject sound doctrine and heap up teachers who tickle their ears.

Every Christian Is Called to Serve

You may never stand before even a small group and teach a Bible study—for some of you that's your worst fear. But you should still desire to be a good minister of Jesus. The word "minister" can also be translated servant; it is the Greek word diakonos, from which we get "deacon." Every follower of Jesus should long to hear Him say, "Well done, good and faithful servant."

Why should this be your desire? I can think of at least three reasons.

First, God called you, saved you, and commissioned you to this task. The commissions of Jesus are not for a select few but for all disciples: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations... teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:19-20); "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15); preach repentance to all people "beginning at Jerusalem" (Luke 24:46-47); "As the Father has sent Me, I also send you" (John 20:21).

Second, God has gifted you to do so. As Peter says, "As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God" (1 Peter 4:10). We show our gratitude by being good stewards of those gifts.

Third, He will reward good ministers. Some teach it's wrong to serve for a reward, but Jesus taught the exact opposite. "Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of the Lord" (Matthew 25:21). He appeals to our desire for reward and says we should desire to be good servants because He rewards good servants.

So point number one: all Christians have been saved, called, commissioned, and gifted for service—not just those with titles or positions.

Nurtured by a Good Diet of God's Word

If we should desire to be good servants, how do we become them? Paul gives several indications. Good ministers are "nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine."

Point number two: good ministers are nurtured by a good diet of God's Word. You will never grow to be a strong servant of Christ without a well-balanced diet of Scripture—and I mean more than 40 minutes on a Sunday. That's good, but not sufficient. If you ate one good meal a week, you'd be malnourished and rather cranky. We need to be fed by the Scriptures daily.

This is why Paul keeps hammering it home: "Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine" (v. 13); "Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them" (v. 15); "Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them" (v. 16). And in 2 Timothy: "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work."

Why is this so vital? Listen to David in Psalm 19:

The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; the statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes... More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them Your servant is warned, and in keeping them there is great reward. (Psalm 19:7-11)

God's Word converts the soul, makes the simple wise, rejoices the heart, and enlightens the eyes. There are heavy things going on among us this week—my brother-in-law was diagnosed with throat cancer; Tad Ambrose, who has served faithfully in children's ministry, was badly injured at work and remains in a coma at Palomar Hospital. When his wife called me, I told her: you have to keep the Word of God right before your eyes, because it rejoices the heart and enlightens the eyes.

When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness after fasting forty days, the devil said, "Command these stones to become bread." Jesus answered from Deuteronomy 8:3: "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." God's Word is food for our souls, and the good servant is one thoroughly nourished by it.

I'm grateful that many of you are committed to taking it in daily. One tool we make available is the Listening Plan, where each morning a passage is sent to you by podcast or email—"faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." I can actually see who opens those emails and clicks on them, so I know many of you are consuming the Word every single day. Don't worry, I'm not keeping an eye on it—but I could; it's like the NSA. And whether I know or not, God knows. Without His Word transforming our minds, we cannot face the trials of the day with a right mindset.

Carefully Following Good Doctrine

Point number three: good ministers carefully follow good doctrine. We read, study, memorize, and meditate so that we may apply it and live it out. The temptation of Jesus reveals that Satan knows God's Word very well; demons know the Bible. You can know what the Bible says intellectually and never actually do it.

So how do we apply it? By believing and doing what Scripture teaches and commands. The Bible tells us that "if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new" (2 Corinthians 5:17). God gives us a new heart (Ezekiel 36:26), and Colossians tells us we are now to walk in Him. What does that look like? Ephesians 4 gets wonderfully practical:

That you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts... and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephesians 4:22-24)

That sounds spiritual, but watch how concrete it becomes. "Therefore, putting away lying, each one speak truth with his neighbor" (v. 25)—if you lie, stop lying and tell the truth. "Be angry, and do not sin" (v. 26)—Christ was angry yet never sinned, so consider this week what it looks like to be angry without sinning. "Do not let the sun go down on your wrath"—if you snap irritably at your spouse this week, and you will, make it right before the sun goes down.

"Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need" (v. 28)—stop stealing, get a job, and give to those in need. "Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth"—if you have a foul mouth, stop it by the Spirit of God, "but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers" (v. 29). "Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you" (vv. 31-32).

That is what it means to carefully follow good doctrine—and by God's grace, the Spirit who dwells in you gives you the power to do these things this week.

Don't Get Distracted by Dumb Doctrines

Paul continues: "But reject profane and old wives' fables." Commentators debate exactly what these are. Presumably the doctrines of demons, the teachings against marriage, and the demands to abstain from certain foods mentioned earlier in chapter 4. We don't know precisely, but I would be so bold as to say: any wisdom, teaching, or ideology that does not line up with or cannot be substantiated by Scripture is better rejected than received.

On more than a few occasions, well-meaning brothers and sisters have asked me, "Pastor Miles, what do you think about keeping kosher?" or "observing the Sabbath?" or "blood moons?" My answer gets a strange look: "I don't." They think I mean I don't know. No—I mean I don't think about those things, because I see no clear biblical call to do so. The New American Commentary says, "Some false teaching is best ignored rather than discussed."

Point number four: good ministers don't get distracted by dumb doctrines. A lot of Christians and churches get sidelined from the mission God gave them by debating things that might be fun to discuss but are ultimately distractions. People have come to argue a secondary theological issue with me while living in an adulterous affair, and I'll say plainly: your life is a mess, so let's work on the reality that you're in sin. Once you're walking in righteousness, we can discuss this. If you want to hear Jesus say, "Well done," don't be distracted by what is clearly a distraction. It's okay to flatly reject things that don't line up with the Bible.

Exerting Effort Toward Godliness

Paul concludes: "Exercise yourself toward godliness. For bodily exercise profits little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come."

You don't fall into physical health—you won't wake up tomorrow with twelve pounds of new muscle, no matter what the Facebook ads promise. In the same way, there is no stumbling into godliness. It requires effort, exercise, regularity, and routine.

Paul isn't saying bodily exercise has no value—it has a temporary, earthly reward. But godliness has both an earthly and a heavenly reward. This body will not go into eternity; thank God it won't be like this in heaven. Americans spend on average fifty billion dollars a year on fitness—nearly a billion dollars a week. If we spent a tenth of that energy on godliness, how radically different would the church be?

What are godly exercises? Bible reading, memorization, meditation, prayer, fasting, giving, charity, and service. And then working out grace, mercy, forgiveness, love, self-control, kindness, humility, and honesty. By God's grace, exert effort in these things.

Point number five: good ministers exert effort to be more like God. One of my favorite passages says, "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:12-13). God works and we work in concert. He saved you and put a new heart in you, and we work it out with real effort—because that effort is more profitable than physical exercise.

So Paul says, "This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance." It is my hope, and should be yours, to one day hear Jesus say, "Well done, good and faithful servant; enter into the reward prepared for you." Good ministers are nurtured by a good diet of God's Word, carefully follow and apply good doctrine, don't get distracted by dumb doctrines, and exert effort to become more like God. By His grace, may He enable us to be good ministers this week.

Closing Prayer

Father, we need Your grace to run this race we are in. We thank You that You have not left us orphans, unable to do the things You've called us to. It is not by our own strength or power, but by Your Spirit. You promised the indwelling Spirit to empower us to walk in a way that brings glory to You.

Holy Spirit, enable us today and this week to be humble, kind, self-controlled, gentle, forgiving, gracious, loving, and merciful. Give us strength to look to Your Word every single day and to pattern our lives after what we are commanded to do in the Scriptures. Give us Your grace and Your Spirit. May Your work in us be evident to ourselves, to our families, and to those we go to school and work with, that our light would so shine that people would see our good works and glorify You. Do a work in us, we pray. In Jesus' name, and all those who agreed said, "Amen."