Paul's Charge to Timothy - Part 5

This is Part 5 of a 6 part series.  Click here for part 4 or here to go to the start.

Our last post looked at being ready.  Ready to preach the message that is the Word of God.  We now complete the second half of what is means to preach - In season and out of season, or, as the New English Translation has translates it - "Whether convenient or not."  This post is lengthy and to read it properly will take careful study.  I take you now in a rollercoaster ride that will take you through points of reproof and rebuke and exhortation.

Be Ready, In Season and out of Season (Updated)

Prior to the instruction to exhort, reprove and rebuke, Timothy is instructed to “preach the message – be ready, in season and out of season” (2 Tim 4:2 KJV.)  The New English Translation says “whether convenient or not.”  There are two ways we could consider this.

The first is that something that is in season is in fashion, or for that time.  Strawberries are in season, for those in the Southern Hemisphere, around Christmas.  I grow Pineapples as well as other crops. In the weeks leading up to Christmas they are ready. Then in the middle of that and extending right through March there are mangos

Things have seasons.  However Timothy was taught to be ready, in season and out of season.  What does it mean to be ready out of season.

Let us go all the way back to Leviticus:

Lev 26:3-4 (ESV2011)

“If you walk in my statutes and observe my commandments and do them,

then I will give you your rains in their season, and the land shall yield its increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.

Here, you will notice that if the Israelites keep the commandments then they will receive a blessing of rains in their season. 

We see a similar blessing in Deuteronomy 28 – the famous blessings and curses chapter.  Again in keeping with the obedience to the commandments:

The LORD will open for you his good treasure house, the heavens, to give you rain for the land in its season and to bless all you do; you will lend to many nations but you will not borrow from any. (Deut 28:12)

David said the same about those who follow God’s commandments

And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. (Ps 1:3 KJV)

What is a word spoken in season like:

A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth: and a word spoken in due season, how good is it! (Prov 15:23 KJV)

When Solomon (and others) wrote Ecclesiastes he wrote it from the thinking of someone who did not know God.  Which is why there was a lot of references to, “under the sun,” or, “under the heaven,” meaning “from an earthly perspective.”  Most people, including the type of people referenced in this book –the unsaved sinner – knows this verse from the book:

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: (Eccl 3:1)

Tie these together and you can see that from a spiritual sense, the season when you are obeying God is “in season” while if you are outside God then you are “out of season.”

A modern fig cultivar

Now come to the New Testament and notice this:

Mark 11:12-14 (NET)

Now the next day, as they went out from Bethany, he was hungry.

After noticing in the distance a fig tree with leaves, he went to see if he could find any fruit on it. When he came to it he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.

He said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it.

To a casual observer it appears here that Jesus was rather annoyed that the fig tree had no fruit, even though it was not the season for figs.  To those who know about figs, they flower (inside the stem!) very early after their first leaves of the new season.  They usually have two fruiting periods.  The early harvest is called the Breba produces acidic fruit good for preserving while the latter  harvest is the sweet juicy figs that can be eaten fresh.  So if the fig tree had leaves then it should have either the last of the first fruits or the start of the next fruit. Jesus noted that this tree had none!

The primary causes of figs not having fruit or dropping fruit can be a result of root knot nematodes, weather that is too hot or too much fertilizer.  Oh, I could write a whole new article on Figs!

Mark noted that it was not yet the season.  Jesus was looking between the Breba and the second harvest but he demonstrated by this action that he still expects to see fruit out of season.

Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered.” (Mark 11:21)

In between times, Jesus cleansed the temple.  (Interesting and worth further investigation if there is a relevance here – but we must move on.)

Heb 11:24-25 (KJV)

By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter;

Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;

Seasons can therefore be a period of time, but in the above examples, the season refers to more as a time when it is convenient.  The fig tree beast fruit when convenient (right environmental conditions), Moses chose not to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter despite the convenience that would be.  The matter of Ecclesiastes dictates that it is more convenient to do this or that.

It is worth pointing out that the word for season here is eukairos which translates as “conveniently.”  Strictly speaking the other “seasons” mentioned use the word karios which means a set or proper time, or occasion.  Still though it could be argues that a proper time is a time that is most convenient.  Perhaps the only other time when eukarios is mentioned is in Mark

And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money. And he sought how he might conveniently [eukarios] betray him. (Mark 14:11 KJV (emphasis and bracket mine)

Therefore let look at the New English Translation for the verse in Timothy

Preach the message, be ready whether it is convenient or not, reprove, rebuke, exhort with complete patience and instruction. (2Tim 4:2)

We live in a "season" where it is not right to rebuke others.  In some cases, even reproof is frowned upon. We can exhort till the cows come home – not a problem!  As a teacher, we learnt that we must always encourage.  To put a student in his or her place makes them embarrassed, so instead we should encourage them in correct behaviour.

Yet here Paul instructs Timothy to be ready whether it is convenient or not.  Reprove whether it is convenient or not.  Rebuke whether convenient or not.  Exhort whether convenient or not.  BE READY WHETHER CONVENIENT OR NOT.

Right now we are living in between Pentecost and the Rapture.  This is the age of the Gentiles.  It is the season for gentiles.  It is the time for harvest.  The Day of Pentecost began the harvest, we are in the “summer” where harvesting continues but it ends in Autumn (or Fall) when there is the final next harvest.  It is a lot like the fig tree!

I wonder if Jesus was referring here to the fact that he looks at his Church today expecting to find fruit.  It is in between two big harvests but he is checking for fruit.  But all he finds are glossy luscious leaves and no fruit.   

Why no fruit?  Perhaps there is a microscopic worm eating the roots?  Or perhaps someone put too much fertilizer on it and it is too busy growing? Or perhaps the environment makes it not convenient to bear fruit.  Or lastly, perhaps it is too cold! 

It was not convenient for the fig tree to have fruit at this time, but Jesus expected it to have some regardless.  Like Paul’s instruction to Timothy – “be ready, whether convenient or not.”

Now all this is very well, I hear you say, but surely there are times when it is not convenient?  Surely God understands?

The first point is that the word “ready” here in Greek is ephistemi.  It translates as “to stand upon” and is often literal.  It comes from to root words – epi (upon) and histemi (to stand).  So Timothy was told to stand upon (the Word) to exhort, reprove and rebuke.  In some translations, they use the word persist instead of be ready.   While rare this has a similar connotation – Timothy must be ready, be persistent in the Word, stand upon the Word. 

The second point is this: It is wrong to think that we have a mandate to simply open our mouths at every juncture and express our opinions. But then again we are not expressing our opinions but God’s Word. We can easily be seen as a bigot if we pick up on every talk that is not scriptural, but that bigotry will be evident when we consider the tone of how it is given.  This is why the whole verse ends with “with complete patience and instruction.” 

Just as we bear in mind that we must always consider the context of the Word, we must also bear in mind the context of the hearer.  In Timothy, the main target of Timothy’s charge is to believers.  Timothy is used to teach believers.   

If we look over at a similar passage in First Peter.  Here he addresses believers but the terminal receiver is the sinner through the believer.

1Pet 3:15-16 (NET)

But set Christ apart as Lord in your hearts and always be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks about the hope you possess.

 Yet do it with courtesy and respect, keeping a good conscience, so that those who slander your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame when they accuse you.

Here the phrase “be ready” (from the Greek hetoimos) is different.  It means “be prepared.”  This is more passive than ephistemi. 

Now notice a different between the method of delivery in Timothy’s charge and Peter’s instruction

• Timothy: Stand Upon the word ….with complete patience or instruction.
• Peter: Be prepared … courtesy and respect.

If we are a believer, talking to another believer, we can take a much stronger viewpoint, we can stand upon the word, BUT, we must do so with complete patience and instruction.  While if a believer talks to a sinner, we must first, be prepared to do so and then do so with courtesy and respect.

You must understand that the Word of God to a sinner means about as much as the Star Wars means to you.  Can you recognise the Shamanistic overtones in Star Wars?  Probably not because it does not interest you.  Now imagine if you became interested and you the ask a member of the Jedi faith (yes, believe it or not, I have met one!) about their religion.

The “Jedi” then tells you that because you are a Christian you will never experience the truth of the light side of the force.  That God does not exist but coexists as equal light and dark forces that pervade the universe.   
 He then tells you that you are a naïve stupid idiot for believing in heaven and hell.  They will then point out various scenes in Star Wars that prove that point. 

You on the other hand think the guy is nuts and that Star Wars is only a movie franchise.  The sinner also thinks that the bible is an interesting read only, with some useful tips and morals. 

We must bring them to a place where they begin to understand the bible but in a vast majority of cases, their first point of contact with the author of the  Word of God is a human believer.  (There are exceptions).   

When that person comes to you are you prepared?  You may be their one and only chance. God has set this meeting up for the express purpose of that sinner finding God, but, to use Jesus’s demonstration, the fig tree had no fruit!

Assuming we are prepared.  You can recite verbatim a huge number of bible verses that support salvation.  You are super-prepared, but, when you meet that sinner, you come across in much the same way as the Jedi.  You fail to show courtesy and respect.  In that case, you will lose them, and they go away more disbelieving there is a God than before.

This is where the famous misquote, “do not judge lest you be judged yourself” comes in because we come across as judgemental.  Furthermore we come under more scrutiny as those we judge try to find fault in us.  Hence why Peter concludes the sentence in verse 16 with ensuring you, “keep a good conscience so that those who slander your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame when they accuse you.” Then in the next verse he adds, “For it is better to suffer for doing good, if God wills it, than for doing evil.” (1 Pet 2:17)

If you suffer (face accusations) for doing good, you are justified, but if you do evil then the accusations are justified.

Turning back to Timothy, those that are ready (that stand upon the Word) have the authority to exhort, reprove and rebuke.  The question is, who?

The short answer is, other Christian believers.  Sure we can use the Word for exhorting sinners.  We can also reprove them and at times reprove them, but remember that they do not value the bible as we do.  Notice also that with the sinner, we can always exhort, we can sometimes reprove but it is unwise to rebuke.  But in Paul’s letter to Timothy he does not make that distinction.  This is the first clue that the target audience for Timothy is not the sinner.

Secondly, the Greek word ephistemi used in the context of “Be ready” is unique here.  In other places, the word is used to mean “stood over”(Luke 4:39), or,  “approaching” (Ac 10:17). On the other hand, “Be Ready” as used by Peter is also used in the same context several times.

So Jesus replied, “My time has not yet arrived, but you are ready at any opportunity! (John 7:6)

And notice the very close link with Peter’s statement and that which Paul gave Titus.

Titus 3:1-2 (NET)

Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work.

 They must not slander anyone, but be peaceable, gentle, showing complete courtesy to all people.

Both the above verses apply to the unsaved as the target.

The third clue is the passage that immediately follows the charge to Timothy and acts as the qualifier for the charge.  We read this starting in verse 3

2Tim 4:3-4 (NET)

For there will be a time [season] when people will not tolerate sound teaching. Instead, following their own desires, they will accumulate teachers for themselves, because they have an insatiable curiosity to hear new things.

 And they will turn away from hearing the truth, but on the other hand they will turn aside to myths.

We now know that Timothy is instructed to stand on the Word of God to exhort, reprove and rebuke, using patience and instruction, whether convenient or not because there will come a time when people will not tolerate sound teaching. 

This could mean anyone, but verse 4 indicates that these people once heard the truth but have turned away.  This therefore is taking not about the sinner but the saint.

We are living in a world where things are instant.  I can write this on my laptop and post on the internet in minutes. (although it took over a week to write).  We expect new things every day.  The Western world is constantly updating their smartphone.  Look at the long midnight queues to the latest iPhone launches. We generally love new things!  Essentially the whole world has ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder).

Many churches today are going backwards for various reasons (a big culprit is that a dead church often has a dead preacher behind the pulpit.  Take a look at a lot of modern churches.  They are trying new things to entice people to church, often at the expense of the gospel or sound teaching.

Paul prophetically foretells of this to occur in Timothy’s time (which as we have briefly shown, did occur) but more importantly for us, we can see it now!

I was reflecting on this the other day, when I was writing my blog post about the prophecies that were fulfilled when Christ was born when I ended with the well-known verse – John 3:16. 

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

This verse is so well known that if your church pastor, priest or whoever preached that next Sunday, you would probably switch off because it is old news.  However, I had to put that at the end of my post because I was so overwhelmed by God’s love -  that he would actually fulfil the law through the death of Jesus, his Son, to mean that I could come closer to Him!   Instead, if the Pastor preached on this: For whoever has will be given more, and will have an abundance. ... (Matt 13:12a) we are inclined to perk up and listen – for here is something new! 

Or there is a new preacher in town who has a new revelation and new evidence.  The latest Praise and Worship songs get released and we adopt them into our services and drop the old school hymns out. 

In the early days of the Pentecostal movement, a trademark of the praise songs were simply quotes from scripture. 

The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (Lam 3:22-23)

This was NEW and radical, yet much emphasis was placed on God and God’s glory and less on us. This therefore followed the old Hymns written by such men as Charles Wesley.

Now NEW songs have emerged, stress more joy, trust, Holy Spirit, glory, love peace, power, victory, fire and devoid of repentance, redemption, the blood of Christ, law of God and sanctification.

I am not saying this is necessarily wrong, I like new things and Like new music.  Take the music by Chris Tomlin for example.  This song really gets to me in a big way. The reason is not because it makes me feel good but because it is all about GOD and his awesomeness!  

 Indescribable - Chris Tomlin

From the highest of heights to the depths of the sea
Creation's revealing Your majesty
From the colors of fall to the fragrance of spring
Every creature unique in the song that it sings
All exclaiming

Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name.
You are amazing God
All powerful, untameable,
Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim
You are amazing God

Who has told every lightning bolt where it should go
Or seen heavenly storehouses laden with snow
Who imagined the sun and gives source to its light
Yet conceals it to bring us the coolness of night
None can fathom

Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name.
You are amazing God
Incomparable, unchangeable
You see the depths of my heart and You love me the same
You are amazing God
You are amazing God  

WOW!

The Holy Spirit constantly reveals new things to me almost daily – That makes loving God exciting!

I use songs as an example, but we do the same with God’s Word too. Some believe that simply preaching the Gospel to the unsaved is not enough anymore.  The message, to some, appears old fashioned and needs to be modernised to bring it into the new millennium. And yet the same message preached by the Apostles close to 2000 years ago that brought hundreds of thousands to Christ in the then Known World was the same message that lead Martin Luther and others to  bring thousands to Christ through the reformation some 1400 years later.  Then only about 200 years ago, the preachers of the Great Awakening also used the same gospel message.

“At this time, the salvation of our Lord Jesus Christ is the same as it was in all ages.  Jesus Christ still saves sinners from guilt, the power, the punishment, and the defilement of sin.  Still, ‘there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved’ (Acts 4:12) Jesus Christ still makes all things new.  He creates new hearts and right spirits in the sons of men and engraves His Law upon the tablets which once were stone, but which He has turned into flesh.  There is no new salvation!  Some may talk as if it were, but there is not!  Salvation means to you today just what it meant to Saul of Tarsus on the way to Damascus. If you think it has another meaning, you have missed it altogether!"

That statement in the box above is not my thoughts; it is a direct quote from a sermon by Spurgeon, given 120 years ago, and yet you would think it is just as appropriate today.  And how appropriate that he should use Paul (Saul) as an example!

But now many churches seem to feel that we need to change that message. For the simple reason that Paul warned Timothy - it would happen - that man would follow their own desires, listen and read from people that tell them what they want to hear, and want to be constantly fed new things.

The result of that is that they start to believe and trust not in the truth (The Word of God) but in myths.  Mormons follow the mythical teachings of Joseph Smith.  Jehovah’s Witnesses follow the Watchtower Myths and many charismatic believers are now following the Word of Faith / Kingdom Now myths (which incidentally are very closely related to the Mormon and JW myths!)

The Gospel has changed into the Gospel of Prosperity, the Gospel of Entertainment.  The Gospel of Latter Rain.

 

Myths and Legends

Are you ready enough to discern if these are truth or myth? I am going to give you five real quotes.  Then I want you to look up the verses and you are to decide if the quote is biblical (truth) or heretical (myth).

Please do look them up. I deliberately left them out in their entirety because I desire that you actually pick up your bible and study it!  Go ahead!  You are on the internet, so if you want to make it easier, jump across to biblegateway.com to make it easy.

[about Jesus on the cross] "He had become sin, he was no longer the Son of God.  He was sin.”

1 Peter 2:24

Isa 53:4-5

Heb 4:15

“Jesus was the first person to ever be born again…it happened when he was in hell”

Isa 53:9

Col 1:15-20

John 3

Heb 13:8

“You cannot go to heaven unless you believe that Jesus took your place in Hell.”

Acts2:22-36

Rev 1:12-18

Eph 4:8-10

John 3:14

Phil 2:6-11

“The bible can’t even find any way to explain this. Not really.  That’s why you’ve got to get it by revelation."

1 Thess 2:13

Rom 10:17

Heb 4:12

Jer 23:29

1 Pet 1:23

Ac 17:11
2 Tim 3:16-17

“God has already done everything He’s going to do.  The ball is now in your court.”

Phil 2:13

1 Thess 2:13

2 Thess 1:1
Gal 3:1-5

2Tim 1:9

Eph 2:8-9

“You’re all God.  You don’t have to have a God living in you; you are one!...When I read in the Bible where God tells Moses, ‘I AM,’ I say, ‘Yah, I am too!”

Ex 3:14-15

John 8:58

Ezek 28:1-10

Ac 12:21-23

Rom 3:10 (Ps 14:1-3)

Deut 5:7

Hopefully you will see they are all heretical myths.  It is even better if you knew they were false even before confirming in the Word. That means that you must either be under good teaching already or you have a special gift of the Holy Spirit –Discernment.  I am not going to suggest which one it is. 

Here is who made the quotes
"He had become sin, he was no longer the Son of God.  He was sin.” 
“Jesus was the first person to ever be born again…it happened when he was in hell”
 “The bible can’t even find any way to explain this. Not really.  That’s why you’ve got to get it by revelation."

Joyce Meyer.  Bible teacher, Author and Speaker.  Ranked 17th in Time Magazine's 2005 - 25 most influential Evangelicals in America


  
 “God has already done everything He’s going to do.  The ball is now in your court.”  Joel Osteen.  Senior Pastor of Lakewood Church. Osteen’s Lakewood Church is the largest church in America with a weekly attendance of 43,500 members.  He also appears on TBN with a viewing audience of over 7 million.



“You’re all God.  You don’t have to have a God living in you; you are one!...When I read in the Bible where God tells Moses, ‘I AM,’ I say, ‘Yah, I am too!” Kenneth Copeland - Founder of Kenneth Copeland Minsitries - American author, musiscian, public speaker and televangelist frequently on TBN.





 All three are big names in the Word of Faith movement and all have huge followings of people and hold conferences and various big budget concerts and performances that are literally attended by the tens and hundreds of thousands!  Osteen’s Lakewood Church is the largest church in America with a weekly attendance of 43,500 members most who are failing to be ready and not being like a Berean!

Paul was well aware of this which is why he spent a great deal of time warning Timothy about false teachers. 

It is because of Paul’s instruction to Timothy that you see a large group of people who constantly contest with them and because of their persistent heresies, have no choice but to rebuke them.  Again I am not telling you to believe me or the accusers of Mayer, and co, but I am strongly encouraging you to search the scriptures daily to find out if such things are true.

The important point that I will make here is that just as Timothy was exhorted to I exhort you do the same:

• Preach the message (Word of God)
• Be ready – Stand up
• Whether convenient or not
• To Exhort, Reprove and Rebuke
• With Patience and Teaching

How many of you actually read the verses that I gave as reproof of the five myths?  If you didn't then you are not listening to what I am saying.  If you simply trust that what I say is right - that they are heretical statements without checking what I am saying in scripture then you have gained nothing.  On the other hand, if you refuse to accept that what I say as true and that instead you continue to believe these heretical statements then I that makes me sad.  The bottom line is this:

DO NOT BELIEVE ANYTHING I SAY OR WRITE, OR EVEN THAT OF FAMOUS EVANGELISTS, PREACHERS, CULTISTS, DOOR-KNOCKING RELIGIOUS SECT MEMBERS YOUR OWN PASTOR OR ANYONE CLAIMING THEY ARE PREACHING BIBLICAL TRUTH UNTIL YOU CAN CONVINCE YOURSELF WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT THAT THESE THINGS ARE TRUE (OR FALSE).

Now, if you in fact did read the passages that I gave you, did they make you look on God and Christ and simply say, "WOW!"  AMEN AND AMEN! THAT’S THE POWER OF GOD'S WORD MY FRIEND. 

While i was selecting that list of verses I was thinking how great God is.  Who got the glory but God and only God.  That proved to me and it should prove to you that those verses tell the truth.  One thing I love about the bible is that if I preach somewhere against false doctrine, I must reveal the truth through scripture.  So if I speak against any particular cult, the result invariably ends up being glorification of God since the lies and deceptions of darkness are held up to the truth and light that is God.   Even if I am witnessing to an individual, the natural flow of the conversation may start of with debunking doctrinal error or revealing the hopelessness of the sinful state, but in the end it finishes with pointing that person to God through Christ.  

The reason why that is the case is because to debunk and point to God you use the Word of God.  It is completely logical that the use of God's Word points to God!  Logic comes from the word Logos, Logos is the name given to the Word.  Christ is logical and therefore God is logical.  Brilliant!

John 1:1

In the beginning was the Word (Logos).  The Word (Logos) was with God and the Word (Logos) was God.  

You have now had a practical lesson in searching the scripture to find out if things be so!

Ps 30:11-12 (NET)

Then you turned my lament into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and covered me with joy.

So now my heart will sing to you and not be silent; O LORD my God, I will always give thanks to you.

PRAISE HIM! THANK HIM!  AMEN!

In our next post we will look further at the underlying theme and a key reason why Paul gave Timothy his instruction.  We have touched on it a bit in this post - false teachers.