“Until I come, give your attention to public reading, exhortation, and teaching. Don’t neglect the gift that is in you; it was given to you through prophecy, with the laying on of hands by the council of elders.”
Paul continues with his instructions for Timothy. He again lets Timothy know of his intention of returning to Ephesus with the phrase, “Until I come,” but we know that Paul never makes it back. He wants to leave Timothy, his successor, with the best instructions he can.
He tells him to give his attention to three things: public reading, exhortation, and teaching. We will start with the public reading. The public reading of Scripture was a regular part of the early church. We can see this in Acts 13:14-15, where Paul is on one of his journeys. “They continued their journey from Perga and reached Pisidian Antioch. On the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down. After the reading of the Law and the Prophets, the leaders of the synagogue sent word to them, saying, ‘Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, you can speak.’”
Of course, the Old Testament Scriptures would have been read at the meetings, but what about what we think of as the New Testament? It hadn’t been compiled yet into one book like we have today, and as Andreas J Köstenberger writes in his commentary, “Though some had access to written materials in the first century (cf. 2 Tim 4:13), book production was costly and literacy limited. Thus the public reading and exposition of Scripture were particularly important.” Paul’s letters were widely circulated and read by the churches. Paul writes in Colossians 4:16, “After this letter has been read at your gathering, have it read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea.” And Peter considers the writings of Paul to be Scripture in 2 Peter. “Also, regard the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our dear brother Paul has written to you according to the wisdom given to him. He speaks about these things in all his letters. There are some things hard to understand in them. The untaught and unstable will twist them to their own destruction, as they also do with the rest of the Scriptures” (3:15-16). Notice how Peter considers Paul’s letters to be Scripture.
Today we all have the Bible at our fingertips. Most of us have several physical copies as well as Bible apps on our phones. We have no excuse for not knowing what the Bible says. The Bible should be read out loud at our church services on Sunday morning. The Word of God should be proclaimed from the pulpit every Sunday morning.
Next, Paul tells Timothy to give his attention to exhortation. The Greek word used here is paraklesis, which means “a calling of someone alongside to help.” It is a message of warning or encouragement. It should motivate the hearers to action. It is one of the gifts listed by Paul in Romans 12 that is to benefit the church body. Exhortation involves the application of Scripture to our lives. A good pastor not only teaches the Word but also shows his congregation how to apply it to their lives.
Lastly, Paul tells Timothy not to neglect teaching. Is there a difference between exhortation and teaching? A. Dwayne Litfin writes in his commentary on 1 Timothy, “The distinction between this and the former term is by no means clear-cut. The two merge into each other. Yet ‘teaching’ (didaskalia; cf. 1 Tim 1:10; 4:1,16; 5:17; 6:1) may refer primarily to a more catechetical treatment of the truths of the Christian faith.” So, exhortation and teaching naturally go together. In these Pastoral Epistles, Paul emphasizes both teaching and doctrine. He knows how important it is that we know the Word of God. In the 13 chapters that make up the two letters to Timothy and the one to Titus, there are at least 22 references to “teaching” or “doctrine” according to Warren Wiersbe in The Bible Exposition Commentary.
Timothy is the leader of the church in Ephesus. Paul has told him what he must do to be an example for the believers. Paul reminds Timothy not to neglect the gift that is in him. Timothy had been given the gift of teaching and exhortation. He had also been given the gift of leading. Based on other verses, it seems that Timothy was hesitant to step into this role. Remember at the beginning of the letter, Paul writes, “Timothy, my son, I am giving you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies previously made about you, so that by recalling them you may fight the good fight…” (1:18). And in his second letter he writes, “Therefore, I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is in you through the laying on of my hands” (1:6).
Paul further encourages Timothy, “…it was given to you through prophecy, with the laying on of hands by the council of elders.” We see here another gift of the Spirit, prophecy, used to tell Timothy of his role in the church. And he was ordained into this office by a group of elders. Who are these elders? They are mentioned again in Chapter 5. They are the men who are good leaders in the church and who work hard at preaching and teaching (v.17). The laying on of hands is a common practice all through the Bible. Let’s look at some examples.
“Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him. So the Israelites obeyed him and did as the Lord had commanded Moses” (Deuteronomy 34:9).
“Brothers and sisters, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and wisdom, whom we can appoint to this duty.But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” This proposal pleased the whole company. So they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a convert from Antioch. They had them stand before the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them” (Acts 6:3-6).
“Then after they had fasted, prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them off” (Acts 13:3).
“Publius’s father was in bed suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went to him, and praying and laying his hands on him, he healed him” (Acts 28:8).
We see Moses lay his hands on Joshua to pass on his leadership to him. The apostles laid hands on and prayed for Stephen and the other six men as they were commissioned to care for the widows. Saul and Barnabus had hands laid on them and were prayed for before they left on their journey. And Paul prayed for healing by laying hands on Publius’s father. These are just a few examples where we see this. Is this something we do today? I would say yes. If we need healing, we should be asking for the elders and pastors to lay hands on us and to pray for our healing. It does not guarantee that God will heal us- God is sovereign. He may heal us here, or we may receive our full healing by going to be with Him. As Paul writes in Philippians 1:21, “For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” But the Bible tells us we are to ask (James 5). Recently, our youth went on a short-term mission trip. Our pastor had the parents come up and lay their hands on their children and we prayed for them. These are just some examples, and I am sure as you read them you have thought of some of your own.
Let’s go back to Timothy. He had received his gift by the laying on of hands, but he seemed hesitant to use it. Litfin writes, “Timothy’s image of himself as a minister was evidently deficient, so Paul reminded him of the fact that God had given him the requisite ability for service. Timothy must not ignore or neglect this basic factor (cf. 2 Tim 1:6). If others were not to look down on Timothy, neither was he to look down on himself.”
What about you? Is there a gift you are neglecting? The body of Christ is made up of many members (Romans 12), and we all have different gifts. God designed the body to function together, each one playing our part. If you are just sitting in the congregation each Sunday and are not participating as part of the body of Christ, you are missing out on a vital part of Christian life.
“For by the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he should think. Instead, think sensibly, as God has distributed a measure of faith to each one. Now as we have many parts in one body, and all the parts do not have the same function, in the same way we who are many are one body in Christ and individually members of one another. According to the grace given to us, we have different gifts: If prophecy, use it according to the proportion of one’s faith; if service, use it in service; if teaching, in teaching; if exhorting, in exhortation; giving, with generosity; leading, with diligence; showing mercy, with cheerfulness” (Romans 12:3-8).
Grace be with you!
Abundant Joy 