In the books of 1 and 2 Timothy we can see the way we should teach others. Regarding teaching, Paul charged Timothy, saying, “The things which you have heard from me through many witnesses, these commit to faithful men, who will be competent to teach others also” (2 Tim. 2:2). Let us consider what these two books tell us about teaching in an experiential way.
In 1 Timothy 1:3-4 Paul spoke to Timothy, one of his closest co-workers, saying, “Even as I exhorted you, when I was going into Macedonia, to remain in Ephesus in order that you might charge certain ones not to teach different things nor to give heed to myths and unending genealogies, which produce questionings rather than God’s economy, which is in faith.” This indicates that some were teaching differently from God’s economy, God’s dispensation.
The Greek word for economy means “household law” and implies distribution. This word denotes a household management, a household administration, a household government, and, derivatively, a dispensation, a plan, or an economy for administration (distribution); hence, it is also a household economy. God’s economy in faith is His household economy, His household administration, which is to dispense Himself in Christ into His chosen people that He may have a house to express Himself, which house is the church (3:15), the Body of Christ. Paul’s ministry was centered on this economy of God (Col. 1:25; 1 Cor. 9:17), whereas the different teachings of the dissenting ones were used by God’s enemy to distract His people from this economy.
The teaching in the New Testament is focused on God’s economy, His dispensation. However, during the centuries following the completion of the Bible, there have been many teachings which have not been on God’s economy. This should be a warning to us. We need to learn from history not to teach anything other than God’s dispensation.
In 1 Timothy 1 Paul presents God’s economy in opposition to different teachings. According to Paul’s word here some were teaching the law and genealogies rather than God’s economy. In the Bible the law is a major subject. Judaism was built upon the law, and the Judaizers were zealous for the law and were wholly given to it. The Bible also contains many genealogies, such as the genealogy of Abraham and the genealogy of David. In verse 4 the word genealogies probably refers to Old Testament genealogies adorned with fables (Titus 3:9).
There are many other matters in the Bible, such as the history and the prophecies, which can become distractions to us. Some are distracted from God’s economy through their readings of the Psalms or Proverbs. If as we read the Bible we are not under the control of a clear vision of God’s economy, we may be distracted not by heresies but by various things found in the Bible. When you hear this you may question whether biblical things can become distractions. It is a fact of history that throughout the centuries nearly all Christians have been distracted from God’s economy by different biblical things.
We must take heed to Paul’s charge not to teach differently from God’s economy. We believe that since the time of the apostles God’s economy has not been stressed as much as it has been stressed in the Lord’s recovery, especially in the past twenty years. God has a great plan-to dispense Himself in His Trinity into His chosen people. This is God’s economy. Our teaching must be governed by a clear view of God’s economy. Whatever we teach should be related to God’s economy.
As you teach in the Summer School of Truth, you should not have any burden, any view, or any vision other than God’s economy. You need to be not only burdened with God’s economy but also soaked and saturated with God’s economy. In your teaching you should know only one thing-God’s economy. You should be able to declare, “God’s economy is my burden, my view, and my vision. My entire being has been soaked in God’s economy, and I know nothing else.” To be sure, you will teach many different lessons, but every lesson will be structured with God’s economy. Only when you are clear concerning this basic matter will you know what we intend to do in the Summer School of Truth.
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