Genealogy - 1 Timothy 1:1-4

1:1 - With Timothy left in Ephesus to manage the Church there, Paul is sending him some counsel about how to run the affairs of it. Some of this is specific to Timothy's time, some of it is specific to church leadership, but we can find it profitable for ourselves as well. Paul starts the letter by introducing himself as "an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Savior, and Lord Jesus Christ." This might be to give some clarity to those who question him authority in the church. This verse is so focused on the Savior that I find it very refreshing because he concludes it as "Jesus Christ, which is our hope." I've been thinking a lot about the apostles martyrdom and living for a purpose vs. just surviving. The conclusion that I've come to is that looking to Christ and his will in all of our endeavors makes the biggest difference in so many lives, mine for sure. So it's like Christ is not only our "hope" like Paul says here, but He's our purpose. 1:2 - Paul refers to Timothy as "my own son in the faith," and wishes his "Grace, mercy, and peace." While on their journeyings, there must have developed some deep bond between Paul and Timothy. It's interesting to consider because We know that to be a Pharisee, Paul had to have been married at some point, and maybe had children. Whether those kids died or went to stay with relatives while Paul preached, I'm not sure. But it must have been a very lonely existence for Paul. He had a unique and sometimes off putting personality, and so do I, so I can relate to that. He had people close to him betray him, he was abandoned, and tortured, and imprisoned. It must have been very lonely for him. But to have Timothy not only be his friend but also his friend in the faith must have been a huge support to him. 1:3-4 - The reason Paul asked Timothy to stay behind in Ephesus was "that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine, Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minster questions, rather than godly edifying." Even in our church which has been established for almost 200 years, we still have people who try to perpetuate stuff that isn't necessarily contrary to the gospel, but shouldn't be the main focus. It's like the "good, better, best" concept, some stuff is good, some is better, and some is the best, the most profitable return on our investment in energy. So if we consider that in the early ancient church there were people who genuinely wanted to do the right thing, but might not have known how exactly. Then there were those who saw the church as a piggy bank or the ultimate scam to take advantage of. Timothy was assigned to Ephesus for that exact reason, to make sure that the doctrine that was taught was important and pure. The word "fables" in the verse is cross-referenced with Titus 1:14 which says "Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth." This might mean that Jewish converts were trying to include their original Jewish culture into the new gospel, or were relying on teachings from the law of Moses instead of the current church leadership. The phrase "endless genealogies" doesn't mean that family history isn't important to Paul because he himself has given his genealogy before as well as taught the importance of ordinance work for the dead. But it seems that what he is talking about is people using their ancestry to build credibility for themselves, putting themselves in leadership positions because of their lineage instead of because of their faith.