Scripture Reading: 1 Tim. 4:6-16
In 4:6 Paul uses the expression “a good minister of Christ Jesus.” A minister of Christ is one who serves others with Christ, ministering Christ as Savior, life, life supply, and every positive thing. He differs from a teacher of the law and of other things (3, 1 Tim. 1:7).
A minister of Christ does not mainly denote a minister who belongs to Christ, but a person who ministers Christ to others. He is one who serves people with Christ. For example, if we say that a man is a serving one of a particular meal, we do not mean, of course, that he belongs to the meal. We mean that he serves others with that meal. In like manner, although it is true that a minister of Christ belongs to Christ, the main thought here is that he serves others with Christ, ministering Christ to them. Not only does he belong to Christ, but he serves Christ to others.
In today’s Christianity there are a great many ministers who belong to Christ, but very few of them minister Christ to others. To be a minister of Christ does not primarily mean to preach Christ, teach Christ, or tell others about Christ. The main significance of this term is ministering Christ to others.
Verse 6 confirms this understanding of the expression “a good minister of Christ.” Here Paul says, “Laying these things before the brothers, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, being nourished with the words of the faith and of the good teaching which you have closely followed.” By “these things” Paul means all he has covered thus far in this Epistle. Just as a steward lays different courses of food before guests at a dinner, so a good minister of Christ should lay “these things” before the believers. Furthermore, Paul’s use of the term “being nourished” indicates that his concept is that of supplying life to others. It is significant that here Paul does not say “being taught,” but “being nourished” with the words of the faith. If we would minister Christ to others, we ourselves must first be nourished. Being nourished with Christ, we shall have Christ as food, as life supply, to minister to others. The words “being nourished” give us the ground to say that a good minister of Christ does not merely teach others about Christ, but ministers Christ into others as food. Others should be able to testify of us that we have nourished them with Christ.
Throughout the years, my aim in the ministry has been to nourish the saints. No doubt I have passed on a good deal of knowledge. But I can testify that in every message, I exercise my spirit not just to pass on knowledge, but, while I am giving forth a certain kind of knowledge, to supply something nourishing to the Lord’s people. My desire is to minister the riches of Christ as food that the saints may be nourished. Recently, many have written me letters telling how they have been richly fed with Christ through the messages.
If you have a heart to care for others in the Lord’s recovery, you should not give them mere teaching. Whenever you fellowship with others concerning Christ, you may give them some knowledge. But while you are teaching them, you need to exercise your spirit to minister spiritual food that they may be nourished. If you do this, you will be a good minister of Christ.
With Paul and Timothy we see an excellent pattern. As we have pointed out, Paul told Timothy to lay “these things before the brothers,” referring to the things which he was writing in this Epistle. However, before Timothy could lay these things before others, he first had to feed on them himself. He had to digest them, assimilate them, and allow them to saturate his inner being. Then he would be able to lay them before the brothers. Today we should follow Timothy’s example and lay before the saints the things with which we have been nourished by the Lord through the ministry. How wonderful the church life would be if we all did this! However, if we turn from the ministry and seek to produce something different, we may give place to differing teachings. It was not Timothy’s intention to teach anything different from what Paul taught. Rather, he would lay before the brothers what he had received from Paul.
At this point, I would like to say a word concerning my burden in putting out the Life-study Messages. The aim of these messages is to produce groceries for the local churches. My burden is not mainly to “cook” these spiritual groceries; it is to produce them and supply them to the churches that every local church may be a well-stocked supermarket, filled with a variety of nourishing foods. If the leading ones in a local church lay before the saints the riches contained in the Life-studies, the saints will be abundantly nourished. I have received many letters testifying that this has happened.
It is a fact of history in the Lord’s recovery that any church which follows the ministry is strong and blessed. But those churches which neglect the ministry and try instead to do something on their own have become a failure. However, in saying these things, I wish to make it very clear that I by no means insist that the churches or the saints read the Life-study Messages. To repeat, my burden is to produce groceries. The churches and the saints are free either to use them or to disregard them. But if the saints cast away the nourishment found in these messages, I wonder what they will feed on. We are what we eat. If we eat the “groceries” produced in today’s religion, we shall be part of religion. Let me say in frankness and honesty that the leading ones need to take “these things” and lay them before the saints that they may be nourished.
Paul’s expression “laying these things before the brothers” is very significant. We need to be impressed with the fact that this also is part of the Bible, the Word of God. I do not charge anyone to lay my words before the saints. It is not my practice to charge the churches to do anything. Representatives of hundreds of churches can testify that I do not charge them to do things. I do not even know many of the things that take place in the church in Anaheim, where I live. I am very glad that the elders take action regarding many things without letting me know. This is a strong proof that I am not a pope. Very much to the contrary, I am a little servant of the Lord, a farmer burdened to produce groceries for the saints. Far from charging the churches to do anything, I simply long that they feed on the spiritual riches the Lord has given us. Do not lay Witness Lee’s teaching before the brothers. Instead, present them the riches, the groceries, the Lord has shown us from the Word.
I am deeply burdened by the fact that many who love the Lord Jesus and seek Him have been deceived and frustrated. We must find a way to share with them the spiritual riches the Lord has provided us. Many who truly love the Lord are starving. We must take up the burden to supply them with food. We all need to be good ministers of Christ, serving others with His riches. Let us first be nourished ourselves and then minister this nourishment to all the people of God.
We would emphasize that being nourished is for the growth in life. This is a matter of life and it differs from merely being taught, which is a matter of knowledge. To minister Christ to others requires that we ourselves first be nourished with the words of life concerning Christ.
In verse 6 Paul specifically speaks of “being nourished with the words of the faith and of the good teaching.” The words of the faith are the words of the full gospel concerning God’s New Testament economy. The focus of God’s economy is not the image in Daniel 2 or the four beasts in Daniel 7. If you want to see the focal point of God’s economy, study the book of Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians. We need to be nourished with the words of the faith, God’s economy, found in these books.
According to verse 6, we should also be nourished with the good teaching which we have closely followed. The words of the good teaching are the sweet words that contain and convey the riches of Christ to nourish, edify, and strengthen His believers. Actually, the words of the faith and the words of the good teaching refer to the same thing. If we would teach others, we ourselves must first follow these words closely. Following them closely and being nourished with them, we shall then be able to feed others. For example, if a mother does not know how to nourish herself properly, she will not know how to feed healthy food to her children. Through her own experience of being nourished, she will know what food is best for her children. This illustrates the fact that as good ministers of Christ, we must first be nourished ourselves with the words of the faith and of the good teaching which we have closely followed, and then we shall be able to nourish others.
In verse 7 Paul goes on to say, “But the profane and old-womanish tales refuse, and exercise yourself unto godliness.” The Greek word for profane means touching and being touched by worldliness, contrary to being holy. If we would exercise ourselves unto godliness, we must refuse profane and old-womanish tales. Much of the teaching and preaching in Christianity today falls in the category of old-womanish tales. We should forget these tales and come back to the pure word of the Bible. In the so-called services among Christians today, there is a great deal of profane, secular, and worldly talk. People discuss politics and how to be successful in business. All this is profane talk, comparable to old-womanish tales.
Refusing the profane and old-womanish tales, we should exercise unto godliness. Such exercise is like gymnastics. The words “unto godliness” mean with a view to godliness. Godliness is Christ lived out of us as the manifestation of God. This very Christ is today the Spirit dwelling in our spirit (2 Cor. 3:17; Rom. 8:9-10; 2 Tim. 4:22). Hence, to exercise ourselves unto godliness is to exercise our spirit to live Christ in our daily life.
In verse 7 Paul uses a Greek term referring to gymnastic exercise with respect to exercise unto godliness. We know from 3:16 that the mystery of godliness, God manifest in the flesh, is great. By our spirit with the indwelling Spirit we must exercise ourselves unto this goal, unto the expression of God.
In verse 8 Paul continues, “For bodily exercise is profitable for a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the present life and of the life which is coming.” The words “a little” denote a few things to a small extent of our being, in contrast with all things. “All things” refer not only to one part of our being, but to all parts — physical, psychological, and spiritual — both temporal and eternal. The promise of the present life which is in this age is like that in Matthew 6:33; John 16:33 Philippians 4:6-7; and 1 Peter 5:8-10. The promise of the coming life which is in the next age and in eternity is like that in 2 Peter 1:10-11; 2 Timothy 2:12; Revelation 2:7, 17; 21:6-7. A promise like that in Mark 10:29-30 is both of the present life and of the coming life.
Once again, I would urge you to refuse all profane and old-womanish tales. Even talk about doctrines such as eternal security can be nothing more than an old-womanish tale. People may come to us after a meeting and say, “I have been to the meetings of the church a number of times. But I have not yet heard a message on eternal security. What do you think about this?” Others may want to discuss the seventh-day Sabbath. This also is to talk of old-womanish tales.
In applying the matter of old-womanish tales to the talk common among today’s Christians, I am following the principle established by Paul. Here in 1 Timothy the old-womanish tales probably refer to Jewish tales. Those with a background in Judaism were familiar with many tales. In the same principle, those who have spent years in Christianity also know many tales. Some come to us and ask about healing, speaking in tongues, prophesying, and even the lengthening of legs. I have known many persons who spoke in tongues but who did not exhibit godliness in their daily living. We must be a living testimony of those who refuse the old-womanish tales and who continually exercise themselves unto godliness.
It is of crucial importance that we exercise unto godliness. Inwardly we need nourishment, and outwardly, we should have godliness. From within we should be nourished with Christ, and then we should have a living which is the expression of God.
In verse 10 Paul goes on to say, “For to this end we labor and strive, because we have set our hope on the living God, Who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe.” Because our God is living, we can set our hope on Him.
In verse 12 Paul says to Timothy, “Let no one despise your youth, but be a pattern to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.” Although Timothy was young, he was charged by the apostle to bear the responsibility of caring for the building up of a local church and appointing elders and deacons. For such a responsibility, he was charged not to be childish, but to be a pattern to the believers. He was to be an example in word, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity. He was to be pure, without mixture, in motive and act.
Verse 13 says, “Until I come, attend to reading, to exhortation, to teaching.” Here Paul does not refer to reading in the sense of study, but to reading aloud in public. According to the context, this kind of public reading may be for exhortation and teaching.
Verse 14 continues, “Do not neglect the gift which is in you, which was given to you by means of prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the elders.” Here Paul speaks not of the gift which was upon Timothy, but of the gift which was in him. This was probably a teaching gift, according to the context of verses 11, 13, and 16. This may also be confirmed by 1 Timothy 1:3; 4:6; 5:7; 6:2, 12, 20; 2 Timothy 1:13-14; 2:2, 14-15, 24-25; 4:2, 5.
Paul’s word about the gift being “in you” indicates that the gift mentioned here is not an outward endowment, but the inward ability of life to minister to others. It is not a miraculous gift, such as speaking in tongues or healing (1 Cor. 12:28), but the gift of grace, such as teaching and exhorting (Rom. 12:7-8).
This gift was given by means of prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the elders. Laying on of hands has two functions: one for identification, as in Leviticus 1:4, and the other for impartation, as here. Through the laying on of the hands of the elders and the Apostle Paul (2 Tim. 1:6), the gift of grace was imparted to Timothy.
Literally the Greek word for elders should be rendered presbytery, meaning the body of elders, the eldership. The elders, who are the overseers (3:2), represent a local church, which is the expression of the Body of Christ. The laying on of the hands of the elders signifies that the Body of Christ participated with God in imparting the gift of grace to Timothy. This was not a personal matter; it was a Body matter.
