A Charge and A Warning

I Timothy 1:18-20

When I worked at the prison, we were assigned to our post (the job we worked for our shift). Seldom were we ever asked if we wanted to work that position. The Lieutenant making the roster simply assigned us where he wanted us. There was one night I was assigned to 4 different positions, and none of them were in the same building. That was interesting. Our job was to do the duties of that position to the best of our abilities. If we decided that we did not want to do the job, we would be written up for insubordination. If we left our position and went to another position, without authorization, we would be written up for abandonment of post. Simply put, each night we were charged with a duty. If we did our job, good. If we did not, there were consequences.

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“This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck, of whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I delivered to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.”

I Timothy 1:18-20

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Paul ends this first chapter of his letter by telling Timothy that this letter is a charge. A charge is a command. The entirety of I Timothy is a command, or marching orders, for Timothy as a pastor of the church at Ephesus. Many people consider Christian service to be optional. They look for convenience or interest and if whatever is being asked of them is convenient or of interest to them, they do not do it. The thing about orders is, the person giving them often does not care what you think or if it interests you, or if it is convenient. They are telling you to do the commandment. That is the end of the discussion.

The purpose of this charge is so that Timothy can fight a good Christian fight. This is not figurative language. We are literally in a battle with the forces of evil over the souls of our family, friends, neighbors, and even people we do not like. Satan is a thief, and he comes to steal, kill, and destroy. That has been his mission since the Garden of Eden. Our mission is sharing, life, and building. When we do not follow our orders, we concede victory to Satan, and our family, friends, neighbors, and others become casualties of war. It is very unloving for us to not be obedient to Jesus. It demonstrates our lack of love for Him, and for those around us.

Next, Paul calls out two men. Hymenaeus and Alexander, Paul tells us, were men whose faith had been shipwrecked. In other words, they had abandoned their faith. Paul says that he had turned them over to Satan that they might learn not to blaspheme. Whatever they had done, they were now denying Jesus. Paul tells us that he was not praying for their safety and protections, but rather that they would fall under judgment and persecution from Satan. Then, when things got unbearable, his prayer was that they would learn from their discipline and learn to be obedient and faithful to God

These two men were included in the Bible as a lesson, not just for Timothy, but for us as well. Denying our faith for any reason is dangerous territory for any Christian to be on. Paul was using them as an example of what could happen to Timothy if he did not follow his calling from God. There was a time when I walked away from the ministry. During that time, I did not have peace. God also revealed to me that things could get a whole lot worse if I continued down the path I was on. The message was loud and clear enough that I decided I didn't want to try and run from Him anymore. I do not know what happened with Hymenaeus and Alexander, but their example was clear for young Timothy.

So, where are you at today? Are you surrendered to God, or are you trying to avoid what He has called you to do? Have you even asked Him what He wants from your life? You are called to serve God. You are called to fight the good fight of faith. Only those who are not saved are not under orders or a charge from God.

Father, thank You for being the loving Father that calls us into Your service. Help us to love You enough to obey You. Help us to love others enough to be obedient to You. May we love You more than we love our own selfish interests and plans. Help us to remain faithful, even in the difficult times.