Gary Gleans

Remind them of these things, and   charge them before God not to quarrel about words,   which does no good, but only ruins the hearers.    Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker   who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.    But  avoid   irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness,   and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are   Hymenaeus and Philetus,   who have swerved from the truth,   saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some.    But God's firm foundation stands, bearing this seal:   “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone   who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.” The ministry requires the use of words.  Unfortunately, words often do more harm than good.  Some use words to tear others down or to spread false teac...

Remember Jesus Christ,   risen from the dead, the   offspring of David,   as preached in my gospel,   for which I am suffering,   bound with chains as a criminal. But   the word of God is not bound!    Therefore   I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain   the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with   eternal glory.    The saying   is   trustworthy, for:   If we have died with him, we will also   live with him;   if we endure, we will also reign with him;   if we deny him, he also will deny us;   if we are faithless,   he remains faithful— for   he cannot deny himself. The Gospel is a glorious truth that allows us to live a life of hope in the midst of a sinful and suffering world.  The reason ministers should be like soldiers, athletes, and farmers is the Gospel.  Paul has just finished exhorting Timothy to be a faithful minist...

You then,   my child,   be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus,   and   what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses   entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.    Share in suffering as   a good soldier of Christ Jesus.    No soldier   gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.    An athlete is not   crowned unless he competes according to the rules.    It is   the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops.    Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything. Transitions in ministries are critical times for the organization, the outgoing minister, and the incoming minister.  Paul is preparing Timothy to carry on the mission to the Gentiles that Paul had started.  This “passing of the baton” must be done carefully and inten...

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. When things get hard, we need to be prepared for two different responses.  There will be those who disappoint and turn away from us and there will be those who surprise and draw near to us.  We don’t always know who those people will be.  However, the one thing of which we can always be sure is that the Lord will always be with us and sustain us through the most difficult trials and circumstances of life.  He will also provide the people needed to strengthen and sustain us....

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. ...

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. It is easy for us to forget many important things especially in the face of difficulty or danger.  Paul is in prison and Timothy is facing difficult times in ministry so there are important reminders that Paul wants to make sure that Timothy understands.  God has given us everything we need to face the difficulties He allows i...

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. Relationships are one of the most precious gifts we enjoy on this earth.  We have relationships with our family members as well as friends, neighbors, and co-workers.  The most important relationship any of us have is with God.  That relationship impacts all the other relationships around us and is intended to make them more profound and meaningful.  The relationship between Paul and Timothy enjoyed that kind of depth due to their mutual commitment to the Lord. PAUL: A FATHER IN THE FAITH: Paul introduces himself in this letter as an apostle of Christ by God’s will according to the life he received in Christ.  Paul was born and sinner and continued to live as a sinner even after his sa...

O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you.   Avoid the   irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called “knowledge,”   for by professing it some have swerved from the faith. Paul concludes his letter to Timothy summarizing two important principles that we would all do well to remember.  In life and ministry there are convictions to which we must hold no matter the cost, but there are also controversies we need to avoid.  Unfortunately, it can be difficult to discern between the two.  The people around us may be far more concerned with the controversy of the moment than the fundamental convictions of the faith.  As leaders, we must be able to distinguish between the two and help those entrusted to our care to be able to tell the difference.  HANG ON TO TRUE CONVICTIONS: Paul gave Timothy, and us, many truths that were to guide and inform his life and ministry.  These truths are vital and must be bot...

As for the rich in   this present age, charge them   not to be haughty, nor   to set their hopes on   the uncertainty of riches, but on God,   who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.    They are to do good,   to be rich in good works, to be generous and   ready to share,   thus   storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may   take hold of   that which is truly life. Once again, we see the importance of money and our attitudes and actions surrounding money coming into play.  We have seen the dangers that the love of money can produce.  However, money is not evil or sinful.  It is a blessing from God that we are to steward for God’s glory and the benefit of the kingdom of God.  There are at least three important principles we can learn from this passage.   MONEY COMES FROM GOD: Paul tells Timothy that is one of his jobs to ...

But as for you,   O man of God,   flee these things.   Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.    Fight the good fight of the faith.   Take hold of the eternal life   to which you were called and about which you made   the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.    I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus,   who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made   the good confession,   to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until   the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ,   which he will display   at the proper time—he who is   the blessed and only Sovereign,   the King of kings and Lord of lords,   who alone has immortality,   who dwells in   unapproachable light,   whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen. God calls us to be different as ...

But   godliness   with contentment is great gain,   for   we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.    But   if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.    But   those who desire to be rich fall into temptation,   into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that   plunge people into ruin and destruction.    For the love of money is a root of   all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. One of the clearest windows that allow us to view the condition of our hearts is our finances and our attitudes about money.  The issue is not the amount of money that we possess, how we view money in general.  Both the rich and the poor can please or displease the Lord with their treatment of money and possessions.  In general, God’s requirement is t...

Teach and urge these things.    If anyone   teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with   the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching   that accords with godliness,   he is puffed up with conceit and   understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for   controversy and for   quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions,   and constant friction among people   who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth,   imagining that godliness is a means of gain. A minister of the Gospel must be committed to teaching the truth because false teachers are not.  The reason they are called false teachers is because they reject Christ and His teachings.  One of the greatest difficulties and dangers in ministry is dealing with the impact and influence of false teachers.  Paul calls Timothy to be dedicated, persistent and courageous in performing this al...