I love the pastoral epistles. As a young pastor myself, I resonate deeply with the great apostle’s instruction to Timothy and Titus.

All throughout my first decade of ministry I’ve found myself regularly returning to these letters for guidance and comfort. So at the beginning of this year I set out to memorize the book of 1 Timothy. Eight months later, by God’s grace, I have committed that great first letter to memorize. Now I am in the beautiful, yet agonizing, phase of retention.

7 THINGS STAND OUT

Around the age of 10 a few friends and I located a place in the nearby woods where we would build a tree house. On my first few journeys into the forest everything looked the same. To my young mind it was just trees, trees, and more trees. Yet, as days upon days spent in those woods went by I began to notice the uniqueness of certain trees. Some were “squatty” and small, others stately and magnificent in size.

The more I became familiar with the whole, the more prominent the individual parts became.

The same thing happens in memorizing whole books of the Bible; greater familiarity with the entire book causes certain words and truths to more clearly stand out. My time in 1 Timothy has shown that Paul had consistent concern for these things: faith, love, godliness, a good conscience, dignity, self-control, and purity. You might think of these as seven spiritual fruits a healthy pastor emphasizes in his life and teaching. Thus, some of the following verses speak not merely to Timothy, but to what Timothy must exhort into the lives of his brothers and sisters in Christ.

Let’s see how these emphases play out . . .

FAITH

• “[Promote] the stewardship from God that is by faith.” (1:4)
• “The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.” (1:5)
• “The grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.” (1:14)
• “Wage the good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience.” (1:18-19)
  
• “I was appointed . . . a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.” (2:7)
• “She will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith.” (2:15)
  
• “[Deacons] must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.” (3:9)
• “Their wives likewise must be . . . faithful in all things.” (3:11)
• “Those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.” (3:13)
• “A good servant of Christ Jesus [is] trained in the words of the faith.” (4:6)
• “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in . . . faith.” (4:12)
• “But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue . . . faith.” (6:11)
• “Fight the good fight of the faith.” (6:12)

LOVE

• “The aim of our charge is love.” (1:5)
• “The grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.” (1:14)
• “She will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in . . . love.” (2:15)
• “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in . . . love.” (4:12)
• “But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue . . . love.” (6:11)

GODLINESS

• “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made . . . that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way”. (2:1-2)
• “[Put on] but with what is proper for women who profess godliness.” (2:9-10)
• “Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness.” (3:16)
• “Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness.” (4:7)
• “Godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” (4:8)
• “If a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show godliness to their own household and to make some return to their parents, for this is pleasing in the sight of God.” (5:4)
• There is a “teaching that accords with godliness.” (6:3)
• “Godliness with contentment is great gain.” (6:11)
• “But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue . . . godliness.” (6:11)

A GOOD CONSCIENCE

• “The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.” (1:5)
• “Wage the good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience.” (1:18-19)
• “By rejecting [a good conscience], some have made shipwreck of their faith. (1:19)
• “[Deacons] must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.” (3:9)
• “[False teaching comes] through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared.” (4:2)

PURITY

• “The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart.” (1:5)
• “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in . . . purity.” (4:12)
• “Encourage [everyone] in all purity.” (5:1-2)
• “Keep yourself pure.” (5:22)

DIGNITY

• “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made . . . that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way”. (2:1-2)
  
• “He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive.” (3:4)
• “Deacons likewise must be dignified.” (3:8)
• “Their wives likewise must be dignified.” (3:11)

SELF-CONTROL

• “Women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control.” (2:9)
  
• “She will be saved through childbearing—if they continue . . . with self-control.” (2:15)
  
• “Therefore an overseer must be . . . self-controlled.” (3:2)
• “She who is self-indulgent is dead even while she lives.” (5:6)

WHAT ABOUT YOUR MINISTRY?

Now, it seems like – at least in my experience – that some of those seven fruits are emphasized in popular discussions on godly ministry. Which ones? Faith, love, godliness, and purity seem to be common enough. But what about a good conscience, dignity, and self-control? I don’t hear much about those, do you? Clearly God believes them to be important for His pastors and people. How prevalent are these fruits in your life and ministry?

Oh! may the Spirit work within the hearts of His gospel ministers and grow us all unto a full flowering of:

Faith
Love
Godliness
A Good Conscience
Purity
Dignity
and Self-Control