Deacons, likewise, should be worthy of respect, not hypocritical, not drinking a lot of wine, not greedy for money, holding the mystery of the faith with clear conscience. And they also must be tested first; if they prove blameless, they can serve as deacons. Wives, too, must be worthy of respect, not slanderers, self controlled, faithful in everything. Deacons must be husbands of one wife, managing their children and their own households competently. For those who have served well as deacons acquire a good standing for themselves, and great boldness in the faith that is in Christ Jesus. I Timothy 3:8-13 (Holman Christian Standard Bible)
Timothy provided aid to the apostle Paul, while Paul was in prison in Rome. Timothy looked up to Paul as his devoted mentor. Paul wrote most of the epistles of the New Testament and two of those books were written to his young protégé, Timothy. Paul provided Timothy with instruction on how to establish the early church. He also instructed Timothy to preserve the Christian faith by teaching sound doctrine. Timothy was a young man, yet by Paul’s writings he helped Timothy expose false teachers in the early church.
The principles Paul used with Timothy in the building of the early church still apply today. For men to mentor younger men in the faith, hold fast to scripture and teach with sound doctrine.
