Today we move to 2 Timothy. Here Paul continued to mentor his young son in the faith, and as we move through the letter, we see Paul becoming more purposeful as he realized the time for his earthly life to end was drawing near.
In 2 Timothy 1, Paul starts by exhorting Timothy to be strong in his faith. He reminds Timothy the faith he holds was first held by his mother and before that his grandmother. Paul also reminded Timothy God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of love, power and self-discipline. Paul reminds Timothy he was a herald, an apostle, and a teacher. One of my mentors, Arthur Pace, preached on this passage of Scripture at my ordination. He said Paul was a preacher, a reacher, and a teacher. He charged me to be and do the same. Now, it’s been more than thirty-five years I have been being and doing those things. I’m sure Timothy took Paul’s words to heart as well, and they motivated him to keep the faith.
In 2 Timothy 2, Paul offers Timothy a model for equipping and passing the faith along. He reminds Timothy to take the message he received from Paul and pass it on to faithful leaders, who will pass it on to others. Thus, we see a “four generation” model of ministry. I was reminded of the truth and power of this model through the book Hero Maker by David Ferguson and Warren Bird. If we are leaders in the church, we must always be equipping others who will equip others. In this way, leaders are equipped, and the Kingdom multiplies. Paul reminded Timothy to always be diligent, to be a worker who stands approved. We must avoid godlessness and idle chatter, keeping focused on what matters. He again offers examples of those who had become side-tracked by the world and its desires.
In 2 Timothy 3, Paul admonishes Timothy as the time draws closer to the end, people will become more and more resistant to the truth. He says they will become lovers of money, and they will not listen to faithful teaching, but only to what they desire. He reminds Timothy of the source of truth: God’s word. He reminds Timothy all Scripture is breathed by God and is fitting to teach and correct us, and to train us in God’s ways. What a powerful reminder to us! As we look around and see so much utter nonsense going on in the world, and people believing just about anything, how important it is for us to keep ourselves focused on God’s word and His truth.
In 2 Timothy 4, Paul closes with a charge for Timothy to keep the faith. In the midst of an increasing propensity for people to hear only what their “itching ears want to hear,” Timothy is to continue to teach the truth in season and out of season. He reminds Timothy he has run the course and kept the faith. This is reminiscent of the words Paul wrote to the Philippians in chapter 3, but there he told us he was running the race. Now, he saw the finish line, and he wanted Timothy to know he had kept the faith. He closes with a couple of requests, and some personal greetings. Among these, Paul mentioned Mark was useful to him. This is the same Mark, who Paul was unwilling to take with him in Acts 15. Thankfully, Barnabas gave Mark a second chance, and thankfully Mark and Paul had reconciled in the intervening years. We see Paul’s growth from that time in Acts 15 to this point in 2 Timothy 4. That reminds us each of us is called to continue to grow throughout our lives, and only when we see Jesus will our faith be perfected!
As we return to Luke 8, Luke starts with an interesting detail: Jesus had women in his group, and some of them provided the financial means for the group. That was so uncharacteristic of rabbis in Jesus’ day. After this we read the Parable of the Sower, which was followed by Jesus telling the disciples why He taught in parables. After this Jesus told the brief parable of how no one puts a lamp under a basket. Next, Jesus’ mother and brothers came looking for Him. When they couldn’t get near, because the crowd was so big, some people in the crowd told Jesus His family was looking for Him. Jesus responded by saying His mother and brothers were those who do His Father’s will.
After this the disciples took a boat across the sea of Galilee. A storm came up, but Jesus was sleeping. When the disciples woke Jesus, He calmed the storm. They were amazed. Jesus wondered why they had so little faith! After that Jesus healed “Legion,” which is an account we find in Mark 5. This was followed as it is in Mark 5, by Jesus healing a woman with an issue of blood, and Jairus’ daughter who was dead, before Jesus healed her. What an incredible Savior and Lord we serve. Take a moment to review this chapter and realize this was all in a day’s “work” for Jesus. Amazing.