1 Timothy 5 - Good Teachers - Great Instructions

        Thank God for good teachers.  Seriously.

        When I was a kid in Northern Saskatchewan we were blessed with really good public school teachers.  Those were the days when we started each day standing to say the Lord's Prayer and to sing O Canada.

        One of my favorites was my grade five teacher, Mr. Thomas.  He was from Wales.  During the Second World War, he fought in North Africa.  I think he was an artilleryman, but he rarely talked of the War.  He was short, fit, and well-dressed.  I would love to hear the story someday as to how he got to Carrot River, SK.  He used to read books out loud to us in his British accent.  We were spellbound.  It was the 1980 version of Audible.  When the class was too boisterous he used to get a leather strap out of his top desk drawer and put it on his desk.  He did it quietly and sometimes it took all of us a minute to see what he’d done.  To my knowledge, he never used the strap on anyone.  But man, without saying a word, could he put a hush on that classroom.

        Mr. Thomas used to take us to the gym for PE.  One of his favorite activities (I don't remember loving it, but I didn't hate it either) was making us march like soldiers.  How bizarre.  Yet kinda fun.  A bunch of Canadian boys and girls lined up in a small town elementary school gym responding to the British drill sergeant barking out orders.   It was the closest I’d ever get to the army.

        I remember one time being reprimanded by Mr. Thomas for saying ‘Holy Cow.’  That type of language was not allowed.  It was too close to blasphemy I suppose.  I remember that time as a period when my creative levels were high.  I was dreaming about what I could do in the future.  Maybe I would be a fighter pilot, a professional hockey player, or a church minister.  The sky seemed the limit.

        We could tell Mr. Thomas loved us and cared about all of us.  His high standards and discipline were intentional.  The mark of a disciplined soldier, a good teacher, a weathered victor, and a humble artilleryman.  Thank God for good teachers.

        In this section of 1 Timothy we hear about standards for good teaching and God's instructions for Christians.

        We are to place our hope in God alone.  Not in worldly things.  We are to be spiritually alive - emboldened, encouraged, enlightened, and enabled by the Spirit of Christ alive within us.  Like Mr. Thomas, we are to be intentional about how we teach.

        We hear in this passage the need for brothers in Christ to assess whether or not our Christian leaders do their work well.  But note, the elder does not decide how he has done.  Other believers do.  The men of the church are responsible for the governance of the church.  This means evaluating and paying our leaders appropriately.

        Note the two rules here that go side by side: due process and accountability.  Sadly, it is common for so-called leaders to gaslight believers with Matthew 18:15.  When they hear of a wrongdoing in the church rather than look into it with appropriate due diligence they go on offense and say that the person reporting needs to be inspected.  I agree with Matthew 18 and 1 Timothy 5:19 completely (just as much as I believe in 5:20!).  If someone sins against me I go directly to them.  But if I’m told of wrongdoing or abuse in the church I don’t blame the victim nor would I ever attack the person exposing the evil (Psalm 101).

        Matthew 18:15 should never be used to gaslight those striving for accountability and godly behavior or to evade the responsibility to expose and reprimand abuse and wrongdoing. 

        Modern church leaders often want all of the due process to ensure their bad conduct never comes to the point of accountability, but they repudiate the command of Jesus to reprimand the sinning elder in front of the whole church (5:20).  The instruction here is that we test any such accusation against an elder in a context of transparency and we require a minimum of two or three witnesses.  The church is God’s household.  It must follow God’s instructions.  We are not about power and control.  We are about servant leadership, honesty, integrity, fear, and respect for our Holy God.

        We can be quick to deceive ourselves as the next chapter makes clear.  Don’t drink the Kool-Aid that you are more important than others, that you are above introspection and assessment by others in the church.  God despises those who worship the gods of Fate and Destiny (Isaiah 65:11) thinking they are somehow above accountability due to their family connections or position.  Your reputation is not based on what your mom or your best bud tells you; it is based on what the broad community thinks of you.  More than that, it is based on God's standards.

        Thank you, Lord Jesus, for your clear instructions.  Thank you, LORD God, for your promise and your love for all people.  Please bless us and help us to honor you in everything.  Amen.

Constitution Hall, Philadelphia, PA.