Commanded to Minister (1 Timothy 1:1)

During my sabbatical I am looking at Paul's writings to his student and friend, Timothy. Paul acts as a long-distance mentor to his young protege, giving him guidance on the practice of ministry and the health of the minister. I thought it might be a good starting point for reflection during this time away.

I spent most of last week examining the first verse of 1 Timothy. In the NIV, Paul introduces himself as an apostle. Then he shares the source of his apostleship: the command of God. That word "command" stuck in my mind. So I dug a little deeper. I expected to find the common word for command in my Greek New Testament: entole. Nope. He used epitage. Now don't stop reading just because you are not a Greek geek like me. Here is the significance. Paul didn't really need another word. An apostle literally means, "a person who is sent" and you can't be sent unless someone sends you and apostles believed they were sent by God. But Paul tosses in this additional word. And there are two shades of meaning that are important.

First, epitage is a very strong authoritarian word. I hear forced words and see furrowed eyebrows on the face of the command-er. God didn't just suggest an apostolistic ministry as one good career option among others for Paul. God commanded Paul to minister. His options are: minister or disobey. In our culture we bristle at such words. We resist commands and welcome suggestions. And when it comes to God we understandably would rather freely love God than obey him out of obligation and fear. But could it be that Paul wanted Timothy to remember that a call to ministry is not a career suggestion but a command? Then whenever it seemed easier to just give up and quit and sell insurance, he might need to remember that he/we are commanded to minister and to quit is to disobey?

I know that first meaning has a negative slant. But the second half is better. Epitage is a God thing. It is very direct. Paul has been commanded by God himself to minister. It is as if he was called to the general's tent and given special orders directly from the mouth of the general himself. I can hear the words now, "Son, I have chosen you for a mission-critical assignment. . ." Orders directly from the top.

I remember that day myself. Sitting on the wide railing of a porch, rain dripping off the roof above me, in the middle of Big Sandy Camp, when God said, "Jason, I want you to be a pastor. Jason, I want you to be a pastor." Commanded. Orders from the top. epitage.