In this episode, we reflect on the final chapter of 2 Timothy, guided by Alan J. Huth’s 35 years of Bible journaling. Special guest Larry Geeling reads the scriptures, offering listeners a chance to hear the urgency and passion in Paul’s farewell message. Huth’s reflections emphasize spiritual readiness, the importance of staying true to sound doctrine, and the rewards that await those who finish the race in faith. This episode challenges us to reflect on our role as evangelists in today’s world, fostering a deeper commitment to God’s Word among all believers.
Welcome to Add Bible, an audio daily devotion from the Ezra Project. Allen J. Huth shares a Bible passage with comments from over 35 years of his personal Bible reading journals and applies the Word of God to our daily lives.
SPEAKER 03 :
Today we finish off the book of 2 Timothy. We’ll listen to the 22 verses read by my friend, our guest reader, Larry Geeling, a person who was very influential in the beginning of the Ezra Project. So let’s listen in to Larry as he finishes off 2 Timothy.
SPEAKER 02 :
I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing in his kingdom. Preach the word, be ready in season and out of season. Reprove, rebuke, and exhort with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but also to all who have loved his appearing. Do your best to come to me soon, for Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry. Tychius I have sent to Ephesus. When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments. Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm. The Lord will repay him according to his deeds. Beware of him yourself, for he strongly opposed our message. At my first defense, no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them. But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen. Greet Prisca and Aquila and the household of Onesiphorus. Erastus remained at Corinth, and I left Trophimus, who was ill, at Miletus. Do your best to come before me. Eubulus sends greetings to you, as do Pudens and Linus and Claudia and all the brothers. The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you.
SPEAKER 03 :
Let’s look at these entries from my personal Bible reading journals from 1992, 2002, and 2012 for the last time in 2 Timothy. We’ll begin back in 1992 when I wrote, Paul encourages young Timothy as a companion and friend. Preach the word. Be sober. Endure. Do. Fulfill your ministry. And from 2002, I wrote, For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine and will turn their ears away from the truth. So before that, and even during that, preach the word. I love the Ezra Project. Lord, help me with it. And once again from 2012, where I was reading 2 Timothy a little bit more slowly, so I divided up this chapter into two different days, and I read verses 1 through 8 on the first day, and 9 through 22 on the second day. So let’s see what I had to say. Jesus judges the living and the dead, no other. He will come again. Preach the word, not about the word, not around the word, Not a new version, a politically correct interpretation of the Word. Preach the Word, God’s Word. Why? Because the time is coming, and now is, when people will not endure sound teaching, the Word. They will turn from listening to the truth and prefer myths or fables. But as for you, fulfill your ministry. Me too. Paul realizes his time is up. I wonder if I will know that. There are rewards in heaven. I hope I can earn a crown of righteousness too, for I too have loved His appearing. And then my second entry. People, some in love with the present world, while some are useful to God in ministry. Some do ministry great harm. The Lord repays for their deeds, not me. Ministry can be lonely, and I was referring to verse 16. But God is with us. Stay on task. God is in control and will bring us through it all safely home. Lord, be with my spirit and give me your grace. Let’s go back to the very beginning of this chapter. I want to read these first five verses once again. I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing in his kingdom, preach the word. Be ready in season and out of season. Reprove, rebuke, and exhort with complete patience and teaching, for the time is coming. When people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. What great words for the days and times we live in. First, it’s stated categorically that Jesus is to judge the living and the dead. What an important reality in our day to day. People need to understand this, that Jesus Christ is going to judge the living and the dead. And therefore, it’s our responsibility to tell them. Paul says it this way, preach the word, be ready in season and out of season. I’ve never believed that that is only for pastors or preachers. At the time, Timothy was a young man. So let’s take those words to heart, all of us. We are all to preach the word and be ready in season and out of season. Why? Because the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching. We can see that all around us today. There is a lack of biblical teaching in our churches. We see people accumulating for themselves teachers to suit their own passions. And we see many turning away from the truth, more interested in myths or fables. So if you’re a biblical Christian, it’s your responsibility to be ready in season and out of season to preach the word or share the truth of God’s word. Paul tells Timothy, he tells us, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. And way back in the introduction of this book, we said this was a farewell address. These are Paul’s last words. He says in verse 6, For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. What a declaration of a life well lived. Will that be your declaration in your farewell address? Will you be able to say, I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith. May we all finish strong for the Lord. Paul passed the baton of spreading the gospel to Timothy. Timothy, spread it to others. Hopefully in your life, you grabbed the baton and you are now spreading the gospel to those around you. Lord, we thank you for the book of 2 Timothy. We thank you for the personal communication between Paul and his beloved friend and co-worker Timothy. We thank you for the reminder to fan the flame of the gifts that you’ve entrusted us with. To present ourselves as a worker approved by you, not ashamed of the word of God. We thank you for the understanding that all scripture is breathed out by God and by it we can be equipped for every good work. And we thank you for that description of the last days. We see it all around us. May you find us faithful in the days we live in. And Lord, help us finish strong. May you find us doing the work of an evangelist, which is just sharing Jesus with others. May you find that we have kept the faith. Thank you, Almighty God, for your word. sear it into our hearts. Amen. According to a recent Barna Research study entitled Bible Reading, A New Year’s Resolution, most Americans are not satisfied with their current level of Scripture reading. A majority express a desire to read the Bible more than they currently do. Born-again and practicing Christians are the most likely to desire more Bible reading in their day-to-day lives. It should not come as a surprise that the majority of Americans wish they read Scripture more than they do, says Roxanne Stone, editor-in-chief of Barna Group. After all, two-thirds of Americans agree that the Bible contains everything you need to know to live a meaningful life. Why wouldn’t you want to read such a book more often? The study continues. However, like other New Year’s resolutions, such as exercising more and eating healthier, Scripture reading is often an aspirational goal. It’s the goal that for most people probably doesn’t feel necessary to survive and so can easily get swamped by the day-to-day demands of a busy life. Scripture reading takes time and focus, two things that feel like scarcities in today’s fast-paced and on-demand culture. Like exercise, like dieting, regular Bible reading does not offer instant payoff. It’s a discipline whose rewards are reaped over the long haul. And the study continues, when people go from feeling they should read the Bible more to needing to read the Bible more, they find the time. Access to the Bible is not the issue in the USA, is it? We all have Bibles. According to another study done a few years ago, 88% of Americans own a Bible. We have 3.5 Bibles in our homes. And this is amazing. 59% of people who have no faith or are atheists even own a Bible, probably just in case. So if you have a smartphone, you have access to the Word of God. My Gideon Bible app has over 2,100 languages. Access to the Bible is not the issue. The issue is changing our beliefs about the Bible to behavior with the Bible. So where are Christians with the Bible today? Christians are well-intentioned when it comes to the Bible. We believe that the Bible is the Word of God. We believe, we just don’t behave. Our belief in the Bible and our behavior with the Bible are inconsistent. The middle ground related to the Bible seems to be disappearing. The decrease of Bible-neutral and Bible-friendly people and the increase of Bible antagonists suggests that more people are picking a side. Which side are you on? Are you a Bible antagonist questioning the Bible? Are you Bible-neutral? I just don’t know. Or are you Bible-friendly? I love the Bible. Wherever you are, pick a side. Because of our neglect of God’s Word, we are becoming biblically illiterate. For example, in a private religious elementary school, kids were asked about the Old and New Testaments. Here are some funny things that they had to say. The first commandment was when Eve told Adam to eat that apple. Lot’s wife was a pillar of salt by day but a ball of fire by night. What kind of man was Boaz before he married? ruthless. The epistles were the wives of the apostles. Christians have only one spouse. That’s called monotony. So, if we think about Bible literacy or illiteracy, we think about it this way. If God decided to come down from his throne in heaven, become an author here on earth, you’d think his book would be on the bestseller list. And the fact is, the Bible is the number one bestselling book of all time. 2.5 to 5 billion, according to research. It’s also the most read book of all time. Praise the Lord, that alone might be evidence that the Bible, not any other so-called writing, is God’s Word. According to a weekly World News report, here are a few other Bible facts. About 50 Bibles are sold every minute. The Bible is the world’s best-selling book. It’s also the world’s most shoplifted book. That’s interesting. And that doesn’t even count all the Gideon Bibles stolen out of those hotels. So I encourage you to enjoy a portion of God’s Word every day. Make it a daily spiritual habit. And so until next time, I’m Alan J. Huth, and this program is sponsored by The Ezra Project, with support from listeners like you. Visit EzraProject.net to keep AdBible, connecting God’s people to God’s Word, on the air.
