Join us as we dive into the heartfelt and passionate letter of 2 Timothy, where Paul provides a candid and affectionate farewell to his beloved student and co-laborer, Timothy. We explore the context and personal touch of Paul’s words, as he calls upon Timothy to stand firm in faith despite suffering. This episode invites listeners to witness the beautiful transition of legacy and encouragement that marks Paul’s last written communication.
00:14:04 Ezra Project Mission Statement and Call for Donations
SPEAKER 01 :
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.
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Today we begin 2 Timothy. It’s a short book, only four chapters, so let’s look at a little background before we begin. Paul wrote 2 Timothy, most likely during his second imprisonment in Rome, somewhere between 64 and 68 AD. It’s his last letter. It is very personal to his close friend and co-laborer, Timothy. He calls on Timothy to stand firm and continue in faithfulness. 2 Timothy is a clear call for perseverance in the gospel in spite of suffering. Anticipating his death soon, he passes the baton of faith in the gospel to Timothy. This letter is a farewell. While we get into 2 Timothy, let’s look for things like All scripture is breathed out by God. We’ll see that in chapter three. Preach the word. Chapter four, a description of what we can expect the world to be like in the last days. In chapter three, way more accurate than any Hollywood movie we see today. To help us through 2 Timothy, we have the same guest reader we had in 1 Timothy. It’s my good friend Larry Geeling. We’ve been friends for over three decades, and Larry had much to do at the beginning of the Ezra Project. He invited me to speak in his men’s retreat in the mid-90s. I declined that invitation, however, because I had never done anything like that before. But he persisted. He did not let me off the hook. So I prayed. I said, Lord, what am I to share with this group of men? And the Lord asked me, what was the most important thing in my life that I could share with someone else? I created a message about the power of God’s Word and the value of daily Bible reading. That, of course, became the precursor of the messages of the Ezra Project. At the end of the retreat, I offered journals to the men who attended. And I said if they committed to daily Bible reading, they could pick up a journal. Nearly everyone came up and picked one up. Seven years went by after that retreat before the Ezra Project was born. But that still was the beginning of the messages of the Ezra Project. So I thank Larry Geeling for not letting me off the hook for his church men’s retreat. It’s an honor to have him involved in AdBible as a guest reader. Larry will read 2 Timothy chapters 2 and 4, so we’ll begin today with 2 Timothy chapter 1 as read by Faith Comes By Hearing. So let’s begin with the 18 verses of 2 Timothy chapter 1.
SPEAKER 02 :
2 Timothy 2 Timothy 1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, by the will of God according to the promise of the life that is in Christ Jesus. To Timothy, my beloved child. Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. 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. For this reason, I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God gave us a spirit not of fear, but of power and love and self-control. Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me, his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling. not because of our works, but because of His own purpose and grace, which He gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me. Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you. You are aware that all who are in Asia turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes. May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains. But when he arrived in Rome, he searched for me earnestly and found me. May the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that day. And you well know all the service he rendered at Ephesus.
SPEAKER 03 :
To help us through 2 Timothy, I’ve selected three journals, the same ones I used in 1 Timothy. My journal from 1992, the second one is from 2002, 10 years later, and the third one is 2012, another 10 years later. These are my personal Bible reading journals, which means that each day when I read the scriptures, I jot down what I sense the Lord has said to me. I have been doing that for over 30 years. So the journals I’ve selected for 2 Timothy are in various decades, the 90s, the 2000s, and the 2010s. So let’s take a look at 2 Timothy chapter 1 through the eyes of my personal Bible reading journals. In 1992, after reading 2 Timothy chapter 1, I just wrote one line, Kindle afresh the gift of God which is in me. We could probably camp right there on just that phrase alone out of this chapter, but we will look at some other journal entries. In 2002, I wrote, Fan into flame the gift of God which is in you. Do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord. And I was referring to verses 6 through 8. Help me be strong for you, Lord. Help me to mentor, pass on Christianity to a few close men. In 2012, I was reading 2 Timothy at a little bit slower pace, so I took two days to read this chapter. So, I have journal entries from two days. So, let’s look at those. First, on the first 10 verses, I wrote, Know who you are. Paul knew who he was. Quote, An apostle of Christ by the will of God. He served God with a clear conscience. Paul prayed. He reminds Timothy to know who he is. And I quoted verses 5 and 6. I am reminded of your sincere faith. Fan into flame the gift of God which is in you. Then I continue to write, God will help fan his gift into a flame with his spirit, not of fear, but of power and love and self-control. God calls us to, quote, a holy calling because of his own purpose and grace. And that was verse 9. The next day I continued in my study of 2 Timothy chapter 1 with the last verses from 11 through 18. I wrote, Jesus Christ, quote, abolished death and brought life and immortality. And then I wrote, no one else can this be said about. No other religious figure claims this. I continued, though Paul is in a Roman jail, he is not ashamed of his Christ because he knows whom I have believed. That’s verse 12. Then I quoted verse 14. Guard the good deposit entrusted to you. God has gifted each of us. We are to guard what he has entrusted us with. He told Timothy the same thing. And I quoted 1 Timothy 6, 20. Who are you in Christ? Paul knew who he was. He says in verse 1, Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, according to the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus. So Paul knows who he is. He goes a little bit farther in verse 3 when he says he serves God with a clear conscience. And then he reminds Timothy who he is. Verse 5 says, I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and now I’m sure dwells in you as well. So Timothy had a heritage of Christianity. Maybe you do too. Maybe you grew up in a Christian home. Or maybe you’re a first generation Christian. But who are you in Christ? Then Paul reminds Timothy that he has a gift, and we each have been gifted by God. And he tells Timothy not to sit on that gift, but to fan it into a flame. How about you? Are you sitting on your gift, or is your gift from God burning before men? Then in verse 8, he tells Timothy, Do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God. Good words for you and me, right? Let’s not be ashamed of our testimony for Christ, but let’s share it in the power of God. Paul goes on to say in verse 12, I am not ashamed, for I know whom I believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what he has entrusted to me. So there’s no reason to hide our Christianity if we know who we believe in, and we’re convinced that he can guard us too with what he’s entrusted us with. I love what Paul shares next. He tells Timothy, follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus by the Holy Spirit who dwells within us. Guard the good deposit entrusted to you. He’s telling Timothy and he’s telling us, follow God’s word. Stand in our faith and the love of Jesus. Trust the Holy Spirit and share that good deposit that he has entrusted in us. So what has God entrusted you with? What may he be asking you to fan into a flame after reading this chapter? Think about your gifting. Do you have a burning passion, something in your heart that you just want to share? Remember, Paul said he could not not preach the gospel. It was a passion in him. What are you passionate about? What has God entrusted you with? And don’t let that flame go out. Fan that flame, not in the spirit of fear, but in power, love, and self-control. Don’t be ashamed to share what God has entrusted you with. Lord, give us the power, give us the boldness to share what you have entrusted in us. Each one of us may have a different message or a different gift, but we are to share it with those around us. That’s what Paul is telling young Timothy. That’s what you may be telling us today. Lord, we thank you for trusting us with something that you want us to share with others. Give us the courage to do so. We ask it in Jesus’ name. Amen. Thanks for listening to AdBible today. We make very few financial appeals after our daily programs, yet from time to time it is necessary to do so. Today is one of those days, so please don’t shut me off. The Ezra Project started in 2002 with one mission, to connect God’s people to God’s Word. Back then and still today, I believe the number one need in the Christian church is to come back to God’s Word. I’m not a preacher. I don’t have a pulpit to encourage Christians to engage in their Bibles or a church to support this radio program. But with your help, we can continue to proclaim God’s word on radio to you and thousands of others. Ours is a unique approach. We don’t preach the Word or even teach the Word. We share the powerful impact of God’s Word in a normal life of over 50 years of daily Bible reading. I started at 15 years old. and I’ve virtually read my Bible every day since. In AddBible, I share my personal Bible reading journals starting in 1983 and continue even to this day. I share from my heart how the Bible has intersected my life and how it can intersect yours. We need preaching about the Bible, but more so, we need personal engagement in the Bible. The Bible is still applicable to 21st century life. That’s our mission at the Ezra Project. If you agree Christians should be applying God’s Word to our daily lives, I invite you to visit our website at EzraProject.net and donate today. You can do it online or by mail. Our mailing address is right there. We can share all 66 books of the Bible on radio if you partner with us and allow us to do so. Thank you for considering a financial donation today.
