Have we picked up the Holy telephone or have we left the earthly answering machine on? Have we looked at the caller ID and just thought to ourselves that we will take the call later? Have we told the unholy secretary to hold all calls? Or have we responded, “Speak, for thy servant heareth” (1 Samuel 3:10). In this first chapter of the second letter to Timothy, Paul is giving young Timothy encouragement for him to remain faithful to his calling.
In verses 8-10:
Called by God
A Call is to command.
• Hebrews 5:4, And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.
In this season of mounting mistreatment, Timothy might have been hesitant to keep preaching the Gospel. His feelings of dread were grounded in truth. Paul is in prison and writes to Timothy to tell him that he must resist being ashamed of bearing the testimony for the Lord. As Paul cautions him, times of suffering would happen. Timothy, similar to Paul, would be imprisoned for preaching the Gospel, and he must boldly endure his portion of afflictions for sharing the Gospel. Paul guaranteed Timothy that God would invigorate him and that he would be prepared when it was his turn to suffer.
• Hebrews 13:23, Know ye that our brother Timothy is set at liberty; with whom, if he come shortly, I will see you.
The Lord promised blessings for those who do suffer.
• Matthew 5:11-12, Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
Commissioned by Christ
A Commission is an authoritative order or a charge.
• Matthew 28:19, Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
In any event, although we may not face persecution, it may tend to be hard to share our faith in Christ. Luckily, similar to Paul and Timothy, we can approach the Holy Spirit to give us fortitude. Timothy needed to remember that, while Paul was in prison, he was still kept by God’s power and was doing more for Christ’s glory than others who were free. He did not need to let the fear of imprisonment keep him from preaching boldly.
This section is a concise abstract of the Gospel. God loves us, he picked us and sent his Son Jesus to die for us. We can have timeless life through our confidence in him since he broke the force of death with his revival. We do not merit being saved; however, God offers salvation at any rate. We should simply accept and acknowledge his deal.
Paul stated that Timothy needs to understand that God’s grace and purpose was the source of his ministry, and that his salvation was not the result of good works. Christians are called to fulfil the holy calling. It does not matter about your status in social circles, your wealth or lack thereof, or your educational background.
• Amos 7:14-15, Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet's son; but I was an herdman, and a gatherer of sycomore fruit: And the LORD took me as I followed the flock, and the LORD said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel.
In verses 11-12:
Paul was in jail, however that did not stop his service. He brought it on through others like Timothy. Paul had lost his material belongings as a whole, yet he could never lose his faith in God. He confided in God to utilize him paying little mind to his conditions. Assuming our circumstance may look disheartening, we are to give our interests to Christ. He will monitor our confidence and securely watch all that we have shared with him until the day of his return,
The expression “to keep that which I have committed unto him,” has three primary translations. In the first place, Paul realized that God would watch the spirits of those changed over through his proclaiming. Second, he confided in God to watch his own spirit until the Second Coming. Also, third, he was sure that, despite the fact that he was in jail and confronting demise, God would help out the Gospel service through others like Timothy. Paul might have communicated his certainty to empower Timothy, who was debilitated by the issues in Ephesus and unfortunate of abuse. Indeed, even in jail, Paul realized that God was as yet in charge.
In verses 13-14:
Consigned by the Holy Ghost (Spirit)
To be Consigned is to be set apart or devote to.
Timothy was in a period of change. He had been Paul’s brilliant youthful assistant, soon he would be all alone as a head of a troublesome, however fundamentally significant, church. In spite of the fact that his obligations were changing, Timothy was not without assistance. He had all that he expected to confront the future if he could hang on firmly to it. At the point when we are confronting troublesome advances, it is great to follow Paul’s recommendation to Timothy and glance back at our own insight. Who is the establishment of our faith? What gifts has the Holy Spirit given us to utilize? How might we expand on the establishment that has effectively been laid, utilizing the gifts that we have as of now been given?
We may be in this world, but we are not to be a part of it. We are to let our light shine before others.
• Matthew 5:16, Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
• 1 Peter 2:9, But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;
• 2 Corinthians 6:17, Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.
• Acts 13:2, As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.
• Romans 8:28, And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.
Matthew Henry’s Commentary – “Thou hadst a soul committed to thee, how was it employed? In the service of sin, or in the service of Christ?”
