In view of His appearing

Preach the Word!

2 Tim 4:1-8

Key verse 4:2

1. What charge did Paul give to Timothy [2]? On what ground, is such charge considered legitimate or mandated [1]? Was such view of life of Paul new or has been held long time? Find this by comparing the greetings from the early writings of Paul [1 Tim 1:1; 1 Thess 1:1; 2 Thess 1:1;Gal 1:3-5; Ephe 1:2]. What directives did Paul give to Timothy in the previous chapters [2:2,3, 14,15,22;3:14]? How is this directive different from the previous ones? Why? Think about this in view of his situation in life and importance of this directive]

2. Meditate on the meaning of ‘Preach the word’; how is preaching different from teaching, or other forms of education with the word? What might be the most important thing in preaching the Word [3:16; Col 2:10; Titus 2:15; John 17:2]?

3. How can one ‘Be prepared in and out of season’?

4. What does one try to achieve by ‘correcting, by rebuking, and by encouraging’ [Col 3:13; Luke 17:1-10]? Why must these accompany with ‘great patience and careful instructions’? Think about these questions in view of the hope of the preacher for the preached. [Matt 3:9-11;Luke 17:1-10]

5. What are the two reasons that Timothy must preach the word and be prepared in season and out of season? [1, 3] In view of these two inevitable, what is the critical nature of the time ‘now’ and when does a servant of God appreciate fully the significance of the time ‘now’ [Matt 3:10-12]? What should be the main focus of preaching? Why in time will people surely turn away from the sound doctrine [3-4]? Think about what might be the most strong opposition to the sound doctrine [3-4; John 12:25-26]

6. What is the second directive to Timothy in this chapter [5]? How does each of these activity essential in serving the work of God as a minister?

7. What was Paul’s view life [6-8]? What does it mean that life is like a drink offering, a fight, and a race? Think about this in terms of its finite nature, effectiveness, and achieving the goal.

8. What is the ultimate meaning of life in his view [1, 8]? What is meaning of your life? What is the most stumbling block for finding such meaning? [John 13:36-14:5;1 Cor. 15:12, 33, 35, 50]? In respect to Paul’s life, what may be assumed about the relationship between one’s eschatological belief and one’s life now? What is the most powerful and effective way of life as a servant of God?