"LET NO ONE DESPISE YOUR YOUTH [look down on your youthfulness], BUT BE AN EXAMPLE TO THE BELIEVERS IN WORD, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity."
1 Timothy 4:12 (NKJV)
• In this piece we want to look at some parts of Apostle Paul's admonitions or instructions to Timothy that are found in 1 Timothy 4:12-16.
I. A ministry leader should have good self esteem, see himself or herself as God sees them. Both inferiority complex and superiority complex are detested by God (Romans 12:3).
THUS, Apostle Paul admonishes Timothy that he should not allow anyone to despise or look down on his youthfulness (1 Timothy 4:12).
II. A ministry leader should live a life that others can emulate or follow especially those who are under his or her leadership (1 Timothy 4:12). Such should be an example to others:
a. in word: in what you say—your speeches;
b. in conduct: the way you live your Christian life or practice your faith;
c. in love: how you let the love of God find expression in or through you (Romans 5:5; 12:9);
d. in spirit: your fervency in the Spirit should be worthy of emulation—communicable or transmittable;
e. in faith: exhibiting a contagious practical faith for those under your leadership to imbibe;
f. in purity: being holy because God Who called you is holy (1 Peter 1:15,16).
III. A ministry leader must give attention (1 Timothy 4:13):
a. to the reading of the Scripture to his or her congregation. See to it that the words being taught are biblically based.
b. to exhortation: keep encouraging believers—charging them with the Word of God (1 Peter 1:12,13).
c. to doctrine: that the people under his or her leadership are taught the sound doctrine of the Bible (1 Timothy 4:13).
IV. A ministry leader should also not neglect the Gift which God has given him or her (1 Timothy 4:14).
NOTE:
a. The gift of God in a believer is neglected when he or she does not use it to bless or minister to others.
b. The gifts of God in the life of a believer or minister are meant for the profit of the whole body of Christ: "GOD HELPS EACH OF US WITH A GIFT FROM HIS SPIRIT. HE DOES THAT SO THAT WE CAN HELP OTHERS" (1 Corinthians 12:7 EasyEnglish Bible).
c. A gift or the Anointing on a believer is not meant to be kept or be used for personal purposes. This is one of the reasons why the anointing on a believer or minister cannot be used for himself or herself.
SOMEONE, a believer or minister, could have the anointing for healing on his or her life, ministering healings to other people, yet he or she, the carrier of the anointing, is sick in their body. The gift of God in your life, or His anointing on your life, is not meant for your personal Use—you are a vessel or carrier of the gift or the anointing.
• Timothy was admonished to meditate or ponder on the the instructions or the admonishments expatiated above, given to him by Paul (1 Timothy 4:15).
- Timothy should give himself entirely to the practice of the instructions or admonishments. To give himself to the instructions does mean to be a practicer or doer of the instructions.
- It is when he, Timothy, does that that his progress would be seen or evident to all—either friends or foes.
- This same Admonition is applicable to every contemporary believer or minister who is entrusted or shouldered with a leadership responsibility.
- It is when you pay attention to God's Word primarily, meditating and practicing It, that your progress in the work assigned to you, the ministry, would appear or be evident to all people.
- At times I look at some ministers who do not have time for the Word of God; thinking and asking in my mind, What would they use to feed the people under their leadership?
- Some of such ministers or leaders solely build their ministries or churches on their gifts; be It prophetic gift or whatever. But the congregation that such are going to build would be lopsided or unbalanced congregation—a congregation that is not balanced spiritually in terms of growth.
• Whilst Timothy focuses on building the ministry; paying attention to the building and the growth of the people under his leadership, he should not neglect himself (1 Timothy 4:16).
- Timothy should take heed to himself and the doctrine. He should continue in them, It is in doing this that he would save himself and those who are hearing him—those who are under his leadership (1 Timothy 4:16).
- Many believers and ministers usually make this mistake, taking heed or paying attention to the work, ministering to others, but their own spiritual healthiness is not taken heed to.
- When a believer or minister experiences burnout—spiritual, physical, and emotional exhaustion or worn-out—because of long-term stress; such would become less effective and less effectual or less productive in the work of ministry.
- The vision and the direction of such would become blurry, he or she would not see clearly again. Such would not be able to proceed at the speed with which he or she had been coming before.
- They would be dull and slow in perception, and of course, things around them would begin to drag and become burdensome.
- This usually happens when a believer or minister is no longer paying attention to his fellowship or communion with God.
TAKING heed to himself or the self being talked about by Apostle Paul is about paying attention to your fellowship or communion with God. - When a believer or minister misses it in fellowship, he or she would definitely lose direction and focus. Because clear direction and being focused is gotten in the place of fellowshipping with God.
• Thus, a believer or minister who pays attention to himself or herself and the doctrine or teaching is the one that would save themselves and the people who hear them—the people under their leadership.
- In the place of communion with God, you receive clear messages to feed the people under your leadership with. You also are refreshed; reinvigorated or reenergized and re-equipped for the assignment at hand.
- A ministry leader or minister who neglected this would be at the mercy of the enemy; be subject to the control of the adversary—the devil.
• You will not fail in Jesus' name.
- Whatever is not of God in your body as you read this piece is totally uprooted and completely destroyed in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.
- You are healed and completely made whole in Jesus' mighty name.
Peace!
STEPS TO SALVATION
• Take notice of this:
IF you are yet to take the step of salvation, that is, yet to be born-again, do it now, tomorrow might be too late (2 Corinthians 6:1,2; Hebrews 3:7,8,15).
a. Acknowledge that you are a sinner and confess your Sins (1 John 1:9); And ask Jesus Christ to come into your life (Revelation 3:20).
b. Confess that you believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is Lord, and that you confess it with your mouth, Thus, you accept Him As your Lord and Saviour (Romans 10:9,10).
c. As you took the steps A and B your name is written in the Book of Life (Philippians 4:3; Revelation 3:8).
- If you took the steps As highlighted above, congratulations, It means you are saved—born-again. Join a Word based church in your area and Town or city, and be part of whatever they are doing there. Peace!
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