I Timothy 4:13 - Exhortation and Teaching in Worship

I Timothy 4:13 - Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching. 

Message: Exhortation and Teaching in Worship

Time: Paul is writing to a young pastor in Timothy. He is writing to Timothy in about AD 63, who is serving the church in Ephesus. He is writing about church leadership and organizing the church. Paul gives practical and pastoral advice. 

What the Lord is Saying: This passage gives attention to three items -- reading, exhortation and teaching. The time of this writing is 66-67 AD and one wonders what scriptures were read. It is thought that perhaps the Gospel of John was already a part of scripture at this time. The main thought is readings were from the Law and Prophets. For the Jews, it had been the practice previously to read from the Law and Prophets. 

Exhortation implies feeling or the personal application of what is read. There is time to think and discuss how the words are then put into practice. 

And finally teaching. There is some sort of teaching of what the Word of God meant. Thus, understanding the context but also understanding present day application. 

As I think about this words, I think about the public reading - for me this takes place when the pastor gives his message on Sunday. At our current church, there isn't a separate time of reading scripture, but only when the pastor does the lesson, but he always does take the time to read the scripture text and not just launch into his message. And then he teaches, telling us what these words meant and as he does this he helps us to understand the context for that day and the application for the day. But, I have never been in a worship service in which discussion occurred. After this I go to Sunday School and it is still a larger group gathering and once again I think because of the area, it allows for a little more back and forth between teacher and those in the class, but it is mostly gaining the teacher's perspective from the lesson. 

Currently, I spend time during the week doing these lessons, but my frequency in doing them is not real consistent because my wake up times and sometimes my morning activities are not consistent. Right now, I am not spending much other time meeting with people. My weekly men's time is occasional, both with my long standing group but then also with a man I had met with to keep accountable. And I still to this day barrage myself with multiple lessons throughout the week, multiple points of emphasis. This has always affected me and made me wonder. How much is enough. 

Something else i notice from this passage are the word, Until I come. So does this mean that we are to practice this until Christ comes a 2nd time? And does this also mean or can we then infer that this means that once he comes we will no longer need to be in a setting of public reading, exhortation and teaching? 

Summary: Until Christ comes again, I need to be in a setting in which there is public reading of scripture, it is taught through and explained for application to my life. 

Promise: I play in part in this in supporting this time of leadership. 

Prayer: O God, thank you for placing me in good environments in which the Word of God is spoken and taught in an expository manner. Thank you for Tommy Nelson and his encouragement throughout these many years, but I also thank you for John Torrison, Norm Boshoff, Wayne Barber, Eric Christensen, Joshua Swanson, Chad Francis and now Lamar Morin and many others like Charles Swindoll and John MacArthur who have continued to help me understand your truths. Protect these people and continue to raise up new leaders like them to speak your truths. Help me to know when I need to be vocal.