Mensa Otabil - Sent by Christ (10/02/2025)
Welcome to a new week. One of the things I want to do with «Where to Go» is to take us through as much of the Scriptures as possible. Most of the time, Christians know only a few verses of the Bible and do not explore the Scriptures widely enough, so throughout my teachings, we will go through different portions of the Bible and examine verses systematically. Today, we are in the New Testament, specifically in First Timothy, and we will focus on chapter one, reading verses one and two.
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God our Savior, and the Lord Jesus Christ our hope, to Timothy, a true son in the faith: grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. This is Paul’s first letter to Timothy, and it is a pastoral letter. This means it addresses issues related to pastoring or the work of the church. Paul wrote two letters to Timothy in the New Testament Scriptures.
In the introduction, Paul uses a familiar greeting if you are accustomed to his writing. He addresses himself in very similar ways, calling himself an apostle. An apostle comes from the Greek word «apostolos,» which means one who has been sent or simply a messenger—a person who has been sent on a mission. It’s not a grand title; it’s a humble title given by Jesus Christ himself to those he trained. When Jesus called his disciples, or people to follow him, he referred to them as disciples, meaning students. When he was ready to send them out, he called them apostles—messengers who had been trained, people who had been disciples and were now going out with his message.
Paul saw himself as also trained by the Lord Jesus Christ and sent by the Lord Jesus Christ. It’s interesting how Paul viewed himself as an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ. He wasn’t an apostle for himself; he wasn’t self-sent. He was sent by the Lord Jesus Christ, and he was always careful to mention that he was a messenger of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul then addresses Timothy, whom he calls a son in the faith. Timothy was one of Paul’s most well-known proteges, a person he trained in ministry. Timothy was a young man whom Paul met in the city of Lystra on a mission trip; he came from a Christian family. Paul took him, discipled him, and he became a companion of Paul. He later became a pastor of the church in Ephesus. At the time this letter was being written, he was the pastor of the church in Ephesus, which in the New Testament era was one of the largest churches, supposedly reaching a number of about 10,000 people at once. So, Timothy was a very effective individual and a highly regarded protege of Paul.
That’s our introduction to First Timothy, and Paul speaks grace, mercy, and peace from God to Timothy and to the church in Ephesus, as well as to all of us Christians. The lesson we learn is that God is the one who trains us and sends us, and when we’re on a mission, we should be conscious that our work is for Him, for His glory, and to accomplish His purposes. That’s how we introduce ourselves to First Timothy right from chapter one. We will continue this tomorrow.
Let’s share a word of prayer together. Say with me: «Heavenly Father, I submit myself to you. Teach me your ways. Send me to be a blessing to my generation. In Jesus' name, amen.» May the same Lord who used the great apostle Paul also use you in your time and in your generation. I’m Pastor Mensa Otabil. Shalom, peace, and life to you.