My dear brothers and sisters, Timothy faced difficult
problems in his ministry. He was
confronted by heretical teachers who liked to dispute, confuse, talk
nonsense, and live a life of wickedness.
Paul admonished Timothy to try to be a worthy worker of Christ so that
the false teachers would not find a way to overthrow Timothy and defame the
name of God.
To become a worthy worker of Christ, Paul advised Timothy these two ways namely: First, to be wise in his words. That is, not to be ashamed to preach the truth, not to argue about unworthy things, and to serve with gentleness. Second, he should maintain purity by abstaining from lust, and pursuing justice, loyalty, love, and peace.
We can note that amid the complex
problems posed by the heretical teachers at Ephesus, Timothy was encouraged to
deal with them wisely and not violently.
Although some had deviated from the truth, Paul advised Timothy to deal
with it with tenderness. Thus, maybe God
allowed them to repent and know the truth.
Such people can easily get lost as a result of Satan's snare that enmeshes them.
Brothers and sisters, let Timothy's way of life and example be our role model. Since often as followers of Christ or as spiritual leaders, we are impatient in guiding someone who has strayed from the truth and easily exclude him or her from the community of God's people.
Before we confront people who have gone astray, let us first learn to be wise in speech and keep our lives pure so that other people or the devil cannot overthrow us and shame Christ. With gentleness, we will be enabled by God with His grace to guide and direct the lost person to the right path. Amen, –
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