1 Timothy

  • How do you know if God has called you to be a pastor? Question and Answer

    1 Timothy 1:6

    When Paul is reflecting on young Timothy who has been called to the ministry, he says to him in 2 Timothy 1:6, “Fan into flame the gift of God that is in you through the laying on of my hands.” I think there are three elements there that help us to recognize a call to the ministry. And a call to the ministry can come in very different ways. One of them is that God has gifted us. Another is that, beginning to recognize those gifts, the church begins to make room for them. And so there is a recognition … View Resource

  • Am I called to be a pastor? Question and Answer

    1 Timothy 3:1-7

    First of all, Paul says that if a man desires that office, he desires a noble work (1 Tim. 3:1). But the test in 1 Timothy 3 is necessary: Is he qualified? The church lays those qualifications down and affirms, and then the elders lay hands on that individual. It starts with a desire of the heart. If your heart desires to be pastor, it’s confirmed by the leadership of the church that you have the character qualifications and the skill to teach, and there is fruitfulness when you do teach, then that’s the direction you go. We don’t have … View Resource