Good morning,
When the apostle Paul sat down during very turbulent times to write what would be his last known letter to his beloved Timothy, he was writing with the special intensity that comes with a final good bye. After filling his letter with love and encouragement, warnings and challenge, he ends his letter in a very interesting way. He wrote, I solemnly urge you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus, who will someday judge the living and the dead when he appears to set up his Kingdom: Paul wanted to leave his beloved co-worker with the most solemn challenge possible. He wanted to make sure that Timothy knew why he was being left behind, so he gave him a list of five central issues that he should never neglect in the days ahead. The Lord’s charge to Timothy wasn’t about building fortresses to protect the church. That was God’s special responsibility. The Lord’s heart for Timothy was to build God’s people in such a way that no matter what came their way, they would know what God was up to in the circumstances they were living with.
The first and most central assignment was to preach the word of God. There is no other way of knowing God’s heart and mind without knowing and sharing what God has written down for all the people he has brought into life in this world. It is much more than knowing the words. Preaching effectively requires an understanding of God’s purpose in giving us the words he has chosen to communicate his holiness and his love in relating to those who would love and trust him. It’s interesting that he was to be prepared to share no matter how favorable or unfavorable he felt. If God’s Spirit said to speak, he was to speak. God’s intention for his speaking was to be based on patient correction, rebuke and encouragement in that order. God knows our hearts, he knows that when left to ourselves we wander away from trusting God’s truth and relying on his Holy Spirit. We each need correction and rebuke because we so easily wander away when left to ourselves. We also need encouragement lest we only hear correction and rebuke and give up accepting the challenges that come with trying to learn to think and live more like Jesus. Dear Lord, please help us to listen to Paul’s challenge to Timothy and follow in his faithful steps.
2 Timothy 4:2 Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching.
Roy Wisner
