How to be a Successful Christian - 1 Timothy 4:6-10

©Copyright February 16, 2020 by Rev. Bruce Goettsche

One of the most elusive pursuits is the pursuit of success. We all want to feel we have done a good job in what we have been called to do. The problem is: "How do you define Success?" Different people define success in different ways.

· What determines if you are a successful parent?

· A Successful partner to your spouse?

· A successful businessman?

· A successful athlete?

· A successful follower of Christ?

How do you measure if our church is "successful?" Do we measure it by attendance, programs, longevity of the Pastor? In our text today Paul tells Timothy he will be a worthy servant if he explains the truth of God to people and has been nourished by the message of faith and good teaching he has been given.

According to Scripture, success is not measured by externals but by internals. Let's look at the entire text again in 1 Timothy 4:6-10.

6 If you explain these things to the brothers and sisters, Timothy, you will be a worthy servant of Christ Jesus, one who is nourished by the message of faith and the good teaching you have followed. 7 Do not waste time arguing over godless ideas and old wives’ tales. Instead, train yourself to be godly. 8 “Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.” 9 This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it. 10 This is why we work hard and continue to struggle, for our hope is in the living God, who is the Savior of all people and particularly of all believers.

To understand what “things” Timothy needs to explain to the brothers we have to look back at the verses that precede this. Paul summarized for Timothy the essential elements of the gospel and warned them about false teaching. He told them to enjoy all God had graciously given rather than be taken up in the bondage advanced by Satan. Now, Paul also gives Timothy very practical instruction.

Don't Waste Time on Godless Pursuits

Paul told Timothy not to "waste time arguing over godless ideas and old wives' tales." If you are like me, you immediately ask for a clarification: "Like what?" "What falls into the category of godless ideas and old wives' tales?" The key here, I believe, is in the terms, "godless ideas," and "argue over." What are these ideas?

Obviously, talk about myths, new age thinking and some of the "spiritual" mumbo jumbo that is peddled today would fall into this category. But in truth it could be anything that becomes our passion and provokes arguments. The word for "godless" can also mean irreverent. That is taking what is godly and treating it as a joke. Or we could say it is joking about what diminishes the truth of God. All of these things are characterized by similar things.

First, they serve no eternal purpose. In many cases these are just amusements. As far as eternity is concerned, these things have no real bearing on our lives. They may be fun and even have some earthly benefit, but we must not spend too much time on such things.

Second, they distract us from God rather than lead us to Him. Think about all the things we debate and argue about. Most of those things have nothing to do with the Lord at all. They are focused on our personal tastes and opinions. This moves us away from the heart of God rather than toward it.

The more time we spend on trivial things, the less time we have to devote to people and to things that are eternal. We all have the same amount of time. We can invest that time in things that pay an eternal dividend or in things that do not.

We Should Train Ourselves to be Godly

The word for godliness is used 15 times in the New Testament and 9 of them are in this single letter! What is godliness? I would describe it this way,

· It is to manifest the traits of Jesus

· To have God-awareness as you live life

· It is a driving desire to honor God

· It is yearning to live life by eternal values rather than temporal ones.

How do we achieve such godliness? Paul says we must train! In other words, it takes effort. We have all heard about the importance of exercise. One of the professions that is growing is that of personal trainer. People want help to get physically fit. I heard a fitness expert recently say the most effective exercise is that which includes some kind of resistance. If you aren’t tired from exercise, you aren’t doing it right!

People don’t just go out and run a marathon; they train for it for many weeks leading up to the event. Training requires regular and dedicated commitment. You probably know that Olympic athletes begin training when they are children. They move away from home and train for hours every day with an Olympic trainer. They work hard to eliminate minor flaws and imperfections knowing this is the difference that will lead to winning the race.

Paul has nothing against physical exercise. In fact, it seems that Paul might have been a sports fan. He uses a number of analogies with sporting events. Most scholars agree Timothy was in Ephesus when Paul wrote him. Ephesus was a center for sporting activity. Paul says, however,

Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.”

Exercise and taking care of yourself physically is a good thing to do. However, it is even better to train yourself in godliness. Physical training has value in this life, training in godliness has value for all eternity. In other words, the payoff for training in godliness is much greater. You are not just physically better; you are also spiritually and eternally healthier. One author wrote,

“godliness is valuable in every way.” It is valuable in the home, the church, and the marketplace. It is valuable both in times of trouble and in times of prosperity. It helps a person deal with enemies as well as friends. Godliness is never superfluous. It guides the believer in every situation.[1]

In 1 Corinthians Paul wrote,

24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. 25 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26 So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. 27 But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. (1 Cor 9.24-27)

Training in godliness will take effort. It takes discipline. It requires focus. There are certain “exercises” that should be part of your circuit of training:

1. Bible Study . . . this is where you dig in a little and reflect on the Scriptures. It is going beyond just reading.

2. Prayer – Satan is going to really fight you when it comes to prayer. He does not want us to talk with God. He really doesn’t want us to talk with God about our lives or listen as God talks about our lives to us. We must set aside time for prayer and be diligent in keeping this appointment with God.

3. Fellowship with Other believers- we need to fellowship with others to encourage us. This is why it is always easier to workout with someone else . . . the other person holds you accountable. As we meet with each other we learn that some of our struggles are not unique to us. We gain opportunities to help others even as they help us. There really is strength in numbers. We need all the strength we can get.

4. We must include a regular inventory of our lives. When you are training physically you look at the weight of your resistance, sets, and repetitions. You may look at times (like in running). You might look at measurements to determine if you are making progress. We must do the same thing with godliness. Regularly we must stop and ask: am I making progress? Am I thinking more like a believer? Do people see more of Christ in me? Am I being more honest with myself? In what areas do I still struggle?

We Must Keep the Goal in Mind

The goal is to more and more “hope (or be confident) in the living God.” This involves recognizing that Jesus is potentially the Savior of all people. He is practically the Savior of all who put their hope and trust in Him.

Our goal in growing in grace and truth is to be faithful in sharing our faith with our friends, neighbors and family. The growing Christian is the one who is constantly seeking and looking for opportunities to tell others about Christ.

It is an astounding message. We have the privilege to tell people they are loved by God. We can tell them that God went to great lengths to save them and set them free from their bondage. We get to tell them about the grace of God that frees us from our past, and gives us a future that is better than what we could have ever dreamed.

There is no one you know who does not need to hear this message! They may not be interested, they may not believe it is true, but they do need to hear the hope that comes from the gospel of Christ. We have a command from our Lord, "Go into all the world and share the message of the gospel." This is His will for our lives. It is also our greatest honor and privilege.

You can open a door of opportunity by asking questions,

1. What do you think of when you think of Christianity? This question will give you the chance to correct misunderstandings and to know where they are coming from.

2. Do you ever wonder about what happens to us after we die? (This will open a door for you to talk about the death and resurrection of Jesus).

3. Would you come to church with me? I think it is different than what you may think it is.

4. Have you ever read the Bible? (Be prepared with one of your favorite passages, like the end of Romans 8). Even if they say, "I don't believe in the Bible" you can follow up with, "Why don't you believe in the Bible?" Can I tell you what the Bible means to me? You might even invite them to meet weekly to study the Bible together. Many people who tell you they don't believe in the Bible, have never read it. A good question to ask such people is: "What in the Bible convinced you it was not the Word of God?"

5. Did I ever tell you about the moment my life changed forever? (Be prepared to give a quick version of your personal testimony.)

The point is: questions open up a discussion and for the most part, questions are non-threatening.

Life Lessons

These are just a few verses but I think they do lead to some principles we can apply in the way we live our lives.

First, growth in godliness takes time, so train with a schedule. For most people, early mornings are the best . . . before the crush of life takes over. That may not work for you. Find a time to meet with God every day. Be diligent, as you would with taking medicine, doing therapy, or working out. Set SMART goals,

· Specific (fifteen minutes each day . . . one chapter in the Bible read . . . join a Bible Study)

· Measurable (how will you know if you are meeting the goal)

· Attainable (these need to be realistic goals. Start small like a runner preparing for a marathon. To say: "I'm going to read the Old Testament this afternoon is likely unrealistic.)

· Relevent (something that makes sense. Set goals that fit with your life.)

· Time Limited (set a time when you will be able to measure your progress. e.g. "I am going to read the gospel of Matthew in the next month"

Setting SMART goals will help keep you on track.

Second, do some training with others. You might want to set up a Facebook group where you read passages together and everyone makes a comment every day. Join a Bible Study where you can learn from others and be spurred on in your own discipline. Ask your friends for prayer requests and invite them to pray with you on a certain issue for a period of time. Be committed to worship. Read the next week's passage ahead of time and try to "guess" what the message will be from that text. Make it a point to get to know others. Ask others about their "story." Make all of this fun.

Third, keep going. You may miss a day of training. Don't give up, get started again. There will be days you read from the Bible and get "nothing." What is important, is to get right back at it the next day. We are facing a fierce enemy in Satan. He will work hard to discourage you. FIGHT BACK!

There are days when you exercise when you are tired. You can't put the effort in you want to invest. There are other days when there is a schedule problem. But you don't quit . . . you get back to exercising the next day. The goal is to keep going. If you keep going you will improve.

Greg Smalley shares a great illustration in his book on marriage,

The Chinese bamboo tree does not produce much noticeable growth for the first four years of its life. Instead, nearly all its growth takes place underground. For those first forty-eight months, you see almost nothing growing on the surface except a little bulb with a small shoot extending from it. During these first few years the Chinese bamboo tree develops thick stems or roots, called rhizomes. Little surface growth takes place because the bamboo spends nearly all its energy sending out a network of roots that spreads out deep and wide, providing a firm base that will allow massive future growth.

If you looked at a young and frail Chinese bamboo tree during those first four years, you might think, That is the puniest, most pathetic tree I’ve ever seen. It’s gone several years without any noticeable growth. There must be something wrong with this tree! You might even feel tempted to uproot the pitiful runt. But you’d make a surprising discovery if you tried.

As you took hold of that tiny tree, pulled with all your might, tugged and yanked and heaved and jerked…nothing would happen. You could struggle with everything in you and even break out in a hot sweat…and yet, zilch.

Do you know the beauty of the Chinese bamboo tree? Its roots grow so strong during its first four years that by its fifth year, the tree shoots up a staggering eighty feet. Eighty feet! Can you imagine? Something that on the surface had produced only a measly bulb and a tiny shoot in one year develops into an eighty-foot-tall tree.

And you know what? The same thing can happen in your relationship with Christ if you concentrate on developing strong roots. The right fertilized soil, plenty of water, and abundant sunlight will help you to grow those healthy roots. The key is not to get discouraged when you fail to see much external growth in your relationship.

(Smalley, Greg. Before You Plan Your Wedding...Plan Your Marriage . Howard Books. Kindle Edition).

Perseverance is vitally important. We must develop the habit of training whether it is physical training or training in godliness. You may not see dramatic growth, but you are building a root system. It is that root system that is going to help you withstand the storms of life.

Finally, see the big picture. When you are trying to lose weight, they tell you not to look at the scale every day. That's because your weight varies. Fitness is less about weight and more about inches and endurance.

Your financial investor will tell you the same thing. If you are constantly looking at the stock exchange you will have a heart attack. The market fluctuates. Accept this and plan to hang in there over the long term.

This is also true in our spiritual lives. It is hard to measure growth in grace and truth. If we measure our growth on the basis of attendance figures, income, or the awards we receive, it will be easy to draw an erroneous conclusion. What we are looking for is growth in knowledge and understanding. We want to see some of the heart of Christ starting to look back at us in the mirror. We want to be able to see our love for the Lord growing. We want to see His character being seen through us.

You see, the irony of trying to be a successful follower of Christ is this: when you have succeeded, you will no longer care whether or not others consider you successful. Your one consuming passion will be to honor and glorify the Lord in your life. It will no longer be about you . . . but about Him.

May God grant us success as we train for Godliness.

[1] Philip Graham Ryken, 1 Timothy, ed. Richard D. Phillips, Daniel M. Doriani, and Philip Graham Ryken, Reformed Expository Commentary (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2007), 175.