A NOBLE AIM (2020)

Paul is writing this letter to his friend and protégé, Timothy. Paul met Timothy and his family in a city called Lystra (Acts 16:1-3), this place right in the middle of what is now modern-day Turkey. Paul was going around starting new churches and raising up a large team of coworkers to accomplish this mission (hence the term, apostle). And Paul was impressed by Timothy’s devotion to Jesus, and so he mentored him and trained him to shepherd other churches. Timothy was, exactly as Paul describes him, “a true son in the faith.”

Now, later on, Paul hears about this group of leaders that had infiltrated the church Ephesus (a seaport town in the same region). They were spreading ideas about Jesus that were off the mark, and then leading people to follow him in some messed up ways. So Paul sends Timothy to confront these leaders and restore some order and refocus the church. The letter of 1 Timothy is a follow-up to see how things are going and to offer some wisdom on how to fulfill his mission, to lead the church, to train up new shepherds, and to always keep the main thing the main thing—that is, to be a church utterly and singularly conformed to the gospel.