The 2 Timothy List of Essentials
Dear Church,
The last letters that were written by the apostle Paul were, what we call the Pastoral Epistles, which include 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus. These letters were written from prison and Paul knew that his time on earth was coming to and end. Of these three letters, 2 Timothy was his final one. As my time with you is coming to an end, I want to share with you some of my final thoughts, using 2 Timothy as a guide.
Be willing to suffer for our true faith. As you read in last week’s email, the time has come where people within the church are no longer willing to put up with sound doctrine. They are now calling good what God has called sin. That means that the time for being persecuted for our pure faith may soon be upon us. You all know that, as your pastor, I only aimed to teach and preach to you the Word of God. I wasn’t concerned about my opinion or even your opinion. Only what God says in his Word is of value. So, do not compromise the truths that are found in God’s Word; do not cave to the world’s agenda and be willing to suffer for the faith -- the faith that saves all who would repent and trust in the one and only Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Pass on the faith; that is, make disciples. One of the great verses in this letter is found in 2:2, where Paul writes, “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.” In this verse we see the passing on of the faith from one generation onto 3 subsequent generations. Okay, it may not be actual generations, but what we do see is the passing down of our faith from one person to the next and so on. The first is Paul, the second is Timothy, the third are reliable people, and finally others. For example, I instructed our elders that their tenure as an elder will, at some point, come to an end, but their life as a disciple maker should never come to an end. The same goes for all of us. Don’t keep this treasure just to yourselves. Our faith is meant to be passed on, person-to-person.
Never forget the Gospel. Paul writes in 2:8, “Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel,” Never take your eyes off of Jesus. He is real. He was an actual descendent of King David. He lived in history, in Palestine 2000 years ago. He lived, he died, and he rose again. He rose again! He rose again!! This is the Gospel. It must be your Gospel, too. This is the only message -- the only person who can save sinners like you and me. This message, this person is the only hope for our world. Never ever forget the Gospel.
Be God’s instrument, useful for his purposes. All of us have only one life to live, so let’s not squander it. All that you have, all that you are, is from God and is to be used for God. Don’t waste your life on things that will make little or no Kingdom impact. Spend yourselves for God. Share the Gospel, serve one another in love, and build his church here and abroad.
Be holy. No one ever regrets being holy, for this is God’s good purpose for our lives. Sin, we will always regret. Do not take sin lightly. Remember it was for our sins that the Son of God endured the wrath of our holy God. To be holy takes much effort and time, but God is good, and he is faithful. He’s indwelt within us the Holy Spirit, who is there to help us to be holy. He’s given us his Word to guide us to the truth and he’s given us the Christian community so that, as iron sharpens iron, we can help each other become holy.
Stick to Scripture. It’s in 2 Timothy that one of the greatest verses is found.
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.
Do not pick and choose which parts of the Bible you like and which you don’t. ALL SCRIPTURE is God-breathed. Every letter of it. So, as you’ve heard your pastors say a thousand times, hear it once again: read your Bible, study it, listen to Bible saturated sermons, apply it to your lives, and by it, you will wield the sword of the Spirit and advance in your growth and you will advance God’s kingdom.
7. Finish well. At the end of the letter Paul mentions people who didn’t finish well. Demas forsook Paul and the Gospel for he loved the world. Alexander opposed the message. Contrasted to these two, are Paul and many of his companions like Luke, Cresens, Titus, and even Mark, who were fighting the good fight, who were staying in the game, and of course, we cannot forget Paul who is well aware that his execution is but days away. Christian, finish well. At the end of our lives, there awaits an immeasurable reward and an unbelievable rewarder, Jesus, who will speak the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Come and share your Master’s happiness.”
Soli Deo Gloria
Pastor Peter
