II Timothy Chapter 4 "Paul's
Charge to Timothy in his Ministry." This Bible Study is
written by Roger Christopherson, and made available with
written permission by http://www.theseason.org This chapter continues in doctrinal teaching as to how Timothy is to conduct a church. It is an example to us today as to how our church should be conducted, and the teaching of the things that should be allowed in the church, and those things that should not be allowed. It is our gage which each of us should use to tell us just how well our churches are in line with what God expects from us and our church. So this is the final charge by Paul to Timothy for his ministry. II Timothy 4:1 "I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, Who shall judge the quick and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom;" The "quick" are the living, and this looks forward to the last days and the time just prior to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. This time was stated back in verse one of chapter three; "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come." Now Paul is charging Timothy's ministry to continue this the time just before Jesus second advent, which is Christ's return. What this means to you and I living today is that the gospel of Christ should never change. The new fads that break out in churches are not part necessarily of the Gospel. There is only one purpose for church and that is to study the Word of God to see what God says is important for our lives. Anything that man teaches from his traditions is not of much value to our souls. The Word of God will not change one bit for when it was first put in writing in the original manuscripts, So Paul is charging Timothy as to what he is to do before that coming of Christ. II Timothy 4:2 "Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine." "Preach the Word" of God, the Scriptures that are and were inspired by the Holy Spirit. As we read in verse sixteen of chapter three; "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect thoroughly finished unto all good works." We are to be ready to give answer to those around us as questions are asked of us. Ready in season and out of season; "in season" as used in the Greek is "eukairos", it is # 2121 in Strong's Greek dictionary "well timed opportunity, a time of convenience, and a time of need." "Out of season" on the other hand is #171 in Strong's Greek dictionary; "Same as 170, inopportunely, out of season." Number 170; "To fail of a proper occasion, to be inopportune for one self." The doctrine that Christ brought forth will never change. It is as good today as is was the day that it was spoken. That doctrine of Christ brings you peace of mind, and peace within the congregation of the church. Today churches that teach the Word of God in its entirety are rare, Churches today have gone to teaching their traditions and false doctrines, and the teaching of God's Word chapter by chapter and verse by verse on the local level is rare. This type of teaching is what the church is for, and Paul's last charge to Timothy was to teach the Word of God. The church is not a place of entertainment, a business to make money, nor for support hirelings. It is not a place to share the ideas of what men think, but it is the place to study God's Word to see what God has to say. Teach God's Word and the people will come. The sheep come to the place where they can be feed. Any animal knows that if it is feeding time, and the food is given they will be there, you don't have to worry about it. Jesus last instruction to Peter after His resurrection, before His ascension into heaven is given in John 21:15-17. John 21:15 "So when they had dines, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou Me more than these?" He saith unto Him, "Yea, Lord; Thou knowest that I love Thee." He saith unto him, "Feed My lambs." On the night of Jesus Christ's trial before His crucifixion, Peter had denied Christ three times, and now after Jesus resurrection, sitting by the fireside on the seashore, Jesus knows the love that Peter has for Him. Jesus is preparing His disciples to become His Apostles, ones that will be sent forth to carry the Word of God. The first command is "Feed my lambs", and in the Greek, "lambs" is the word "bosko", provide the pasture for the little ones. In all other areas this word applies to "swine", but here they are no longer the Gentile swine, but God's little lambs. Christ has risen from the dead and salvation is open to all peoples. Be gentle with these new born Christian souls, and feed them from the milk of God's Word. Give them what is needed to bring them to maturity. Just like a baby simply cannot digest the solid foods in their little stomachs, so also the tough solid spiritual foods of God's Word simply cannot be understood. John 21:16 "He saith to him again the second time, "Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou Me?" He saith unto Him, "Ye, Lord; Thou knowest that I love Thee." He saith unto him, "Feed My sheep." The shepherd is the one that takes care of the sheep and he is the one which should know they type of food that his sheep can eat and digest. "Sheep" as used in this verse is "probaton" in the Greek and these sheep are not little babies, but maturing children into adulthood and need their meat and potatoes to grow. They need more than just milk of the Word, but they need to be able to be strong enough to make their stand in this world. They are maturing into adulthood, and the sandbox of Christianity is no longer enough for them. They need to be taken beyond the milk of Salvation and Baptism, and are now ready for the more in-depth study of God's Word. John 21:17 "He saith unto him the third time, "Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou Me?' Peter was grieved because He said unto him the third time, "Lovest thou Me?" and he said unto Him, "Lord, Thou knowest all things; Thou knowest that I love Thee." Jesus saith unto him, "Feed My sheep." This is the third time that Jesus asked Peter to repeat his love for Him. Each time Jesus has told Peter to teach his sheep, and Peter is to teach deeper on all three levels, starting with the lambs, the babes in Christ, and teaching on all three levels. Starting with the simplest level like that of a child in understanding the Scripture. You teach on the level of the one that is listening, and it is to be given on the level of their understanding. Age has nothing to do with this for many times older adults require a more simple teaching than the youth. Even in the word "lovest" of the phrase "lovest thou Me", the word "lovest" starts with a simple form for love, and each time it changes to a stronger form of love. Each time Peter answered, he know that Jesus know the love that Peter had for Him. Thou knowest that I love you, "Thou knowest all things." Going back now to Paul's charge to Timothy and his ministry, Timothy is charged to teach the doctrine of Christ, the teachings that Christ taught, and the entire Word of God. Teach it on all three levels, to the babes in Christ on their level, and to the old well established Christians, teach each on the level that they can absorb. We are living in the end times and people are starving for the truth of God's Word. Why is it not taught more in the churches? This is part of the "rebuke" spoken of by Paul. The Word rebukes each of us that study it, for God's Word is given for our correction. The rebuke will be a lot harder on those that are on a deeper level of the Word, than on the new born Christians that has no more than the milk of the Word. One of the worse sins that can be made is to falsely teach the Word of God. So if you are going to teach, do it right; know the material that you are going to teach. Look up those words that you don't understand and apply them rightly to God's Word. Train yourself to follow the subject line of the material that you are studying. Stay away from those so-called ministers that sugar-coat the Word to be something that it is not. When the Word is changed and altered from the truth, it simply is not interesting to them. They want the truth and it is important to bring discipline to the congregation. Just as children need discipline, so do the people of the congregation, and they want to be disciplined by their heavenly Father. II Timothy 4:3 "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;" It would be better said, that the time is coming when people seek out teachers that will only say things that is soothing to their ears, and that time has come here and now. Today many ministers spend all their time teaching that people are good in heart, and they tickle your ears with all sorts of soothing talk, that you will never sin after you are saved. We know that even after we are saved, as long as we are in these flesh bodies, we are going to still fall short of God's Word, and need to ask forgiveness daily for those things that we do, as we commit them. Paul fell short just the same as you and I do, that is what repentance is all about, and it is the freedom that we have in Christ. Repentance brings peace back into the hearts of the congregation, and into the family. Forgiveness is the most beautiful thing of Christianity, for it shows us that God is available to those that do study His Word. It also brings rebuke to all those that would seek to do it any other way. II Timothy 4:4 "And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto unto fables." They will shy away from hearing the Word of God, and they would rather be entertained with church doctrine, and the traditions of mine. The church is becoming a social center, and place for mixing with others for the sake of other reasons than the hearing of the Word of God. They would rather hear fairy tales and fly away stories than what God has to say and warn us about in these last days. Let's face reality, the common teaching in the Sunday schools today teach that the event that happened in the Garden of Eden was Eve eating of an apple. How stupid, How can you get an apple tree out of the true happening, of Eve being sexually seduced by Satan, and from that union came their son Cain. It is important that you know about Cain, for he is the father of the Kenites, they are very ones that are the negative part of God's Plan. All of Jesus teachings and conversation with parables dealt with the understanding of who the Kenites are, and what they will do to assist in deceiving Christians. It has come to a point today that even adult Christians believe that the eating of an apple is what the sin was in the garden of Eden. It is what is called, living in fairy-tale land, separated from true reality. That is what fables will do for you. Fables separate people from the truth, and it takes away their ability to understand the simplicity that Christ taught through the Holy Spirit. It is a disgrace to see how children are started out on this lie, and it isn't any wonder that all their conceptions of God's Word are so badly distorted. They have grown to where they would rather believe man's traditions than hear the Word of God. The "tree of the knowledge of good and evil" is this body, these limbs of our flesh body, The word "tree" comes from the Word "ets", which is the "back bone" of flesh bodies. It is the series of bones that contain the central nervous system that runs through it, and that is why someone is paralyzed when their back is broken. The trees that are talked about in the Garden of Eden, are the good tree, which is Jesus Christ, and the bad tree is Satan. It is time to stop telling fables, and get to the truth of God's Word. You bet fables are the center of church teaching today. Paul hit the nail right on the head, as he is warning Timothy about such a then. II Timothy 4:5 "But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of they ministry." It is time to think about God's emotions and what He thinks when you are teaching, and not trying to please the big spenders of the church. The only way to "make full proof of the ministry" is to use the entire Word of God. It is for reproof, and it should be used to check out what is being taught by your pastor and teacher. It is for the instruction of how we are to live our lives. Don't go out to teach God's Word unless you know what it is that you are teaching. That is what Paul is saying. Make sure you understand what you are saying before you teach it to someone else. This is one of the greatest sins that can be committed, for someone to set himself up as a teacher of God's Word when he or she has no idea what the Word of God is saying about a matter. If you want to be a dentist, you had better go to dental school and learn all the things that you need to know before you hang your shingle out to the public saying that you are a dentist. Becoming a preacher or teacher requires just as much study and far more knowledge than the dentist, for what you say can affect a man or woman's soul for eternity. The damage that you cause to others will be piled right back on your own head, and in double portion, if what you teach causes someone to go astray. The most important thing in the world is the leading of souls to the Father, and the salvation of souls. God loves each of His children, and He hates it when so called ministers take His children and fill their minds with lies and fables about Him, that causes them to not seek after Him. This entire book is directed not only to Timothy, but to Ministers living in our generation. It directs ministers in the setting up of their congregations, and learning what to teach and what to stay away from. It is a very serious thing and should not be taken lightly. If you desire to teach, then do your studying, and seek the direction and the unction of the Holy Spirit, for without the Holy Spirit there will be no understanding, but only confusion. You cannot teach something until you know something yourself. II Timothy 4:6 "For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand." Paul was in prison in Rome at this time of writing, and on in his years. He knew that there wasn't much time left for him in this life, and it was important that Timothy received this charge and instruction for his ministry. II Timothy 4:7 "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:" When you read all the travels of Paul, you see the beatings and the scorning of the mobs that Paul went through to establish all the churches that he founded. He was stoned until life went from his body. He took thirty nine stripes with the cat of nine tales [whips] many time for the sake of the teaching of the Gospel. He was ship wrecked three time, insulted and threatened many times. Now he sat in prison waiting trial before Caesar, and I would certainly say Paul had fought a good fight, he finished the course he set out to do. Not only did the world of his day have the instruction they needed from God's instruction, but right up to the final generation his letters to the many churches provides you and I the understanding to rightly divide the Word of God. Paul knew that God was protecting him every step of the way, Paul kept that faith just as we should also "keep our faith" today. In keeping the faith, we know that we are doing our best for Him, and in turn we have the promises that are eternal that He will bless us and help us in our time of need. God is perfect, and in Christ we have His perfection. II Timothy 4:8 "Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love His appearing." Paul knew that on the day of his departure from this earth through his death that he would receive the crown of righteousness. This "crown of righteousness" is for every one that loves His appearing. Do you love Christ's appearing at the seventh trumpet? I assure you that many in our generation will not love Christ's appearing, for they are preparing themselves to join themselves with Satan the false Christ. They are all wrapped up in fly-away fables, and they simply do not understand that the false messiah is coming first. When Satan comes to earth, they will think that he is Jesus coming to rapture them out of here. They have had their ears tickled to many times, and listened to to many apple tree stories, instead of preparing themselves for the seventh trumpet. They simply do not know the difference between the sixth trumpet and the seventh, and at the coming of Jesus Christ they would rather have the mountains fall on them, than rejoice over the coming of our Lord. They will have thrown their "crown of righteousness" at the feet of Satan, and become part of the wrong marriage. When Jesus returns they will be so ashamed of what they have done, they will be praying for a spiritual death, rather than face Christ in disgrace. II Timothy 4:9 "Do thy diligence to come shortly unto me:" Paul is in prison and he knows that he doesn't have long to live. He is requesting Timothy to come shortly to see him, before it is to late. You can see the tenderness that Paul has for Timothy in this. II Timothy 4:10 "For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia." II Timothy 4:11 "Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry." All those that started and joined with Paul in his early ministry are gone, and Paul is telling Timothy that on your way to Rome, stop and pick up Mark and bring him along with you. Mark, like Timothy had turned out to be a great teacher and minister. Mark was the one that wrote the Gospel of Mark, and he was a great help to Paul in his ministry. These two ministers became the first of the first fruits, and they prepared themselves well for the ministry that they went out and accomplished. They also, just like Paul, have received that crown of righteousness when the went to be with the Father, and all of God's elect that wait for the true Messiah's coming will also receive the crown of righteousness, for remaining true to our Lord to the very end. II Timothy 4:12 "And Tychicus have I sent to Ephesus." II Timothy 4:13 "The cloke that I left at Troas with Carpus, when thou comest, bring with thee, and the books, but especially the parchments." Paul is asking Timothy not to forget his notes when he comes, for they are of special importance to Paul. There is no doubt that the material that are in those parchments are the very material that we study, when we read the letters from Paul to the many churches abroad. Remember that Paul was a great scholar, well learned in the law, and educated under the greatest educated mind of His day. Paul studied the Hebrew manuscript for many years, and that is why he constantly referred back to the prophets of old in his writings. Paul was educated in Hebrew, and he spoke Greek and many other languages. II Timothy 4:14 "Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works:" When you are one of God's first fruits, and become a child of God in right standing, you don't have to worry about fighting your own battles. God will take care of those that do you wrong, and he knows how to get the job done the right way. Paul did not have to worry about Alexander the coppersmith for he knew that this person would be avenged in the long run, and if he did repent to the Father in Jesus name, then those deeds would be forgiven, and Paul would have his reward anyway. If someone touches one of God's elect, be assured that God will take care of them, and I assure that God took care of old Alexander for the evil that he did to Paul. II Timothy 4:15 "Of whom be thou ware also; for he hath greatly withstood our words." Paul is speaking of Alexander here, and he is warning Timothy to be careful when you are around him. Don't trust what he says for he is a man that does not keep his word. He stood in the way of our teaching and preaching, and he interrupted when others are talking. Watch out for him. There is a great lesson here for us also. II Timothy 4:16 "At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge." Paul is now telling Timothy about his first appearance before the court at his trial in Rome. When he appeared, there was no one that stood by his side, to stick up of him and give a word on Paul's behalf. All men were either out of town or just forsook Paul in his time of need. It is rough when people have been by your side all your life, and now at the time when you are about to die, there is no one with you. Keep in mind that the trial is before the Emperor Caesar, and those that would voice a word in Paul's favor would have probable died with him. Paul prayed that God would not hold this against any of his friend. II Timothy 4:17 "Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion." Don't ever forget this verse, that even when every person on the face of the earth turns against you, God is still by your side. The Lord will not just be with you, but He will strengthen you for the task that is set before you. Just as all the disciples fled into the night, the night that Jesus was taken up before the Kenites, and tried and sentenced to death. Paul is now in that same position with all his friends departed from him, and he stands alone before the Caesar, the man that controls the nations of his day. Though the flesh is so weak, when you have the faith to know that the Lord is on your side, He will be with you and you will not stand alone. This is why Paul is charging Timothy as well as all ministers to our day, to teach the Word as it is written. Don't back down when others ridicule you for teaching God's Word, it doesn't matter that you are forsaken. God stands with you and He will bless you, and your ministry will increase more than you could ever imagine. Know what you are doing by doing your homework; then you are charged to rebuke, exhort, and teach God's Word as it is written, with understanding. Then even you will be delivered from the lion's mouth. The lion's mouth of old Alexander was always open when he was out there trying to teach, and he would interrupt at every turn. Most people today are so ignorant of God's Word that they don't even know how to use a Greek and Hebrew dictionary, and they are out there trying to tell you what God's Word means. When you have done your studying, and know what you are going to teach, then don't back down to the religious nuts that make a fool of themselves. II Timothy 4:18 "And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto His heavenly kingdom: to Whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen." The Lord will deliver you also from every evil work that is done against you. The Word "Amen", means truly and faithfully, but to put it simply, "that is the way that it is." II Timothy 4:19 "Salute Presca and Apuila, and the household of Onesiphorus." II Timothy 4:20 "Erastus abode at Corinth: but Trophimus have I left at Miletum sick." II Timothy 4:21 "Do thy diligence to come before winter. Eubulus greeteth thee, and Pudens, and Linus, and Claudia, and all the brethren." II Timothy 4:22 "The Lord Jesus Christ be with thy spirit. Grace be with you Amen."
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