1 Timothy 1:18-20
FAITH AND A GOOD CONSCIENCE
In the early days of the church, men who were gifted as prophets were set apart to warn and encourage the people of God. The New Testament scriptures were not yet in written form, so these men, and the apostles, were in the foundation of the work and used by God to meet the needs of the saints, hearing from God the teaching necessary to initiate and maintain a work and a new assembly. There was no doubt that those who prophesied identified Timothy as a young man on whom God had given needed gifts for the furtherance of the work in which he joined with Paul. Other people could see Timothy's gifts and strengths and gave a good report of him to the apostle Paul. The "prophecies which went before on thee" would have encouraged him through his life, even though he doubtless felt unable to meet the need on occasion. In order for him to defend the faith, these prophets were used in the early church to minister to the saints so that Timothy realized he had this charge from God, not just Paul.