The Christ Church Wednesday Bible Study Group is studying Paul's pastoral Epistles (Letters) to his proteges, Timothy and Titus.
1. Courageous Enthusiasm
2. Shameless Suffering
3. Spiritual Loyalty
The first letter to Timothy and the one to Titus were written during the period of travel and missionary work between Paul's two Roman imprisonments probably somewhere between a.d. 61 and 63.
In 1 Timothy Paul is writing to Timothy, who is in Ephesus, to encourage him in the task of leading that church. He gives Timothy a lot of advice both for the Christians in the church and for Timothy himself.
In this letter Titus, together with all the Church, is charged to keep "the faith." The outworking of this charge is not only maintaining the faith through good works and right conduct but also resisting that which is false.
Introduction to 2 Timothy:
The second epistle to Timothy contains the last words found from the apostle; they were written from prison shortly before his martyrdom. The date of the apostle's death is generally set sometimes between a.d. 65 and 68. The Wycliffe Bible Commentary.
Paul knew that the time of his death had come
2 Timothy 4:6-8 NIV [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.
Paul asked Timothy to come to him before winter (2 Timothy 4:21). So, the date of the letter could not be later than AD 67.
2 Timothy 4:21 NIV [21] Do your best to get here before winter. Eubulus greets you, and so do Pudens, Linus, Claudia and all the brothers and sisters.
For one reason or another, almost all of Paul’s associates in the ministry were gone and only Luke was at the apostle’s side to assist him
2 Timothy 4:11 NIV [11] Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry.
It was a dark hour indeed.
But Paul’s great concern was not for himself; it was for Timothy and the success of the gospel ministry. As in his first letter to Timothy, Paul encouraged his beloved colleague to be faithful.
Paul sent Tychicus to replace Timothy at Ephesus so that Timothy might join Paul at Rome
.2 Timothy 4:9,12 NIV [9] Do your best to come to me quickly, [12] I sent Tychicus to Ephesus. [13] When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, and my scrolls, especially the parchments.
God would soon move Paul off the scene, and Timothy would take his place and continue to give spiritual leadership to the churches. It would not be an easy task, but Timothy could succeed with the Lord’s help. Paul gave Timothy three essentials that he must possess to have success.
1. Courageous Enthusiasm (1:1–7)
2. Shameless Suffering (1:8–12)
3. Spiritual Loyalty (1:13–18)
1. Courageous Enthusiasm (1:1–7)
2 Timothy 1:1-7 NIV [1] Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, in keeping with the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus, [2] To Timothy, my dear son: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. [3] I thank God, whom I serve, as my ancestors did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. [4] Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. [5] I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. [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.
Courageous enthusiasm is essential for success in any kind of work. Paul was encouraging his associate to keep the fire burning brightly so that it might generate spiritual power in his life. Paul gives Timothy four reasons to be courageous.
One was Paul's love and confidence in him.
2 Timothy 1:1-2 NIV [1] Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, in keeping with the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus, [2] To Timothy, my dear son: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
Next Timothy could be courageous because Paul who was an apostle with a first hand experience with Jesus was praying for him to succeed.
2 Timothy 1:3-4 NIV [3] I thank God, whom I serve, as my ancestors did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. [4] Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy.
Knowing that he would soon die, Paul was anxious that Timothy join him at Rome for those last days of fellowship and ministry. His ancestors had given him the orthodox Jewish faith. But when he met Jesus Christ, Paul realized that his Jewish faith was but preparation for the fulfillment Christ gave him in Christianity. Paul said that he was praying for Timothy with a clear conscience. He heard about the true God from his forefathers, and now he was serving that God with a pure conscience. The fact that he had a pure conscience helped give power to his prayers.
Number 3 Paul had confidence in Timothy.
2 Timothy 1:5 NIV [5] I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.
Paul was sure that Timothy’s faith was genuine, and that this faith would see him through in spite of the troubles he was facing. Apparently Lois, Timothy’s grandmother, was the first one in the family won to Christ; then his mother, Eunice, was converted. Timothy’s mother and grandmother had seen to it that he was taught the Scriptures
2 Timothy 3:14-15 NIV [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, [15] and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
Timothy’s heritage was a great one, for he was reared in a godly home, trained by a wonderful apostle, Paul.
Timothy should be enthusiastic because of His gift.
2 Timothy 1:6-7 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.
Paul reminded Timothy of the time God called him into service and the local church ordained him.
1 Timothy 4:14 NIV [14] Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you.
Through Paul and the elders, God had imparted to Timothy the spiritual gift he needed for his ministry.. Today, when we lay hands on people for the ministry, it is a symbolic act.
It is the Holy Spirit who enables us to serve God, and through Him we can overcome fear and weakness.
2 Timothy 1:7 NIV [7] For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.
The word fear in 2 Timothy 1:7 means “timidity, cowardice.”
It is futile for us to try to serve God without the power of the Holy Spirit. Talent, training, and experience cannot take the place of the power of the Spirit.
Acts 1:7-8 NIV [7] He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. [8] But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
The Holy Spirit also gives us love.
Galatians 5:22-23 NIV [22] But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [23] gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
If we have love for the lost and for the people of God, we will be able to endure suffering and accomplish the work of God. True Christian love, energized by the Spirit, enables us to sacrifice for others and not be afraid.
The Holy Spirit is also the One who gives self-control (“a sound mind”, “self-discipline”). This a person who is sensibly minded and balanced, who has his life under control. The Amplified Version reads, “calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control.”
Timothy did not need any new spiritual ingredients in his life; all he had to do was “stir up” what he already had.
Timothy had every reason to be encouraged and to have spiritual enthusiasm in his ministry. Paul loved him and prayed for him. His experiences in life had been preparation for his ministry, and Paul was confident of the genuineness of Timothy’s faith. The Spirit within him would give all the power needed for ministry. What more could he want?
The first essential was Couregeous Enthusium the secod was Shameless Suffering
2 Timothy 1:8-12 NIV [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. [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. [11] And 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.
Paul was not ashamed he admonished Timothy not to be ashamed because he as reasons to be encouraged not ashamed.
Be encouraged because God gives power even in suffering
2 Timothy 1:8 NIV [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.
Paul prayed three times for God to remove his painful thorn in the flesh but God told Him that His grace was more powerful.
2 Corinthians 12:7-9 NIV [7] or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. [8] Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. [9] But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
Which lead us to the second reason to be encouraged in suffering for the gospel; God has called us by His grace
2 Timothy 1:9 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,
We are part of a great eternal plan that God determined “before the world began.” He has purposes for His people to accomplish for His glory. Suffering may be a part of His plan.
The emphasis in this verse is on grace. God saved us; we did not save ourselves. He called us, not on the basis of our good works, but wholly on the basis of His grace.
All of this grace was given to us in Jesus Christ. We could not earn it; we did not merit it. This is the grace of God!
A result of God’s grace is eternal life which is assuured or guaranteed because Christ has defeated death.
2 Timothy 1:9b-10 NIV…. 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.
Paul himself was facing death as he dictated this letter. But Jesus Christ has defeated our last enemy, death! By His own death and resurrection, Christ has “abolished death” (made it inoperative, taken out the sting).
1 Corinthians 15:50-57 NIV [50] I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. [51] Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— [52] in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. [53] For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. [54] When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” [55] “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” [56] The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. [57] But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Look at 2 Timothy 1:10 NIV again [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.
Immortality” means “incorruptibility,” and refers to the resurrection body. The present body is corruptible; it dies and decays. But the glorified body we shall have when we see Christ will not be subject to decay or death
Philippians 3:20-21 NIV [20] But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, [21] who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.
1 Peter 1:3-5 NIV [3] Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, [4] and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, [5] who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
Paul wasn’t ashamed and he admonished Timothy that he should’t be ashamed of him or be ashamed at all because he was not a prisoner of man but he was really the Lord's prisoner and he was suffering because of his appoinment as as apostle.
2 Timothy 1:11-12 NIV [11] And 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.
In the Christian faith, apostles were tasked by Jesus with helping to organize the church and spread the message of his teachings. Apostles had a special office in the New Testament church, and were more than just messengers. They were commissioned with the authority to speak for and represent the one who sent them.
Some signs of an apostle include:
An easily recognizable relationship with Jesus
Operating in a supernatural realm
Receiving revelation to interpret what God is doing
Being trustworthy with money
Having authority to discipline and pronounce judgment
Paul had been called by God. Jesus Himself met and called him on his way to Damascus to actually persecute the church. He was personally commissioned by Jesus
Galatians 1:1, 11-12 NIV [1] Paul, an apostle—sent not from men nor by a man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead—
[11] I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. [12] I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.
He wasn’t ashamed or afraid in his suffering and neither should Timothy or us be because he and and we should have confidence in Christ
2 Timothy 1:12 NIV [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.
He knew that Christ was faithful and would keep him. Note his emphasis on the person of Christ: “I know whom I have believed.” Salvation is not the result of believing certain doctrines, though doctrines are important. A sinner is saved because he believes in a Person—Jesus Christ the Savior.
In these difficult days, it is important that we stand true to Christ and be willing to suffer for Him and not be ashamed. We may not be put into prison, as was Paul; but we suffer in other ways: the loss of friends, being snubbed by people, and so forth. It is also important that we stand by God’s servants who are suffering for righteousness’ sake.
The first essential was Couregeous Enthusium the secod was Shameless Suffering and the third essential that Timothy needed for success was Spiritual Loyalty
2 Timothy 1:13-18 NIV [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. [15] You know that everyone in the province of Asia has deserted me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes. [16] May the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains. [17] On the contrary, when he was in Rome, he searched hard for me until he found me. [18] May the Lord grant that he will find mercy from the Lord on that day! You know very well in how many ways he helped me in Ephesus.
Timothy needed to be loyal to God’s word
2 Timothy 1:13-14 NIV [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.
It was Timothy’s responsibility to “hold fast” and“guard” the truth of the Word and and to pass it along to others.
What he learned from Paul was to be a pattern for him to use. This pattern, as we learned from 1 Timothy and Titus was the sound doctrine from the Word of God. This sound doctrine was to be taught or passed on in love and in faith, and the Holy Spirit will help with that. The Holy Spirit helps us understand the Word and helps us share it with others.
Paul encourages Timothy to be loyal to him and the lesson for us is to be loyal to one another especially when we are suffering because of the gospel.
2 Timothy 1:15-18 NIV [15] You know that everyone in the province of Asia has deserted me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes. [16] May the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains. [17] On the contrary, when he was in Rome, he searched hard for me until he found me. [18] May the Lord grant that he will find mercy from the Lord on that day! You know very well in how many ways he helped me in Ephesus.
It looks as if, based on this statement that everybody but Luke and Onesiphorus have deserted Paul because he is in jail.
2 Timothy 4:11 NIV [11] Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry.
We do not know who Phygelus and Hermogenes were. It is likely that they were leaders in the church who opposed Paul and would not come to his defense in Rome. You would think t hat the Asian believers would have stood by Paul, but instead, they were ashamed of him.
The one exception that Paul mentions is Onesiphorus. His name means “profit-bearing,” and he certainly was a profitable friend to Paul. It is possible that he was a deacon in the church at Ephesus. Onesiphorus traveled from Ephesus to Rome and diligently looked for Paul so he might minister to the prisoner’s needs.
The essentials for a successful ministry have not changed: courageous enthusiasm, shameless suffering, and spiritual loyalty.
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