Be Still And Know

2 Timothy 3:10-11 On the face of it, this might sound like Paul is bragging, but he knew how crucial personal example was. He has just informed Timothy of the challenges he may face and of the way in which society is going to become more and more ungodly and destructive. If Timothy is going to survive, let alone thrive, he will need to be a very effective teacher, but also have a life that backed that teaching up. It’s interesting that Paul begins these verses by referencing his teaching. That was crucial. In these letters, Paul repeatedly pointed to the vital importance of sound teaching. But no Christian teacher will ever have an impact if their life does not back their teaching up. Paul never claimed to be perfect and, indeed, was often keen to point out the extent of his sinfulness. But he knew that, amid all his failures, he had offered Timothy an example which was well worth copying. Let me get personal for a moment. Your life is observed by other people whether you know it or not - and whether you

2 Timothy 3:1-2 The last days are often spoken about in the Bible. They refer to the period in which we now live, the age of the Spirit. In the prophecy of Joel, we hear God saying that in the last days, he would “pour out my Spirit upon all people” (Joel 2:24). In Acts 2:17, Peter declared that this was being fulfilled on the Day of the Pentecost. There is no doubt that this was a very challenging time for God’s people; it is interesting that, at the heart of Paul’s description of this period, was the destructive effect of money. Jesus often reflected on the significance of money. It is important to emphasise that there is nothing inherently evil about it. Money is ultimately part of God’s creation but, in common with all his gifts, what matters is how we handle it. When it is well used, it can be an incredible blessing. When it is abused, it can be a complete curse. Paul’s declaration that people would love only themselves and their money is terrifying, because it deliberately pushes God out. And when G

2 Timothy 2:25-26 It’s not the easiest thing in the world to speak with those who oppose you. Many people in that position are likely to be forceful and strident in their tone. They want to win their argument and convince their opponent that they are absolutely wrong. But Paul urged his young friend Timothy to be gentle in the way that he confronted his many opponents. Why was that? Because he knew the gentle approach is always the godly way. Trying to batter people with our arguments might feel good but it’s not the way of the Spirit. Paul knew that, through gentleness, the opponents might change their minds and learn the truth. Gentleness is a difficult word to handle. It might sound weak and soft, but true gentleness is strong and determined. However, it is also gracious, kind and loving. Reading these verses reminds me of my most effective teachers. They were all very clear about what they believed, but they shared their learning with such kindness and gentleness that they taught me how to live well

2 Timothy 2:24 Every Christian is a servant of the Lord but there is no doubt that in this verse, Paul is particularly thinking of the responsibilities of church leaders. Clearly they cannot serve the Lord if they are prone to pick quarrels but, more than that, they need to be kind to everyone. Kindness is a word which reflects the nature of Jesus. This doesn’t mean that church leaders should avoid getting into debate with opponents, or that they should side-step difficult situations. Far from it. Church leaders are called upon to face the toughest of challenges with gentleness, warmth and kindness. Being patient with difficult people has always been a fundamental requirement of church leaders. When Paul wrote to the church in Corinth he referred to them suffering fools gladly (2 Corinthians 11:19). I once heard it said that our calling is not merely to suffer fools gladly but to enjoy them enormously! Every community will include people who are challenging and, if we are honest, we might recognise that w

2 Timothy 2:20-21 Here Paul is describing the Church. It is made up of very different people who have a wide variety of roles. Paul’s concern is that Timothy should live in a state of constant readiness for whatever the Lord might want him to do. But he could only do that by keeping himself pure. Paul had his eyes wide open to the challenges that Timothy would face as a young leader in a non-Christian, and largely anti-Christian, society. He knew Timothy would be tempted to compromise and to slip back into godless ways. And, of course, Paul would say exactly the same to leaders today. Our society is driven by a lust for money, sex and power in just the same way as Roman society was. It is clearly expressed in completely different ways but the challenge to keep pure is as vital today as it was then. The devil does an amazing job in making purity sound dull and joyless, because the truth is the exact opposite. Purity is the route to living life to the full and Paul was eager that Timothy shouldn’t settle fo

2 Timothy 2:15-16 It’s always a pleasure to see someone who is a good worker. They may be an accountant, a cleaner, a lawyer or a shop-worker but, the moment you see them at work, you know that they are fully committed to the task. However, it is very easy to be less than that. Laziness can be a temptation in any walk of life, and that includes Christian teachers. It is possible for them to look for short cuts and offer their teaching without being properly prepared with prayer and careful study. Paul urges his friend Timothy to ensure this never happens to him. He needs to give his best so that he will never be ashamed of his teaching. That will only happen if he is self-disciplined and determined to serve the Lord wholeheartedly. Paul knew only too well that words that can be a great blessing but also a curse. In verse 14, he urged Timothy to remind people that they shouldn’t fight over words. He said such arguments were useless and could lead to disaster. The word that he actually used is “catastrophe”

2 Timothy 2:9-10 If it were possible to extinguish Christianity through violent persecution, it would have been snuffed out long ago. But it is a fact of the last 2,000 years that the persecution of the Church has simply accelerated its growth. Tertullian, an author in the second century, wrote: “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.” Most of us have had no experience of violent persecution, but it is important to remember that it continues to be the experience of many Christians around the world today. Every year, thousands of Christians are killed because of their faith in countries such as Afghanistan, North Korea, Somalia, Libya and Yemen. Paul was certain that, however great the persecution, the word of God could never be chained. We find exactly the same truth in the prophecy of Isaiah 55:10-11. God declared: “The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. It

2 Timothy 2:6 Paul was well aware of what a hard job it was to be a Christian leader. When he wrote to the Corinthians, he told them he was “pressed on every side by troubles”. He knew what it was to be perplexed, hunted down and to live in constant danger of death (2 Corinthians 2:4-11). He didn’t want Timothy to have any illusions about the challenges that would face him and, so, having compared his ministry to that of a soldier and an athlete, he now points to the example of a hardworking farmer. All farmers are focused on bringing in a good harvest, but they only achieve it if they put in months of really hard work. This is a good reminder for us all. There is something in all of us which would like God’s work to be easy and straightforward. We would prefer everyone to be co-operative, helpful and smiling. But if you have ever been involved in a local church, you will know that it is not always like that. It is often difficult to find people to do all the jobs that need doing. People are not necessari

2 Timothy 2:5 I wonder if you remember that agonising moment in the 2022 Commonwealth Games when our amazing 4x400m women’s relay team was disqualified. It was all the more painful because they seemed to have won the race. They gave a confident and delighted interview straight after their success, only to learn that Jodie Williams and Victoria Ohuruogu had stepped out of lane on the second leg of the relay. Their smiles of rejoicing quickly turned to tears of distress. It was all terribly sad to watch, but the fact is that they had infringed the rules. As hard as it may be, there have to be rules in every sport - and that has always been the case. The metaphor of the soldier that we looked at yesterday was drawn from Roman life. However, the metaphor of the athlete was definitely drawn from Greek life. The Greeks had established their games at Olympia in the 8th Century BC and conducted them for the next 800 years. They had elaborate rules which governed every part of the games, including the preparation

2 Timothy 2:3-4 It’s not surprising that the apostle Paul often referred to soldiers in his letters. He had seen plenty of Roman soldiers in his time and, no doubt, had often reflected on the life that they lived. They provided him with a powerful metaphor for the Christian life. On their website, the British army identifies six key values. All of them could be applied to the Christian life. They are: Courage: doing and saying the right thing, not the easy thing; Discipline: doing things properly and setting the right example; Respect for others: treat others as you expect to be treated: Integrity: being honest with yourself and your teammates; Loyalty: support the army and your teammates and selfless commitment: mates and mission first, me second. Paul identified three aspects of a soldier’s life which Timothy needed to reflect upon. First, soldiers need to be ready to suffer. Nobody likes suffering but, in a world that is opposed to God, it is inevitable that Christians will suffer – sometimes physicall

2 Timothy 2:2 Every sensible organisation needs to reflect on its succession planning. Leaders come and go and it’s important that careful thought is given to the way in which potential new leaders are identified, trained and appointed. This was basically Paul’s concern in this verse. He had trusted his young friend Timothy to teach the Christian truths but Timothy, in turn, needed to look out for people to whom he could pass on this responsibility. The precious gospel couldn’t just be handed on to anyone. The truths of the faith needed to be given to trustworthy people who could be relied upon to pass them on faithfully to others. The key word is “trustworthy”. I have interviewed many people for jobs over the years, and however brilliant a person’s qualifications are, the most crucial question is whether they can be trusted. The simple fact is that a person who cannot be trusted is dangerous. They may be incredibly gifted or amazingly qualified but, if you never know whether they are going to turn up or

2 Timothy 1:13 Living the Christian life doesn’t come naturally to any of us. We all need teaching to help us to live for Christ. However, there’s a problem with the word ‘teaching’ - it tends to make us think about classrooms and exams. We might be tempted to think that there is a textbook somewhere with the answers to every question of the Christian life. But there isn’t. The teaching that we need is intensely practical. You may have a complete understanding of every biblical passage about love, but if you are not loving then you have missed the point. You may be able to offer a very good definition of faith, but if you don’t exercise faith then it will do you no good. Paul believed that there was a core of Christian teaching that was absolutely crucial, but knew that that teaching needed to be shaped by the faith and love that Timothy had experienced since he met Christ. The teaching that Paul speaks about here is “wholesome”. Other versions of the Bible refer to it as “sound” - a word which has a medi

2 Timothy 1:12 Security is a big issue in our society. Billions of pounds are spent each year in the attempt to keep things safe. Nothing could make it clearer that, sadly, we live with a massive level of insecurity. I’ve only once lived in a house which had its own safe. It was so heavy that we never attempted to move it, but we found it the best place to hide chocolate biscuits when our children were young! We didn’t have anything more valuable to put inside it, and I often gleefully imagined the disappointment of anyone who tried to break into it with an oxy-acetylene torch! Paul knew that there was no security issue more important than his salvation. In today’s verse, he celebrates the fact that God is totally reliable and would keep him absolutely safe until Jesus returned or called him to himself. In a world full of insecurities, we all need to be sure that our salvation is secure. Paul’s words don’t mean that we just sit back and let God get on with the job of guarding us. We have our part to pla

2 Timothy 1:9 When Jesus met Paul on the road to Damascus, everything changed. He moved from darkness to light. He experienced the forgiveness of his sins and entered into a new life with God which would never end. His whole life changed direction and he became an enthusiastic champion of the Christian faith, encouraging everyone to discover this salvation for themselves. In this verse, he reminds Timothy that salvation is not the end of the process. God saves us for a purpose, so that we will live a transformed life of holiness. Holiness is the kind of word from which we all naturally shrink. Like Isaiah long ago, we are more than aware of how unholy we are, and how unholy our society is. However, holiness is God’s intention for us because that is life at its best. Let me illustrate this by sharing the experience of living with hard water. My wife and I have spent much of our married life living in chalky areas and, as you probably know, chalk tends to fur up water pipes. It does it very gradually but, a

2 Timothy 1:8 This isn’t the first time that Paul had spoken about the issue of shame. In his letter to the church in Rome he declared boldly that he was “not ashamed of the gospel” (Romans 1:16). There’s no doubt that he said this because he knew many people thought he should feel shame. Paul had been brought up in the strict disciplines of the Jewish faith. He was a Pharisee and had studied under the most respected rabbis of his day. He knew that there were many people who wanted him to feel thoroughly ashamed of his Christian convictions, which they saw as betraying his Jewish roots. But, on the contrary, he was so proud of his new-found faith that he was more than happy to boast about his salvation and new life in Christ. He was the very opposite of ashamed! Paul knew however that there were many reasons why young Timothy might feel ashamed of telling others about the Lord. Indeed, shame can be an obstacle for all of us. We might hate to be seen as different, or a bit odd. We would rather fit in with t

2 Timothy 1:7 The apostle Paul wanted his young friend Timothy to be the best. There was no question that Timothy was going to face enormous challenges. He would continually confront opponents to the Christian faith, but he would also face issues of Church organisation and discipline. He had a tough job ahead of him. Paul knew it was vital that he was neither fearful nor timid. From the references to Timothy in Paul’s first letter to him, and in 1 Corinthians 16:10-11, we get the impression that he was quite a sensitive person and probably naturally inclined to be timid. Paul knew that this would be a terrible handicap in his leadership role. The fear of other people or of failure will always greatly restrict a leader’s effectiveness. God doesn’t want fearful and timid leaders, but ones who are marked by his power and love, and who show self- discipline. The power that a Christian leader needs is not the authoritarian power which orders people about but the gentle, gracious, servant-hearted power which keeps

2 Timothy 1:5-6 When I was a boy one of the great pleasures of Saturday afternoons was that I would light a bonfire with my dad. I came to love the smell of bonfires, probably because it reminded me of those happy moments. And the greatest pleasure of all was the process of getting the fire going. Sometimes we struggled but then, by fanning the flames carefully, we would have the joy of seeing the fire take hold. Paul used this image to speak of his longing for the growth of Timothy’s faith. It wasn’t enough that he had a godly grandmother and mother. He needed to have a strong faith himself and so the flames needed to be carefully fanned. Through the centuries, many people have looked at Christianity as a club. All that matters is that you’re a member of the club and have your ticket for heaven. The New Testament presents Christian faith as a relationship with God. And because it’s a relationship, and no relationship can stand still, it is either getting stronger or weaker. That was very much Paul’s thin

2 Timothy 1:3 Paul’s second letter to his young friend Timothy is deeply moving. Paul knew that he was close to death and was keen to do everything he could to encourage, strengthen and direct Timothy in his ministry. He knew that it was absolutely vital Timothy had a clear conscience. We all have a conscience, which helps us to know the difference between right and wrong. When we trudge through life with a guilty conscience, it is an oppressively heavy burden to bear. I’m sure that Paul’s colourful early life had left him with many sins and failures which weighed heavily on him, and it was out of relief that he could now declare, as a Christian, that he lived with a clear conscience. There is a delightful German proverb which runs: “A good conscience is a soft pillow.” That is to say, we can sleep soundly when our conscience is clear. No wonder Paul was so keen that Timothy should share his experience of a clear conscience. He could then get on with his ministry without being dragged down by guilt and re

Mark 16:6-7 Long ago, I remember an old man telling me of an experience he had as a teenager. It happened during the first world war, when many of the young men from his village had gone to fight in France. Some families received the terrible news that their sons had been killed, but one family heard that their son was “missing believed killed”. Everyone encouraged the family to believe that their boy would be found but, as weeks turned to months, all hope was lost. Then, much later, at the end of the war, my friend was cycling into his village and saw that a huge crowd had gathered. Such a thing was unheard of in that sleepy community. In the centre of the crowd was the mother of the missing soldier. She was dancing and shouting: “He’s alive!” as she held a telegram informing her that her son had been taken prisoner and would soon be returning home. Just imagine the joy of that mother and the celebrations that followed. Then multiply it by 1,000 to understand some small part of the amazement of the women who

Mark 16:1 As soon as the Sabbath came to an end, these three women started their preparations for anointing the body of Jesus. The Sabbath ends about 40 minutes after sunset, as soon as three stars are seen in the sky. That was probably between 5:30 and 6pm. They knew that they wouldn’t have time to anoint Jesus’ body; that would have to wait until the Sunday morning. But they had enough time to go to the market to purchase the spices they were going to need. The women’s minds must have been in absolute turmoil. Jesus, their master and friend, had been taken away from them in the most violent and disturbing manner. The disciples had all gone into hiding, but the women knew what needed to be done and were determined to do it. They were clearly incredibly courageous. The Romans would have been unhappy to see anyone giving attention to Jesus’ body. But they knew that this was something they could and should do. It reminds us of the woman who anointed Jesus in Bethany only a few days before. Like her, they di