Spiritually speaking, Paul considered Timothy his βson in the faithβ (I Tim. 1:2). And, like any parent, he had noble aspirations for his loved one. In the Book of II Timothy, he is very specific about four things he wants Timothy to become for the Lord.
First, he wanted him to be a good servant of the Lord (I Tim. 1:6). God had given him a temporary spiritual gift that was not to be wasted, but consistently used in the local church, where he would have opportunities and the obligation to use this divine enablement.
Paul also wanted Timothy to become a good soul-winner (I Tim. 1:8). Apparently, there were real dangers in doing so for Timothy, and there was a danger he might shrink away from this essential task. He might allow the fear of men, and their reactions, to prevent him from sharing the gospel. If Timothy did not grow beyond such a fear, his lack of action would essentially be saying he was βashamed of the testimony of our Lord.β What a reminder for us today as well!
Next, Paul wanted Timothy to be a good student of the Word (I Tim. 2:15). Specifically, he wanted him to diligently apply himself to the study of the Scriptures so that he would be able to rightly divide the Word.
Finally, Paul wanted Timothy to faithfully hold fast to the distinctive doctrines taught only by the Apostle Paul (I Tim. 1:13,14), to continue in them without wavering (I Tim. 3:14), and then teach them to faithful men who would stand with him in dispensational truth (I Tim. 2:2). In Paulβs eyes, it would only be as Timothy achieved these four goals that he would be a spiritually-mature saint.
In a practical sense, each of us today can gauge our own spiritual maturity by measuring ourselves against these four goals that Paul had for Timothy. If we are consistently using our God-given capabilities for the Lord in our local church, then weβve taken a step toward spiritual maturity. If we are bold and faithful in giving out the gospel to lost souls, we have taken another step toward maturity in Christ. If we are willing to endure hardship in ministry for Christ, without stopping our service, we have taken yet another step in maturity. If we are unwavering in our loyalty to the distinctive dispensational truths of Godβs Word, as taught exclusively by Paul, we have taken still another important step toward spiritual maturity. source
