But you did follow my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, steadfastness, persecutions, and sufferings: those things that happened to me at Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. I endured those persecutions. Out of them all the Lord delivered me. Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. But you remain in the things which you have learned and have been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them. From infancy, you have known the holy Scriptures which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith, which is in Christ Jesus. Every Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
I command you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at his appearing and his Kingdom: preach the word; be urgent in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with all patience and teaching. For the time will come when they will not listen to the sound doctrine, but, having itching ears, will heap up for themselves teachers after their own lusts; and will turn away their ears from the truth, and turn aside to fables. But you be sober in all things, suffer hardship, do the work of an evangelist, and fulfill your ministry.
For I am already being offered, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight. I have finished the course. I have kept the faith. From now on, there is stored up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me on that day; and not to me only, but also to all those who have loved his appearing.
Thoughts
There’s definitely a “handing-off-of-the-baton” thing going on in this passage. Paul’s headed out; Timothy’s taking his place. Persecution is a key ingredient to this passage as well: “…all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” That scares me—not the actual persecution, but that persecution isn’t really going on in my life right now. Granted, when you think a little differently than others, you’re going to suffer the slings and arrows of the church. I’ve been kicked out of several in the past for not buying all that they were selling. Is that persecution or just “Dave behaving badly”? What other persecutions do you face in the daily pursuit of God?
I’m also digging what Paul has to say about the Scriptures in this passage: “…which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith, which is in Christ Jesus.” He pretty much lays out the purpose of the word of God, doesn’t he? When we use to the word to get to know God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit better, then we’re on the right path. Every book before the gospels points forward to Jesus; every book after the gospels points back to him. Thank you, Father, for such clear direction!
Finally, there are some harsh words in this passage I want to hit on: reproof, correction, reprove, and rebuke. I’ve experienced these in the church. If you find yourself in the situation where you have to do some correcting or rebuking, please note some of the other words Paul uses to describe to Timothy how such things are to be done: Patient. Teaching. Love. Without the constant flow of these things in the humble walk of a Christ follower, the correction just won’t be what it should be. I’ll go so far as to say correction without love is pretty much useless. What are your thoughts on the subject?
Questions
- Is there a teacher of God’s way in your past that you’ve used to model as a way to conduct yourself? Did they pass on to you their purpose for living, faith, patience, love, steadfastness, persecutions, and sufferings? If you don’t have such a teacher, what do you do? Is Christ alone enough? Are you willing to put such a model of your own life in front of others to emulate?
- To better understand the persecution and suffering Paul endured at Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, read Acts chapters 13 and 14. What did Paul suffer and what did he have to endure in these cities?
- “…all who desire desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” Do you believe this is true today? If not, why? If so, how are you suffering persecution? Have you prayed for persecution?
- Are you “remaining in the things which you have learned and have been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them”? How can we be assured that what we’ve been taught is true? How can we grow into a deeper knowledge of Christ and a richer relationship?
- Are you ensuring that in your family your children, from infancy, are learning the holy Scriptures? How important is that?
- Are you and your family “growing wise for salvation through faith, which in Christ Jesus”?
- Do you agree that “Every Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work”? If so, how are you equipping yourself on a regular basis for every good work?
- Paul encouraged Timothy to, “preach the word; be urgent in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with all patience and teaching…. be sober in all things, suffer hardship, do the work of an evangelist, and fulfill your ministry.” How much of that exhortation applies to you and I?
- Will people listen to sound doctrine today? Have you experienced congregations of God’s people “heap up for themselves teachers after their own lusts”? Have you seen churches who have turned aside after fables?
- Have you fought the good fight? Have you ran the course? Have you kept the faith? If no, are you willing to join the fight? Are you willing to run this race?
- Do you believe that a crown of righteousness is waiting for you? What will it look like? If you don’t think you have one, are you willing to pray to God that he will do the things in your life necessary to acquire such a crown?
Experience
Pastors suffer for their faith. Missionaries suffer for their faith. At times, as Christ followers, we get ridiculed for our faith. Is that enough, or should we seek out further persecution? Is that even possible today? I’m not talking about knocking on doors on Saturday morning to leave tracks and flyers behind about our church. I’m not talking about standing on a street corner with a bull horn shouting out “The End Is NEAR!” and getting pelted with vegetables by passers by. I’m talking about speaking up clearly and succinctly—with humility and grace—when our faith collides with our culture. That’s why Paul, and Timothy, were going to suffer persecution, wasn’t it? When Paul told Jews, “Your way of life isn’t the way anymore” he got pelted with stones, lied about, pursued, and arrested. Am I willing to say, “There’s a better way to live”? Are you? Are you and I willing to live with the repercussions?
Prayer
Father, I pray for my brothers and sisters who endure hardships and persecutions for your word, who are willing to stand up and admit, “There’s a better way.” I know that in some countries today that your word and your power are manifesting itself greatly in the midst of persecution. Father, I pray for just such a way of life here. Help us to embrace what it means to be persecuted in the name of Christ. Help us to embrace the hardship that comes with following Christ. Give us the ability and the willingness and the boldness and the opportunity to simply state, “Hey, there is a better way of life than this culture.” Also give us the courage to look long and hard at our own lives and strip away from our day-to-day living the things that don’t belong there. Create in us a pure heart to see what’s got to go and the courage to get rid of it. Amen.
