I Charge You (1)
In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I speak:
First and foremost, we thank our Lord Jesus Christ for His guidance, He has allowed our brothers and sisters and truth-seekers to gather here online for this service. We have entered into the Holy Sabbath, we hope that we can truly enjoy this true rest.
We must not only rest from our worldly labours, we must also unburden our heavy laden hearts to our Lord Jesus. One of the ways is through worshipping God, by the words of God, we are able to gain true rest.
Tonight, the topic for our mutual study is: 'I Charge You'. This is the instruction that Paul gave to Timothy.
Paul wrote two letters to Timothy.The relationship between Paul and Timothy is liken to that of father and son. Paul had begotten Timothy as a son through the gospel. Paul had also trained and mentored Timothy and brought him everywhere to preach the gospel.
Therefore, in First and Second Timothy, Paul gave many instructions to Timothy. We often claim that these are part of the pastoral epistles. We can also treat these books as Paul's charge and instructions to Timothy.
In the Chinese rendition of the Bible, it mainly uses the words, "I charge you". However, in the English version, different words are used to express this. Sometimes, Paul would "exhort" or warn Timothy to take heed. To charge also means to command. Paul commanded Timothy that he must do certain things.
Paul was very concerned with Timothy. In many aspects of his divine service, he had shown himself to be a faithful worker of God. Because he was still a young worker, in many areas, he needed senior workers to guide him in many things.
Therefore, Paul used the words "I command you" to tell Timothy that he definitely must do a certain thing. Paul is able to give Timothy these commands because he is matured and is an example to Timothy.
If we want to command someone to do something, but we ourselves do not set a good example, our commands carry no weight. Just because we may be more senior in age, when we tell someone to do something, they must do it. If you are young, you have a responsibility to listen, but those who are senior and elderly need to set a good example in all aspects of their lives in the church.
Tonight, we are going to look at the commands that Paul gave to Timothy. At times, Paul entrusted a certain command to Timothy. We are going to look at a few examples for mutual encouragement tonight.
(1 Timothy 1 : 18 +19)
18 - This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare,
19 - having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck,
This is a charge that Paul committed to Timothy. Since this is a command committed to someone, this commitment itself is a command, meaning that it is obligatory for Timothy to do so.
Some people ask: what exactly is the charge/commandment here? If we read chapter 1, we will get an answer.
(1 : 3)
Paul charged Timothy to charge some that they teach no other doctrine. In verse 18, the charge is to do what is accorded in verse 3. This is a very important task that Timothy has to do.
In order for Timothy to do this work, he must be endued with spiritual authority. This spiritual authority comes from the words of God. Timothy himself must have a very deep understanding of the doctrines and teachings of the apostles. It is only when he fully believes the doctrines preached by the apostles, he will be infested with spiritual authority.
