“As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine” (1Tim 1:3).
Radical problems call for radical measures. A diagnosis of cancer probably means treatment involving chemo, radiation, or even surgery. The driver who suddenly finds himself behind the wheel of skidding car on ice, has to take action NOW! That’s the scene in Ephesus as Paul writes to his buddy Timothy with important instructions about what to do next. The apostle had to leave for his next assignment and handed the reins of leadership of the Ephesian megachurch. Things may be at DEFCON 1 in the congregation, but Tim is to hang tight in E City with some very specific instructions. “As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain in Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine” (v3). You see, there are certain situations which demand immediate and drastic action.
It’s really easy to read these books of the New Testament as pie-in-the-sky theological treatises that have nothing to do with real life. These original churches back in the first century must have been perfect. Everybody gets along. The preaching is pure. The worship is awesome. Yeah, right. These expansion franchises dealt with much of the same garbage your church does today. Paul’s note to Timothy is a perfect example. This is a real letter to a real person in a real place dealing with real problems. It’s a snapshot in time which God has included in His Word that not only describes what they faced in Ephesus but godly instruction on how we roll up our sleeves to fix the same problems 2,000 years later.
Understanding the setting is a pretty big deal. Paul is finally out of Caesar’s Supermax after waiting around five years for a hearing over his role in a riot at the temple in Jerusalem. Dr. Luke spends almost eight chapters in his sequel writing all about the apostle’s legal troubles and how Jesus uses them to spread His message of grace across the Mediterranean to the capital of the Roman Empire (Acts 21:27-28:31). While he’s behind bars, Paul writes a series of letters to various churches helping put out fires in the fellowship.
The apostle writes one of those epistles to the Ephesian church. There’s false teaching just down the road in Colossae that’s almost certainly headed their way (Col 2:16-23). A team of spiritual hucksters are telling Christ followers that Jesus may have gotten them into God’s kingdom but they have to follow some VERY specific rules in order to stay in. Once he’s released, Paul makes a point of dropping by to see his friends in E City, a cross cultural crossroads and important seaport on the west coast of what is now modern day Turkey. It certainly appears that despite his previous efforts, a doctrinal cancer is growing in the church he planted about ten years ago (Acts 19). So you may want to see 1st Timothy as 2nd Ephesians. The only difference is that Paul and his buddy Tim have had boots on the ground and seen the situation firsthand. It doesn’t take long to find out the Colossian cancer has spread the 100 plus miles to Ephesus.
Right out of the chute we see Paul’s not there. But he gives detailed instructions “as I urged you when I was going to Macedonia” (v3). The apostle has hit the road to handle stuff just across the Aegean Sea in Europe. Jesus used Paul to plant Macedonian churches in Philippi (Acts 16:12-40), Thessalonica (Acts 17:1-9), and Berea (Acts 17:10-15). While the apostle certainly has a ton of friends in Macedonia, he also made an army of enemies. Folks got so ticked off at him that huge riots erupted in each of those cities. He’s not exactly going to kick back for a few days of R&R on a beach chair holding a drink with an umbrella in it. When the Gospel gets ahold of your heart, you’re like a first responder. You run INTO trouble, not away from it.
Paul tells Tim to “remain in Ephesus” (v3). In giving his instructions, he uses the Greek verb prosmeno. It means to hold fast, continue with the current situation, stay, or endure. Throughout the NT, this term doesn’t describe hitting the pause button for a few seconds. We’re talking about endurance and faithfulness. Barnabas did his best to fire up the church in Antioch “to remain faithful (Gr. prosmeno) to the Lord with steadfast purpose” (Acts 11:23). Paul hung tight at the church in Antioch and “stayed (Gr. prosmeno) many days longer” (Acts 18:18). Later in this letter, he tells Tim how a truly godly widow “continues (Gr. prosmeno) in supplications and prayers night and day” (1Tim 5:5).
Hang in there, Tim. Hold what you’ve got. Stay…just a little bit longer. How about you? Are you thinking of bailing on your current situation? Thinking of pulling the rip cord? Maybe God has placed you in that circumstance to be the one to spread His salt and shine His light during these difficult days. Maybe He’s doesn’t want to deliver you from what you face but deliver you THROUGH it. Hey, I’m not exactly the poster boy of perseverance myself. I’ve punked out when times got tough. But God’s Spirit has also given me the strength in the storm more than once. Maybe, just maybe Jesus wants you to hang in there. Stay…just a little bit longer.
The apostle tells Tim he’s to hang in E City “so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine” (v3). There’s a pretty good chance these are probably the same spiritual hucksters who stirred up trouble down the road in Colossae. Paul tried to inoculate them from this false teaching in his letter from prison to the Ephesians. Clearly this rotten gospel has jacked up these believers in a big way.
Before the apostle hit the road for Macedonia, he tossed Hymenaeus and Alexander out of the church (1Tim 1:20). They were probably the ring leaders of this posse of religious snake oil salesmen who had weaseled their way inside the fellowship. Interestingly, John MacArthur believes these goobers held official leadership positions in the Ephesian church. That may explain why he gives very specific instructions about the qualities and characteristics of elders later in the letter (1Tim 3:1-7) as well as what to do when an elder sins (1Tim 5:19-22). These two knuckleheads may be gone, but their influence remains.
Paul tells Tim to shut it down right here and right now. He’s to stuff a sock in anyone who would “teach any different doctrine” (v3). This phrase is actually one Greek verb: heterodidaskaleo. It means to teach something other than what should be taught, instruct error as if it was proper, or teach a false doctrine. This word only appears one other time and it happens to be later in this very same letter. “If anyone teaches a different doctrine (Gr. heterodidaskaleo) and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing” (1Tim 6:3-4). These hucksters had duped believers into thinking they had to follow a certain set of rules to ensure their place in God’s family.
Don’t be fooled. There is only ONE Gospel. There is single message of Good News. The only way to have a relationship with God is by trusting in who Jesus and what He’s done for us that we could never do for ourselves. He followed God’s Law perfectly. I’ve failed miserably. He died the death on a cross for my disobedience. I certainly should have. He rose to new life. I absolutely don’t deserve it. He does it all for me and you. There’s absolutely nothing left for us to do to seal the deal of our salvation. It’s the reason Jesus shouted for the world to hear from the cross, “It is finished! (Jn 19:30). Instead of counterfeit not-so-good news, we to place our trust in the “Gospel of the glory of the blessed God” (1Tim 1:11). Accept no substitutes.
False gospel garbage not only stinks up the joint but is incredibly unhealthy for everyone around it. It can’t continue. It needs to be cleaned up and taken to the dump. Here’s an important part of church life that some of us don’t like to talk about. There are critical times when you have to confront folks who are teaching something other than the true Gospel of Jesus. Yeah, we want the church to be a place of love and grace. But in order to get there, evil and wrong must be dealt with. Jesus places pastors and church leaders in the position to protect His flock. When wolves infiltrate and start spreading their stinking thinking, drastic measures are required. They must be confronted. They must be shut down. Radical measures must be taken.
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