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Discharging the Duties of Your Ministry (2 Timothy 3)

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry” (2 Timothy 3:16-4:5).

This is an instance where there should not be a chapter division. Notice that the Scripture is inspired, what it is useful for, and why it is useful: 1) Word of God. 2) Teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training. 3) So that the man of God is thoroughly equipped.

Now notice the commands: preach the Word; be prepared all of the time; correct, rebuke, and encourage; do this with patience and careful instruction.

Now we see the reasons: 1) Men will not stand for sound teaching. 2) They will get teachers to please them. 3) They will turn away from truth and to myths.

Next we have a few more commands: 1) Keep your head in all situations. 2) Endure hardship. 3) Do the work of an evangelist. 4) Discharge all the duties of your ministry.

This morning§ in our reading together, Bessie and I noticed the kind of prophet the people wanted in the eighth century B.C. “If a liar and deceiver comes and says, ‘I will prophesy for you plenty of wine and beer,’ he would be just the prophet for this people!” (Micah 2:11).


§ Written October 1993.
Join the #keepthefeast Bible Reading Challenge here. This post coordinates with today's reading.

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