Saturday, May 19, 2012

Second Timothy 1:8-12


According to the New International Version for the Bible, Second Timothy 1:8-12.
So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, who 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 to us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, 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. And of this gospel  I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.
Commentary

So Paul continues to encourage Timothy, urging him not to be ashamed of what he has been called to do - which is preach the gospel. Paul did not want Timothy to be timid or fearful of what might happen. Instead, he wanted him to push forward, without regard to the result, even if it meant persecution.

Paul didn't want Timothy to be ashamed of him either. There may have been a concern that people might take Timothy less seriously if they knew his chief mentor was in prison. The thing that Timothy needed to remember was that Paul was in prison for doing what was right. He was really a prisoner of Christ and not Rome.

It was more important that Timothy seize the power granted him by the Spirit and join Paul in suffering for the gospel. Timothy had to make a choice. He could trust God or cower in fear.  

Paul then lists some very important reasons for Timothy's perseverance. Paul reminds him that it was God that saved them. It was God that called them to a holy life. What's more, it was not because of anything meritorious that they had done. Rather, it was because of God's divine plan conceived before creation; one that would offer salvation to all humanity. It was a plan revealed through the saving work of Jesus; a plan that would destroy the powers of sin and death forever.

How could Timothy shrink away from that? He couldn't and neither could Paul. Paul said frankly that this was why he was in prison. God had called him to preach and spread the word and God's calling had landed him with a death sentence. But he would not be deterred by this. He refused to be ashamed, but instead, chose to stand firm. Why? Because he knew that what he believed was the truth, that Jesus Christ is the only hope for a dying world. It was for this reason that Paul knew God would take care of him, even in suffering and death. Paul wanted Timothy to embrace this attitude.

Questions

1) Paul urged Timothy not to be ashamed of Jesus or his calling or Paul and that situation. Why would shame be an issue here?
2) What would people think if they knew your best friend was in prison?
3) Have you ever suffered for your faith?
4) Suppose a church elder is falsely accused of something at work because of his moral stand on an issue and gets fired simply because his accusers thought his attitude was hateful or bigoted. What should our response be to this elder? Is this persecution for your faith?

5) Why did Paul invite Timothy to join him in suffering?
6) Paul explains that God saved us to fulfill his purposes. We receive his grace and so we serve. Nothing we did brought us this salvation, but we still have to deal with the bad times and hang on to our hope of salvation. Why can't the Christian life be pain free? Why is it sometimes so difficult to be a Christian? Or is it? (John 16:33)
7) In verse 12 Paul says he knows what he believes and for that reason he's willing to trust God with the outcome. What are you willing to entrust to God's care?
   

Second Timothy 1:1-7


Second Timothy 1:1-7 according to the New International Version of the Bible:
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, according to the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus.
To Timothy, my dear son: Grace, mercy and peace from God the father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
I thank God, whom I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. I have been 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. 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 did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self discipline.
Commentary

So Paul, now facing execution in the very near future, begins his last known letter to Timothy, his young protege. His words are not the words of a condemned man, but instead, they are full of hope. He talks of Christ's promise of life. He uses words like grace, mercy and peace - even in the face of immanent death. He also expresses his thanks to God. He knows he's done nothing wrong. His conscience is clear. The simple fact of the matter is that he is in prison for serving God; for doing what he is compelled to do.

But he also remembers Timothy in his prayers. He remembers their last parting in Macedonia and how Timothy wept. Paul would really like to see him now. Few things would have made him happier.

It was the sincerity of Timothy's childlike faith that had impressed Paul; a faith handed down to him by his mother and grandmother. It was not bogged down with pretense or a desire for self aggrandizement. It was simple, pure and strong. Timothy trusted God and Paul longed to fellowship with him because of that.

Paul also wanted for Timothy the best things that such faith and trust in God had to offer. So he urged Timothy to press on, developing his spiritual gift that Paul had passed on to him. He told Timothy to fan into flame this God given gift. He was to use it for God's glory and the good of God's church. More to the point, he was not to be timid about it, but allow the Holy Spirit to use it with power and love and in self discipline. After all, what good is a gift if it's hidden or unused because of fear?

Questions

1) So if you were in prison, facing your death, how would your letter to a friend sound? Would it begin like this one?
2) Why does Paul talk about having a clear conscience?
3) What makes for the kind of sincere faith that Paul says Timothy has? (James 2:18-26)    
4) Paul opens the letter on a note of self confidence. There is no doubt in his mind that God has called him to serve as an apostle? What has God called you to do? How can we be as confident as Paul was?
5) Who does Paul credit for Timothy's sincere faith?
6) Paul urged Timothy to fan into flame the gift of God passed on to him by Paul. What does he mean by this? What does it mean for us?
7) What are these gifts for?
8) Timothy was apparently a bit reluctant to make use of his gift - so much so that Paul thought he was being timid in its use. What is it that prevents us from making use of our gifts?

An Introduction to Second Timothy


Second Timothy may well be the last letter that Paul ever wrote. At the time of its writing, Paul was imprisoned in Rome for a second time. This time it was quite serious.

His first imprisonment was mild by comparison. At that time he was permitted to live in a rented house while he was under arrest waiting for trial; a trial that his accusers never showed up for.

Now though, things were different. His accusers were imperial and his prison was quite real. Probably a dark, damp dungeon where he was chained to a wall - rat and filth infested. His fate may already have been decided. The impression Paul gives is that his death is near.

As we study this letter, please take the time to consider Paul's attitude, his faith and how he still cares deeply about the evangelism of the world. Even in the face of death, Paul stands firmly on God's promises and the hope of a better life to come. To his grave he upheld the standards that Christ gave him to live by, proving himself to be the greatest missionary that ever lived.

He wrote this letter for three basic reasons. First, he was probably lonely. He had been deserted by many of his friends and those that remained loyal had trouble finding him. He also wanted to see Timothy again - so much so that he asked him to come to Rome. Secondly, Paul was concerned about the state of the church and how it would hold up against this first official state persecution under Nero. And third, he also wanted to address the Ephesian church through Timothy specifically and thank the faithful members and those that had stuck with him to the end.

Paul probably wrote this letter sometime in AD 66 or 67. Tradition says that Paul was beheaded toward the end of Nero's reign and Nero died sometime in AD 68.