2 Timothy 4:2 - SHARING JESUS.
2 Timothy 4:2 (NKJV) Preach the word! Be
ready in season and out of season. Convince,
rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and
teaching.
2 Timothy 4:2 (NLT) Preach the word of God.
Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or
not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage
your people with good teaching.
INTRODUCTION
"Be prepared in season and out of season"
means to always be ready to serve God in any
situation, whether or not it is convenient. Be
sensitive to the opportunities God gives you. [Life
Application SB]
COMMENTARY PEARL
Taught By The Word
The Word of God is the message we preach.
The power of the preacher is not in his
charisma, his popularity, or even his education; it is
in faithfully declaring, "Thus saith the Lord."
When I quote Scripture, I know I am quoting the
very Word of God. This is why I have always used
the phrase "The Bible says." The Spirit of God
takes the Word of God and makes the child of God.
Through the written Word we discover the living Word
- Jesus Christ.
The Word of God brings encouragement. A
little boy was silent for a long time, and his
mother asked him what he was thinking about. With
his head hovering over the pages of the Bible,
he answered, "Oh, I'm watching Jesus raise
Lazarus from the dead!" How we need to encourage our
children to spend time in God's Word. The Bible tells
us to "diligently" teach Scripture to our
children, to sit and talk with them about it, and then
live it in the home (Deuteronomy 6:6-9). This is
so important.
How can you share the Bible with younger
generations? [Peace for Each Day by Billy Graham]
COMMENTARY
In Season ... And Out
Exhausted, Judy and I hoped for a minute
or two of peace when we arrived at our airport
gate. Glancing at the woman a few seats away from
me, I noticed that her fingernails were very
long.., and dark purple. She seemed absorbed in a
thick book: Real Ghosts... and Other Haunted
Places.
I really didn't want to get involved, but
breathing a quick prayer, I spoke to the ghost reader,
"I see from the book you are reading that you
must be on a spiritual journey." I was surprised
by her response. "Why yes," she replied. She
seemed interested in discussing spiritual things.
Within minutes, I learned that her name was Jane
and that she had left the Mormon Church. She
seemed shy, but grateful for the chance to talk
about her questions. "The spirit world is very
real," I said, motioning to her book. "But Jesus
Christ is greater than any spirit of deception.
And, Jane, this meeting is not by chance. God is
concerned that your spiritual journey leads you to
Christ." Suddenly, our gate agent called and we had
to head for our flight. But not before I got
Jane's address to send her follow-up material.
As our plane lifted off for home, the
Spirit brought a convicting verse to mind: "Preach
the Word; be prepared in season and out of
season ...... I confess that I'd been hoping for
some "time off," a few minutes of privacy and
retreat, a chance to be "Out of season." But in the
next moment, God insisted that I be in season. My
few moments of privacy were nothing compared to
the eternal destiny of Jane's restless spirit.
Agree with God today that you will be
alert to the Spirit's voice when he says, "Go
start a conversation with that person.....
Father, I know if I lack courage to
speak, you are the Source. Help me be willing to be
willing to step into someone's world with the very
word that could save them. [Joni Eareckson Tada
Daily Devotional:
http://www.joniandfriends.org/daily-devotional]
ILLUSTRATION
It has changed my life! I am so much
happier and more content. It's been so wonderful
that I can't wait to tell everyone I know about
it. I should be talking about the saving power
of the Gospel, but unfortunately, I'm talking
about my vacuum cleaner. It really is a marvel:
cordless, lightweight, a pivoting head, and an
easy-to-empty, bagless canister. I'd seen it in the store
for a while but never dreamed I'd fork over the
money to buy one. Then, last Christmas, I had a
coupon on top of a store sale, a gift card, and
some spending money, and there I was
smack-dab in the middle of vacuum heaven! It's been
everything I'd hoped and more.
When I found myself talking to yet
another friend about my new toy, I joked about how
I'd been telling everyone, "I'm like a vacuum
evangelist!" And that's when it hit me. The owner of the
vacuum cleaner company, if he'd met me, would
probably have said, "Well done, good and faithful
servant. You've helped us sell a lot of vacuums."
Wow.
A preacher once told me that I should put
myself on what he called the "Ten-Thousand-Year
Plan" - that is, try not to focus too much on
things that won't matter ten thousand years from
now.
I thought of this in regard to my floors.
Ten thousand years from now, no one will know
how almost effortlessly clean they've become. In
fact, ten years from now or even a week from
now ... no one will care! Only what I've done
for the Lord will matter.
Lord, help me to focus less on day-to-day
trivialities and more on the Ten-Thousand-Year Plan!
Ginger Rue [Walking in Grace 2021 Devotional by
Guideposts and Zondervan]
CLOSING THOUGHT
An Urgent Charge
Paul wrote with urgency, "I solemnly
charge you in the presence of God and of Christ
Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and
by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the
word; be ready in season and out of season;
reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and
instruction" (4:1"2). In other words, stick with the
preaching plan God has promised to bless and use.
Deliver the biblical goods! Be a man or woman of the
Word!
Don't attempt to be so creative and cute
that folks miss the truth. No need for
meaningless and silly substitutes that entertain but
rarely convict the lost and edify the saved. Teach
the truth. Will you notice something here? This
exhortation is not addressed to the hearer, it's for the
speaker. The one who is to do this is the one
proclaiming the message. Be ready to do it in season and
out of season. Being ready implies being
prepared both mentally and spiritually.
In essence, Paul says, "Don't be lazy. Do
your homework. Don't stand up and start with an
apology that you didn't quite have adequate time to
prepare. That doesn't wash." And do so faithfully -
when it's convenient and when it's not.
Sadly, in an alarming number of churches
today, God's people are being told what they want
to hear rather than what they need to hear.
They are being fed warm milk, not solid meat. A
watered-down gospel may attract large crowds (for a
while), but it has no eternal impact. I've not been
able to find any place in the Scriptures where
God expresses the least bit of concern for
drawing numbers. Satisfying the curious itching ears
of our postmodern audiences is an exercise in
futility.
The task of ministry is to deliver Truth.
Frankly, I intend to continue doing just that, by
God's grace, until the day He calls me home. And I
think there is an ever-increasing number of
believers who long for nourishing messages based on
the Word of God, not human opinion.
The world urgently needs more Christians
with the fervor and faith of Paul. Will you be
one of them? Will you answer the charge? If so,
there's no better time than now to begin.
Jesus said, "Go and make disciples of all
nations and I will be with you" (Matthew
28:19"20 NIV). There is no greater challenge and no
more comforting promise. Believe it. Trust it.
And by the grace of God, go do it! [Chuck
Swindoll www.insight.org.]
LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY
2 Timothy 4:2 - Sharing Jesus at Every
Opportunity!
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2010/20101025-0908.html
2 Timothy 4:2 - A New Way to Give Bible
Studies.
https://www.abible.com/devotions/2023/20230220-0826.html
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
https://abible.com/links/
