40 Rules for Christian Ministry (Part 4)

The Apostle Paul wrote many letters to churches and individuals during his earthly ministry. Paul (Saul of Tarsus) was a fierce enemy of Jesus Christ and His followers, but the resurrected and ascended Jesus met Paul on the road to Damascus and called him to become a powerful preacher of the Gospel to Gentiles, kings, and Jews – but especially Gentiles (Acts 9).

Paul wrote almost half of the New Testament. A man who ministered closely with Paul for many years, Luke, wrote two of the longest Books in the New Testament – the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts. The tremendous influence that Paul had on Christianity was not a mistake or a fluke. It was by design – God’s design.

When Paul knew that his days on earth were numbered and he would not get out of prison to start any more churches, he wrote one final letter. We know it as 2 Timothy. When a man knows his life is coming to an end and he has important things to share, we often find those things in his final words. That’s why I chose 2 Timothy for this series. You can find previous parts of this series in previous blogs or on your favorite podcast platform. I’ll publish an eBook of all 40 rules once I finish writing the series.

Rule #16

Flee youthful lusts

The Greek for this next rule reads: Τὰς δὲ νεωτερικὰς ἐπιθυμίας φεῦγε. Timothy was not a young man when Paul wrote his second letter to him, so why mention fleeing from ‘youthful lusts’ in verse 2:22? I think the immediate context will help:

“But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.” 2 Timothy 2:20-21

Paul had just rehearsed for Timothy two men, ‘Hymenaeus and Philetus, who were the kind of leaders in the church who should be ‘shunned.’ Paul wrote that the men had ‘strayed concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection is already past;’ and had overthrown the faith of some people. Paul then told Timothy that ‘in a great house’ there were two types of ‘vessels.’ Some ‘for honor’ and some ‘for dishonor.’ Paul wrote that ‘if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.’ That’s what Paul wanted for Timothy – to be a ‘vessel for honor’ who was set apart and ‘useful’ to Jesus Christ – ‘prepared for every good work.’ Might I add that every Christian leader should want the same for members of their church.

That context then leads us to the ‘text’ – ‘Flee also youthful lusts.’ The word translated ‘flee’ is pheugó and means ‘escape, run away from, vanish.’ The word ‘youthful lusts’ are neóterikos epithumia which mean ‘passionate desires that a young person would have for what is forbidden.’ Why would Paul say that to Timothy? Because Timothy had to be an example to others of what it means to control one’s passions both inside and outside the church. Paul knew that Timothy would spend the rest of his life struggling with the impulses that come from the ‘sin nature’ that plagues all of God’s children until they go to be with the Lord and are ‘changed.’

Remember what Paul wrote Timothy in his first letter about the qualifications for a church bishop (pastor, leader, elder):

A bishop then must be blameless
the husband of one wife
temperate
sober-minded
of good behavior
hospitable
able to teach
not given to wine
not violent
not greedy for money
but gentle
not quarrelsome
not covetous
one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?)
not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the samecondemnation as the devil
Moreover he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil

Rule #17

Pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace

Paul continued:

“Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”

The words ‘flee’ and ‘pursue’ are important to notice here. We’re already seen that the word ‘flee’ (pheugó) means ‘to escape, run away from.’ The word ‘pursue’ is διώκω (diókó) and means ‘follow after, press forward, chase aggressively, chase after.’ Paul told Timothy to run away from ‘youthful lusts,’ but aggressively chase after righteousness, faith, love, and peace. That demonstrates how different weak and ineffectual ministry compares with strong and effectual ministry. One type of ministry is negative. The other is positive. One is inappropriate. The other is appropriate. One displeases God. The other pleases God. Which type of ministry do you want?

Here are the types of ‘ministry’ God wants:

righteousness (dikaiosuné – approved character, justification)
faith (pistis – persuasion, proof based on evidence)
love (agapé – love and goodwill, love centered on moral preference)
peace – (eiréné – rest, quietness, joined together, wholeness)

That’s the difference from a Christian and church leader who are self-centered and Christ-centered. Paul pointed Timothy to the latter. It’s interesting that Paul also made this statement immediately after: “with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” When Christians and their church leaders ‘minister’ correctly, they are joining a host of people who ‘call on the Lord out of a pure heart.’

The word ‘call’ is epikaleó and means ‘appeal to, invoke for aid.’ The word ‘pure’ is katharos and means ‘clean, unmixed, purified.’ When you ‘minister’ according to God’s rules, your heart is clean and pure. Isn’t that a beautiful picture of how we should serve God?

Rule #18

Avoid foolish and ignorant disputes

The word ‘avoid’ is paraiteomai and means ‘reject, decline, shun, refuse.’ Paul told Timothy to ‘avoid’ disputes among Christians that were ‘foolish and ignorant.’ The word ‘foolish’ is móros and means ‘stupid, dull, absurd, mentally inert.’ The English words ‘moron’ and ‘moronic’ come from this Greek word. The word ‘ignorant’ is apaideutos and means ‘unlearned, untaught, uninstructed.’

Unfortunately, many of the disputes (maché – quarrels, fights, conflicts, disputes) we see in churches and denominations now and have seen in the past are both ‘foolish and ignorant.’ What did the Apostle Paul tell Timothy to do about those kinds of disputes in churches? ‘Avoid’ them. However, that’s easier said than done. If you are a member of a church that is embroiled in disputes about stupid things and no one will listen to what God says in His Word, you have a choice to make. I recommend you begin by taking your concerns to church leadership. That may be a way to get a positive resolution to the problem. However, since so many of the ‘moronic’ disputes come from church leaders, you may run into a wall that you cannot overcome. Do you stay or leave? I think it depends on what kind of ministry you want to have as a follower of Christ. Pray earnestly that the Holy Spirit will guide you in making the decision that pleases Him.

Rule #19

A servant of the Lord must not quarrel

Even though you might want to – Paul wrote that ‘a servant of the Lord must not quarrel.’ The word ‘quarrel’ is machomai and means ‘argue, to war, fight, dispute.’ Remember who we are – ‘servants of the Lord.’ The word ‘servant’ is doulos and means ‘bond-servant, slave, fully-devoted servant, someone who belongs to another.’ It’s important in Christian ministry that we remember we are ‘not our own.’

“Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

The God who ‘owns us’ says that His servants ‘must not quarrel.’ That’s an important and oft overlooked rule in ministry.

Rule #20

A servant of the Lord must be gentle to all

An important part of not ‘quarreling’ is being ‘gentle.’ The Greek word is épios and means ‘affable, kind, mild.’ The word means more than just what’s in your heart. It also goes to what you ‘say.’ Your words should be kind and mild. Also notice that God’s servants must be ‘gentle to all.’ It would be easy to speak kindly to people who agree with you, but that’s not the context of 2 Timothy 2. Those Christians whose ministries are ‘approved’ by God have to deal with Christians who ministries are not approved by God. Those who are not approved start a lot of the problems in churches because they are not interested in obeying God’s Word. They are often deluded into thinking that they are right and anyone who disagrees with them are wrong. That’s why many church ‘fights’ (including church leadership meetings) get heated and ugly. While the ‘natural’ inclination is to fight back, God wants His ‘approved servants’ to be ‘gentle to all.’

The devil loves to see Christians fight with each other. He know that destroys their effectiveness in ministry, which is exactly what he wants. Don’t give it to him. Don’t quarrel and be gentle to all.

I’ll share five more rules for Christian ministry in the next podcast.

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In Christ’s Love and Grace,

Mark McGee

GraceLife / Faith and Self Defense / Grace Martial Arts / Substack