2 Timothy 2:16-19

Summary retelling of 2 Timothy 2:16-19

Paul talks to Timothy about shallow talk focused on worldly things because it only leads people into paying attention to things that are not of God.  Paul also reminds Timothy that talk spreads like wildfire – especially talk that is juicy or like gossip.  Paul then speaks to Timothy about the danger of false teaching – especially the teaching of two leaders in Ephesus in particular.  Paul notes how false doctrine upsets the faithful.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Note Paul’s focus on worldly talk.  Paul isn’t saying that all conversations have to be deep, but he is saying that all of our conversations should represent our faith well.  When we talk about things that aren’t at all related to our faith two things happen.  First, we give people an avenue to not focus on God and instead focus on the world.  Second, we miss an opportunity to talk about our faith within us.  We should always look for opportunities to speak about our faith to anyone who is willing to listen and especially to those who are willing to engage in the conversation with us.

Is it easy to miss an opportunity to talk about God?  What can we do to help us remember to talk about God?

Second Thought:

Then Paul talks about how talk spreads among people.  People love that morsel of talk that can be passed from one person to another.  People love the opportunity to talk about things that are dangerous, risky, or even controversial.  This fact compounds the lesson in the first thought.  When we get people not talking about God, the shift in focus tends to spread throughout the body of faith until fewer and fewer people are actually spiritually relating to God and to one another.

What do people talk about when they opt to not talk about their faith and their spirituality?  Have you ever been the subject of worldly gossip?  How did that feel?  How can focusing on God actually help us stop falling victim to gossip and other poor choices in using speech?

Third Thought:

While Paul is on the topic of speaking, he talks about false doctrine and how false doctrine can upset a congregation.  In this particular case, the false doctrine is about the resurrection already happening.  Had the resurrection already happened, it really would have shifted the goal of life.  Christ called us to make disciples in lieu of the coming resurrection.  But if the resurrection already happened, what would be the point of life?  This same line of thinking is true for all false teaching.  False teaching upsets the natural order to which Christ has pointed us.  We are to teach His doctrine and point to Him.  It is only in Him and through Him that we can find peace.

Have you ever experienced false teaching?  How did it make you feel as you were trying to figure out what was real and what was false?  How did you feel once you remembered the truth and followed it with conviction?

Passage for Tomorrow: 2 Timothy 2:20-21