Hey, Bible readers. I'm Tara Lee, Cobble, and I'm your host for The Bible Recap. If you're doing our New Testament plan, you finished book 21 today, and if you're doing the whole Bible, you finished your 60th book. This is also our last of Paul's letters or our final Pauline epistle, if you're feeling fancy. But you can only say it like that if you're wearing a monicle. I have to make some jokes because this day in the reading plan always makes me sad. It's where our time with Paul comes to an end. He's in prison in Rome, probably for the second time, and he's awaiting his trial and expects to be executed. And he's right. He writes this letter to his mentee, Timothy, to give a few final instructions, but it also seems just out of loneliness. He's been abandoned by lots of people because he keeps landing in prison, which not only means it's easy for people to forget him because out of sight, out of mind, but also because his frequent imprisonments have added up to a less than stellar reputation. When bad things keep happening to a person, it's easy to assume they're doing something wrong.

But as we know, Paul is in prison for doing something right, the very best thing. In verses 6-7, he reminds Timothy and probably himself that if we don't actively engage in the gift of our faith, we'll default to fear. But because God has granted us faith, we have access to power, love, and self-control through his Spirit. Fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and self-control. Because of what's happened to Paul as a result of preaching the gospel, Paul probably worries that Timothy will shrink back from speaking the truth. So Paul challenges him. Don't let this deter you. Don't be ashamed of the gospel. And don't be ashamed of me here in prison. There is nothing to be ashamed of. This is a badge of honor. In verses 8-9, Paul invites Timothy into this suffering and says this is what God has planned for them all along. He says, Share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works, but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began.

In verses 12 and 14, he uses the word guard twice in a way that paints a beautiful picture for us of what he's been saying all along. In verse 12, he says, I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me. In verse 14, he tells Timothy, By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you. So God's guarding Paul, but Timothy has to guard himself? No, he reminds Timothy that the Holy Spirit who dwells within him is doing the work. Paul demonstrates here how God is at work in us and through us to accomplish what he has promised to us and for us. God is guarding us and as his spirit works in us, he engages us in that process. Paul encourages Timothy to dig his heels in even more, to do the hard work of spreading the gospel and to not be surprised when it's challenging. If you're committed to something, there will always be some level of difficulty that you can't undercut. Paul is willing to endure whatever it takes for the gospel to reach those who will believe, and he wants to impress this same urgency on Timothy.

Do not abandon the gospel no matter what. At this point in Ephesis, where Timothy is serving, there are a lot of false teachers who are gaining influence despite the fact that they've taken a left turn from the gospel. They're lying about the resurrection. Paul dealt with some of these same guys in his first letter to Timothy, and they're still causing trouble. Paul has never had a problem correcting people who preach another Gospel. But what he doesn't want is for Timothy and his congregation to waste time getting wrapped up in arguments with false teachers that end up going nowhere. Paul basically says God will deal with him. God isn't fooled by outward behavior or appearances. He knows which hearts belong to him and he'll sort it all out in the end. Maybe Timothy is inclined toward debate and Paul feels the need to restrain him a little bit. There's a certain zeal that comes with youth. And since Timothy is still young, Paul reminds him how to handle these scenarios with wisdom. He says, Flea youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies. You know that they breed quarels.

I love that Paul doesn't just tell him what to run from, but what to run after. Flea your fleshly impulses, pursue the things of the Spirit. Those things are at opposite ends of the spectrum, so you can't run in both directions at once. If you're going to serve God, you can't always be seeking out an argument. You have to spend your words teaching people and doing it with patience. And if you do have to correct someone, be gentle about it, he says. Don't put any speed bumps in the way for people. Our hope isn't that we'll make a great point or win the argument. Our hope is that God will grant them repentance and free them from Satan's grip. In chapter three, he lists the people he wants Timothy to avoid. When I read lists like these, I think it's always a humbling exercise not to think about who I need to avoid, but to see how many places I can identify myself on the list. Here it is. Lover's of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of Godliness but denying its power.

Paul says to be aware of those who claim to believe but don't demonstrate that they have a relationship with Jesus. In Ephesis, some of the people like this have started seeking out vulnerable women who don't have the best discernment. These women were likely even paying the false teachers money to teach them their lies. In verse 7, he says they're always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. That sounds exhausting. In verse 12, he tells Timothy and us what to expect when it comes to following Jesus. He says, All who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. We love to cling to and claim God's promises, but I don't know many people who claim this one. I don't see it crotched on many pillows. Paul goes on to say that Scripture is what will help us grow wise in the midst of trials. It's what keeps us afloat. In chapter 4, he gives Timothy some rich advice that could apply to all of us. Because even though we may not be pastors, we're all ministers. We're all teaching people who God is with our lives and our words.

He says to preach the word with patience because according to verses 3-4, The time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching but have itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions. Hear their voices and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander often to myths. Well, the time has come, Paul. It's here. You nailed it. Paul knows his days are coming to an end. His life is being poured out, he says. And he looks forward to being crowned with the crown of righteousness alongside all God's other kids. Before he dies, he wants Timothy to come visit him and Luke. He also wants him to bring someone with him, John Mark, the one he had a disagreement with a long time ago on his first missionary journey. Remember that? We read about it in Acts 13. Their disagreement was so sharp that Paul wouldn't allow him to come along on his next trip. But God used that disagreement to double the number of missionary trips. Two went out instead of one. Now in verse 11, we see that God has brought restoration. Paul wants Timothy to bring John Mark to see him because he trusts that he is an effective, helpful minister.

Before Paul closes, he warns Timothy about people who might be a snare to him because they brought harm to Paul. He knows God has kept him safe and trusts that no matter what happens to him, God will rescue him. Sometimes rescue looks like death. Paul puts it this way in verse 18, The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. And he did. If you find you're missing Paul and Luke now that their letters and adventures are over, you might enjoy the movie Paul, the Apostle of Christ. It's the story about him and Luke. We've linked to the trailer and the movie in the show notes. My God Shot today was in 3:16-17. It says, All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. God breathed out the words we read today. He gave them to us for a variety of reasons to rebuke us when we're blatantly sinning, to correct us when we're making foolish decisions, to train us in righteousness so that we can hopefully grow into people who need less reproving and correcting so that we will be complete, equipped for every good work he has prepared for us.

His word is a gift of grace and wisdom. The fact that we have access to it, that we can hold it and read it and understand it, I can't get over it. No matter what gifts you get this year, you'll have a hard time finding anything that tops this. Knowing his character would be impossible without his word or his spirit who breathed out his word. I'm so glad I know him. He's where the joy is. Tomorrow we'll be reading the books of 2 Peter and Jude. We're linking to both video overviews in the show notes, so check those out if you have a chance. You've heard me talk about my TBR team all year, and I would love for you to meet them. You already know me, Tara Lee, but here's everyone else who works so hard to keep bringing the Bible recap to you every single day. I'm Olivia Lee, and I'm Tara Lee's executive assistant. I'm Laura Bouchalt, and I'm the TBR project manager. I'm Sarah Billings, and I manage the TBR email account. I'm Jane Long, and I help with TBR operations. I'm Allison King and I'm the sound engineer. I'm Lindsay Herring, and I'm the video editor.

I'm Meg Mitchell, and I'm the reCAPTCON Community Manager. I'm Sarah Yokem and my team and I manage the Bible Recap social media. I'm Omar Cardinas, and I help manage the Synopsys de la Bibles. I'm Marlet Blackwell, and I help manage the Synopsys de la Bible. And I'm Bonnie Hartwig, the director for the Bible Recap. Thank you so much for your support for this ministry and for our team. We love what we get to do, and we especially love being a part of this TBR family with all of you. It's not too late to start a new Christmas tradition. You probably know the story of a Christmas carol, but you've never heard it like the new Hope Nation rendition. Scrooge, a Christmas carol podcast, will draw you into the powerful story of forgiveness and redemption. It's an audio experience starring Hollywood prose like Sean Asten, John Reece Davis, and Juliet Mills. Click the link in the show notes to listen.