Pastors Jim and Marie Watt
1 TIMOTHY 4:15 - ANOTHER “MEDITATION” THRUST - 2009-04-29
1 TIM 4:15 (4:11-16) “THE HEART OF PAUL'S INSTRUCTIONS TO TIMOTHY”
1. 4:11 THE PRECEDING IN 1 TIMOTHY: COMMAND AND TEACH. “These things command and teach.”
2. 4:12 THE IMPORTANCEOF CORRECT EXAMPLE AND BEHAVIOR. “Let no one despise your :youth; but be an example to the faithful, in word, in behavior, in love, in faith, in purity.”
3. 4:13. READING, EXHORTAION, TEACHING: A 3-FOLD WORD! “Till I come, give heed to the reading, the exhortation, the teaching.”
4. 4:14. FOLLOW UP ON PRESBYTERY IMPARTATION! “Neglect not the gift in you, which was given you through prophecy, with laying on of the hands of the presbytery.” 12 Embryonic Revival Principles came together in 1948. Disapprovers nick-named it “The New Order of Latter Rain.” The first receivers of this Visitation called it “This Move,” or “This Revival.” It started in February 11, 1948 with a prophetic word indicating what God was about to do. He was according to His promise of the preceding 13 years, about to restore His church with and on the Foundation of Apostles and Prophets, and through the instrumentality of the laying on of hands and prophecy. He would indicate what giftings lay dormant in the hearts of prepared individuals. He would then empower them to start functioning in His body the church to edify - to build up.
Paul indicates here how Timothy some 1900 years before - when through this same process, he was to keep such gifts in working order and under the Holy Spirit anointing. Did Paul too? Of course.
5. 4:15. NEED OF DILIGENCE, VOCAL MEDITATION, AND COMPLETE COMMITMENT TO THESE. “Be diligent(with vocal meditation) in these; give yourself whollyto these; that your :progress be manifest to all.” The Greek and Hebrew words are quite parallel to each other, especially in Joshua 1:8 and Psalm 1.
6. 4:16a. OUR LIVE EXAMPLE AND TEACHING: TO BE PROTECTED! “Take heed to yourself, and to the teaching.”
7. 4:16b. PERSONAL AND HEARERS' SALVATION: THE FRUIT. “Continue in these things; for in doing this you shall save both yourselfand your :hearers.”
NOTE: 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus - a post graduatecourse leading to a spiritual doctorate degree..
It involves specifically wisdom and rules for leading both churches in the home plus the City Church composed of such Churches in the Home.
George Muller specifically included this type of teaching in each address to leaders in the 17 years of World Tours that he conducted from the age of 70 to 87. In his case, God had him in a school of faith in the church at Bristol, plusthe leader in “The Scriptural Knowledge Institution for Home and Abroad.” Here by God's leading, Muller installed “Meals for the poor,” Sunday Schools, Adult Schools, Full time Day Schools - especially abroad, Bibles, tracts, Missionary Support and finally Orphanages, starting with 36, and ending up with over 2000. 10,000 orphans went through this latter before the death of its founder. And never oncewas a need made known, nor gifts solicited!
For him, the acme of his days, was the opportunity to implant in the minds of leaders around the world what Paul gave Timothy and Titus.
There is little doubt that Paul first implanted into the lives of Timothy and Titus the overview of the entire NT.
In the 4 Gospels, the “Good News” for the Evangelist to proclaim - clearly shines forth. George Whitefield marvelously made use of this. It is like Elementary School, and brings hearers and receivers up to their spiritual teens.
The Book of Acts takes up where Jesus left off. But really, He is stillas active as ever - except no longer hindered by a human body. Now in His glorified state - by the Holy Spirit, He empowers apostles to continue what He started. Peter and Paul are the special heroes of the Book of Acts. Smith Wigglesworth majored on what the Book of Acts demonstrates. 5 times in this history by Luke, we witness the reception of the Holy Spirit by believers. The gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy and tongues - find immediate manifestation. After many years of successful evangelism, Wigglesworth sensed the Lord's permission to share his spiritual secret why God used him. It was “praying in the Spirit, praying with his devotional prayer language up to 4 hours a day. Paul said that he that prays this way, edifies or builds up his spirit, and testified that no one in Corinth used this gift as much as he. This is like Junior High.
James through Jude is like High School. There 7 epistles are an important stepping stone to Paul's 14 letters. In some translations, these 7 epistles are placed right after the book of Acts. Ivan Panin discovered through Bible Numerics that this is the correct order. John Wesley made excellent use of these, especially for his class meetings of 70,000 members.
But Paul's 7 letter to the 7 city churches addressed here, are of particular importance for the purpose for which they were written.
Romans sets forth Justification by Faith, which was realized because Jesus became our Passover at Calvary. Redemptionis the key-note of this experience. Oswald Chamber's writings among other emphases - zeros in on “Redemption” as seen in Romans - as an essential key at the beginning of this stage of Christian experience. Apart from this foundation well-laid - what follows will not be truly realized.
Ephesians is by many considered the most spiritual and mature of all of Paul's epistles. It shows forth the full manifestation of the Holy Spirit in the Church. The Day of Pentecost initiated this. Rees Howells, known as “The Man with the Holy Ghost”, is a living example of the efficacy of this empowerment. He met the condition of being “possessed” by the Holy Spirit. By all means read his biography by Norman P. Grubb.
1 & 2 Thessalonians brought forth Paul's keen understanding to clarify all aspects of the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus. Much confusion on this subject existed in Thessalonica at this time. To carefully pray over these letters and meditateupon them, allows God to enlighten our understanding as well as our spirits. One successful going through the 9 epistles to those seven churches is equivalent to a spiritual university or college course. All who have the desire, will find the help of God in gaining this understanding.
Letters to Corinth and Galatia are corrections for those who strayed from the moorings of “Romans”; and Philippians and Colossians are the same for those departing from Ephesian Truth. I gained these insights from “Explore the Book” by Dr. J. Sidlow Baxter.
George Muller sensed the importance of a correct understanding on the Second Coming, - that the chief purpose of the church age is not to save the world, but to take out a bride for Christ out of the world. Those who today let down the bars and standards to let the world come into the church through “Seeker-Friendly churches” - water down the church to such an extent that it little resembles the dynamic of the churches illustrated in the book of Acts.
Hebrews and Revelation are correctives to those who slip the moorings of the Thessalonian epistles, which give an insight how soon the Feast of Tabernacles will be fulfilled. This church age is the age of the initial stage of the Kingdom of God within. The Second Coming will show forth the manifestation of that Kingdom under the benign rule of our Lord Jesus as King of kings and Lord of lords.
The letters to Timothy and Titus are like a post graduate course. They are the cream of Paul's epistles.
Revelation is like a post-post graduate course. By some it is considered a book by a mystic. No - Jesus Himselfgave this revelation by an angel to His servant John. Dr. Daniel Juster received a word from God, that to understand Passover and the Exodus from Egypt, is the key to understand the book of Revelation. His teaching on this subject is remarkably clear.
H. A. Baker in his book “Visions Beyond the Veil”, also makes this book remarkably clear from what he learned by carefully checking out the visions of the little Chines beggars and orphans, and then further checking them out with Scripture. By all means add “this” book to your library also. His grandson and his wife in Mozambique (Gordon and Heidi Baker) have reprinted this book, and through <www.IrisMin.com>> it can be obtained.
And the Book of Hebrews? Such controversy over authorship surrounds this epistle! As Romans was a clear presentation of the Gospel of the Kingdom to Gentiles, Hebrews does a parallel presentation to believing Jews. Who better than Paul, a rabbi and former persecutor of the church, to do so. Internal evidence corroborates this. Bible Numerics again settles the controversy, making Paul the author of 14 of the 27 books of the NT, including Hebrews.
So - Timothy and Titus received from Paul a clear understanding of “his” revelation and understanding of the “mysteries” of the Kingdom of God, which he received by direct revelation from the Lord Jesus in the 3 years following his dramatic conversion, when he went into the desert. Jesus in 40 days of fasting in the wilderness returned in the power of the Holy Spirit, following also his 3-fold temptation by the devil. Paul had 3 years of direct instruction to prepare him as apostle to the Gentiles. The Lord still kept him another 10 years in training school, before with Barnabas, He released him into his great missionary service in NW Asia and Europe.
I reread and meditate upon 1 Timothy 4:15 and its context daily - and I think of the entire NT as the fuller context that Paul had no doubt in mind when he had his secretary pen these words from the Lord Jesus to Timothy. - Jim Watt
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