1 Timothy 5:1-25

RESPECTING AND LOVING OTHERS WITHIN THE CHURCH

1 Timothy 5:1–25
Key Verse: 5:17
10/9/11

“The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.”

This whole chapter moves to practical matters of taking care of each other in the church or the “Household of God”. Those whose faith is solidly rooted in our Lord Jesus must “know how” they “ought to conduct themselves in God's household. The church is the place where God lives. It is also the place where God’s word lives and rules the lives of all whose faith is in Jesus. In brief, the church is God’s household…the home of all believers. It is a place where all believers are brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers, children and grandchildren. The church is the haven of the weary and the refuge of all who seek God. As the household of God, all God’s family members must then conduct themselves in a manner worthy of Christ and of the gospel. They must conduct themselves in love and in compassion, in sacrifice and in service to others. They must tend to the needs of one another as Christ tended to their own needs when they were poor and destitute, wandering in a world of cold realities indifferent to their pains and sorrows.

In those days no one really gave much attention to the helpless of society. Did you know that the Romans had a cruel habit of throwing their sick out into the streets to die? The most helpless of the helpless were the orphans and the widows who wandered on the edge of life in terror, not knowing what today or tomorrow may bring. But when the Christian faith finally made its way into the fabric of society, suddenly these helpless people had hope. Christians who deeply understood the foundation of love and of compassion took them in and offered them the love of God and as well as a hot meal. They nursed people back to health, physically and spiritually. They started what were the first hospitals and the first counseling ministries.

Paul had once been a political and zealous, religious Pharisee who never understood the concept of family, let alone the reality of God’s family. He did not understand the love and compassion which had suddenly sprung up in the hearts of those who put their faith in Jesus. He never gave a second thought about anyone but himself, and so he saw every act of Christian mercy with eyes of suspicion, and every act of sacrifice with doubt and distrust. “What are these Christians up to?” he must have said to himself many times. He did so because his own heart was filled with envy, greed, bitterness and hate.

But when Paul became a Christian, he became what he never imagined himself to become. He became a man after the heart of Christ. He became a man full of love and of compassion. As a result, Paul consistently embraced the heart of Jesus and included the helpless in most of his teachings. That is why he set out to teach the “household of God” how to conduct themselves. He taught them that every human being must be considered as a child of God, precious in God’s eyes. This entire chapter is about how the “Household of God” ought to conduct itself in the matters of needy widows and the needs of the Elders or Pastors of the church. Through a study of this passage may our hearts may be open to learn the essence of the Christian faith, which begins and ends with the love of God.

Part l: Loving Each Other Means Respecting Each Other

First, Paul tells us how Christians must respect one another. Read verses 1-2. “Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.” In today’s world, the concept of respect has been severely limited. For example, today’s youth holds not much respect for their elders deeming them old fashioned and without proper understanding for the new generation. They view them as those who were unable to solve the problems of their own lives and so how could they tell them what to do. Employees hold respect for their bosses only because their jobs hang on these employers. But in the church things must be different. Paul commands Timothy to show unconditional respect for all people. Let’s think about each sub group.

Older men must be shown proper respect, even though we know that they have sinned more times throughout the years than we have. Older and younger women must be respected and not exploited. We can not take advantage of older women or ignore them. We also must treat younger women with absolute purity as if they are our own sisters. Fore example would you date your sister? Would you have dark thoughts about your sister? I hope not. Then consider how you treat younger women.

Actually, all members of the household of God must be respected unconditionally. Why? Because God had chosen them, and called them and redeemed them with the blood of his Son. They have been stamped with the mark of Christ, and they have thus become the very members of the Kingdom of God, each with a position of honor. If we lack respect towards members of the human race, we reveal that we do not have an understanding of how precious the life of one human being is to God. If, on the other hand, we lack respect towards the members of our own Christian family, then we reveal that we are still immature spiritually. When we have proper respect for those who are the members of our Christian family, we avoid unnecessary problems in the church, and give Satan no foothold in God’s affairs.

Part ll: Loving Others Is Practically Tending To Their Needs.
First, widows. The church is a family of believers who are bound together in the blood of Jesus. We are all called to show the love of God very practically amongst each other. For this reason, Paul began to teach Timothy how to tend to the needs of others, especially the most vulnerable in the community. Read verse 3. “Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need.” There are all kinds of widows in the church who need Christian care. But Paul urges Timothy to tend to the needs of the widows who are really in need. Who then is the widow who is in dire need? Read verse 5. “The widow who is really in need and left all alone puts her hope in God and continues night and day to pray and to ask God for help.” The widow who is in dire need should be cared for by the church. She is the one who has made God Almighty her refuge and her protector. She has no one to care for her. She has no one to help her. She has no one to serve her in time of difficulty. Because she has no one to help her, she turns her heart to God to depend on God her Savior. She turns her attention to God. In doing so, she finds that the church is in dire need of prayer and of personal issues which need tending to. So she pours out her heart to God to serve the needs of the saints with her prayers. She also takes time in order to serve newcomers and to make them feel at home in the church. Such a widow is most worthy because she had given up all things in order to honor and serve God with her life. Who will take care of her? Who will see to her own needs when she has put aside her own needs to serve others? Paul urges Timothy to take care of her, because she has forsaken her own interests to serve God’s holy purpose.
What can we learn from this kind of widow? We can learn that God’s promises are true. Philippians 4:19 reads, “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” Surely when this widow decides to trust God with her needs, God fulfills his promise to her and provides her with all the help she deserves, both supernaturally and through the church.

Who else is the widow who is in need? Read verses 9,10. “No widow may be put on the list of widows unless she is over sixty, has been faithful to her husband, and is well known for her good deeds, such as bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the saints, helping those in trouble and devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds.” As we said, the widow in need is the widow who draws near to God and has put aside her own interests in order to serve God’s will and her church. How then does she serve God’s purpose in her life? First, she is mature in her inner person…”Over sixty.” She has spent countless years in growing in the knowledge and grace of our Lord Jesus. As her relationship with Jesus grows, so also her sense of service to others grows. She does not expect others to help her, for God is her help. She does not demand the respect of others around her for she has the full respect of God. So instead of wasting her time in complaints, bitterness, anger, frustration, self pity and self gratification, she gives her time seeking the Lord and doing good deeds in the name of Jesus. And she has many good deeds. What could some of them be? What about Bible study, prayer and serving God’s people? What about caring for and raising someone else’s kids? How precious is this kind of widow whose heart is tuned to the very heart of Jesus, full of goodness and service towards the church which gave her refuge from the world.

There is also another kind of widow in the church. Who are they? Read verse 6. “But the widow who lives for pleasure is dead even while she lives.” The other kind of widow Paul talked about is the spiritually dead widow. She is dead spiritually mostly because she does not know Jesus deeply in her heart. She came to God’s household perhaps because she was lonely and needy. She may have come to the household of God in order to find a husband for herself. But whatever the reason for her coming, she did not give up her pleasure seeking lifestyle. When she came to church, she did not study the Bible from her heart. She studied just enough so as to gain a foothold in the church and to snag the good hearted compassionate children of God. She heard all the truth about Jesus, and she witnessed all the godly widows’ lives of faith. But nothing moved her. She could not understand their devotion nor their sacrifice. She did not understand what compels them to give their time and effort in serving the cause of Jesus. Maybe she felt that the godly widows were wasting their time in godly living. Every time she had an opportunity to sin, she disappeared and secretly sinned and then came back to the fellowship. She even began to gossip about the saints, saying all kinds of evil things behind their backs, going house to house.
Still God loves such widows and urged Timothy to tend to them. Read verses 11-15. “As for younger widows, do not put them on such a list. For when their sensual desires overcome their dedication to Christ, they want to marry. 12 Thus they bring judgment on themselves, because they have broken their first pledge. 13 Besides, they get into the habit of being idle and going about from house to house. And not only do they become idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying things they ought not to. 14 So I counsel younger widows to marry, to have children, to manage their homes and to give the enemy no opportunity for slander. 15 Some have in fact already turned away to follow Satan.” In these verses there is a danger that if immature widows did not repent and change their ways, they would be lost to the devil. Timothy must not assist them as he does the needy elder widow. He must assist them by leading them to repentance and to faith. Otherwise, their destiny would be tragic

Second, elders. After talking extensively about the widows in the church, Paul turns his attention now to those who tend to the church affairs in general, the elders or pastors. Pastors are not necessarily the one pastor who pastors the church. Pastors are those who are in leadership positions, many of whom are entrusted with the word of God to give to others. Read verse 17. “The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.” Paul also teaches Timothy that the elders and pastors also need Jesus’ Christian family to honor them and to take care of their needs in return. Paul charges Timothy that the elders must be cared for by the church and the church members. He taught this because there is a danger that not many would think about the physical and spiritual needs of the elders. The elders seldom complain and look self sufficient. But most may be in a needy situations.

Many people use the term love in relation to their elders and church members and church functions. But in reality they do not have a good grasp on true Biblical love. They love in theory and in abstraction as some politicians would say to the adoring crowds: “I love you”. But they do not love in practice. The church cannot function without the love and understanding of its members. The church elders have needs, and cannot properly perform their duties if such needs are not met. Timothy must make sure that the Christian family does not love its elders in theory but in truth and in practice. People do not like to talk about material things in the church. But in reality without material things, in a material world, there can be no efficient work of God. By God’s grace I work and, with the help of my wife I can care for my own physical needs, but in other church paradigms, such as churches with paid clergy, the church members must make material offerings and provide their pastor. Nowadays a pastor should be provided with a living wage ($40 - $50 thousand a year) and health care coverage, a retirement package, a place to live and a car. He should also be provided with an abundance of volunteers to make his service to the church a joy and not a burden. And don’t forget about Pastor’s and Clergy Appreciation Day. These are some basics that a congregation must provide for their pastors.

In conclusion, we must know that a healthy church is a church which practices the love of Jesus, not in theory but in truth. A healthy church is a church which has learned to love and respect each other in the love of Christ. A healthy household of God is a church which knows how precious God’s people are and does its best to serve them and tend to their needs. A healthy church is also a church which knows how to depend on God for all things, as it serves the word of life to its members and to the world. May God help us to be a healthy household of God. May God help us to tend to the needs of the helpless until they can stand “on their two feet” spiritually. Amen.

1. How should a good minister relate to older men and women, and younger men and women? (1-2) What do the words “father,” “mother,” “brother,” “sister,” imply about the relationships in God’s household? With what attitude should a young minister help an older person? (Lev 19:32) How important is it to keep absolute purity toward younger women? (Tit 2:6; Ps 119:9; 2 Ti 2:22)

2. How should true widows of the church be regarded? (3) What characterizes the true widows of the church? (5,9b-10) Who is not qualified to be recognized as a true widow of the church? (6,9a,11-13) Why should these instructions be given publicly before all church members? (7) How should a good minister counsel a young widow and why? (14-15; 1Cor 7:9)

3. Read verses 4,8,16. How should children, grandchildren, immediate family and other relatives be instructed in regards to caring for widows in their family? What principles can we find here in caring for one’s own family? Why should we practice these principles? (4b,8b,16b; Mk 7:10-13)

4. What is the function of exemplary elders in the church and how should they be regarded? (17; Tit 1:5,9) Why should they be supported materially? (18; 1Cor 9:9-10) How should a good minister deal with elders who are accused, and with those who are sinning? (19-20; Dt 13:11) Why is it important to respect and support exemplary elders? (1 Th 5:12-13; Heb 13:17)

5. Read verse 21. How did Paul emphasize the seriousness of his charge to Timothy? In carrying out these instructions, what is essential? What results when partiality or favoritism is shown by leaders? (Gen 37:3-4,11; Ac 6:1-4) What are the root causes of partiality or favoritism and how can we overcome this? (Gen 25:28; Jn 4:9; Eph 6:9; Ja 2:1-4)

6. What is the meaning of laying hands on someone? (22; Ac 6:6; 1Ti 4:14) Why should a good minister not be hasty in doing so? (24-25) How might this result from favoritism or partiality? What do you learn from Paul who cared for Timothy personally? (23)