First Timothy along with; 2 Timothy and Titus are often referred to as pastoral epistles because they were written to guide 2 of his sons who had pastoral responsibilities over churches.
First Timothy is an encouragement to a son who was pastoring in the most difficult of circumstances and in a city where Paul himself struggled and was chased out of town through a riot. Ephesus is one of the biggest cosmopolitan cities of the time, and so the church was a mix of Gentiles and Jewish worshippers.
Paul's advise is simple;
"Timothy, my son, here are my instructions for you, based on the prophetic words spoken about you earlier. May they help you fight well in the Lord’s battles. Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked."
1 Timothy 1:18-19 NLT.
There are many distractions in our world right now, most of us face many of them daily. The believers responsibility is to cling to, to hold on to their faith. To keep a good conscience and live a life of love that models Christ. That is our calling, that the world will see Christ in us.
Paul goes on to repeat his instruction again;
"Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have declared so well before many witnesses."
1 Timothy 6:12 NLT.
We walk by faith, we live by faith, stand by faith, we even speak by faith. Halleluyah! Hold on to your faith in Christ.
