The word of God is not just all theology, but also very practical. And by the same token, the church is not just all doctrine, but also fellowship. In Second Timothy, Paul has written extensively about doctrine, the need for sound doctrine, and warned about false teachers, wolves in sheep’s clothing that will ravage the sheep. He has urged Timothy to stir up the gift that is in him, to study the word, to preach the gospel, to stand firm and to persevere. Now his epistle is almost over. But before he closes his letter, he gives a few personal, parting words to Timothy and to others in the church of a personal nature. That doesn’t mean this is some sort of subscript that has no meaning for us, other than to those it was originally intended. But rather it can teach us much concerning the individual’s responsibility to the church, the individual’s response to the gospel, and the fellowship of the people of the church. The church after all is not brick and mortar, but is made up of individual people, people just like you and me who have been saved.
The word church, by the way, comes from the Greek word “ekklesia” which means called out ones to an assembly. Paul calls the church in 1 Tim.3:15 the household of God. So Christians are called out from the world, set apart as the household of God, the body of Christ, who are assembled together.
Belonging to the household of God is based on a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. And our belonging to the church is not by having your name written on a membership roll, but by personal relationships with one another. The imperative to those who are Christians is that they will know you are Christians by your love for one another. Love for one another is not a theoretical construct. Love is practical, personal, and applicable. And love is worked out in service to one another, and in service to the Lord and His church.
To that end then, we can see much personal, individual application of the command to love one another in these last verses that Paul writes at the end of this letter. As a reminder, this is Paul’s last written word that we know of before he was executed by the Roman emperor Nero. He is writing from a dungeon, possibly just a hole in the ground with a grate overhead. Furthermore, he knows he is about to die, though perhaps he still has some hope that somehow that fate might be averted. But he is ready to die, nonetheless. He said the time of my departure is at hand, I am ready to have my life poured out in a final act of sacrifice to the Lord.
But the human side of Paul still desires companionship, still desires love, still desires fellowship with those he loves. And perhaps more than anyone else, he loves Timothy, who he calls my child, meaning his child in the faith. Timothy would seem to be the closest thing to family that Paul has on earth. And in his last days on earth, he wants to see Timothy once again. I don’t believe that it was just for his own personal comfort though. I think that he wants to see Timothy so that he can strengthen him in his faith. Imagine that kind of love. To be in prison, suffering terribly, and yet your greatest desire before dying is not to be comforted by your loved ones, but to comfort them, to encourage them, for their benefit, and not just your own.
That is love, sacrificial love. Love is being more concerned about the other person’s needs than about your own. Love does not seek it’s own fulfillment, but the other persons. And Paul loves Timothy as his own son. So he says in vs 9, “Make every effort to come to me soon.” There is a sense of urgency in that appeal. Paul knows that his time is short. If he is to see Timothy again, it must be soon.
In vs 21, he reiterates that appeal saying, “Make every effort to come before winter.” We can assume that it might have been late summer or even fall as Paul is writing these words. Notice in both statements he uses the same phrase, “make every effort…” That’s a pretty strong appeal. Paul uses that one word in the Greek frequently in his letters. The same word in Greek is translated as be diligent, be eager, endeavor, or make every effort.
Such a passionate appeal can be applied to all of the commands of God in scripture. It wouldn’t be out of place to add that before most admonitions in scripture. How about this one? “Make every effort to not forsake the assembling of yourselves together.” Or make every effort to love one another. The point I think that needs to be made is there should be every effort made on our part to carry out the commissions and commands of scripture. There should be every effort to fulfill our ministry in the church. To our good intentions, we must add a sense of urgency. We need to apply some elbow grease to our works of righteousness. Some people tend to think that walking in the Spirit has no relevance to working in the flesh. No, we carry out the desire of the Spirit by the working of the body. We need to apply some urgency, some extra effort, or to use another phrase, “with all your heart.”
Jesus said you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength. That means love is making every effort, with your body, soul, and spirit. Christianity is not just a spiritual dimension, but it is physical as well, involving diligence, endurance, perseverance, continuance, sacrifice. Present your bodies, Paul said in Romans 12, as a living sacrifice. Your bodies. I think that applies to the church. It’s not enough to attend church virtually. We need to present our bodies as a living sacrifice to the church.
Paul says Timothy should make every effort to see me soon because Demas has forsaken me. Vs 10, “for Demas, having loved this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica; Crescens [has gone] to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia.” See, here is the reference to love that is in contrast to the love which Paul has for Timothy, and which Timothy has for Paul. Christian love is sacrificial, wanting what is best for others, not seeking it’s own. But Demas, having loved this present world has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica.
So Paul is in Rome. It’s dangerous there. Demas had been a long time companion of Paul. He has been a part of the church. We must assume that he was saved. But he had a divided loyalty. He had a compromised love. He tried to love two opposite entities. He claimed he loved the Lord, but he also loved the world, and the world eventually won him over.
1John 2:15 says “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” When Jesus said we were to take up our cross and follow Him, he was talking about dying to the world. James equates loving the world with committing adultery. He says in James 4:4 “You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”
Demas loved the world or he grew to love the world more than he loved the church and so he went to Thessalonica. That was about as far from Rome as you could get. It was on the other sea, on another coast, and a lot further south. I suspect it was kind of like going to Florida for the winter. Man, everyone wants to go to Florida for the winter, don’t they? Sometimes I think we should just close up shop after Christmas and have church in Florida for a few months.
Now before you get in a dither I’m not saying there is anything wrong with taking a vacation in Florida. But I don’t think that as Christians, as part of Christ’s body, His church, we are to take a permanent vacation from church or our responsibilities to the church. I don’t think it’s correct to think that you can retire from the practice of your faith. You might retire from your law practice, or doctor practice or whatever business you are in, but there is not any indication in scripture that we should ever retire from the practice of our faith.
Demas took off for sunnier, friendlier climates, and left Paul there practically alone in Rome. Demas wasn’t looking forward anymore to the Lord’s return and his reward, but he was looking at cashing in while he could still enjoy the lusts of the world. And you know, you can almost hear the disappointment and sorrow in Paul’s voice. Church is about personal relationships with people you love and invest in, and when they leave you, it hurts. It speaks of Paul’s humanity that he felt sorrow about Demas’s departure. He missed him.
Paul had better things to say about two others in his church; “Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia.” These guys were basically missionaries that Paul had sent out. Not much is known about Crescens, this is the only reference to him in scripture. But there is some manuscripts that say he went to Gaul, not Galatia, and Gaul is modern day, France. That’s interesting if true that Crescens might have been the first missionary to France.
Titus, we know about. He is the subject of the epistle to Titus which is very similar to the epistle to Timothy. He was an assistant to the apostle Paul in foreign lands, working to establish the churches. Dalmatia is modern day Croatia. So again, another missionary. One thing that strikes me when I read this sort of thing in the epistles, is that for a society that did not have modern transportation such as we have, that didn’t stop these people from really traveling. They went tremendous distances without seemingly too much concern. Perhaps that was one of the great benefits of the Roman Empire. Their extensive road system and the peace that they brought to that region of the world was a great benefit to travel and to taking the gospel to the world. But it kind of puts us to shame by comparison when we make very little effort to overcome relatively minor distances in regards to the church.
Vs 11, Paul says “Only Luke is with me.” That’s a kind of understatement. I don’t think that Paul meant that in a dismissive way. Luke was a physician and a long time faithful companion to Paul. Luke of course is the author of the gospel of Luke as well as Acts. Some people think that Luke might also have been the author of Hebrews, but that is supposition. What we do know about Luke is that he was faithful. He left his practice as a doctor to attend to Paul. What a sacrifice that must have been. And yet what a reward it must have been for Luke as well. I believe Paul and Luke were a mutual blessing to one another. Paul ministering to Luke in spiritual things, and Luke ministering to Paul in physical things. That fulfilled the spiritual principle that Paul stated in 1Cor. 9:11 “If we sowed spiritual things in you, is it too much if we reap material things from you?”
Then Paul adds, “Pick up Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for service.” Mark had been someone that Paul had refused to take with him on a missionary journey because on a previous missionary journey Mark had decided half way in it to go back home. He had deserted Paul and Barnabas, and so the next time when Barnabas wanted to take him again, Paul had refused and it resulted in a split between Paul and Barnabas. But obviously, Mark had matured in his faith in the time sense. He had proven himself to be faithful in service to the Lord. And now Paul wants him to come with Timothy to help with the ministry to the Romans. Mark knew Rome well, and he knew the church in that city, and Paul believes he will be the right man for the job of leading that church, though it be a dangerous station.
As with Timothy earlier, Paul’s concern is not just for his own creature comforts and what Mark might do for him, but his concern is for the church and what Mark might do for it. That’s kind of remarkable, isn’t it? That Paul is superintending the mission of the church at large from a dungeon in Rome. It reminds me of what my wife said about her grandmother, who was bedridden in her later years, and yet managed her house and kitchen from her bedroom until the day she died. Paul is still the leader of the church among the Gentiles even from prison.
Paul sends and commissions men from the dungeon, saying; “Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus.” Tychicus had accompanied Paul when he was on his third missionary journey, returning from Greece through Macedonia into Asia, on their way to Jerusalem. Tychicus had been with Paul in his first imprisonment. Paul had entrusted him to take his letters to the Ephesians, the Colossians and the Corinthians. Now Tychicus is taking this letter to Timothy in Ephesus, and he would take over for Timothy while he goes to see Paul. Tychicus is a very capable person. I think of Tychicus as like a Navy Seal of the early church. He was able to travel long distances, through all kinds of danger and hardship, keep on going, making every effort as a faithful servant to the church.
So Timothy doesn’t need to fear leaving Ephesus, for Tychicus would cover for him, and as for Timothy, Paul instructs in vs 13 that “When you come bring the cloak which I left at Troas with Carpus, and the books, especially the parchments.” The cloak that Paul wanted was probably like a coarse blanket with a hole in the middle for the head, and no arms. It was needed with the approaching winter in the cold, damp dungeon. Paul was used to making do with the barest of essentials. It reminds me of his statement regarding the proper perspective of worldly possessions in 1Tim. 6:8. He says, “If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.” What burdens we add to our lives by possessions. And what a difficulty to our lives does the purchase and keeping of those possessions add. Paul isn’t burdened down by earthly treasures but he has stored up heavenly ones.
The books and the parchments are probably a reference to the scriptures which he calls books, most likely scrolls. And the parchments are dried skins that were used for writing. Paul wants to be able to write the churches. In his last days on earth, he gains spiritual sustenance from the books, the scriptures, and he gives spiritual strength to others through the parchments.
Then Paul gives Timothy and the church a warning, vs 14 “Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. Be on guard against him yourself, for he vigorously opposed our teaching.” It’s not clear who Alexander was, whether he lived in Ephesus or Rome. There is another Alexander mentioned in 1 Timothy 1:20 where Paul says, “Among these are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan, so that they will be taught not to blaspheme.”
It’s possible that this blasphemous Alexander is also Alexander the coppersmith. If that’s the case, then he was once a part of the church, but he was the cause of much trouble. So much so, that Paul delivered him and his companion over to Satan. That means that God removed his protective mantle from this man and let Satan have his way with him. If that’s who Alexander was then it’s obvious that he had not died, but was still causing trouble in the church, and Timothy should be on guard against him.
Let me make sure we understand something. When Satan attacks the church, he is more likely to attack from within than from without the church. Rarely does the government attack the church, or some poilitical institution. But frequently there arises people within the church to sow dissension, strife, controversy, and false doctrine. And they are not easy to deal with because of their alliances which they make in the church. But nevertheless, the pastor must rebuke such people who are being used by the devil to make trouble, to be a distraction, to bring in doctrinal confusion. So Timothy must be on his guard against such people. And perhaps it’s even necessary to call out such people by name, such as Paul does here.
It’s possible that this Alexander was involved in the trial that Paul had been through. He says, in vs16-18 “At my first defense no one supported me, but all deserted me; may it not be counted against them. But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that through me the proclamation might be fully accomplished, and that all the Gentiles might hear; and I was rescued out of the lion's mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him [be] the glory forever and ever. Amen.”
I don’t think I can safely fill in the blanks of all that is alluded to in this statement, especially regarding the trial and what Paul was charged with and who had brought charges or testified against him. That’s too much guessing involved. But look at what we do know. First Paul used this trial as an opportunity to preach the gospel. No one supported him in his first defense. The church deserted him in his trial. But Paul doesn’t hold it against them even as the Lord Jesus did not hold it against the disciples when they deserted Him at His trial. But most importantly, Paul sees it as a victory because he was able to preach the gospel to the Gentiles.
And then the other interesting thing Paul says is that the “Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom.” I think that is a reference to the slander and lies that they said about Paul will one day at the judgment will be revealed as lies, and though Paul may be executed in the body, yet in the spirit he will be rescued and taken to the Lord’s heavenly, or spiritual kingdom. Death is not defeat for Paul, it is victory. Because in heaven he will be vindicated and rewarded by the Judge of Heaven and Earth. It’s interesting that in the spiritual kingdom of God, what looks to be defeat on earth actually is victorious in heaven. It’s a mistake for us to constantly looking for physical victory over trials, over sickness and even death. In the kingdom of God, taking up your cross is victory.
Speaking of traveling Christians, the greetings he gives to Prisca and Aquila are further evidence that distance meant little to the early Christians. Prisca and Aquila were originally from Rome, they had left there due to anti-Semitism and settled in Corinth where they were converted by Paul. They eventually traveled with Paul on a missionary journey to Ephesus and he ended up leaving them there. From there they ministrered to Apollos to whom they expounded the way of God more accurately. When Paul writes from Ephesus to Corinth, he sends greetings from Aquila and Prisca and from the church that is in their house. That’s further evidence that small house churches were the norm in those days. There weren’t any mega churches in those days.
Then it seems that this couple went back to Rome and had risked their necks for Paul at some point. And now at the time of this writing they are back in Ephesus. He also greets the household of Onesiphorus, which may be a reference to the church in Onesiphorus’s home, and perhaps he is the pastor there. He is mentioned in 1 Timothy for his service to Paul in Rome as well as his service to Ephesus. But the point that can be emphasized is that a godly couple such as Aquila and Prisca and Onesiphorus could have such a major impact on the early church in a variety of geographical locations.
Paul mentions another couple of the men of the church in vs 20, “Erastus remained at Corinth, but Trophimus I left sick at Miletus.” These men were no doubt known by Timothy though they lived in Rome. Erastus had traveled with Timothy on a previous missionary journey. One thing that becomes apparent, is that these believers in the early church were missions minded. Not sending others to be missionaries, but they themselves were constantly engaging the world through missions. At the very least, we should learn from their examples that we are to be about evangelizing, sharing the gospel wherever we go. These early believers put us to shame by comparison.
Trophimus Paul left sick at Miletus. That’s a very important statement. First of all, it reveals that it’s not always God’s will that someone is healed of some disease. The name it and claim it crowd among the charismatics don’t want to recognize this. But Paul was obviously unable to heal Trophimus- he left him sick in Miletus. But that wasn’t due to a lack of faith or a lack of claiming it by Paul, but rather I think it’s indicative of the fact that the apostolic age of miracles was coming to a close. Remember Paul had told Timothy to drink a little wine for his stomach problems. Paul didn’t suggest that Timothy needed to be healed. Paul himself wasn’t healed of his own thorn in the flesh. And so I believe that it’s an indication that towards the end of the apostolic age, there was not the miraculous sign gifts being evidenced any more by the apostles. That was for a particular purpose, at a particular time, in order to show that they were authentic apostles of the Lord Jesus and they spoke His word. Paul said in 2Cor. 12:12 “The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with all perseverance, by signs and wonders and miracles.” But once their apostleship was established, the miraculous gifts began to fade away. And so we see that with Trophimus.
One last time, Paul urges Timothy to come soon. Vs 21 “Make every effort to come before winter. Eubulus greets you, also Pudens and Linus and Claudia and all the brethren. The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you.”
There really is no biblical references to these people that Paul sends greetings from. They are mostly Latin names, so it’s probable they were Roman citizens who had been saved during Paul’s ministry there, and had not yet left Rome due to persecution.
Paul’s final words are to bless Timothy, whom he longs to see, and perhaps never does see again on earth. He says “The Lord be with your spirit.” Timothy needed to be strengthened by the Lord in his spirit. The spirit is the part of our being that has fellowship with the Lord. And the Spirit of Christ joins with our spirit once we are believers, that we might have life in the Spirit, and be strengthened and taught by the Spirit. Having been made partakers of the same Spirit, we are brothers and sisters in Christ.
And that gift of the Spirit is the grace that we are given when we believe in Christ unto salvation. By the Spirit we are quickened, born again, as a gift of God. So many Christians today are infatuated with the idea of the gifts of the Spirit as if that will make them able to do miraculous things. But the greatest gift is the Spirit Himself, by which God does a miracle in us, changing us and transforming us, and giving us the power to do what he has called us to do, which is to love one another and serve the kingdom of heaven through the spread of the gospel.
Jesus called the Holy Spirit the Spirit of Truth. And He said that the Spirit will lead you and guide you into all truth. And furthermore He said that when the Spirit comes He will give you power to walk according to the truth. That is the purpose of the Holy Spirit. He isn’t given to give us goosebumps, to make us dance around erratically in some ecstatic frenzy as if that is evidence of God at work in us. God is not the author of confusion. But rather the Spirit is given to teach us the truth, and to empower us to walk in the truth. That’s what the Spirit does, and He is given to us in salvation. Paul simply blesses Timothy to be filled with the Spirit of Christ that he may be bold and courageous to carry out his service to the Lord.
And in like manner, I pray that you will yield to the guidance of the Holy Spirit and make every effort to fulfill your ministry to His church.
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