2 Timothy 4:1-8 (NIV)

¹ In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: ² Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. ³ For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. ⁴ They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. ⁵ But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.

⁶ For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. ⁷ I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. ⁸ Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

Reflection:

In WWII, Dietrich Bonhoeffer was imprisoned for taking a stand against Hitler. While in a German prison, he continued to urge the Christian believers to resist Nazi tyranny. A group of these Christians, believing that Hitler was the Antichrist, asked Bonhoeffer, “Why do you expose yourself to all this danger? Jesus will return any day, and all your work and suffering will be for nothing.” Bonhoeffer replied, “If Jesus returns tomorrow, then tomorrow I’ll rest from my labor. But today I have work to do. I must continue the struggle until it’s finished.”

In this passage, the Apostle Paul also writes from a prison.  He is aware that his final days are drawing near and proclaims an incredible vision of grace for Timothy to also pursue – “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” Timothy is urged to continue the hard work of forwarding the Gospel to the next generation; and once more, Paul encourages him to endure hardship with patience and careful instruction.  But over this all, Paul reminds Timothy of the Lord, the righteous judge – the one full of grace and mercy – who will vindicate all who set their hearts to trust Him and live and suffer for His kingdom.

Responding to the message:

The Apostle Paul lived with one sole passion of advancing the Gospel, which then motivated him to work hard.  He was absolutely relentless and held onto the Gospel even in the toughest of situations.  Let’s spend time in prayer asking for the Spirit’s empowerment for the endurance to fight through even the tough times so that the Gospel will be proclaimed with our lives.

2 Timothy 3:13-17 (NIV)

¹³ while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. ¹⁴ But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, ¹⁵and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. ¹⁶ All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,¹⁷ so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Reflection:

“Freedom of religion, freedom of speech, etc…” permeates every part of today’s society.  Everyone has the freedom to choose how he/she wants to live this life and even the way truth is perceived.  Values and morality are starting to become irrelevant as we watch or read the news each day. Many professing Christians have even compromised the Word of God by adapting this type of thinking and by allowing societal norms to become their own.

Until the day Christ returns, we shouldn’t expect the world to get any better. In fact, Paul is saying that things will get worse, reminding Timothy that Christians will be persecuted. Paul declares to Timothy and to us, “But as for you…” the Spirit in us is one of power and through God’s Word we are transformed. The Word is not just information, it is actually part of the process of the Spirit making us wise, teaching and correcting us, training us in what is good and just, that we may thoroughly live as servants of the Lord.

Responding to Transmission:

The Word of God is the only real truth today.  The Spirit has opened our eyes to this truth and continues to shape our lives through the Scriptures.  Let’s pray for the Spirit’s continued guidance in teaching us and empowering us through God’s Word.

2 Timothy 2:20-22 (NIV)

²⁰ In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for special purposes and some for common use. ²¹ Those who cleanse themselves from the latter will be instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.

²² Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

Reflection:

Crafting a high quality sword is a complex process, which requires much expertise and time.  The process requires a combination of many factors including choosing the right steel with the right carbon content, purification of the metal, blade design, and the actual forging process under high heat.  When done properly the result is a beautiful and strong instrument, an instrument ready to be tested in battle.

As Christians, we have been given the wonderful opportunity of becoming useful instruments of the Lord as we join Him in the advancement of His Kingdom.  In this life, we are faced with choices that will lead us down either an honorable or dishonorable path, but we have been called by the Lord to honor him; being prepared to do His good work.  In this passage, Timothy is encouraged to run, to flee from anything that would be dishonorable. Instead, he is to pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, together with the community of believers in seeking a pure heart before the Lord.

Responding to the Transmission:

Yes, we have been called for greater things in this life, and as we choose to honor the Lord we will be shaped into useful instruments for the Lord’s service. Let’s spend time in prayer asking for the Spirit’s empowering to pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace together with the community; seeking a pure heart before the Lord.

2 Timothy 1:9-14 (NIV)

⁹ He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, ¹⁰ but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. ¹¹And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. ¹² That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet this is no cause for shame, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day.

¹³ What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. ¹⁴ Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.

Reflection:

Today, we may not suffer the same type of persecution as the Apostle Paul, but we will face hardships in various ways as we live for Christ.  Even during childhood, a simple prayer before lunch at school can be met with opposition and mockery from other children.  As we persevere and choose to live for Christ throughout our various life stages, suffering will likely come in different ways and forms in this world.

Paul reminds Timothy of the Gospel, and of his own loyalty to the Gospel to the point of suffering. But more importantly, Paul reminds Timothy of God’s commitment to guard what he has entrusted to Him until the final day. So through the difficult and challenging times, Paul in turn urges Timothy to keep the Gospel as his pattern of sound teaching with faith and love in Christ, and to stay loyal to the Gospel by the power of the Spirit who lives in him.

Responding to the Transmission:

Even in today’s culture with it’s various types of teaching, the gospel stands as the only pattern of sound teaching.  Let’s spend time in prayer today asking for the Spirit’s empowering to stay loyal to the Gospel.

2 Timothy 1:6-8 (NIV)

⁶ For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. ⁷ For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. ⁸ So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God.

Reflection:

As a young leader of the early church, Timothy likely experienced periods of uncertainty related to his leadership abilities in the face of opposition (i.e. false teachers).  The Apostle Paul pulls no punches here in his encouragement to his young disciple.  Even though there may have been struggles with timidity and apprehension, Paul firmly reminds him that Christian life and leadership is not dependent upon ourselves or what we can do, but upon our reliance on the empowering presence of God- the Holy Spirit within us.

The Holy Spirit sets the stage, the framework by which we live out the called life. He is the Spirit of power, love and self-discipline, therefore there is no room for being fearful, lacking love or living a disorderly, untrained life.  God’s power will help us to take up our part in going through the hardships that comes with living for the Gospel

Responding to the Transmission:

Sometimes we may struggle with uncertainty or timidity when trying to share the Gospel with others.  Let’s spend time in prayer asking for the Spirit’s empowering to take us beyond this and our limited abilities.  Let us fan into flame the gift of God, which is in us, so that we may boldly proclaim the truth!