II Timothy 4:1-8

…the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. (vv. 6b-7) According to the authors of The Chronological Study Bible and other scholars, we are reading Paul’s last written words. He knows that he will soon be executed and he is writing to the man who is his most faithful, most trusted, most loved friend. He is pouring out his heart and examining his own conscience. That’s why his earlier words in today’s reading should weigh so heavily on us: I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, … preach the word… (vv. 1a, 2a) A couple of days ago we saw Paul write similar words, …in the presence of many witnesses… (v. 2:2) Today the “witnesses” that he calls forth are God the Father and God the Son. He could not be more explicit in his charge to Timothy: …preach the word! As our church prepares itself to call a new rector, one requirement that I have heard on numerous occasions is that our new rector be a person who will “preach the word”. People may not know it, but in saying that they are claiming this verse. David’s own charge to our fledgling congregation when he was called as rector was “You bring the people and I’ll preach the Gospel.” It’s our duty, folks. Paul’s dying wish…!

Slava Bohu!

II Timothy 3:10-17

Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted… (v. 12) I have often contrasted the life that Carol and I live with the life that Mark and Tommie Bruner have. Mark and Tommie are constantly beset with problems (yes, some of their own making) and we’ve wondered if Mark and Tommie were “suffering” this verse 12 above, that they were doing God’s work in Czechia and Satan was working overtime against them. I had this conversation with Mark one day about this contrast between their life and ours. I was surprised at Mark’s response, that Carol and I were following the Lord and that we were being blessed accordingly. I certainly don’t see Mark as one of those “health and wealth” preachers, so his words to me were very encouraging. (My Study Bible pointed out four other New Testament references where this principle was repeated, including Jesus’ own words in Matthew 10:22 and John 16:33.)

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it… (v. 14) An interesting item – my ESV translation points out that “whom” in the Greek is plural in this usage. I had read this verse as coming from Paul and was referring to Paul, especially after Paul’s own comments about his steadfastness in verses 10 and 11. But the plural “whom” must also include Timothy’s mother and grandmother, Eunice and Lois (v. 1:5), and others throughout Timothy’s spiritual growth.

…the sacred writings … are able to make you wise for salvation… (v. 15, edited) My editing emphasizes, but does not change the nature of the verse, that these sacred writings make us wise for salvation, but do not guarantee our salvation. Our salvation did not come until Jesus’ death and resurrection. Paul had to be referring only to Old Testament scriptures since many (or most) of the New Testament portions of the Bible had not yet been written. So Paul is saying what we hear so well in our Avanza Jesus Storybook Bible, that the whole of the Bible refers to Jesus. It’s one complete, entire story, all pointing to one end, to one man-God, Jesus. GLORY!!

Slava Bohu!

II Timothy 3:1-9

Debbie’s comments yesterday have bearing today: “Chatter … is to me a distraction from our focus on God.” And Paul has a lot to say about chatter today!! Almost the entire reading has very few positive comments. But positive or not, two items stuck out for me. First,. (v. 5) having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. It seems to me that Paul is describing people within the Church, possibly even Church leaders! Pastors, bishops, television evangelists – or closer to home, anyone of us from the congregation. I look at myself: Treasurer, Avanza, Freedom Road, Men’s Group, RTB…, ACTIVE!! having the appearance of godliness??!! But I hope and trust that I do not deny the power of the Holy Spirit within myself.

Second, …always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. (v. 7) It’s unclear to me whether Paul in this statement is referring to the “weak women” in verse 6 or to the people (men?!) that he describes in verses 1-6a). But then again I look at myself. …always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth??!! I am always so very interested in teaching, in helping others to learn, in trying to gain my own understanding of what we are reading that I wonder if I am ever really advancing in my own personal faith. I learn, but am I growing?

So, a couple of questions/issues that I have to ponder…

Slava Bohu!

II Timothy 2:14-26

…not to quarrel about words… (v.14), …avoid irreverent babble… (v. 16), …have swerved from the truth (v. 18), …foolish, ignorant controversies (v. 23), …must not be quarrelsome… (v. 24). In all of these phrases in today’s reading Paul is chastising disputes and false teachings. This must have been a big problem in Ephesus (where Timothy presumably lived and led the believers) which was a center for commerce and knowledge in “Asia” (modern-day Turkey). It’s still a problem for us today, but Paul’s counsel to Timothy is still wise today: “not to quarrel”, “avoid”, “have nothing to do with”. More and more I see less and less of members of our congregation discussing issues with the Episcopal Church or recalling our departure from that body – “and that’s a good thing” (quoting Carol from numerous occasions)!

But on a positive note, Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work. (v. 21) There’s that “good works” item that we have seen so often in these pastoral letters. There’s a message from Paul: DO GOOD WORKS!

Slava Bohu!

II Timothy 2:1-13

Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel. (v. 8) Two very different phrases here remind Timothy that Jesus was divine (risen from the dead) and that He was human (the offspring of David). Thanks to my Study Bible for pointing this out.

…for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. (v.9a), Paul again mentions that he is in prison. He had made note of that twice in the first chapter of this letter. This imprisonment must have weighed heavily on him for him to make mention of it so often. Maybe it was because it was his second imprisonment in Rome, under more harsh circumstances and that he felt that the end was near.

II Timothy 2:2 … what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also. In my early born-again years I was active in Campus Crusade for Christ. This verse was one of their standard bylines, essentially a four-generation evangelical call – from Paul to Timothy to faithful men to others. I remember references to “2 Tim 2 2” quite often in those early years. It’s an easy verse to remember!

Slava Bohu!

II Timothy 1:13-18

May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he … was not ashamed of my chains; … he searched for me earnestly and found me. (vv. 16-17) Here is more evidence of a second imprisonment, following a fourth missionary journey. In contrast we have Luke’s account of Paul’s Roman imprisonment: He lived there two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance. (Acts 28: 30-31) Luke’s account is not consistent with Paul’s letter to Timothy that Onesiphorus had to search “earnestly” for him. In Luke’s account, Paul was readily available to anyone looking for him. It could well be that Paul was in a harsh, isolated Roman prison when he wrote his second letter to Timothy – not easily found and not at all welcoming.

Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you. (v. 14, NASB) Again, reading as if Paul is writing to us instead of to Timothy… Two things: First, a treasure has been entrusted to us. Reading in context, verses 8-13, it appears that the treasure that has been entrusted to us is the message of the Gospel. To guard that message, we need to make sure that no one distorts that message with false preaching or “steals” that message from our hearts. But secondly, we have the indwelling Holy Spirit standing ready to assist us in guarding that message. We’ll never fully understand this “indwelling Holy Spirit”, but we can accept His guardianship offer without ever fully understanding Him! Simply, He is there for us!

Slava Bohu!

II Timothy 1:8-12

Another verse segment that I have often quoted: …I know whom I have believed… (v. 12b) I think I mostly quote it as “I know Him in whom I have believed.” It’s a simple statement, but also full of power! It’s a personal statement, irrefutable in a discussion with a non-believer. It also allows for a really good follow-up question, “Who do you believe in?”. [We’re allowed to end our sentences with a preposition when engaging in informal conversation! And this structure is less awkward and more to the point.] It’s also just a simple statement of faith and I feel it puts a smile on Jesus’ face.

…our Savior Christ Jesus … abolished death and brought life and immortality to light… (v. 10b) These words struck me. The Pharisees and the Sadducees disagreed on life after death. [Go back and re-read how Paul split the Council by declaring for the resurrection of the dead. (Acts 23:6-10)] Now in this verse Paul says that Jesus brought life and immortality to light, essentially saying that Jesus has made it clear and that there is now no longer any room for dissension about His resurrection. I also read this verse as Paul talking about our current life and our eternal life, both brought to light by Jesus’ death.

Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner… (v. 8a) I am reading these verses with a different eye for the first time, ever since I learned of the possibility of a “fourth missionary journey” that my Study Bible highlighted at the beginning of I Timothy. I had always read Paul’s imprisonment comments as relating to his Acts 28 prison time in Rome. But the possibility of his having been released from that imprisonment and making a fourth missionary journey puts a slightly different light on his letters, especially if you follow the verses and the route that I sent to you back on September 15, imbedded again below. The verses in that top frame below and the map in the second frame also help us understand Paul’s comment to Titus about meeting him in Nicopolis (Titus 3:12). Nice!

Slava Bohu!

II Timothy 1:1-7

Another oft-quoted verse: …for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. (v. 7) Not fear of whatever it is, but Holy Spirit power over it! Not fear of ?that person?, but Jesus’ love toward him or her. Not fear of whatever it is, but God-given self-control to deal with it! Our Trinitarian God has given us the tools to deal with fear. Don’t let fear overwhelm you!!

I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. (v. 5) How often have we felt the warmth of this verse, looking at our parents who passed their faith on to us and to our children to whom we hope to have passed our faith on to them. We pray and leave the results to God!

As I remember your tears… (v. 4a) Three times in our married life Carol and I have left our strong bonds of faith-friends and moved hundreds or (twice) thousands of miles away – from Maryland to Texas and back to Maryland and on to Kentucky. And there were tears…, in our eyes and in those of our friends. Thankfully God went before us with each move and prepared a new home with new faith-friends. It took God one week to accomplish that in Texas, one year back in Maryland, and eleven years to bring us to St. Andrew’s! No doubt He used us (and taught us) while we were at Our Saviour in Richmond, and no doubt He was preparing us (and you) for our ministry here at St. Andrew’s. In the end, we are fully blessed to be where we are, but we also remain ready to move on again if He calls us somewhere else – but we’re not pushing Him or praying for that!!

Slava Bohu!

Titus 3:9-15

Some scatter-shooting as we close out Titus… We haven’t heard much about Apollos (v. 13) since Acts 18-19, although he did get a number of mentions in I Corinthians. My Study Bible suggested that Zenas and Apollos may have delivered this letter to Titus, with Paul expecting them to stay on a bit, then return to him. There is no other mention of Zenas in the New Testament. Finally, in verse 12 (When I send Artemas or Tychicus to you… ), it looks like Paul is sending interim leaders to take over for Titus for a while so that Paul can meet with him personally. It seems that he does not want to leave the Cretan church without responsible leadership. We’ve seen Tychicus a few times. He was part of the entourage that went with Paul to Jerusalem to deliver the monetary gifts to the Jerusalem church. He was also (most likely) the messenger who, along with Onesimus delivered Paul’s letters to the Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon.

But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law… (v. 9a) It seems that from the beginning (his first missionary journey) to the end (his release from prison) Paul had trouble from the Judaizers. And yet he was more schooled in the Law than almost anyone with whom he came in contact. What frustration for him!

“Good works” again, verse 14…!!

Slava Bohu!

Titus 3:1-8

“Good works”…! Again, twice mentioned in today’s reading – verses 3 and 8. That “divine echo” again!

For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. (v. 3) Supposedly this is Paul writing to Titus (although some Bible scholars argue against Paul’s authorship of all three pastoral letters). As I was reading through Paul’s list of improper behaviors and attitudes, I thought that it does not sound like Paul’s early life. He was trained as a rabbi, as a scholar. I could not relate to this being Paul, the rabbi in his early life – not until I got to hateful, hating one another. Then I could see Paul writing, remembering his early hatred of Christians and his wanting to rid the world of them.

In that verse 3 quoted above, I was also asking myself about my own earlier life – to what extent had I exhibited those behaviors and attitudes? Then I went further and asked myself how much or how often some items from this list still applied to me today. I needn’t go any further with that thought…!

But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. (vv. 4-7) These verses are as good a statement of salvation and regeneration as we find anywhere else in Paul’s writings! I’m surprised we don’t see these verses quoted more often.

Slava Bohu!