2 Timothy - part 1

Standing the Test of Time

Have you ever had to pass down a huge project? Perhaps it was job-related, a family heirloom, or some ministry. It can be difficult because you know how you would continue the project, but you are never really sure the person taking over will do it the right way—which, of course, means “your way.” But sometimes, life must move on without us.

When my family and I were preparing to move to Chilhowee, one of the steps we had to take was to pass down our college Sunday School class to another leader. Before we took it, the class had fallen into disrepair because previous leaders could not keep a core group together to grow it. It wasn’t necessarily their fault. College ministry is tremendously difficult in the best of circumstances, and the church had not had a vibrant college ministry in some time—possibly ever. We spent about a year working with the students we did have and attempted to reach out to other students. Thankfully, we had a good pool of candidates associated with the church, but we eventually only had a handful of students. But, that handful met together, prayed together, and planned together. We had a good class, and though I was frustrated we struggled to grow, I knew the students we had were growing spiritually, so I tried to be content.

Then, God opened the door for us to move to Chilhowee, and it was time to pass on the class to someone else. Just a couple of weeks before we would step down, a new student showed up. He was zealous and wanted the class to grow. When the new teacher stepped in, the teacher also inherited this zealous student who turned around and added just shy of 10 more students to the class.

Now, honestly, when I heard what had happened, my first thought was “Why couldn’t this kid have shown up while I was there?” But, it was a lesson in remembering what Paul told the Corinthians.

I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.

1 Corinthians 3:6-7

God designed my role in the class to be the one to restart the class, replant the Word in the hearts of those college students, and then allow another to come and water it. Ultimately, it wasn’t me that grew the class, nor the new teacher, nor the zealous student. It was God who brought the growth.

In 2 Timothy, Paul is reminding Timothy of the ministry he has received. It isn’t something new. It’s the faith that has been passed down through the generations, and Timothy has a part to play in furthering the faith. That part includes making sure his congregants know they have a part to play as well.

As we read through 2 Timothy, let’s not just ask what Paul says to Timothy, but what is God saying to us. What part do we play in furthering the Kingdom of God, especially as it relates to Chilhowee specifically.

A Persisting Faith

Paul begins with a traditional greeting as one would expect in a letter, but Paul’s greetings are deliberate. Look at 1:1.

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God according to the promise of the life that is in Christ Jesus.

2 Timothy 1:1

Paul notes he is only an apostle by the will of God, and it is according to the promise of the life in Jesus. Paul’s apostleship has nothing to do with Paul’s ability—it is by God’s mercy and will. It is a subtle point, but it goes with the rest of the letter. Timothy is carrying on the ministry of faith, not by his ability or merit, but because God has put him there.

Whatever success we may have in ministry will only come by following the will of God.

Paul knows his missionary success comes from the power of God, and he wants Timothy to know that is how Timothy will be successful, too. As we continue reading through Paul’s last letter to Timothy, take note of how Paul always points his successor back to the promises and power of God. He never tells Timothy to rely on his own ingenuity or charisma.

I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. 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, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

2 Timothy 1:3-7

First, Timothy’s faith is not new. Timothy’s family has been following God for some time. It apparently has been passed down through his mother’s side, but nevertheless, Paul is reminding Timothy God has been working throughout the generations. Just like it did not begin and end with Paul or Timothy, the Christian faith did not begin with us, and it will not end with us.

God has been working, and He will continue to work in the hearts of humanity. And for that reason, Paul tells Timothy to “fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.” We can have the same zeal to use and grow our own gifts, because we know it is God working through us.

And Paul reminds Timothy what we must remember today—God gave us a spirit of power, love, and self-control, not of fear.

Bold faith comes from remembering the power of the God we serve.

If you want a bold faith, first remember the God who dwells in your heart through Christ Jesus.

A Persevering Faith

The following verses expound what it means to live with the spirit of power and love. Because God has given us such a spirit, we should “not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord.” We can share in the same suffering Paul went through by the power of God.

Look closely at verse 9 as we continue to read.

Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,

2 Timothy 1:8-10

Why does God save us? Why are we “called to a holy calling”? It is according to His own purpose and grace. Paul is building a logical conclusion for why we can be bold in our faith.

If it is God who calls us,

If it is God who dwells in us,

If it is God who abolished death and brought life and immortality,

Then we can be bold in our testimony despite the hardships, because it will be God who sustains us.

The more we understand and accept the sovereignty of God, the bolder we can be in our faith.

Continue reading with me.

for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me.

2 Timothy 1:11-12

Paul is using himself as a test case. He well understood the reason he was suffering. The many times Paul mentions his “suffering” leads commentators to believe he was probably writing this letter from his jail cell, or at least where he was under house arrest. We do know the reason Paul was sent to prison was because of missionary endeavors throughout Rome. The more he preached, the more converted, which meant the less people were buying idols and engaging with paganism. This disrupted economies in cities, and people don’t like it when their wallets are affected. A particular case  from Ephesus is chronicled in Acts 19.

Regardless where this letter was written, the point is still the same.

A bold faith requires conviction which requires experiential knowledge of God.

I say “experiential knowledge” because of how Paul describes his own conviction. He is not ashamed, for he “knows”—he perceives or has understood. And he is “convinced”, or persuaded. These are not words about some academic exercise or some family story passed down. He has experienced the power of God in his life, and his convictions come from that experience.

Some Christians lack boldness in their faith because they simply have not experienced the power of God in their lives. Whether it is because of fear, sin, or something else is not really the point here. The point is simply boldness requires conviction which requires experience.

Now, if we take this principle a step further and ask “Why have I not experienced the power of God?,” then my response would be, “Have you taken a step of faith? Have you followed when God told you to step out in faith?”

Faith, by definition, requires a bit of risk. There are no guarantees in faith, otherwise it wouldn’t be faith. Paul was willing to step out, and his reward was experience in the power of God. He was also rewarded with suffering, but Paul never once says he would trade his experience with God for an easier life. On the contrary, in Philippians 3, he writes,

Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,

Philippians 3:8-10

If we are to have a bold faith, we must step out and take a risk in faith. Paul lost almost everything when he followed Christ in faith. And if you ask Paul, “Was it worth it?,” we have his letters to the churches where he proudly announces, “ABSOLUTELY!”

Is faith in Christ worth losing our wealth? Our health? Our prestige? Our high standing?

Paul says, “YES, it absolutely is!”

Jesus asked his disciples, “What is it worth to gain the whole world but lose your soul?”

Today, if we truly want a bold faith, we must be willing to let go of anything and everything that is holding us back. Be willing to let it all go in order to live the life God has designed you to live.

A Proven Faith

Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.

2 Timothy 1:13-14

The last bit we will read today reminds us our faith has already been proven to us. A second ago, I talked about stepping out in faith as risky. It is risky because there’s a good chance we may lose particular things in our life.

But, on the other hand, our faith isn’t risky because so many have gone before us. We stand in faith after 2,000 years of Christians who also stood the test of faith. We have God’s Word and church history to demonstrate our faith is built on “the pattern of the sound words.” Our faith has been proven true. Even though this world has tried for centuries, millennia now, to undermine and destroy the testimony of Jesus Christ, it still holds and holds true.

In addition to the testimony of believers who have come before us, we also have the ever-present testimony of God Himself. Paul tells Timothy to guard the good deposit entrusted to him “by the Holy Spirit who dwells within us.” Paul never tells Timothy to work in his own might. The Holy Spirit, the same Spirit who dwelt in Paul, dwells in Timothy, so Timothy can certainly fulfill the mission God has given him.

Christian, the same Spirit who empowered Paul, who empowered Timothy, who raised Jesus from the dead, that same Holy Spirit dwells in you, also. Whatever God has entrusted to your care, whatever risk He is calling you to take today, you can fulfill the task because God dwells in you and will see you through!

Many Christians say it is hard to be bold in today’s world because the world has changed so much. There are so many things that attack our faith, and it is difficult to deal with them. They cite society’s view of the Church and Christians, governmental regulations, workplace ethics and norms, social pressures, and other such things. I say that is all lies from the devil.

If anything, it should be easier to be bold today. We stand after 2000 years of people attacking the Bible, and the Bible is still being proven accurate. Yes, accurate. There is not a single scientific, archeological or otherwise, piece of evidence that has disproven the Bible. On the contrary, every time someone discovers something new in history, it ends up affirming the biblical record. Every time some philosopher comes up with a new way of life that is supposed to supersede the wisdom of the Bible, it eventually demonstrates its failure to understand the human condition. Every time some dictator decides he wants to destroy the church in order to become god to his people, Christians multiply and the martyrs prove the ability of the Gospel to remove any fear of death.

If the humans who became Christians of the last 2000 years can persevere through their hardships and turmoil, then we can too!

Christians persevere in faith through the same Holy Spirit who has been helping God’s people since the beginning of time.

If we are to be bold in our faith, we must follow the pattern of those who have stood boldly before us. And the first step in that pattern is always to return to the God who saves us through Jesus Christ.