Timothy was a close associate of Paul who was facing problems inside the church he was leading in Ephesus. In these personal letters Paul gives him practical pastoral instruction, pressing godliness and holy living so that Timothy could fulfill his calling and carry out his tasks effectively.

Let no one despise your youth, Paul encouraged him, but be an example to believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. That gentle encouragement still challenges anyone in church leadership, and John MacArthur draws it out passage by passage with questions for study. Second edition.