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10 You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, 11 persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. 12 In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. ~ 2 Timothy 3:10-13
After describing the false teachers in the previous verses, now the Apostle turns to describe God's man. We return to 2 Timothy 3 which describes, in very graphic terms, the times of distress which will come upon the people of earth during "the last days." And, in order to endure the onslaught of evil, there are certain elements which must be present in us.
In v.10 we read, "You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance."
In this one verse the Apostle gives seven musts for the Man of God. First, he has strong mentors. Strong men tend to be the producers of other strong men. Yet, in this very context, the Apostle talks about sufferings and persecutions. These are the ingredients that go in to making a man strong. For those who do not have faith that is tested, they will not be strong leaders.
In v.10 the Apostle reveals the foundation of the strong man. We read, "You, however, know all about my teaching." Strong leaders know the Bible for themselves. And, as a result, they teach true doctrine. It is the Word of God which provides the strong foundation for a strong leader. If we neglect our investment in our study of God's Word, it's investment in us will not be born out. We will not be known as strong leaders.
Paul wrote, "You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life."
When strong leaders face trouble, they teach the truth; they focus on what is real about life; they expose illusions and delusions to the revelation of Scripture so that people could get their heads on straight and think rightly, and realistically about life.
Strong leaders practice what they preach. Paul’s "way of life" backed up his message. He did not preach sacrifice and live in luxury. He gave to others far more than he received from them. He stood up for the truth even when it meant losing friends and, in the end, losing his life. Paul was a servant, not a celebrity.
In v.10 we read, "You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance."
There was never a question about Paul’s "purpose" in ministry: He wanted to do God’s will and finish the work God gave him to do. He was a man of “faith” who trusted God to meet his needs.
Faith is the confidence that there exist certain invisible realities which are extremely important to us, and then acting in the light of those realities. Faith is believing that God is at work in everyday human affairs, and He will give us power to love and to speak with patience when we are being mistreated or abused.
The strong Man of God is "patient" even when he is under attack. He is a man of "love" who willingly gives himself to serve others with "endurance".
In v.11–12 we read, "11 persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. 12 In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted."
Strong leaders expect suffering. Paul did not ask others to suffer for him; he suffered for others. The fact that he was persecuted from city to city was proof that he was living a godly life. Some people today have the idea that godliness means escaping persecution, when just the opposite is true.
The Apostle Paul had a prison record; he had a physical affliction; he stirred up problems in just about every place he visited. He was poor, and he did not cater to the rich. Yet God used him, and we are being blessed today because Paul was faithful til the end.
Christianity was never intended to be merely a creed that we recite on Sunday morning in the safety of the church building. Christianity is a person whom we relate to, rely upon and walk with day-by-day. Christianity is counter-cultural and it will often be against the grain of the norm in society. We who believe in the Lord Jesus enough to be defined by Him will be misunderstood, marginalized and persecuted. And, God knows this world is getting worse but He has seen fit for us to be on earth at this moment to make a difference for His glory. May God grant that we will be faithful til the end...
