The final chapters of I Timothy deal with the church and its ministry to at least seven different kinds of people.
Chapter 4 deals with the pastor personally--his spiritual life and labors. It indicates that a true pastor will have three great qualities. He will be: (1) A good preacher, preaching God's Word (verses 1-6); (2) a godly preacher, practicing God's Word (verses 7-12); (3) a growing preacher, always progressing in God's Word (verses 13-16).
In chapters 5:1,2 Paul gives instructions to Timothy as to how to deal with the older saints. In verses 3-16 he tells Timothy how to deal with widows, both young and old. In verses 17-25 he tells Timothy how to deal with the church leaders. Timothy had apparently been having some difficulties with some of his church officers. Part of the problem was that he had misjudged some of them (verses 24,25), and made some hasty decisions. We must remember that pastors are only human, and they do make mistakes, even if their hearts are right.
How can a church member help his pastor grow? One way is to protect his time, so that he has opportunity to study and pray. Too many selfish church members use every excuse possible to phone the pastor or "drop in" at the study. Every pastor wants to be available when there is a need, but no spiritual pastor can afford to waste time. The most important thing to do is to pray daily for the pastor. Charles Spurgeon said that he had several hundred people praying for him while he preached. A congregation that prays continually for its pastor can expect God to bless and use that pastor in a great and mighty way--not only to feed the flock of the local church and provide the spiritual needs they may have from day to day, but also to preach powerful, Spirit-led sermons that will point sinners to the cross of Jesus Christ.
