1 Timoty 4:12

1 Timothy 4:12 says, Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.  Paul told Timothy that he was not to let people despise, or look down on him, because he was young.  Timothy was called by God to preach, so his age shouldn't have mattered, and it shouldn’t matter today if a preacher is young.  Paul also said that Timothy was to be an example to others of what a Christian should be in everything he did. We likewise need to be an example of what it means to be a follower of Christ in everything we do, and this applies to all Christians, and not just preachers, deacons, and teachers.   

Verse thirteen adds, Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.  Paul told Timothy that until he came there that he was to read the word of God with attendance and understanding, and that he was to proclaim, or exhort, God’s word and that he was to follow His doctrines.  Timothy didn’t have the whole Bible, but he did have the Old Testament, and Paul told him to proclaim the truth of it to the people he was preaching to.  We do have the whole Bible, which includes this letter to Timothy, and we should recognize it as God’s word to us and study it diligently and proclaim it to the world, as individual believers, but especially as preachers and teachers in the church. 

Verse fourteen continues, Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.  Paul told Timothy to not neglect his gift, which came from God but was attested to by the laying on of hands by other preachers.  We still ordain preachers today by other preachers laying hands on them, but this is just an outward sign that we that we believe that they are called by God to preach, and if they aren’t, it is just a useless ritual.  On the other hand, even if they do not have fellow preachers ordain them, as long as they are called by God that is all that really matters.

Verse fifteen states, Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.  Paul told Timoty to meditate on these things, or to make them the main thing to guide his life by. He was to give himself completely to following God’s word so that he might be an example to all people around him.  This should be the goal of every Christian today.  If we at times fall short, then we should repent and ask God’s forgiveness.  

 Verse sixteen adds, Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.  Paul said Timoty was to do this so that he could save himself and others.  I don’t believe that Paul meant that by simply obeying God’s law that that Timothy could save himself or anyone else, but that since he had put his faith in Jesus Christ to be saved that he was to do these things to be a positive example to those around him, and if they accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord because of this, that they would be saved.  This should be our goal today, and we must understand that we cannot save anyone, even ourselves. but people can only be saved by putting their faith in Jesus Christ.

1 Timothy 4:6

1 Timothy 4:6 says, If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.  Paul told Timothy that if he called on people to remember these things, or to believe in God’s word in other words, that he would be a good minister to Jesus Christ and would be nourished by the Holy Spirit.  If a preacher today is going to be a faithful preacher, he must proclaim God’s word by the leadership and power of the Holy Spirit.

Verse seven adds, But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness.  Paul warned Timothy not to believe in old wives’ fables, but to exercise his faith in God.  A preacher, deacon, or any Christian cannot put their faith in anything but the word of God if they are to live successful spiritual lives.

Verse eight continues, For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. Paul said that physical exercise to build up the body was spiritually of little importance, but people spend more time exercising physically than they do spiritually.  They may go to the gym and spend several hours exercising many days a week but not have time to gather with God’s people in the church to grow spiritually.  

Verse nine states, This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation. Paul said this was a faithful saying, or I believe one that came from God, and it was therefore worthy of all acceptance.  We need to understand that the Bible is God’s Holy Word and therefore is worthy of all acceptance.  

Verse ten adds, For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe. Paul said that they both labored and suffered because of their faith in God and his word.  We as Christians should be willing to do the same today and not think that being a follower of Christ is going to bring us material blessings.

Verse eleven continues, These things command and teach.  Paul told Timothy that he was to command and teach these things to others.  It is the responsibility of all Christians to teach the word of God and to follow Him faithfully, but it is especially true for preachers and those who teach others in the church to do so.  We cannot just preach and teach what we believe by our own knowledge but must preach and teach what God’s word says.   

1 Timoty 4:1

1 Timothy 4:1 says, Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;  Paul said in the latter times, many who profess to be Christians would fall away from the faith.  I don’t believe this means some people who are saved by accepting Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord will turn away from Him and suddenly be lost once more, but that not all people who profess Him as Lord ever truly accepted His gift of salvation. 

Verse two adds, Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;  God said that these people were speaking hypocrisy, and that their conscience was seared with iron or no longer caused them to feel anything about the truth of God.  Many people today have become immune to God’s word, and nothing that they do seems to bother them spiritually as long as they are materially enriched.  They have no concern for the suffering of others.  

Verse three continues, Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.  God said that people were forbidden or to eat certain meat, which He had created to be received with thanksgiving.  I believe this applies to both marrying and eating certain foods.  There are some religious groups who deny their leaders the right to marry, and some people, even those who profess to be Christians, who say that we should not eat certain foods, especially meat, but this was never God’s plan.  At times, the people of Israel were forbidden to eat certain meat, but this was a sign of their obedience to God and not because there was something wrong with certain meat.   

Verse four states, For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:  God spelled it out clearly here.  All meat is good, because God created it and now says it is okay to eat it.  He also said that whatever we are eating, we should eat it with thanksgiving to Him for providing it.  

Verse five adds, For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.  When we ask God to bless our food and give Him thanks for it, He will sanctify it.  If God sanctifies what we eat, it will always be good for us.  

1 Timothy 3:14

1Timothy 3:14 says, These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly:  Paul said that he was writing to the people, but that he hoped to come to them in person soon.  Paul didn’t always get what he wanted, but he always continued to witness to people and proclaim God’s word to them, no matter what His physical situation might be.  We need to be doing the same today, and we have many more methods to reach out to others from the comfort of our home. 

Verse fifteen adds, But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.  Paul said he was writing to them so that if he was not able to come to them for a long time that they would know how to behave in the house of God.  This was not just Paul’s opinion of what people should do, but it was God’s word that had been given to him that he was sharing with the people then and even with us today.  As Christians, we have God’s holy word, the Bible, to teach us under the leadership of the Holy Spirit until Jesus Christ returns to call us home to glory.

Verse sixteen continues, And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.  Paul said that God’s way for people to be saved was a mystery to the people of the world.  This way, the only way to salvation, is to put one's faith in the resurrected Lord, Jesus Christ, and Paul stated that His resurrection had been witnessed by the angels and was now being preached to the Gentiles.  We as Christians must know the truth about Jesus Christ dying to provide forgiveness for our sins and being resurrected to bring us a new life spiritually if we put our faith in Him.