You need to know God’s word.

You need to know ALL of God’s word.

Because it’s the living out of God’s word in difficult times that develops maturity to the glory of God. When we begin to see trials as opportunities rather than wasted suffering, we start to develop spiritual maturity that brings glory to God. And that is what this life is all about—God’s glory.

The book of James says it this way:

“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” (James 1:2-4)

In 2 Timothy, we’ve discovered the great and precious gifts we’ve been given. We’ve been given mercy, grace, and peace; life, breath, and a heartbeat; power, love, and a sound mind—and so much more—so that we can glorify God as we grow more and more like Jesus.

This Godly growth is produced when we hear and apply God’s word in difficult times. As we mature, the Holy Spirit produces spiritual fruit in our lives that causes us to overflow with the love and grace of God.

Maturity to the glory of God.

“We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.” (Ephesians 4:14b-15)

Maturity to the glory of God.

That’s 2 Timothy in a nutshell.

Oh, this book has been such a good word from the Lord during this season of difficulty! Just think of how we’ve been encouraged throughout these four chapters. What a difference we make when we wait on the Lord instead of whining and wiggling out of testings and trials. For it is the tests and trials we encounter that produce patience, endurance, and perseverance in our lives—maturity, to the glory of God.

This is the maturity Paul encouraged Timothy to develop. He knew the difficulties Timothy faced every day as he followed Jesus, and every week as he pastored his church. He knew these challenges were opportunities for Timothy to mature as he fulfilled his calling.

And what was Timothy called to do during his season of difficulty? Watch our live stream from this past Sunday, our final study in 2 Timothy, to find out.

If we are to be the light of the world—if the world is supposed to look at our good deeds and glorify our Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16)—then we can’t live for ourselves or pursue sinful desires. 

We were set free from that—so why would we return to it? Out of gratefulness for God’s grace, we are to use our freedom to serve others and to lay down our liberties in love. This is how the world will know that we follow Jesus. But if we are not very careful to continue to follow Jesus, we could find ourselves somewhere in this list from 2 Timothy 3: 

“…lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power.” (2 Timothy 3:3-5)

Remember, this list is specifically talking about people who claim to be believers and followers of Jesus, but choose to continue to live like this. People like this will be the source of the perilous times in the last days. 
So what should we do if we are on this list? 

Repent.

Give your life to God. Surrender your soul to Jesus. If you continue to live like this are you a believer? Were you ever really saved? And if those questions scare you—that’s good. Let them lead you to Jesus. You don’t have to wonder anymore—God really wants you to know that you are saved. 

​Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine
O what a foretaste of glory divine
Heir of salvation, purchase of God
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood

“But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come…”
– 2 Timothy 3:1

Perilous times—that’s an appropriate description for 2020 (and it’s only June)!

Along with Timothy, we are warned that perilous times are coming. The word ‘perilous’ in the original language can be defined many different ways—difficult, dangerous, furious, hard to take, hard to bear, troublesome, harsh, fierce.

Yep, that sums up most of 2020 so far!

And yet…there is something comforting in this verse that can give us peace in dark times. Against the bleak backdrop of current events, there is a glimmer of hope we find here in this Scripture.

You see, in the midst of our mess, in the midst of our “mean time,” God is already speaking to us. God knew, and God knows…and God is able to strengthen our hands so that we can serve Him and represent Him faithfully and courageously here and now.

Watch our live stream replay and hear of the hope and peace that only God can provide in perilous times. Then, read ahead in 2 Timothy 4 in preparation for our time this coming Sunday. We’ll open up the live stream at 9:45am (CDT) for a brief time of fellowship before starting our study at 10am. If you'd like to participate in the chat feature, you'll need to view the live stream in YouTube and be logged in to your YouTube account so we can see who you are.

What an exciting time to be alive! How good has God been to us? He’s given us life and breath a heartbeat the hope of heaven…AND He’s given us the opportunity to serve and represent Him in the meantime. 

Or is it the mean time?

It seems like the meantime has taken on a new meaning as insecurities are rising to the surface during this season of difficulty. People are scared and angry—fearful of losing everything. We see this anger and insecurity manifest in unnecessary meanness, unkindness, and roughness.

And yet…as a follower of Jesus (who endured such hostility and brutality from truly wicked men and yet responded in love) what are we to do? How then shall we live in this mean time?

As Jesus did—with love. Love that comes from eternal security. Love that is first patient, and then kind, and not arrogant…and not rude…and not easily angered. Love that suffers long. Love that goes the extra mile. 

God’s word that says, “a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all.” This is what Paul tells Timothy in the section of Scripture we looked at this past Sunday. Watch the replay of our live stream from Sunday. Then read ahead in 2 Timothy 3 for this Sunday! We’ll open up the live stream at 9:45am (CDT) for a brief time of fellowship before starting our study at 10am. If you'd like to participate in the chat feature, you'll need to view the live stream in YouTube and be logged in to your YouTube account so we can see who you are.

Remember Jesus. Consider Jesus. This will allow you to endure hardship honorably and represent Jesus well. 

When times get tough and division is all around you, “consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls” (Hebrews 12:3). Remember Jesus and how He is kind to the unthankful and the evil. Remember that we are His followers and His representatives. Remember that we are His distributors of grace, mercy, and peace—especially to those who don’t deserve them. Remember to not become weary in doing good. 

When we remember Jesus, we naturally stop doing and saying things that might undermine the faith of those who witness them. We stop striving. We stop fighting over words. Such arguments don’t do anybody any good and they only ruin those who hear—or read—them (2 Timothy 2:14). Remember Jesus, who endured such hostility from sinful men; who is kind to the unthankful and the evil; who daily pours out His grace, mercy, and peace upon us (who definitely don’t deserve it).

Please, dear friends—please be careful about quarreling over words. 

Instead, let’s remember and return to the only words worth our time, energy, attention, and devotion—God’s Words. God’s Word, which is unshackled (according to the extremely shackled Apostle Paul). Think that through. Paul in a prison. Paul in isolation. Paul in chains says: 

“Remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel, for which I suffer trouble as an evildoer, even to the point of chains; but the word of God is not chained.” (2 Timothy 2:8-9)

​The Word of God cannot be chained, shackled, bound, or imprisoned, no matter what happens. 
Lift your eyes from the word of man and remember and return to The Word of God.

In 2 Corinthians 4:17-18, the Apostle Paul writes, “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
This past Sunday, we remembered Jesus, as Paul instructs us in 2 Timothy 2:8. We considered the work that God is doing right now in the unseen during this time of light affliction.
Paul was very familiar with suffering—yet he held on to the hope of heaven. How did he learn to have such grit and such grace in the face of such adverse circumstances? He remembered Jesus. It’s what enabled him to persevere and endure. It’s what he encouraged both Timothy and us to do in the midst of our light and momentary afflictions. It’s the memory of Jesus in our minds and the hope of Heaven in our hearts that gives us the strength to endure suffering while pointing others to Him. 
Consider Him with us and watch the replay of our live stream from this past Sunday. Then read ahead for this Sunday! We’ll pick up starting in 2 Timothy 2:15 during our live stream this coming Sunday at 10am (CDT). If you'd like to participate in the chat feature, you'll need to view the live stream in YouTube and be logged in to your YouTube account so we can see who you are.

“You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.”
–2 Timothy 2:1

Without the first verse of the second chapter of 2 Timothy, we might read the following six verses as an exhortation aimed at Timothy. We might think that Paul points to three examples of how Timothy should be working harder, smarter, and better than he already is. 

But that’s not what Paul is saying. Paul started with something altogether different. He started with an encouragement that would give Timothy so much more than an exhortation to work harder, smarter, better.

“You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.”

Did you catch it? Grace. Paul starts with grace.

But what is “grace”? Grace has been defined as “God’s Righteousness At Christ’s Expense” (G.R.A.C.E.). It’s unmerited favor from God—but so much more! Grace is also God’s enabling agent to do what He calls us to do.

To quote the modern-day sage, Rocky Balboa: “It’s not about how hard you can hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward; how much you can take and keep moving forward.”

This is why we need grace—we need God’s gift and ability to get back up again, and again, and again, and again. Because His grace is sufficient for any and every season—whether that be a season of suffering, a season of blessing, or anything in between.

Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.
–2 Timothy 1:13-14

What are the wind and the waves in your life right now? What is tossing you around? What has been trying to knock the knowledge of the goodness of God out of your grasp?

Whatever it is, hold fast, dear friend! Hold fast to what you know about God. Hold fast to faith. Hold fast to love.

The wind and the waves of trials, difficulties, and discouragements are trying to knock faith and love out of your grip. These days of uncertainty are tempting you to let go of and walk away from what was committed and entrusted to you.

But you have Jesus—and Jesus has you! Hold fast to Him! He is the faithful Shepherd and He will lead us through this valley and the many valleys that are to come. What difficulties are you going through right now? God is training you, teaching you how to hold fast now and for the next difficulty ahead of you. Training for something much worse? No! For something so much more glorious—an opportunity to glorify God! When we hold fast to faith, when we hold fast to love, when we supernaturally keep our composure in the midst of difficult days, God is glorified! And that is what you were made for—to glorify God. 
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In the strength of the Spirit, hold fast to faith. Hold fast to love. Hold fast to Jesus!

Life is messy. But Jesus is real. These are truths we’ve been discussing during our study of 2 Timothy. Life this side of eternity is full of curve balls, blindsides, twists, and turns. These circumstances can loosen our grip, mess with our grit, and weaken our resolve. What are we to do? 

Follow Paul’s advice to Timothy. 

You see, life was messy for Timothy, too. There was the ever-present threat of persecution. One more Sunday for Pastor Timothy was one more reason for the Romans to come for him, his family, and his friends. 

Paul knew the circumstances Timothy was facing. He also knew Timothy. So in this second letter, Paul reminded Timothy that he was no longer an immature believer. He encouraged Timothy to hold fast (2 Timothy 1:13). 

Hold fast is such a strong, active phrase! It paints the picture of what to do when something or someone is trying to take away something of value from us.

The wind and the waves will try to pry what’s precious from us, but we can choose to hold fast. 
But hold fast to what? That’s what we considered in our time together studying 1 Timothy 1:13-14. 
Watch the replay of our live stream and be encouraged by the strength that Jesus gives us to hold fast.

​Read ahead for this Sunday! Read through, think through, and pray through 2 Timothy 2:1-7 in preparation for our live stream this coming Sunday. If you'd like to participate in the chat feature, you'll need to view the live stream in YouTube and be logged in to your YouTube account so we can see who you are.

“Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God…”
–2 Timothy 1:8

In his letter, Paul tells Timothy that he was not a prisoner of Rome. He was a prisoner of Jesus. So Paul wasn’t waiting on Rome—he was waiting on Jesus. And Jesus could have released him in a moment. Until he was released—from prison or from life on earth—Paul wanted to be about Jesus’ business—seizing the God-given opportunities in the midst of the suffering that Jesus had allowed. 

Today, we find ourselves in similar circumstances. We, like Paul, we are waiting on Jesus! Jesus could release us any moment. And until He does, we should be about His business. Every day—every decision—is a crossroads. We can either choose our way or God’s way. We can either walk it out our way or walk in the good works that God has prepared for us.

The suffering Jesus allows can be the Spirit’s strategy to refine us for a season for God’s glory. Our King has a certain way of doing things that doesn’t always make sense to us but is good.  When we submit to suffering rather than rail against it in angst or anxiety, we begin to see and seize the God-given opportunities in the midst of it all. 

Has anyone ever been won to Jesus through complaining? Has anyone ever been won to Jesus because of whining? No. Paul invited Timothy to share in his sufferings because Paul knew God was using his suffering to bring people to repentance. Hearts are drawn to Jesus when we willingly submit to suffering that Jesus has allowed.
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Jesus has given us grace, mercy, peace, power, love, and a sound mind so that whatever happens, we can glorify God. When we understand this and submit to Jesus and His higher purposes, suffering makes sense.
Jesus, please lead us by Your Spirit in what You want us to do. Help us  see the multitude of ways You’re giving us to minister and share Your love as we wait on You.

Things weren’t easy for Timothy. It wasn’t easy to follow a crucified Lord. It wasn’t easy to serve an imprisoned apostle. In order to lead and serve his church, Timothy needed to be settled in his heart and steeled in his mind that suffering was part of God’s plan for this season. 

What Timothy needed to personally receive and apply are the same things we need to receive and apply in our lives today. God has given us grace and mercy and peace. God has not given us a spirit of fear, but He has gifted to us power and love and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7).

How valuable is a sound mind? How valuable is a mind that is not tossed by the wind or waves? How precious is a mind that isn’t troubled by news articles, sound bites, or the fear of suffering? How priceless is a mind secure in the grace, mercy, peace, love, and power of Jesus? 

Those are questions we considered in our study of 2 Timothy 1:8-12. Through Paul’s letter to Timothy, we learn how a sound mind can allow us to stare suffering in the face and still serve courageously and faithfully because we know that suffering isn’t the end of the story. And believing this in the face of unimaginable, unavoidable, and even unjust suffering is vitally important.

​We look forward to spending another Sunday morning together online at 10am this Sunday on our YouTube channel. If you'd like to participate in the chat feature, you'll need to view the live stream in YouTube and be logged in to your YouTube account so we can see who you are.

“So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask Him.”
–Matthew 7:11

God is a good Father, and He gives us some great and powerful gifts. Within the first few verses of 2 Timothy chapter 1, we see a whole collection of precious gifts God gives: grace, mercy, and peace; power, love, and a sound mind.

These are gifts He gives to you—you can’t earn them, or work for them, or try to pay God back for them. They are yours! He has given them to you!

But like any gift, we can receive what God freely gives to us…and then set it aside. We can forget these gifts or neglect them. We can come up with reasons why we shouldn’t have them.

Receiving God’s grace, mercy and peace daily—moment by moment—is often hard to live out, but it is necessary! Because it’s these gifts that allow you to walk in power and love with a sound mind.

​Life is messy, but Jesus is real. His grace, mercy, and peace are real, and He offers them to you! May we all receive these gifts daily, apply them daily, and stir them up in our lives for God’s glory and the benefit of others.

The fact that Jesus chose Paul should startle us. When you think about Paul’s past (as we have in previous studies), it’s surprising that Jesus sent Paul to be His messenger. And it was probably just as surprising to Paul!

Eventually, Paul began to see God’s wisdom in sending him. It wasn’t because of Paul’s intellect, or his skill set, or his knowledge of the Scripture. God sent Paul because…Paul was such a great sinner!

In his first letter to Timothy, Paul writes: ”This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: ‘Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners’—and I am the worst of them all. But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of His great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in Him and receive eternal life.” (1 Timothy 1:15-16)

Do you know that God can do the same with you too? God loves you so much! Because of His grace and mercy, He wants to use you. And He wants you to stir up the gifts He has given to you. Watch our live stream replay of our study of 2 Timothy 1:1-8 and learn how Paul encouraged Timothy to do the same.
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We look forward to spending another Sunday morning together online at 10am this Sunday on our YouTube channel. If you'd like to participate in the chat feature, you'll need to view the live stream in YouTube and be logged in to your YouTube account so we can see who you are.

The world says, “I’ll believe it when I see it.” But that’s not the way of Jesus. It’s as if His life and words are speaking a counter-cultural truth to us: “Believe it, and then you’ll see. I’ll show you. Believe that I love you, that I died for your sins out of My love for you to save you from that awful enemy death. Believe that I beat death when God the Father raised me from the dead. Believe and I'll show you what I can do with a willing and repentant heart.”

You see, Jesus did not come to make bad men good. Jesus came to give dead men life—eternal life.
Death, pain, and difficulty may come, but that is not the end of the story in Jesus. Glory is the end of the story.

Jesus asks Martha in John 11:40,  “Did I not say to you that if you would believe, you would see the glory of God?” Behind whatever circumstance you see before you today, will you trust that God is working all things together for your good and His glory?

The reality is death IS a defeated foe because Jesus has given us a promise of life. If you are in Christ, your life here on earth is not the end of your story. It is just the beginning.

Do you believe this promise? Do you believe Jesus? He proclaimed, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me though he may die he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26).

Do you believe this? Have you put your trust in Jesus? Then this promise of eternal life applies to you! How is God leading you to share your hope of eternal life in Jesus with others this week?

In our introduction to 2 Timothy, we considered the life of Paul of Tarsus—his life as Saul before encountering Christ, and his life after serving his Savior. And we discovered that understanding Paul’s life helps us to appreciate his final letter written to Timothy.

You see, Paul knew a kingdom was coming. He was pressing on for the glorious appearing of Jesus. Pressing on for the promise of life—eternal life—in Christ Jesus.

It is this life, this eternal life, this resurrection life, that we find in 2 Timothy 1:1.

This past Resurrection Sunday, we considered the life of Jesus. Not only His life—but also His death and resurrection. Watch the replay of our live stream from Sunday and discover how His life gives us hope for today and tomorrow.

To say that Paul was a frequent traveler would be an understatement. He logged over 20,000 miles on his missionary journeys! But the furthest distance he traveled was near the very beginning of his biography as we read in Acts 9—from the top of a horse all the way down to the dusty Damascus road. You could say that it was the first 5 feet that changed him forever. 

As Saul, he persecuted the church—the body of Christ. And Christ stopped him in his tracks, gripped his jealous, angry, murderous heart, and renewed it with the glorious, life-giving, soul transforming good news of the gospel. Over time, as Saul (“the desired one”) was humbled, surrendered, and submitted—he became Paul (“little one”).

20,000 miles of missionary travels came to an end in a Roman prison. But his circumstances did not cause him to despair. His suffering was not senseless. He pressed on. He forgot those things which were behind him. He reached forward to what was ahead. 

Let’s be honest—when we’re in the pit, it’s tempting to remember what got us there, to fixate on the circumstances of our suffering. For Paul, his entire ministry looked like a constant sequence of suffering and futility and failure ending in prison. But from God’s perspective, Paul’s life gloriously fulfilled its purpose—because he submitted to suffering. 

When suffering comes to us, we have a choice. Will we see it as failure, or will we follow Paul’s example? Like Paul, we can choose to forget those things which are behind. Like Paul, we can look forward to what’s ahead—Jesus’ glorious appearing!

Prison is the last place you’d expect a letter of encouragement to come from. But that’s where Paul wrote his second letter to Timothy.

In this letter, Paul assures Timothy of his love and prayers. He reminds Timothy of his spiritual heritage and responsibilities. He encourages Timothy to persevere—as a soldier, athlete, farmer, or minister of Jesus Christ—so that he will reap the reward. And he warns Timothy that his teaching will come under attack as men desert the truth for ear-scratching words.

This letter, along with Paul’s example and the Holy Spirit, were a great help to Timothy—as they are to us today! God’s Word strengthens us to face increasing opposition and to make the most of God-given opportunities to grow right now, in the last days.

Watch the replay of our live stream as we began our study of this important and timely epistle.