Pointers for The Local Church

(2 Timothy 2

Paul has reminded Timothy of his pastoral calling. Now Paul deals practically with the local church and the pastor’s special responsibilities. He presents several pictures of the local church, showing the various ministries God has for His people and their pastor.

The local church is:

I. God’s Family (2 Timothy 2:1)

2 Timothy 2:1 (NLT)

1 Timothy, my dear son, be strong through the grace that God gives you in Christ Jesus.

“My son” suggests, of course, that Timothy had been born into God’s family by faith in Christ.

As Paul wrote in 1 Cor. 4:15, he had “begotten” him through the Gospel.

1 Corinthians 4:15 (NLT)

15 For even if you had ten thousand others to teach you about Christ, you have only one spiritual father. For I became your father in Christ Jesus when I preached the Good News to you.

In Eph. 2:19, Paul calls the local church the “household of God.” The local church is not a sanctified country club; it is the family of God meeting together for fellowship, worship, and service.

Ephesians 2:19 (NLT)

19 So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family.

The only way to enter this family is by being born of the Spirit (John 3:1–6) and the Word (1 Peter 1:23).

John 3:1–6 (NLT)

1 There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee.

2 After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.”

3 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”

4 “What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?”

5 Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit.

6 Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life.

1 Peter 1:23 (NLT)

23 For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God.

II. God’s Treasury (2 Timothy 2:2)

2 Timothy 2:2 (NLT)

2 You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others.

God has deposited with His people the truth of the Word of God. It is our responsibility to guard this treasure and pass it on to others. (1 Tim. 6:20)

1 Timothy 6:20 (NLT)

20 Timothy, guard what God has entrusted to you. Avoid godless, foolish discussions with those who oppose you with their so-called knowledge.

The task of the local church is not to preserve the truth, as in a museum; but to live it and to teach it to the generations to come. (1 Tim. 1:11)

1 Timothy 1:11 (NLT)

11 that comes from the glorious Good News entrusted to me by our blessed God.

Note that Timothy is to deposit the truth with “faithful men” and not just any believer. How important it is to be faithful to the Word!

III. God’s Army (2 Timothy 2:3–4)

2 Timothy 2:3–4 (NLT)

3 Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.

4 Soldiers don’t get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them.

IV. God’s Team (2 Timothy 2:5)

2 Timothy 2:5 (NLT)

5 And athletes cannot win the prize unless they follow the rules.

There are in Paul’s letters more than two dozen references to athletics—boxing, wrestling, running, to name a few. The Greeks and Romans were enthusiastic athletes (and spectators), and in this verse,

Paul used the Olympic Games as an illustration of the practical life of the believer. No matter how skilled the athletes were, they had to obey the rules of the game. If they won the race but broke the rules, they were disqualified. “Strive for masteries” means “contend in the games.”

The local church is God’s team of runners, racing toward the goal He has set for them (see Phil. 3:12–14). It takes discipline, dedication, and direction for an athlete to be a winner, and it takes these same qualities to produce a winning Christian life.

Philippians 3:12–14 (NLT)

12 I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.

13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead,

14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

There must be teamwork in the local church. “Labored with me” in Phil. 4:3 literally means “were teammates with me.”

Philippians 4:3 (NLT)

3 And I ask you, my true partner, to help these two women, for they worked hard with me in telling others the Good News. They worked along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are written in the Book of Life.

V. God’s Garden (2 Timothy 2:6–7)

2 Timothy 2:6–7 (NLT)

6 And hardworking farmers should be the first to enjoy the fruit of their labor.

7 Think about what I am saying. The Lord will help you understand all these things.

The church is a garden, and the seed is the Word of God. (1 Cor. 3:6–9)

1 Corinthians 3:6–9 (NLT)

6 I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow.

7 It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow.

8 The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work.

9 For we are both God’s workers. And you are God’s field. You are God’s building.

Various servants plant, water, and harvest the seed in due season.

Timothy was not to be discouraged if the harvest failed to come immediately. It takes time, patience, and hard work to develop a fruitful garden. Like the faithful farmer, the pastor should share in the blessings God sends. “In due season we shall reap, if we faint not” (Gal. 6:9).

Galatians 6:9 (NLT)

9 So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.

VI. Christ’s Body on Earth (2 Timothy 2:8–13)

2 Timothy 2:8–13 (NLT)

8 Always remember that Jesus Christ, a descendant of King David, was raised from the dead. This is the Good News I preach.

9 And because I preach this Good News, I am suffering and have been chained like a criminal. But the word of God cannot be chained.

10 So I am willing to endure anything if it will bring salvation and eternal glory in Christ Jesus to those God has chosen.

11 This is a trustworthy saying: If we die with him, we will also live with him.

12 If we endure hardship, we will reign with him. If we deny him, he will deny us.

13 If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is.

Paul reminds Timothy that he too was suffering, but that their suffering had a dual blessing in it: they were suffering for and with Christ, and their suffering was for the benefit of the church.

Verses 11–13 may have been an early Christian hymn or confession of faith.

It emphasizes the believer’s oneness with Christ: when He died, we died with Him as members of His body; we arose with Him; we shall reign with Him.

Our unbelief will not cancel the faithfulness of God! “Are you not afraid you will slip through His fingers?” an unbeliever asked an old saint. “How can I?” she replied. “I am one of His fingers!”

VII. God’s School (2 Timothy 2:14–18)

2 Timothy 2:14–18 (NLT)

14 Remind everyone about these things, and command them in God’s presence to stop fighting over words. Such arguments are useless, and they can ruin those who hear them.

15 Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.

16 Avoid worthless, foolish talk that only leads to more godless behavior.

17 This kind of talk spreads like cancer, as in the case of Hymenaeus and Philetus.

18 They have left the path of truth, claiming that the resurrection of the dead has already occurred; in this way, they have turned some people away from the faith.

Timothy was being attacked by false teachers, just as the church is attacked today.

What are we to do?

First, remind the people to stick to essentials and not to argue about empty words and philosophies.

Second, be sure to rightly divide the Word, being diligent (“in study”) to handle it carefully. “Rightly divide” implies “cutting through” the Word carefully, the way an engineer builds a highway, so that people understand God’s program for the ages. Paul warns that false doctrine “eats like a cancer, or ulcer” (v. 17), and that the only remedy is the “healthy doctrine” (sound doctrine) of the Word of God.

When you start listening to the old wives’ fables or the false teachers, you may become spiritually sick. One lie can grow like a cancerous tumor and eat out the spiritual strength of the Christian or the local church.

Every church should be a Bible school, where the Word of God is taught accurately.

VIII. God’s House (2 Timothy 2:19–26)

2 Timothy 2:19–26 (NLT)

19 But God’s truth stands firm like a foundation stone with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and “All who belong to the Lord must turn away from evil.”

20 In a wealthy home some utensils are made of gold and silver, and some are made of wood and clay. The expensive utensils are used for special occasions, and the cheap ones are for everyday use.

21 If you keep yourself pure, you will be a special utensil for honorable use. Your life will be clean, and you will be ready for the Master to use you for every good work.

22 Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts.

23 Again I say, don’t get involved in foolish, ignorant arguments that only start fights.

24 A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people.

25 Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth.

26 Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil’s trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants.

Paul describes the local church as a house with a solid foundation and containing vessels of different kinds.

The OT Jews often put Bible verses on their houses (see Deut. 11:20), and it was not uncommon for Gentiles to write mottoes on their houses too.

Deuteronomy 11:20 (NLT)

20 Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates,

God’s house has two affirmations on it, one that is God-ward and one that is man-ward (v. 19).

God knows His own, and His own ought to be known to others by their godly lives.

Each Christian is a vessel in the great house, but some vessels are defiled and cannot be used.

This is the biblical doctrine of separation (2 Cor. 6:14–7:1). Believers should be set-apart vessels unto honor, suitable (“meet”) for Christ’s use. Fleeing youthful lusts, and following that which is spiritual, would help Timothy be a prepared vessel that Christ could use for His glory.

2 Corinthians 6:14–7:1 (NLT)

14 Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness?

15 What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever?

16 And what union can there be between God’s temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God said: “I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people.

17 Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the Lord. Don’t touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you.

18 And I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”

1 Because we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit. And let us work toward complete holiness because we fear God.

Verses 23–26 explain how to deal with problems in God’s house (“household”) so that there might not be strife and contention.