1 Timothy 4:14
Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given you through the prophecy spoken over you at the laying on of the hands of the elders.
Do not neglect
The phrase "do not neglect" is a direct exhortation from Paul to Timothy, urging him to be vigilant and attentive. The Greek word used here is "ἀμέλει" (amelei), which means to be careless or to disregard. In the historical context of the early church, this was a critical reminder for leaders to remain diligent in their spiritual duties. The call to not neglect implies a proactive engagement with one's spiritual gifts, emphasizing the importance of stewardship and responsibility in the Christian life.

the gift that is in you
The "gift" refers to a spiritual endowment or charisma, derived from the Greek word "χάρισμα" (charisma). This indicates a divine grace or favor bestowed upon Timothy, enabling him to fulfill his ministry. In the broader scriptural context, spiritual gifts are seen as tools for edification and service within the body of Christ. The phrase "that is in you" underscores the personal and internal nature of this gift, highlighting the intimate relationship between the believer and the Holy Spirit.

which was given you through prophecy
The mention of "prophecy" points to a specific moment of divine revelation or utterance that confirmed Timothy's calling and gifting. In the early church, prophecy was a means by which God communicated His will and direction. The Greek term "προφητεία" (prophēteia) suggests a message inspired by God, often delivered through a prophet. This underscores the divine origin and authority of Timothy's gift, affirming that it was not of human invention but of God's sovereign will.

with the laying on of hands
The "laying on of hands" is a significant ritual act in both Jewish and Christian traditions, symbolizing the impartation of blessing, authority, or the Holy Spirit. The Greek phrase "ἐπιθέσεως τῶν χειρῶν" (epitheseōs tōn cheirōn) reflects a practice that conveys a tangible connection and transfer of spiritual power or responsibility. In the context of Timothy's commissioning, it signifies the church's recognition and affirmation of his ministry, as well as the communal aspect of spiritual leadership.

by the elders
The "elders" refers to the presbytery or group of mature, spiritually discerning leaders within the church. The Greek word "πρεσβυτέρων" (presbyterōn) denotes those who hold a position of oversight and governance. Historically, elders were responsible for teaching, shepherding, and maintaining doctrinal purity. Their involvement in the laying on of hands highlights the importance of accountability and communal support in the exercise of spiritual gifts, ensuring that Timothy's ministry was grounded in the collective wisdom and guidance of the church leadership.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Timothy
A young pastor and protégé of the Apostle Paul, Timothy was entrusted with the leadership of the church in Ephesus. He is the recipient of this letter, which provides guidance and encouragement for his ministry.

2. Paul
The Apostle Paul is the author of this epistle. He writes to Timothy with the authority of an apostle and the affection of a spiritual father, offering counsel and exhortation.

3. Elders
The elders mentioned here are likely the leaders of the church who participated in Timothy's commissioning. Their role in laying hands on Timothy signifies a formal recognition and empowerment for ministry.

4. Prophecy
This refers to the divine revelation or message that accompanied Timothy's commissioning. It underscores the spiritual authority and calling that Timothy received.

5. Ephesus
The city where Timothy was serving as a church leader. Ephesus was a significant center for early Christianity and a place where Timothy faced various challenges in his ministry.
Teaching Points
Recognize and Value Your Spiritual Gifts
Every believer has been endowed with spiritual gifts. Recognizing and valuing these gifts is crucial for effective ministry and service in the body of Christ.

Do Not Neglect Your Calling
Just as Timothy was reminded not to neglect his gift, believers today must be diligent in nurturing and using their spiritual gifts for God's glory.

The Role of the Church in Affirming Gifts
The laying on of hands by the elders highlights the church's role in recognizing and affirming the gifts and callings of its members. This communal aspect is vital for accountability and encouragement.

The Importance of Prophetic Encouragement
Prophetic words and encouragement can play a significant role in confirming and strengthening one's calling. Believers should be open to receiving and discerning such words.

Active Participation in Ministry
Spiritual gifts are not to be dormant. Active participation in ministry, using one's gifts, is essential for personal growth and the edification of the church.
Bible Study Questions
1. What specific spiritual gifts do you believe God has given you, and how are you currently using them in your church or community?

2. How can you ensure that you do not neglect the gifts and calling God has placed on your life?

3. In what ways can your church community help you recognize and affirm your spiritual gifts?

4. How can prophetic words or encouragement from others help you in your spiritual journey and ministry?

5. Reflect on a time when you felt affirmed in your calling. How did that experience impact your faith and service?
Connections to Other Scriptures
1 Timothy 1:18
Paul reminds Timothy of the prophecies previously made about him, encouraging him to fight the good fight. This connection emphasizes the importance of recalling one's calling and the spiritual gifts imparted through prophecy.

2 Timothy 1:6
Paul urges Timothy to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in him through the laying on of hands. This reinforces the idea of actively nurturing and utilizing one's spiritual gifts.

Acts 13:2-3
The church in Antioch lays hands on Paul and Barnabas, sending them off for missionary work. This illustrates the practice of laying on of hands as a means of commissioning and blessing for ministry.
An Ordination ChargeR. Halley, D. D.1 Timothy 4:14
Benefit of Using Personal GiftsG. Brown.1 Timothy 4:14
Spiritual NegligenceW.M. Statham 1 Timothy 4:14
The Duty of Improving the Divine Gifts of Exhortation and TeachingT. Croskery 1 Timothy 4:14
Achievements of YouthPalace Journal1 Timothy 4:11-16
Characteristics of the Christian TeacherA. Rowland, LL. B.1 Timothy 4:11-16
Directions to TimothyR. Finlayson 1 Timothy 4:11-16
On the Duties of YouthJ. Hewlett, M. A.1 Timothy 4:11-16
The Least Man in the Ministry not to be ContemnedJ. Spencer.1 Timothy 4:11-16
Youth not to be Despised1 Timothy 4:11-16
People
Christians, Paul, Timothy
Places
Ephesus
Topics
Bestowed, Body, Careless, Church, Conferred, Council, Divine, Elderhood, Elders, Eldership, Endowed, Gift, Gifts, Grace, Hands, Imposition, Laid, Laying, Message, Neglect, Negligent, Placed, Presbytery, Prophecy, Prophetic, Prophets, Revelation, Rulers, Spiritual, Utterance, Within
Dictionary of Bible Themes
1 Timothy 4:14

     5136   body
     5325   gifts
     7328   ceremonies
     7372   hands, laying on
     7745   ordination
     7967   spiritual gifts, responsibility
     8437   giving, of talents
     8467   reminders
     8783   neglect

1 Timothy 4:6-16

     7793   teachers

1 Timothy 4:11-14

     7796   teaching

1 Timothy 4:11-16

     1614   Scripture, understanding

1 Timothy 4:13-14

     7026   church, leadership
     7797   teaching

1 Timothy 4:13-15

     5465   profit

1 Timothy 4:13-16

     7760   preachers, responsibilities
     8236   doctrine, purpose

1 Timothy 4:14-15

     5556   stewardship

Library
Spiritual Athletics
'Exercise thyself unto Godliness.'--1 TIM. iv. 7. Timothy seems to have been not a very strong character: sensitive, easily discouraged, and perhaps with a constitutional tendency to indolence. At all events, it is very touching to notice how the old Apostle--a prisoner, soon to be a martyr--forgot all about his own anxieties and burdens, and, through both of his letters to his young helper, gives himself to the task of bracing him up. Thus he says to him, in my text, amongst other trumpet-tongued
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Practice of Piety
The Practice of Piety Directing a Christian How to Walk, that He May Please God. by Lewis Bayly, D.D. Bishop of Bangor (with a biographical preface by Grace Webster) "Godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come." 1 Timothy 4:8 Soli Deo Gloria Publications ...for instruction in righteousness... Soli Deo Gloria Publications P.O. Box 451, Morgan, PA 15064 (412) 221-1901/FAX (412) 221-1902 * This edition of The Practice of Piety was taken
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

Epistle ii. To Anastasius, Bishop of Antioch.
To Anastasius, Bishop of Antioch. Gregory to Anastasius, Patriarch of Antioch. I have received the letters of your most sweet Blessedness, which flowed with tears for words. For I saw in them a cloud flying aloft as clouds do; but, though it carried with it a darkness of sorrow, I could not easily discover at its commencement whence it came or whither it was going, since by reason of the darkness I speak of I did not fully understand its origin. Yet it becomes you, most holy ones, ever to recall
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great

Epistle cxxiii. To Venantius and Italica .
To Venantius and Italica [86] . Gregory to the lord Venantius, Patrician, and Italica his wife. I have taken care, with due affection, to enquire of certain persons who have come from Sicily about your Excellency's health. But they have given me a sad report of the frequency of your ailments. Now, when I say this, neither do I find anything to tell you about myself, except that, for my sins, lo it is now eleven months since it has been a very rare case with me if I have been able now and then to
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great

Appendix. An Ordination Charge.
I should like to connect what I have to say with a text of Scripture, which you may remember as a motto for this occasion. Take, then, that pastoral exhortation to a young minister in 1 Tim. iv. 16: "Take heed unto thyself, and to the doctrine; continue in them; for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself and them that hear thee." There are three subjects recommended in this text to one in your position--first, yourself; second, your doctrine; third, those that hear you. I. Take heed unto
James Stalker—The Preacher and His Models

How Intent the Ruler Ought to be on Meditations in the Sacred Law.
But all this is duly executed by a ruler, if, inspired by the spirit of heavenly fear and love, he meditate daily on the precepts of Sacred Writ, that the words of Divine admonition may restore in him the power of solicitude and of provident circumspection with regard to the celestial life, which familiar intercourse with men continually destroys; and that one who is drawn to oldness of life by secular society may by the aspiration of compunction be ever renewed to love of the spiritual country.
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

Grace Before Meat.
O most gracious God, and loving Father, who feedest all creatures living, which depend upon thy divine providence, we beseech thee, sanctify these creatures, which thou hast ordained for us; give them virtue to nourish our bodies in life and health; and give us grace to receive them soberly and thankfully, as from thy hands; that so, in the strength of these and thy other blessings, we may walk in the uprightness of our hearts, before thy face, this day, and all the days of our lives, through Jesus
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

The Daily Walk with Others (ii. ).
If Jesus Christ thou serve, take heed, Whate'er the hour may be; His brethren are obliged indeed By their nobility. In the present chapter I follow the general principles of the last into some further details. And I place before me as a sort of motto those twice-repeated words of the Apostle, TAKE HEED UNTO THYSELF. These words, it will be remembered, are addressed in both places to the Christian Minister. [Acts xx. 28; 1 Tim. iv. 6.] At Miletus St Paul gathers round him the Presbyters of Ephesus,
Handley C. G. Moule—To My Younger Brethren

Answer to Mr. W's Fifth Objection.
5. The consideration that none of these raised persons did or could, after the return to their bodies, tell any tales of their separate existence; otherwise the Evangelists had not been silent in this main point, &c. p. 32. None of these persons, Mr. W. says, told any tales of their separate existence. So I suppose with him. As for the two first: How should they? being only, as Mr. W. says, an insignificant boy and girl, of twelve years of age, or thereabouts. Or if they did, the Evangelists were
Nathaniel Lardner—A Vindication of Three of Our Blessed Saviour's Miracles

Discerning Prayer.
INTRODUCTORY. BY D.W. WHITTLE. To recognize God's existence is to necessitate prayer to Him, by all intelligent creatures, or, a consciously living in sin and under condemnation of conscience, because they do not pray to Him. It would be horrible to admit the existence of a Supreme Being, with power and wisdom to create, and believe that the creatures he thought of consequence and importance enough to bring into existence, are not of enough consequence for him to pay any attention to in the troubles
Various—The Wonders of Prayer

Lastly, Let us Hear the Lord Himself Delivering Most Plain Judgment on this Matter. ...
23. Lastly, let us hear the Lord Himself delivering most plain judgment on this matter. For, upon His speaking after a divine and fearful manner concerning husband and wife not separating, save on account of fornication, His disciples said to Him, "If the case be such with a wife, it is not good to marry." [2066] To whom He saith, "Not all receive this saying. For there are eunuchs who were so born: but there are others who were made by men: and there are eunuchs, who made themselves eunuchs for
St. Augustine—Of Holy Virginity.

"But Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God, and his Righteousness, and all These Things Shall be Added unto You. "
Matth. vi. 33.--"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you." The perfection even of the most upright creature, speaks always some imperfection in comparison of God, who is most perfect. The heavens, the sun and moon, in respect of lower things here, how glorious do they appear, and without spot! But behold, they are not clean in God's sight! How far are the angels above us who dwell in clay! They appear to be a pure mass of light and
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

Prefatory Scripture Passages.
To the Law and to the Testimony; if they speak not according to this Word, it is because there is no light in them.-- Isa. viii. 20. Thus saith the Lord; Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls.--Jer. vi. 16. That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive. But
G. H. Gerberding—The Way of Salvation in the Lutheran Church

Perfect in Parts, Imperfect in Degrees.
And the very God of peace sanctify, you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. -- 1 Thess. v. 23. The Scriptural doctrine that sanctification is a gradual process perfected only in death must be maintained clearly and soberly: first, in opposition to the Perfectionist, who says that saints may be "wholly sanctified" in this life; secondly, to those who deny the implanting of inherent holy dispositions in God's children.
Abraham Kuyper—The Work of the Holy Spirit

Of the Trinity and a Christian, and of the Law and a Christian.
EDITOR'S ADVERTISEMENT. These two short treatises were found among Mr. Bunyan's papers after his decease. They probably were intended for publication, like his 'Prison Meditations' and his 'Map of Salvation,' on a single page each, in the form of a broadside, or handbill. This was the popular mode in which tracts were distributed; and when posted against a wall, or framed and hung up in a room, they excited notice, and were extensively read. They might also have afforded some trifling profit to aid
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

The Clergyman and the Prayer Book.
Dear pages of ancestral prayer, Illumined all with Scripture gold, In you we seem the faith to share Of saints and seers of old. Whene'er in worship's blissful hour The Pastor lends your heart a voice, Let his own spirit feel your power, And answer, and rejoice. In the present chapter I deal a little with the spirit and work of the Clergyman in his ministration of the ordered Services of the Church, reserving the work of the Pulpit for later treatment. THE PRAYER BOOK NOT PERFECT BUT INESTIMABLE.
Handley C. G. Moule—To My Younger Brethren

Seed Scattered and Taking Root
'And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles. 2. And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him. 3. As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison. 4. Therefore they that were scattered abroad went everywhere
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture: The Acts

"We must Increase, but I must Decrease. "
(JOHN III. 30.) "Where is the lore the Baptist taught, The soul unswerving and the fearless tongue? The much-enduring wisdom, sought By lonely prayer the haunted rocks among? Who counts it gain His light would wane, So the whole world to Jesus throng?" KEBLE. The Moral Greatness of the Baptist--Thoughts on Envy--Christian Consecration--The Baptist's Creed--The Voice of the Beloved From the Jordan Valley our Lord returned to Galilee and Nazareth. The marriage feast of Cana, his return to Jerusalem,
F. B. Meyer—John the Baptist

"But Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God," &C.
Matt. vi. 33.--"But seek ye first the kingdom of God," &c. O "seekest thou great things for thyself," says God to Baruch, (Jer. xlv. 5) "seek them not." How then doth he command us in the text to seek a kingdom? Is not this a great thing? Certainly it is greater than those great things he would not have Baruch to seek after, and yet he charges us to seek after it. In every kind of creatures there is some difference, some greater, some lesser, some higher, some lower; so there are some men far above
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

Of Matrimony.
It is not only without any warrant of Scripture that matrimony is considered a sacrament, but it has been turned into a mere mockery by the very same traditions which vaunt it as a sacrament. Let us look a little into this. I have said that in every sacrament there is contained a word of divine promise, which must be believed in by him who receives the sign; and that the sign alone cannot constitute a sacrament. Now we nowhere read that he who marries a wife will receive any grace from God; neither
Martin Luther—First Principles of the Reformation

Free Grace
To The Reader: Nothing but the strongest conviction, not only that what is here advanced is "the truth as it is in Jesus," but also that I am indispensably obliged to declare this truth to all the world, could have induced me openly to oppose the sentiments of those whom I esteem for their work's sake: At whose feet may I be found in the day of the Lord Jesus! Should any believe it his duty to reply hereto, I have only one request to make, -- Let whatsoever you do, be done inherently, in love, and
John Wesley—Sermons on Several Occasions

Meditations of the Blessed State of the Regenerate Man after Death.
This estate has three degrees:--1st, From the day of death to the resurrection; 2d, From the resurrection to the pronouncing of the sentence; 3d, After the sentence, which lasts eternally. As soon as ever the regenerate man hath yielded up his soul to Christ, the holy angels take her into their custody, and immediately carry her into heaven (Luke xvi. 22), and there present her before Christ, where she is crowned with a crown of righteousness and glory; not which she hath deserved by her good works,
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

Of Bearing the Cross --One Branch of Self-Denial.
The four divisions of this chapter are,--I. The nature of the cross, its necessity and dignity, sec. 1, 2. II. The manifold advantages of the cross described, sec. 3-6. III. The form of the cross the most excellent of all, and yet it by no means removes all sense of pain, sec. 7, 8. IV. A description of warfare under the cross, and of true patience, (not that of philosophers,) after the example of Christ, sec. 9-11. 1. THE pious mind must ascend still higher, namely, whither Christ calls his disciples
Archpriest John Iliytch Sergieff—On the Christian Life

Third Sunday in Lent
Text: Ephesians 5, 1-9. 1 Be ye therefore imitators of God, as beloved children; 2 and walk in love, even as Christ also loved you, and gave himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for an odor of a sweet smell. 3 But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as becometh saints; 4 nor filthiness, nor foolish talking, or jesting, which are not befitting: but rather giving of thanks. 5 For this ye know of a surety, that no fornicator, nor unclean
Martin Luther—Epistle Sermons, Vol. II

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