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Q4. (2 TIMOTHY 4:21A) Why is it important to Paul for Timothy to come before winter? What happens if Timothy delays? Do you think Timothy dropped everything and came to Paul's side? Would you, if you were Timothy? The winter weather made travel very difficult or impossible. The seas were closed to shipping from about mid-November to mid-March (Acts 27:9-12). Even taking the overland route north of Greece, as Paul seems to suggest (2 Tim 4:13); Timothy would still need to sail across the Adriatic, which was also closed. Timothy may have received this letter in summer, leaving himself very little time to organize the trip. If delayed, he would only be able to come in the spring, so, Timothy could not delay and had to depart urgently as Paul might not be alive for long. I feel Timothy is obliged to respond immediately and help his fellow believer. His other companions had left Paul, he is lonely, the great apostle deserves to be obeyed. Timothy surely must have travelled immediately and joined Luke and John Mark, to be with Paul when he was taken outside the city and beheaded at the Ostian Gate. Yes, if I was Timothy, I’m sure I would have done the same. Perhaps, talk is cheap, who knows if I knew all the exact conditions if I would have obeyed Paul?

Q3. (2 TIMOTHY 4:9-12) Why is it so difficult when trusted friends desert us? Why is it so difficult when they move away or die? Is it better to trust no one? Who remains with Paul besides Luke? (Hint: see verse 17a). Since our trusted friends will mostly be believers, we will dearly miss them because we have so much in common, so much to look forward to, and so much to discuss. Today it will not be so severe when our friends move away since through technology, we can still be in contact with them. It’s not that they are completely gone, but of course it’s the same as in Paul’s days when they die – we grieve them. I’ve lost many close and dear friends who have gone to be with the Lord and I truly miss them. Good close friends are very precious and not easily replaced. When it comes to trust I feel trust must be earned; we don’t trust everyone. Paul was never left completely alone. We might think that it feels like all have deserted him, but we know that the Lord stood at his side and gave him the needed strength to face anything (Php 4:13; 1 Tim 1:12).

Q2. (2 TIMOTHY 4:8) What does the "crown of righteousness" represent? To whom is it given? On what basis is it awarded? It is a reward, a symbol of victory and honour, stored in heaven for each believer (2:5), who has fought the good fight, finished the race, and kept the faith. Safely stored and carefully guarded with all our other heavenly treasure (Mat 6:20). It is given to all true believers who have shown righteousness in their service and faithfulness to God and His Word. It is a righteous crown which our Saviour Jesus Christ earned for us on the cross; a free gift of eternal life based on His righteousness, not ours. A righteousness obtained through faith in Jesus Christ (Rom 3:22); reserved for all who love Jesus Christ. It is also an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade, with our name on it, kept in heaven for us (1 Pet 1:4). An inheritance we will receive on the day of the Lord’s return – the day of His appearance.

Q1. (2 TIMOTHY 4:6-7) What does it mean to have "fought the good fight" or "run the good race"? What does it take to "finish the race(course)" God has designed for you? What does it mean to "keep the faith"? We sees the Christian life as a race. By having fought the good fight means we ran a good race and had tried our best. It had been a fight against Satan, against the law of sin operating within our own heart. To be able to say I finished the race means to have ran on course, and are now insight of the finishing line. A planned, designed race ruled by a personal faith in my Lord and which by God’s grace, I had managed to stay on course till the very end. To keep the faith means to continue to believe and obey all the doctrines of the Christian faith; to have kept it; to have guarded it; and to have passed it on to others.

Q4. (2 TIMOTHY 4:5) Why does Paul command Timothy to "discharge all the duties of your ministry"? What is the work of an evangelist that Timothy is to do? What does the command in verse 5 mean to you personally? Meaning that Timothy should fulfil his ministry, God’s plan for him, by devoting all of his talents and efforts to finishing the work at hand. Nothing must get in the way or try to stop Timothy from fulfilling his ministry to the full. He was to do the work of preaching the gospel to the best of his abilities, and not be distracted; knowing that God will provide the strength and the means. As an evangelist his work is to focus on preaching the gospel and not to get sidetracked or involved in meaningless myths, lies, false teachings, and arguments. He must spread the good news to as many people as possible for them to hear the truth, which is the same duty I have to the Lord, only not being a preacher, in a more minor way. I am to stand up for our Lord, not to get tired or discouraged, but always to be there for Him.

Q3. (2 TIMOTHY 4:1-2) Why do you think Paul has to resort to the command in verses 1-2? Why does he have to talk about being ready when it's inconvenient and when it is convenient? What problem is Paul trying to overcome here? How do these verses speak to you in particular? The whole world needs to hear Jesus Christ’s gospel invitation of salvation and their personal response in repentance and faith. For all have sinned (Rom 3:23); the wages of sin is death … the gift of God is eternal life (Rom 6:23); while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Rom 5:8). Amazing Words – God sent Jesus Christ to die for us, not because we were good enough, but just because of His grace and love for us. If these words are not preached how could unbelievers ever come to faith in Jesus? We should be sensitive to any opportunity our Lord may give us, irrespective of whether it is convenient or not. In other words, we should always be ready to serve God in any situation. I think Paul is trying to emphasize the urgency of the situation and overcome complacency. Time is running out and there are many who have not heard the good news and need to be saved. It was because of a good Christian team that came to our church one Sunday in 1982 that both my wife and I truly heard the gospel for the first time. We put our trust and faith in our Lord Jesus as our Saviour. I shudder to think if this had not happened, and we had both carried on in our ignorance. We will be ever grateful for them. Praise the Lord.

Q2. (2 TIMOTHY 3:16-17) In what ways does Scripture equip a Christian for ministry? In what different ways can the Scriptures function, according to verse 16? Scripture thoroughly prepares and equips us, as believers, for any work that God has designed and ordained for us to do. As we grow spiritually, we will find that His Word becomes an integral part of our lives as we are guided step by step to do good works that bring glory to our Lord. We are created to do good works, and Scripture, being God’s inspired Word, will equip us to perform these deeds (Eph 2:10). We are not saved merely for our own benefit but to serve Christ and build up the church (Eph 4:12). In our fight against evil, we can learn from Jesus who used Scripture to defeat the tempter (Luke 4:1-13). Because the Bible is the word of God, it functions in many ways in our lives and every portion of it is profitable. As we grow in faith, we realize that there is spiritual nourishment in every word that has proceeded from the mouth of God. The Bible is profitable for teaching about the various doctrines such as the Trinity, angels, man, sin, salvation, sanctification, the church, and future events. It is profitable for rebuking us, making us aware of the things that are displeasing to God. It is profitable for correcting us. Pointing out no only what is wrong but also the way in which it can be made right. Finally, the Bible is profitable for instruction in righteousness. The grace of God teaches us to live godly lives, but the word of God traces out in detail the things which go to make up a godly life.

Q1. (2 TIMOTHY 3:16) What does inspiration of Scripture mean? What does the term "God-breathed" tell us about the source and authority of Scripture? Why is the doctrine of inspiration of Scripture important? Inspiration is the way God guided and got men to write down His Word. God-breathed means that they wrote the words of God, inspired and infallible. God did not simply give the thoughts to the individual writers and allow them to express these thoughts in their own words - they were His own words. At the same time the individual literary style of each writer was not destroyed. Each writer wrote what God wanted them to write using their minds, talents, language, and style; even though they came from vastly different historical and cultural backgrounds. The doctrine of inspiration is vital. The whole Bible is God’s inspired Word, if this is not so it would be worthless as a reliable guide to divine truth. Because it is inspired and trustworthy, we use it as our standard for testing all truths and is our safeguard against false teachings which are so rife today. At the same time, it shows us how we should live as well as being the only source about our salvation. God wants to show us what is true and equip us to live for Him. Knowing that the Bible is the word of God; we know that it is the absolute truth, written without error and is our guide to Christian living – our instruction manual. It equips us to do every good work. But we have to be careful – our knowledge of God’s Word is not useful unless it strengthens our faith and leads us to do good.

Q4. (2 TIMOTHY 3:10-12) How does a failure to accept the inevitability of persecution hinder our witness? Just what does it mean to "take up His cross daily" (Luke 9:23) and to "carry His cross" (Luke 14:27)? Is Jesus talking about persecution - or something else? Persecution is an integral part of a devout Christian life. When we are called upon to go through deep waters, we might be tempted to think that we have failed the Lord or that the Lord is displeased with us for some reason. However, we must remember that persecution is inevitable for all of us who desire to live in a godly manner. Our godly life exposes the wickedness of others, and instead of repenting of their ungodliness and turning to Christ, they seek to destroy the one who has shown them up for what they really are. For this reason, we are often persecuted. A basic condition of taking up His cross daily is to deny self. This involves a completely new way of life; no more living for our own selfish interests, but living a life for the sake of Jesus and the gospel. We recognise His Lordship in every area of our life – we live to serve His purposes. It means to identify with Christ in His rejection, shame, suffering, and death. It’s a sign of suffering, a sign of rejection by the world, and a sign of obedience to God. To “carry His cross” means that in following Jesus Christ we deliberately choose to live the life He lived. We do this by recognising His lordship in every area of our life, and we die spiritually to self and the things of this world. This involves us loving Jesus supremely, perhaps forsaking family, a complete dependence on God and obedience to the Holy Spirit, maybe even becoming unpopular and hated, suffering for righteousness' sake, and living an unselfish life for others. We live to glorify our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. It also signifies a willingness to actually die for the name of Christ if need be. We are to seek His kingdom and His righteousness yielding ourselves unreservedly to Him. This involves laying hold of life that is life indeed! It also means finding at last the reason for our existence.

Q3. (2 TIMOTHY 3:5) Why is it so easy to become a hypocrite? How can we prevent our faith from degenerating into "a form of religion" without the power? It is so easy to give an outwardly appearance of being a Christian. We go to church, know some Christian doctrine, use a few Christian clichés, and follow Christian traditions. That’s it. But there is no substance. Whereas to live the life of a disciple requires effort; we must come humbly before Him, and hand over control to Him; our benefits are something in the future; and we are constantly aware of our sinful natures and our total dependence on Him. It is not easy being a Christian. We might want to do what is correct but the ‘sinful man’ in us, is always pulling us in the wrong direction. It takes discipline and dedication to our Lord; we have to continually be in prayer and in reading the Word; we must always be aware that our actions speak louder than our words, knowing that the world is watching us. Always very keen to label us as hypocrites. They will judge us by our fruit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Gal 5:22-23). By our ungodly behaviour we show the world that we are living a lie, and there is no evidence of the power of God in our lives. But as Christians we have no difficulty in identifying the works of the flesh. We read about it in Gal 5:19-21: “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

Q2. (2 TIMOTHY 2:24-25) In your own words, explain the various characteristics that enable a Christian teacher to correct opponents. How does the lack of any of these hinder the task? As Christians we are to resemble our Lord and Saviour, who is kind and gentle, humble and meek, lowly, and restful. We, as our Lord's servant, then, must also be kind and gentle, humble, easy to speak to, approachable in our behaviour, patient and polite; not irritable, intolerant, sarcastic, or scornful, not even toward those who are difficult or slow to understand. It is with this attitude that we must try to win opponents over to the truth. We must note however, that this gentleness will not always be reciprocated or even appreciated. At times we will meet with ridicule and abuse, even with insult and injury. When this happens, we must show even more patience and tolerance; remembering to correct the opponents with mildness. Always listen carefully to all questions and try to answer them but respectfully. Avoid any foolish debates which can only result in unnecessary arguments. We are not to succumb to evil.

Q1. (2 TIMOTHY 2:20-22). When do you put your good plates and silverware on the table? When do you use your everyday tableware? What point is Paul making with this example? In practical terms, how do we "cleanse ourselves" so that we might be useful and ready for the Lord's use? In any large house there are all kinds of utensils, not only gold and silver, which are articles to be kept and displayed, and used on special occasions; but also, wood and clay vessels, which are used on a daily basis and are not so keenly shown. Similarly, a church contains noble, honourable believers (the gold and silver vessels) who are useful to the Lord for the highest purposes. These are the brave soldiers, the disciplined athletes, and the hard-working farmers. At the same time there are the less noble, less honourable believers (the wood and clay vessels) who are useful only for the menial ordinary purposes. These are the cowardly soldiers, the lethargic athletes, and the lazy farmers. All believers should have a desire to serve the Lord – to become noble vessels. I think Paul is saying that if we will effectively cleanse ourselves, we will become a utensil for honour. Now, the way to cleanse ourselves is to become detached from that which is evil and attached to that which is good. By staying close to our Lord, and separating ourselves from the lusts of the flesh - the **** for money, fame, and pleasures. By purifying ourselves so that sin does not interfere with what God wants us to do. God can only use clean vessels in holy service. “Be clean, you who bear the vessels of the Lord (Isa 52:11).

Q4. (2 TIMOTHY 2:15) Exactly what is the analogy with a skilled workman that forms the basis for Paul's instruction to Timothy? How does this apply to our teaching of scripture today? The analogy is that of a workman skilled enough to make paths that are straight, smooth, and free from obstacles. Who treats the Word properly, keeping believers on the straight and narrow way; living a righteous life in obedience to our Lord, staying on the path of faith. The word of truth will be rightly handled, and like a skilled workman he does not change it, pervert it, mutilate it, or distort it, neither does he use it with the wrong purpose in mind. A workman who works hard, who has done his work well and is not ashamed to submit it to his superior. Remembering that it is before God whom we all will stand. This is how we should lovingly handle the Word, doing it for the glory of God, the conversion of sinners, and for the edification of believers.

Q3. (2 TIMOTHY 2:3-7) Paul calls Timothy to endure hardship for the sake of the goal. What in the experience of a soldier, an athlete, and a farmer illustrates this well? Which of these examples speaks most strongly to you? Paul gives three illustrations of Christian service and urges us to consider them as we meditate on them. We will then realize that the Christian ministry resembles warfare, athletics, and farming, that each of these has its own responsibilities, and that each brings its own reward. In all three we must be disciplined and prepared to suffer hardships. The believer as a soldier has been enlisted by the Lord, and our love for Him should find us in the front line; continually in touch with Jesus as we receive our orders from Him. We then have the athlete; here in order to receive the reward, we must train hard and obey the rules of Christian service. These include: we must practice self-discipline – living the life we preach (1 Cor 9:27); in our battle against spiritual powers, we do not use carnal weapons, but spiritual ones, the Word of God and prayer (2 Cor 10:4); we must keep ourselves pure; and we must be patient. Unfortunately, many of us fall out before we reach the finish line, disqualified because we did not maintain an unquestioning obedience to the word of God! Finally, we have the farmer. This involves endurance and hard work the whole year. Only if our work has been done well and unceasingly, will we see the results of our labour. Then we will see that our efforts are being rewarded and we will be the first to enjoy the fruit. This would serve as an encouragement to us, should we ever become discouraged in our labour for the Lord, knowing that such toil will not go unrewarded. Sometimes we get to see some of the results of our service here on earth. But the true enjoyment of all fruits of our service will only be known when we are with the Lord. I can see a bit of all three in myself; but I think I can associate myself more with the hard-working farmer. Someone has said: “A part-time Christian is a contradiction in terms; a man's whole life should be one strenuous endeavour to live out his Christianity in every moment and in every sphere of his life.”

Q2. Why do you think our churches tend not to declare the call to endurance and suffering? Why did Timothy tend to shy away from it? What is the result of a willingness to suffer for the gospel? Some of our churches tend to preach only what they perceive the congregation want to hear. Mostly prosperity teaching and then they focus on success and the good life. They tend to avoid anything about the trials and tribulations that we all must endure to produce a Jesus Christ like character. Timothy was a young and inexperienced leader. Being timid in nature and when he started to see Christians being persecuted for their faith this may have frightened him. From personal experience, I have found that suffering brings me closer to Christ. Otherwise, there is the danger of becoming complacent and smug – everything is going well so there is no need for Jesus. Also, I feel this then is the time to consider if we have been truly saved at all. 1 Peter 4:14 tells us to count it a blessing when you suffer for being a Christian. This shows that God's glorious Spirit is with you. Suffering causes believers to sense the presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives, which gives assurance of salvation. Nothing is achieved in this life without discipline and endurance, perhaps even suffering.