Stay on Message

“Teach and urge these things” (1Tim 6:2).

Stay focused. Stay on track. Stay on message. Stay on task. These words are very familiar to me because I’ve heard them most of my life. I’m not going to lie. I’m easily distracted. VERY easily distracted. One second I’m laser-locked into the critical task. The very next second I’m checking Twitter. You’d better hope it’s not up to me to disarm the nuke when the future of the free world hangs in the balance. Cut the red wire…wait, is that a bird?!? 

Here in his letter to the young pastor in Ephesus, Paul constantly tells Timothy not to lose his focus. “Teach and urge these things” (v2). Teach them about Jesus. Teach them again about Jesus. Explain Jesus’ Gospel. Apply His grace to every aspect of your life. Stephen Covey famously says, “The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.” The apostle wants Tim to keep the main thing the main thing. And the main thing is Jesus.

Apparently the previous teachers and preachers couldn’t stay on track. Some call it “mission creep.” That’s when you lose sight of your original goals and get drawn into stuff that doesn’t mean a hill of beans in the long run. Well, some creeps got folks seriously off mission in Ephesus. A team of spiritual hucksters distracted believers with a toxic concoction of “myths and genealogies” (1Tim 1:3), “vain discussion” (1Tim 1:6), “deceitful spirits and teachings of demons” (1Tim 4:2). With Paul making the road trip to Macedonia, he’s asked Tim to take the wheel of the Ephesian church.

Tim is to “teach and urge” (v2) the followers of Jesus. Not just teach. Not just urge. But teach AND urge. They go hand-in-hand. They belong together. Like peanut butter and jelly. Mac and cheese. Holmes and Watson. Brady and Gronkowski. Let’s pull this pair apart, look at them individually, and then put ’em back together. 

First, Paul tells his protege to “teach” (v2). This is the Greek verb didasko, which means to instruct or educate in a formal or informal setting. Many times it describes the act of giving a lecture or explaining the details of a topic. It’s the source of our English word “didactic.” You can’t assume people know what to do and why you do it. You have to take the time to spell out both the reasons and the methods. At critical points, you have to tell folks, “Stop! Collaborate and listen.” Did I really just bring up Vanilla Ice?

When Jesus makes His Galilean tour, He focuses on “teaching (Gr. didasko) in their synagogues and proclaiming the Gospel of the kingdom” (Mt 4:23). There was also the time Christ’s crew sees Him praying and asks, “Lord, teach (Gr. didasko) us to pray” (Lk 11:1). Just before heading home to heaven, the Lord tells His followers to make disciples by “teaching (Gr. didasko) them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Mt 28:20). We teach when we stop to explain the why and demonstrate the how. 

The second half of Paul’s instruction to Timothy is to “urge” (v2) the believers of Ephesus. The apostle uses one of most powerful and words in the New Testament: parakaleo. It has a boatload of meanings and interpretations. Everything from encouraging to begging to comforting to admonishing. It’s a compound word that literally means to “near (para-) call (-call).” It’s not cheering on your favorite player from the upper deck. It’s the idea of standing right next to a teammate and letting them know they can do it and you’ll be right there with them the entire way. 

The great Bama football coach Bear Bryant was famous for coaching from a massive tower over the practice fields. From there, he could see everything. But when he saw a player doing something wrong, the Bear would climb down the ladder and get, shall we say, up close and personal. He might see a problem from the tower, but he had to get close in order to show his players the proper technique. 

For those of us who teach and preach, we have to climb down from the tower (or get out from behind the lectern) in order to urge others what to do. You cheer them on when they’re doing it right. You correct them when they’re doing it wrong. To urge people on in their walk with Jesus means getting your hands dirty at times. You’ve got to get close in order to help others apply what you’re teaching.

Just in case you think this really isn’t your bag or isn’t part of your job description, you might want to check out how God personally goes out of His way to urge on our behalf. Jesus’ best friend John uses a very similar word (Gr. parakletos) to describe both the Second and Third Persons of the Trinity. “We have an advocate (Gr. parakletos) with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1Jn 2:1). The Son is right there next to our Heavenly Dad talking to Him about you and me. 

And our Savior didn’t leave us hanging after His ascension to heaven. That’s where the Holy Spirit comes in. Jesus told His disciples, “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper (Gr. parakletos), to be with you forever” (Jn 14:16). In case there’s any doubt about the identity, Christ describes Him as “the Helper (Gr. parakletos), the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name” (Jn 14:26). God’s Spirit wouldn’t arrive full time for Jesus’ followers until after He left for heaven. “If I do not go away, the Helper (Gr. parakletos) will not come to you” (Jn 16:7). If God is willing to get His holy hands dirty for you and me, we can certainly do the same for those around us.

So what exactly are “these things” (v2) Tim is to explain and demonstrate? Throughout this letter, Paul gives him specific instructions about what he is to focus on as the preacher and pastor of this jacked up local church. While the apostle’s on the road to Macedonia, he tells his protege, “I am writing these things to you so that, if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God” (1Tim 3:14, emphasis added). He’s to teach about God’s overwhelming goodness and “put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus” (1Tim 4:6, emphasis added). 

Tim is to continually to “command and teach these things” (1Tim 4:11, emphasis added) when it comes to the power of the Gospel and Jesus’ incredible rescue mission. The young Ephesian pastor is to provide an example as well and “practice these things” (1Tim 4:15, emphasis added). Paul urges Tim, “Command these things” (1Tim 5:7, emphasis added) when discussing specifics of how the church must care for seniors. He’s to remember that preaching God’s Word is not some get rich quick scheme and must “flee these things” (1Tim 6:11, emphasis added). There’s probably nothing wrong with emphasizing these very same things in our churches today.

I don’t know if Timothy was also easily distracted, but his mentor Paul is always giving him VERY specific instructions throughout this letter. Like I said before, I’m a brightest-light-in-the-room kinda guy. It doesn’t take much to steal my attention from what’s most important. That’s why the apostle’s constant encouragement to stay on message hits home. Keep the main thing the main thing. And the main thing is Jesus.