Archive for the ‘2 Timothy’ Category

Spiritual Training 14 January 2014

Posted: January 14, 2014 in 2 Timothy, Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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2nd Timothy 3:01-05

(1) But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 

Paul’s reference to the “last days” reveals his sense of urgency.  The last days began after Jesus’ resurrection when the Holy Spirit came upon the believers at Pentecost.   The “last days” will continue until Christ’s second coming.  This means that we are living in the last days.

(2) People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, (3) without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good,

(4) treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God –

Why is it so tempting to love pleasure rather than God?  Pleasure is something we can control; God cannot be controlled.  Most pleasures can be obtained easily; love for God requires effort and sometimes sacrifice.  Pleasures benefit us now; the benefits of loving God are often in the future.   Pleasure has a narcotic effect; it takes our minds off ourselves and our problems, Love for God reminds us of our needs and our responsibilities.  Pleasure cooperates with pride.  It makes us feel good when we look good in the eyes of others.  The love God we must lay aside our pride and our accomplishments.

 (5) having a form of godliness but denying its power.  Have nothing to do with them. 

The “form” or appearance of godliness includes going to church knowing Christian doctrine, using Christian clichés, and following a community’s Christian traditions.  Such practices can make a person look good, but if the inner attitudes of belief, love and worship are lacking, the outer appearance is meaningless.  Paul warns us not to be deceived by people who only appear to be Christians. It may be difficult to distinguish them from true Christians at first, but their daily behavior will give them away.  The characteristics described in 3:2-4 are unmistakable.

In many parts of the world today, being a Christian is not especially difficult-people aren’t jailed for reading the Bible or executed for preaching Christ. (However, this kind of persecution is very real for many believers.) Paul’s descriptive list of behavior in the last days describes our society-even, unfortunately, the behavior of many Christians.

Lets Bring it Home: Have you chosen to love pleasure, or to love God? How do you know? Check your life against Paul’s list.  Don’t give in to society’s pressures.  Don’t settle for comfort without commitment.  Stand up against evil by living as God would have his people live.

Spiritual Training 13 January 2014

Posted: January 13, 2014 in 2 Timothy, Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Proverbs, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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2nd Timothy 2:23-26 Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful, Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to acknowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.

As a teacher, Timothy helped those who were confused about the truth.  Paul’s advice to Timothy, and to all who teach God’s truth, is to be kind and gentle, patiently and courteously explaining the truth.  Good teaching never promotes quarrels or foolish arguments. 

Lets Bring It Home: Whether you are teaching Sunday school, leading a Bible study, or preaching in church, remember to listen to people’s questions and treat them respectfully, while avoiding foolish debates.  If you do this, those who oppose you will be more willing to hear what you have to say and perhaps turn from their error. 

 


Spiritual Training 10 January 2014

Posted: January 10, 2014 in 2 Timothy, Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Proverbs, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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2nd Timothy 2:22 Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out a pure heart. 

Running away is sometimes considered cowardly.  But wise people realize that removing themselves physically from temptation often can be the most courageous action to take.  Timothy, a young man, was warned to flee anything that produced evil thoughts.

 (Don’t forget 1 Timothy 6:11: But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness)

Lets Bring it Home: Do you have a recurring temptation that you find difficult to resist? Remove yourself physically from any situation that stimulates your desire to sin.  Knowing when to run is as important in spiritual battle as knowing when and how to fight.

Spiritual Training 09 January 2014

Posted: January 9, 2014 in 2 Timothy, Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Proverbs, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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2nd Timothy 2:16-20 – Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly.  Their teaching will spread like gangrene.  Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have wandered away from the truth.  They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some. 

 19: Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.”

False teachers still spout lies.  Some distort the truth some dilute it, and some simply delete it by saying that God’s truth no longer applies.  But no matter how many people follow the liars, the solid foundation of God’s truth never changes, is never shaken, and will never fade.  When we follow God’s truth we will live God’s way.

20: In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble.  If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.

Here Paul urged Timothy to be the kind of person Christ could use for his noblest purposes.

 

Lets Bring it Home: Don’t settle for less than God’s highest and best.  Allow him to use you as an instrument of his will.  You do this by staying close to him and keeping yourself pure so that sin and its consequences do not get in the way of what God could do in your life.  While God can redeem any situation, how much better it is to stay close to Christ and ready to be used by him at a moment’s notice.

Spiritual Training 08 January 2014

Posted: January 8, 2014 in 2 Timothy, Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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2nd Timothy 2:16-18 – Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly.  Their teaching will spread like gangrene.  Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have wandered away from the truth.  They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some.    

Hymenaeus was also mentioned in 1 Timothy 1:20.  Paul had handed Hymenaeus over to Satan because his false teaching concerning the resurrection was destroying some people’s faith.

The false teachers were denying the resurrection of the body.  They believed that when a person became a Christian, he or she was spiritually reborn, and that was the only resurrection there would ever be.  To them, resurrection was symbolic and spiritual, not physical.  Paul clearly taught, however, that believers will be resurrected after they die, and that their bodies as well as their souls will live eternally with Christ (1Corinthians 15:35, 2 Corinthians 5:1-10; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18).

Lets Bring it Home: We should not try to shape the doctrines of Scripture to match our opinions.  If we do, we are putting ourselves above God.  Instead, our beliefs should be consistent with God’s Word.

 

 

Spiritual Training 16 December 2013

Posted: December 16, 2013 in 2 Timothy, Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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2nd Timothy 2:14-16 Keep reminding them of these things.  Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen.  Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. 

Paul urged Timothy to remind the believers not to argue over unimportant details (“quarreling about words”) because such arguments are confusing, useless, and even harmful.  False teachers loved to cause strife and divisions by their meaningless quibbling over unimportant details (Remember 1 Timothy 6:3-5).  Because God will examine what kind of workers we have been for him, we should build our lives on his Word and build his Word into our lives-it alone tells us how to live for him and serve him.

Believers who ignore the Bible will certainly be ashamed at the judgment.  Consistent and diligent study of God’s Word is vital; otherwise we will be lulled into neglecting God and our true purpose for living.

Lets Bring it Home: In important areas of Christian teaching, we must carefully work through our disagreements.  But when we bicker long hours over words theories that are not central to the Christian faith and life, we only provoke anger and hurt feelings.  Even if  “godless chatter” reaches a resolution, it gains little ground for the kingdom. Learning and discussing are not bad unless they keep believers constantly focusing on false doctrine or unhelpful insignificances.  Don’t let anything keep you from your work for and service to God. To handle the word of truth correctly, we must study what the Word of God says so we can understand what it means.

Spiritual Training 13 December 2013

Posted: December 13, 2013 in 2 Timothy, Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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2nd Timothy 2:11-13 Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him; (12) If we endure, we will also reign with him.  If we disown him, he will also disown us; (13) if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself.

This is probably an early Christian hymn.  God is faithful to his children.  Although we many suffer great hardships here, God promises that someday we will live eternally with him.  What will this involve? It means believers will live in Christ’s kingdom.  This truth comforted Paul as he went through suffering and death.

Lets Bring it Home: Are you facing hardships? Don’t turn away from God-he promises you a wonderful future with him.  Jesus is faithful, He will stay by our side even when we have endured so much that we seem to have no faith left.  We may be faithless at times, but Jesus is faithful to his promise to be with us “to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).  Refusing Christ’s help will break our communication with God, but he will never turn his back on us even thought we may turn our backs on him.

Spiritual Training 12 December 2013

Posted: December 12, 2013 in 2 Timothy, Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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2nd Timothy 2:8-10  (8) Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David.  This is my gospel, (9) for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal.  But God’s word is not chained.  (10) Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory. 

False teachers were a problem in Ephesus.  At the heart of false teaching is an incorrect view of Christ.  In Timothy’s day many asserted that Christ was divine but not human-God but not man.  These days we often hear that Jesus was human but not divine-man but not God.  Either view destroys the good news that Jesus Christ has taken our sins on himself and has reconciled us to God.  In this verse, Paul firmly states that Jesus is fully man (“descended from David”) and fully God (“raised from the dead”). This is an important doctrine for all Christians.

Philippians 2:5-7 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant being made in human likeness.  And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death even death on a cross!

The incarnation was the act of the preexistent Son of God voluntarily assuming a human body and human nature.  Without ceasing to be God, he became a human being, the man called Jesus.  He did not give up his deity to become human, but he set aside the right to his glory and power.  In submission to the Father’s will, Christ limited his power and knowledge, Jesus of Nazareth was subject to place, time and many other human limitations.  What made his humanity unique was his freedom form sin.  In his full humanity, Jesus showed us everything about God’s character that can be conveyed in human terms.

Paul was in chains in prison because of the gospel he preached.  The truth about Jesus is no more popular in our day than in Paul’s, but it still reaches receptive hearts.  When Paul said that Jesus was God, he angered the Jews who had condemned Jesus for blasphemy; many Jews, however, became followers of Christ (1 Corinthians 1:24).  He angered the Romans who worshiped the emperor as god; but even some in Caesar’s household turned to Jesus (Philippians 4:22).  When Paul said Jesus was human, he angered the Greeks who thought divinity was soiled if it had any contact with humanity; still many Greeks accepted the faith (Acts 11:20,21).  The truth that Jesus is one person with two united natures has never been easy to understand, but that doesn’t make it untrue.

Lets Bring it Home: The truth of God’s Word is being believed by people every day and changing their lives for eternity.  Despite the opposition, continue to proclaim Christ.  Some will listen and believe.

Spiritual Training 11 December 2013

Posted: December 11, 2013 in 2 Timothy, Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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2nd Timothy 2:7 Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this. 

Paul told Timothy to reflect on his words, and God would give him insight. God speaks through the Bible, his Word, but we need to be open and receptive to him.

Lets Bring it Home: As you read the Bible, ask God to show you his timeless truths and the application to your life. Then consider what you have read by thinking it through and meditating on it. God will give you understanding.

Spiritual Training 10 December 2013

Posted: December 11, 2013 in 2 Timothy, Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command

2nd Timothy 2:3-7 Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.  No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer. Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown except by competing according to the rules. The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this. 

 As Timothy preached and taught, he would face suffering, but he should be able to endure. Paul used a comparison with soldiers, athletes, and farmers who must discipline themselves and be willing to sacrifice to achieve the results they want.

Lets Bring it Home:  Like soldiers, we have to give up worldly security and endure rigorous discipline. Like athletes, we must train hard and follow the rules. Like farmers, we must work extremely hard and be patient. But we keep going despite suffering because of the thought of victory, the vision of winning, and the hope of harvest. We will see that our suffering is worthwhile when we achieve our goal of glorifying God, winning people to Christ, and one day living eternally with him.

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