Monday
Monday
Advice to a Young Leader
Command and teach these things. Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young.
1 Timothy 4:11–12
I confess that I find Timothy a very congenial character. For he was one of us in all our human frailty. He was far from being a stained-glass saint, and a halo would not have fit comfortably on his head. On the contrary, he was an authentic human being, with all the vulnerability that implies. Firstly, he was comparatively young and inexperienced. Secondly, he was temperamentally diffident, so Paul had to ask the Corinthians to put him at ease among them. Thirdly, he was physically infirm. He had a recurrent gastric problem, for which the apostle prescribed a little medicinal alcohol. So that is Timothy—young, shy, and frail. The danger was that these things might undermine his ministry. It is a perennial problem for young people. What is the remedy? As J. B. Phillips wrote, Paul responds, “Do not let people look down on you because you are young; see that they look up to you because …,” and he elaborates six reasons.
(1) Timothy must set an example (v. 12). People would not despise his youth if they admired his life and character. (2) Timothy must devote himself to the public reading of Scripture, drawing his teaching out of it, thus showing where his authority lay (v. 13).
(3) Timothy must not neglect the gift that was given him at his ordination (v. 14). People would not despise God’s gifts. (4) Timothy must be diligent and wholehearted so that everybody could see his progress (v. 15). (5) Timothy must watch his life and his teaching closely, making sure that they are consistent (v. 16). (6) Timothy must be sensitive in his relationships, treating people in a way that is appropriate to their gender and generation. He must treat elders with respect, his own age with equality, the opposite sex with restraint, and all ages with that affection that binds the church family together (5:1–2).
We might express these six instructions as words of command: Watch your example! Identify your authority! Exercise your gift! Show your progress! Mind your consistency! Adjust your relationships! If young leaders follow these instructions, other people will gladly and gratefully receive their ministry.
For further reading: 1 Timothy 4:11–5:2