WWUTT 641 Do Not Neglect the Gift You Have?

The Apostle Paul told Timothy, don't neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. What gift was that? Well, I think it's pretty clear.

It's the gift of teaching that Timothy had been given, when we understand the text.

Many of the Bible stories and verses we think we know, we don't. When we understand the text, as an online ministry committed to teaching sound doctrine and exposing the faulty, visit our website at www .utt .com.

Now here's our host, Pastor Gabe Hughes. Thank you, Becky.

Public Reading of Scripture, Exhortation, and Teaching in the Church

All right. So we're continuing with our study of 1 Timothy 4, verses 11 through 16. The Apostle Paul writes, command and teach these things. Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.

Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you.

Practice these things, immerse yourself in them so that all may see your progress. Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing, you will save both yourself and your hearers.

So when last we were in this section, we were considering verse 13, where Paul said, until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of scripture, to exhortation, and to teaching. And the thing that I pointed out is, this is what all pastors should be doing.

The public reading of scripture is simply that you are in the pulpit and you are reading the scriptures aloud for the people to hear. Now somebody might interpret that as to go into the public and read the scriptures aloud.

Sure, I'm not going to stop you from doing that. But as this pertains to the context of the local church, this is how we are to teach one another and build one another up according to the proclamation of the word of God.

That's what Paul is calling for here. And it's another way that Timothy sets an example for the church. Remember in the previous verse, in verse 12, he says, let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech is the first thing that he says.

Now, when we went through this list, we were talking about how our tongues even must be submitted to Christ. If we have the mind of Christ, that will be exemplified by the words that we have come out of our mouths.

Timothy is supposed to be an example for the believers. He is also setting an example for the other elders as to how they are supposed to teach. The contrast here is that the elders and the teachers at the church in Ephesus had deviated away from the public reading of scripture.

Instead, they had delved into myths and speculations, which we talked about at the very start of the letter in chapter one. Don't let anyone teach any different doctrine. Don't let them devolve into myths and speculations, which cause divisions.

But rather, Paul says here in chapter four, be devoted to the public reading of scripture. To the Corinthians, Paul said, don't go beyond what is written. Well, how do we know what is written? By following according to what we have in the Bible.

Now, Canon was not completed, obviously, during this time, because we're reading one of those books that's going to end up in Canon, that's first Timothy. But the letters that had been written by the Apostle Paul were considered scripture, according to second Peter three, 16, and also the Old Testament scriptures and showing how Christ had fulfilled all the law and the prophets.

That was primarily how teaching was done in this first century period. This is what the church was learning. And we saw an example of that when I was in this passage back on Wednesday and I went to Acts chapter 13.

So you had the scriptures that were read in the synagogue, the Old Testament passages from the prophets, and then Paul and Barnabas were asked to stand up and say something related to the scriptures that had been read.

And Paul is telling Timothy, do that what you've seen me do. Follow my example. And this is how teaching is to be done in the churches, the public reading of scripture to exhortation. So then you take the reading of scripture and then you put it on the hearer to respond to it.

It's not just reading it for the sake of reading it or doing some sort of, you know, textbook or literary lesson. We are hearing the scriptures read so that they might impress upon us an obligation to respond.

This is the Holy Spirit talking. He is talking to his people, the people of God, that we would respond to the words of God and do what they say. This is James and James chapter one. Don't just be hearers of the word and then walk away and so deceive yourselves.

Don't just hear the word, do what it says. And Jesus said to his disciples, you will show me you love me when you obey my commandments. And so exhortation is then putting it to the listener. Here's what this means for you.

Here's how you are supposed to respond to this. Here's how this should change the life of the Jesus follower by putting into practice exactly what it is that we have read. So an ability to take a narrative, because most of the Old Testament was narrative, at least when, you know, when you go through Genesis all the way up through Job, you haven't even gotten to Psalms and Proverbs yet.

You're reading everything that's mostly narrative. And so how do I take even a story that's a narrative and then make it an application? And so that would be part of Timothy's gift or part of his responsibility.

And then to teaching. So going in depth into the scriptures and giving the background and giving the setting and the context and all of that is involved in the teaching. Reading the scripture is just reading the scripture.

Exhortation is then giving the impression of the scripture and then teaching is explaining the scripture. So verse 14, do not neglect the gift that you have. And this is where we're at today. Paul saying to Timothy, don't neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you.

Now, we don't know what gift this is, at least if you read a study Bible and you go down into the study notes at the bottom and you're trying to figure out, OK, which gift is it that Paul is saying that that Timothy is supposed to fan into flame?

That's the way he puts it in Second Timothy chapter one. So in Second Timothy one six, he says, for this reason, I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.

For God gave us a spirit, not of fear, but of power and love and self-control. So there again, Paul says to Timothy to use the gift that he has. It's here in First Timothy four, 13 or 14, rather. And then again in Second Timothy one six, where he says, fan into flame the gift that you have received by the laying on of hands.

So again, it's not mentioned. And even in the study notes in your study Bible, it won't say which gift it is. We don't know which gift it is that Timothy has. I believe that we do. I believe that the gift that Timothy has, at least we have a pretty good idea.

It's either going to be prophecy or it's going to be exhortation or teaching. It's one of those spiritual gifts because that's the context in which Paul is encouraging Timothy to be a teacher and to exhort and preach the scriptures to the elders and to the people of God.

So that has to be the direction that Paul is moving Timothy toward when he's encouraging him to use the gift that he has been given. And fan into flame for Second Timothy one six. That's that's one of the passages that I've used to say that if we do not use the spiritual gifts that we have been given, you can lose them.

Like there is this idea that when you've been given a spiritual gift, you always have that spiritual gift and you'll never not have that spiritual gift. Well, I don't agree, especially when Paul is using the reference to fan into flame.

So it it starts small and you make it bigger. And what happens if you don't feed the fire? It goes out. You don't have it anymore. Likewise, with the gift of healing, we see this gift occasioned to the apostles.

It's not something that they always were able to do. But you see these miraculous gifts of healing at the start of the book of Acts and you don't see an abundance of that gift of healing as much when you read through the epistles and you see the progress of the church.

You don't see the sign gifts as much anymore. Why? Because those gifts were to affirm that the word that came from the person doing the miracle and then speaking the gospel, that the word that they spoke came from the Lord.

And that was either from the apostles or or somebody that was connected with the apostles. All of these things were done to affirm that this word came from God. Once the word of God was more fully confirmed, which Peter talks about in Second Peter, Chapter one, there wasn't as much of a reason for the sign gifts.

And this is the way that we see miracles performed all throughout the Bible. You really only have three main periods of time in which these miracles were seen in abundance. Number one, Moses and then his understudy, Joshua.

Number two, Elijah and then his understudy, Elisha. And number three, Jesus and then the apostles whom he sent out to preach the gospel. But even with the apostles, eventually what you see is is that they don't use the gifts as much anymore.

They don't have them as much because there's not a reason to have to affirm the legitimacy of the message that's being spoken since it's already been affirmed to have come from Christ. And this is systematic theology.

You know, I get frustrated with the continuationist argument when they'll try to say, hey, point to me a verse that says that those gifts are not in use anymore. You know, specifically talking about the miraculous sign gifts.

Point to me a verse. Show me that those gifts are not in use anymore. And I believe that is a loaded call to proof texting because there isn't a verse that says that the sign gifts are not in use anymore.

It's systematic theology. When you read through the Bible and you just even limit it to the New Testament, you see a diminishing use of those miraculous gifts. I'll give you just probably the most flat example that I can give you.

So in Acts chapter 19, Paul is in Ephesus and he's doing his bivocational work. So in addition to preaching the gospel and building up the church there, he's also a tent maker. So that's how he's making a living.

That's how he's earning his wages. And as he's working in the hot sun, he would wipe his face with rags or with his apron. And then his missionary brothers would take those rags and then distribute them to the sick and they would touch the rags that had touched Paul's skin and be healed of their diseases.

And it says in Acts 19 11, God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul. This was not some sort of gift that Paul inherently had that he always had. It was the way that God was showing himself to the people of Ephesus that they might turn from sin and believe, knowing that the word that Paul delivered was the word from God because God had given to Paul an ability to do these miraculous things.

OK, so we see like the height of miracle working among the apostles there in Acts chapter 19. But then you go to first Timothy five and which is a chapter we're going to get to here in a in a cup. Well, we're going to get to it next week, God willing.

And then in a few weeks, we'll get down to verse twenty three, where Paul says, no longer drink only water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments. Now, why did Paul say that to Timothy instead of dropping one of those rags of his in with this letter and say, here, Timothy, just touch this and your stomach ailments will go away.

I mean, this is this is talking about Timothy's frequent ailments. But there's there's clearly an indication that he's got some ongoing problem with his stomach for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.

So why doesn't Paul just heal Timothy? Well, the reason is because the word of God has already been affirmed. And there's not a reason for that miraculous healing gift to affirm the word to Timothy. He already believes it and knows that it's true.

Timothy has this ailment through which he gives glory to God, through which the rest of the church recognizes that Timothy longs for heaven as he feels his the struggles that he experiences in his body.

He pleads for Christ to come back quickly so that he would put an end to all of this that has been subjected to futility because of sin. And this is this is something that Timothy rejoices through. And it shows to us that the sign gifts were meant for a particular period to accomplish a particular purpose.

But they were not in abundance. They were not going to continue in the church on and on. Furthermore, it was not something that Paul always had. He was given this ability to do these miraculous healings when he was in Ephesus or another place that he went to and affirmed that the word that he spoke was the word from God.

But it wasn't something that he was always able to do. In Galatians 4 .13, Paul mentions, you know that it was because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you at first. The reason why Paul planted the church there in Galatia, the churches in Galatia, is because as he was going through that region, he got sick and had to stop and ended up preaching the gospel in the place where he stopped and people got saved in a church was planted.

Why didn't Paul, if he had this ability to miraculously heal, heal himself of this ailment? Because it was God's will for Paul to get sick and stop there so that the church would be planted. This is God who works through his apostles to do these miraculous things.

Again, it's not a spiritual gifting that a person always has. And if a person has a particular gift and they don't use it, they will lose it. Just like if you don't regularly submit yourself to the word of God and read it daily, you will forget it.

You are not just always going to be able to call to mind these scriptures. And that's something that folks have complimented me on my ability to just kind of rattle off a scripture or fire a scripture off that pertains to a particular situation or something.

And I'll tell you, sometimes I can do that and sometimes I can't. And oftentimes it has to do with what I've been applying my mind to lately that I'm able to call those scriptures to mind. It's probably because I read it recently.

But as many times as I've read the Bible, I don't have it memorized and I can't just fire off those verses whenever I want to. I regularly have to come to the Bible and read it and commit those verses to memory so that I will have the hope and the promises of God that are written down in his word and be able to apply those things to my every situation, giving glory to God, whether in good times or in bad.

We must regularly submit ourselves to God's word to remember God's word and that it would give us our hope as we walk in this world. So Paul is encouraging Timothy to fan into flame the gift that he has been given so that he won't lose it.

Regularly practice this gift. And it may not have been one of the miraculous sign gifts. In fact, I highly doubt that it was one of the miraculous sign gifts. It was something that was given him by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on him.

And so this was likely a confirmation of the gift that the Holy Spirit had given Timothy to preach the gospel and to exhort others to respond to the word of God. When it comes to understanding spiritual gifts, I think that we do one another a disservice when we jump to first Corinthians 12 and we go through the spiritual gifts there because most of those gifts that are mentioned there are the miraculous gifts, which Paul is rebuking the Corinthians for abusing.

So this isn't really a place that we go to to find out which spiritual gift we have. So very quickly, first, first Corinthians 12, Paul says to I'm starting in verse seven to each is given the manifestation of the spirit for the common good.

Again, you have a gift of the spirit for the purpose of edifying the church, not because you're trying to make yourself great. So then verse eight, four to one is given through the spirit, the utterance of wisdom and to another, the utterance of knowledge, according to the same spirit, to another faith by the same spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one spirit.

Now we start getting into the miraculous gifts to another, the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another, the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another, the interpretation of tongues.

All of these are empowered by one and the same spirit who apportions to each one individually as he wills. So you can tell in that list there in first Corinthians 12, most of those gifts are more on the miraculous side and most people won't have most of the gifts that are mentioned there.

When it comes to understanding spiritual gifts and maybe even trying to discern which gift the spirit perhaps has given you. I think a better place to go instead of first Corinthians 12 is Romans 12. And whenever we talk about spiritual gifts, that's often not the place we go because that's not the one that is most fanciful to us.

We want to hear about the miraculous gifts, you know, that's the chapter where we want to go. And how can I have one of those? But rather when it comes to edifying the church and building one another up, Romans 12 is significantly more practical, especially for the context.

Remember, in the context of first Corinthians 12, it's rebuke the Corinthians abusing gifts and some of whom claiming to have gifts that they didn't actually have. Whereas in Romans 12, we have a more practical presentation and application of those gifts.

Romans 12, four, for as in one body, we have many members and the members do not all have the same function. So we, though many are one body in Christ and individually members, one of another having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them.

If prophecy in proportion to our faith, I'm going to come back to that. If service in our serving, the one who teaches in his teaching, the one who exhorts in his exhortation, the one who contributes in generosity, the one who leads with zeal and the one who does acts of mercy with cheerfulness and contrast that list with the one that we read in first Corinthians 12, the one in Romans 12 is a lot more serving, a lot more submissive to one another rather than showboating, which is the way that people will will misinterpret the sign gifts as given in first Corinthians 12.

Oh, look at this thing that I can do, which is like a plague in most of the what did Costi call it on Friday when we did the interview, the mystical miracles movement. So the so here we have something that is more practical.

It's presented more plainly as gifts of service, which is what all of the spiritual gifts are supposed to be for the edification of the church. But somebody might say, well, there in verse six, it mentioned prophecy.

Isn't that one of the sign gifts? It depends on the person that you talk to. Some will have a different opinion on how we should interpret this word prophecy. But prophecy is basically this. It is the communication of the mind of God to a believer by the Holy Spirit.

And that's the Bible. We now have the mind of God or the word of God more fully confirmed. First Peter 119. So whenever we read the Bible, we're reading the mind of God. Do you want to know the mind of God?

Read the Bible. Whenever a person teaches the Bible or proclaims the scriptures, they are prophesying and prophecy is being fulfilled in a couple of ways. First of all, there are aspects of the Bible that have not yet been fulfilled, like, for example, the coming of Christ.

So when a person preaches on Christ, our Lord coming again, preaching on the day of judgment, things like this, they are prophesying. That is prophecy. And it has been revealed by the Holy Spirit. Now, it's not like the Holy Spirit is revealing something to their minds and they're then proclaiming that.

Rather, the Holy Spirit has revealed this in the scriptures. So when it is proclaimed, it is prophesied. There's a second way that prophecy is fulfilled whenever the scriptures are taught, and that is the justification and sanctification of believers.

Whenever the word of God penetrates the heart and convicts the hearer and they turn from sin and they believe in God or they grow in his righteousness and holiness, there is a work that is being accomplished that Christ said would be accomplished when his word was proclaimed.

And so in this way, the person who is teaching the Bible is a prophet. As a matter of fact, Paul Washer has said a pastor is a prophet or he is nothing. And so I and I think that's an acceptable understanding of that word prophecy as we read it in the context of Romans 12, in particular, when you're talking about a person who has that particular gift of prophecy, a pastor has that ability to proclaim the word of God that the hearers may understand it and it affects in them a change as the Holy Spirit has communicated that it would.

And so, as Paul is saying here to Timothy, until I come to vote yourself to the public reading of scripture, to exhortation, to teaching, do not neglect the gift that you have, which was given you by prophecy.

When the council of elders laid their hands on you, they were proclaiming something over Timothy that was revealed to them by the Holy Spirit. And I'm going to come back to that point again tomorrow. Is there something else I want to mention about that before we go on?

And Paul Paul continues to say, verse 15, practice these things, immerse yourself in them so that all may see your progress. A pastor is an example, not only as someone who can proclaim and teach the word of God, but he is an example of sanctification himself as well.

Let's pray. Our Lord, we thank you for what you have revealed to us in your word that we get to know your mind and your thoughts are higher than our thoughts, your ways higher than our ways. Yet you have considered our need that you have revealed to us your word as given to your prophets and apostles.

And I pray that we would have your spirit to be able to discern your word and apply it appropriately, that we might grow in godliness and holiness in the present days and anticipating anxiously awaiting the coming of our Lord Christ, knowing that in Christ, because of his death on the cross and resurrection from the grave and by faith in the person and work of Christ, we are saved.

And on the day of judgment, we have nothing to fear, but we look forward to that day for it is the day that we will join our great savior in glory. Thank you for your continued patience with us and work upon us through your Holy Spirit.

In the name of Christ, we pray.

Amen. Thank you for listening to When We Understand the Text with Pastor Gabe Hughes. If you'd like to support this ministry, visit our website www .wutt .com and click on the Give tab in the top right corner of the page.

Join us again tomorrow as we continue our Bible study when we understand the text.