1 Timothy

In places in the world where the gospel is being spread aggressively and many people are accepting Jesus as Lord, such as parts of Africa, it has been said that the church's faith is a mile wide and an inch deep. It is not an accident that Jesus commanded his follows to go into the world and make disciples. The word is not convert. People should not be afraid of that word.
There are many churches in places like Tanzania, Uganda, and Kenya. There is a great need for people to teach and model.
Paul and his fellow evangelists were having the same problems. The church was growing rapidly. In all his new churches he is fighting against ignorant people who were changing the gospel.
Paul admonishes Timothy to preach sound doctrine and not to get distracted by fruitless doctrines.
Paul is sternly warning Timothy of the danger of this. The gospel is to be explained. Some old behaviors have to be spoken against. People have to be retaught how to be a Christian. We follow Christ. We are to be like him.
Paul in 1 Timothy gives examples of fruitless discussions: working out genealogies and arguing about the (Jewish) law as things that can distract new converts from deepening their walk.
Paul suggests people are teaching strange doctrines (3). The people in Ephesus, where Timothy is, are Gentiles. And they think they are experts on the Jewish law (7)?
As new Christians they are susceptible. If someone confidently teaches a false doctrine they are liable to be confused. It is important that they, and we, find teachers who teach sound doctrine, not adding and subtracting from the true gospel. Paul tells Timothy to find people who will do that and appoint them as leaders.
We have the Bible to help us to judge true from false doctrine. They did not have that yet. The Bible was in the formative stages when Paul taught. So they did not have the Bible for help.
Paul was urgently concerned for the many new Christians that they would not be led astray.

1 TIMOTHY 1:1-11 [1] Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the commandment of God our Savior, and of Christ Jesus, who is our hope, [2]To Timothy, my true child in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. [3]As I urged you upon my departure for Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus so that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines, [4]nor to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which give rise to mere speculation rather than furthering the administration of God which is by faith. [5]But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. [6]For some men, straying from these things, have turned aside to fruitless discussion, [7]wanting to be teachers of the Law, even though they do not understand either what they are saying or the matters about which they make confident assertions. [8]But we know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully, [9]realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers [10]and immoral men and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars and perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching, [11]according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted. NASB