2nd Timothy Study, Final Recap

Hi everyone! Here is the final recap, the one for the entire book of 2nd Timothy. I hope that you read and studied with me, if not, the posts will remain on my blog, so you can go back and read them whenever. I hope and pray that you got as much, or more, out of it as I did. Enjoy this final recap. :)

1. He really wants to see Timothy again. Verse four.
2. Timothy has a strong faith (unfeigned faith), and his grand-mother and mother also believed. Verse five.
3. Paul writes about the spirit that God gives us (not a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind). Verse seven.
4. He tells Timothy not to be ashamed (of the testimony of the Lord, and of him). Verse eight.
5. He says that he is not ashamed (of his sufferings). Verse twelve.
6. He tells what he is (Preacher, apostle, and teacher). Verse eleven.
7. He tells Timothy to "hold fast to sound words...in faith and love..."(to tell others about God,
8. just as Paul has told him). Verse thirteen.
9. He writes about the many people who deserted him (including Phygellus and Hermongenes), and the one who was faithful (Onesiphorus). Verses fifteen through eighteen.
10. 1. Paul told Timothy to remember what he taught him, so that he can teach others. Verse 2.
11. He tells him to be a good soldier of God, and endure hardships, so that he may please God, who chose him. Verse 3.
12. No soldier entangles himself in things of this world, so should we also as soldiers of God. Verse 4.
13. The example of a man in a game. If he heeds the rules then he might win a crown, if not, then he will lose. Verse 5.
14. The example of a husbandman/farmer. He who works, shall reap first. Verse 6.
15. Paul tells us to remember that Jesus was of the seed of David, and was raised from the dead. Verse 8.
16. Paul says that he suffers like a criminal, and is bound, but the Word of God is not, and cannot be bound. Verse 9.
17. Paul writes that he endures all of his sufferings for the elect's sakes, that they may also have salvation. Verse 10.
18. He compares what we do/did/will do, to what Jesus did/is doing. "It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: if we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: if we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself." Verses 11-13.
19. Do not speak words to no profit, only what should/needs to be spoken and/or heard. Verse 14.
20. He tells us to study so that we don't need to be ashamed, and we can rightly divide the word of truth. Verse 15.
21. Paul tells us about two men who are leading others astray with false teachings. Verses 16-18.
22. He tells us that the foundation of God still and always will, stand sure. And that God already knows all of the people that are His. Verse 19.
23. The example of the vessels of gold, silver, wood, and earth; in the great house. Some vessels made to honour and some to dishonour. Verses 20-21.
24. Lastly, he tells us how a Christian leader should act, what he should do, and not do. Verses 22-26.
25. First, we learned about how, in the last days, people will be horrible. Paul gives us a list of what people will be, and do, in those days. Verses one-five (parts one and two), through six and seven.
26. Paul used Jannes and Jambres as example of people who "resist the truth," and have "corrupt minds." Jannes and Jambres were two of Pharaoh's magicians who were there when Moses was trying to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Verses eight and nine.
27. He lists the things that Timothy knows about him. Verses ten and eleven.
28. He tells about his persecutions and affliction. And lists three cities where he was persecuted. But he makes quite clear that it was not him who got himself out of it, but God. He gives God all of the credit. Verse eleven.
29. He also says on the subject of persecution, that every Christian will be persecuted. No exceptions. Verse twelve.
30. The bad people, will get worse and worse, and will deceive themselves and others. Verse thirteen.
31. Paul tells Timothy to continue doing what he knows is right. Verse fourteen.
32. He says that Timothy grew up learning about the Bible, and the things in it. And what it says teaches us about salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Verse fifteen.
33. He makes quite clear that even though men wrote the Bible, God inspired it. Verse sixteen.
34. He also lists what the Bible is profitable for. Verse sixteen.
35. Lastly he says what he said before in chapter two verse twenty one, "That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." Verse seventeen.
36. First, Paul charges Timothy to preach the Word, and he gives him some specific things to do in that area. Verses one and two.
37. Also, he talks about an event, he gives us the who, what, and when. The event is Judgement day. Verse one.
38. Paul also briefly mentions the time to come, as he talked about more in depth in chapter three. Verses three and four.
39. He gives Timothy and us, a few other things to do/watch out for. Verse five.
40. He talks a little about himself, what he has done/accomplished. Verses six, seven, and eight. Also verse sixteen.
41. He mentions the Crown of Righteousness. Verse eight.
42. Paul talks about some people by name, and what they did, where they are/were; and he also asks Timothy to bring him some certain things. Verses nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, and fifteen. (note: there are two links there, one for 9-11, and one for 12-15)
43. He proclaims what the Lord has done for him, very important! Verses seventeen and eighteen.
44. He greets fellow believers and friends. Verses nineteen, twenty, twenty-one, and twenty-two.

I would love to hear what YOU learned in this study! Please share!!! I am looking forward to hearing from you! :D I will start the next study asap. :D God bless!

2nd Timothy Study, recap for chapter four

Hi Y'all! Sorry I haven't done this already, y'all probably thought we were done! :D Well we're not! Here is the recap for chapter four.

1. First, Paul charges Timothy to preach the Word, and he gives him some specific things to do in that area. Verses one and two.


2. Also, he talks about an event, he gives us the who, what, and when. The event is Judgement day. Verse one.


3. Paul also briefly mentions the time to come, as he talked about more in depth in chapter three. Verses three and four.


4. He gives Timothy and us, a few other things to do/watch out for. Verse five.


5. He talks a little about himself, what he has done/accomplished. Verses six, seven, and eight. Also verse sixteen.


6. He mentions the Crown of Righteousness. Verse eight.


7. Paul talks about some people by name, and what they did, where they are/were; and he also asks Timothy to bring him some certain things. Verses nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, and fifteen. (note: there are two links there, one for 9-11, and one for 12-15)


8. He proclaims what the Lord has done for him, very important! Verses seventeen and eighteen.


9. He greets fellow believers and friends. Verses nineteen, twenty, twenty-one, and twenty-two.

Well, that is it. I will try to post the over all recap for the whole book tomorrow. :D

Love in Christ,

2nd Timothy study, Part 27

Hi y'all! Hope y'all are having a great week so far, and a good hump day! We just might finish the study today! Let's see! Remember to pray before we begin today. Oh, btw, remember how I had to cut it short yesterday? Well, today we get to see what Paul was going to say in verse eighteen.

18. And the Lord shall deliver from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for every and ever. Amen.

19. Salute Prisca and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus.

20. Erastus abode at Corinth: but Trophimus have I left at Miletum sick.

21. Do thy diligence to come before winter. Eubulus greeteth thee, and Pudens, and Linus, and Claudia, and all the brethren.

22.The Lord Jesus Christ be with thy spirit. Grace be with you. Amen.

Verse eighteen is a part of what Paul was talking about in the previous couple verses. That's why I wanted to do it yesterday, but didn't have time. The cool thing about this verse is that you can almost feel Paul's courage. You can see how sure he was, how much he relied on God to bring him through. He says, "And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom." He doesn't say that he thinks that God might deliver him from some evil works. NO! He says for a fact that God will deliver him, no doubt about it! God will not only deliver him, but he will deliver him from every single evil work! Amazing faith! What amazing faith!

And, not only deliver him from every evil work, but he says that God will also "preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom." I think, that that means that he knows that he is saved, and when he dies (died) that he will go up to heaven to be with God!

He ends that verse by praising God, he says, "...to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen." Basically, he is saying, not to me, but to God, be all the glory for ever and ever and ever! Never ending glory!

In the last few verses, Paul is telling Timothy to greet some certain people, and telling him that certain people greet him. Let's look and see who they were....

1. Prisca and Aquila. In some versions Prisca is Priscilla. I don't know why it's different, but they are the same person. Priscilla and Aquila were a couple that lived at the same time of Paul, they were Christians, and they opened up their home to be used as a church. To read more about Priscilla and Aquila, click here.
   
2. The household of Onesiphorus. Remember him from chapter one? Paul said that he did not desert him, but refreshed him, and was not ashamed of him like the others.
3. Eratus. I don't know anything about him besides that he lived in Corinth. So all I can do is guess. Since Paul tells Timothy to "salute" (greet) him, he is probably a Christian, and a good friend of Paul and Timothy. Also, since Timothy is told to greet him, he might be in Corinth, or is going to go through it soon.
   
4. Trophimus. This is a pretty sad thing. This is not the only time he is mentioned in the Bible, click here to read the other references to this man. Right here all Paul says is that he left him at Miletum sick, but one of the other references to him notes that he is an Ephesian, a man who lived in Ephesus. Paul wrote a letter to the Christians in that city, the book of Ephesians!
   
5. Eubulus. This is the only time he is mentioned in the Bible, and nothing is really said about him. All I know about him is that he is with Paul, he is probably bringing Paul food, and keeping him company; because Paul says that "Eubulus greeteth thee," he might also know Timothy.
6. Pudens and Linus. Same with them, they are probably with Paul. Also, they are not mentioned any other time in the Bible. (They are not a couple. :P I just put them together since they are in the same position.)
   
7. Claudia is also only mentioned once in the Bible, but Barclay thinks that she may have been a British princess that was sent to Rome after the rulers of Britain and Rome made an agreement, and when she was there she became a Christian. No one knows for sure though, there were probably a lot of people named Claudia back then! :D
8. All the brethren. The Christians.
   

In the beginning of verse twenty one Paul makes request of Timothy, he tells him to try to come before winter. The winters in Europe are cold as far as I know, and Paul did not want Timothy to make that long journey in the cold, and probably wanted to see him as soon as possible. Does that not sound fatherly to you? The further we get through this book, I keep seeing how Paul loved Timothy so much, and basically took him for his own son, he loved and cared for Timothy like a father, and Timothy probably felt the same towards Paul.

The last verse is Paul's farewell, he says, "The Lord Jesus Christ be with thy spirit. Grace be with you. Amen." One thing that I noticed as I read all of Paul's letters is that, he always ends with, "Grace be with you." Or something similar, it is kind of like his signature or mark, if you think about it! :D

Well, that's it. That is the twenty-seventh part of the four chapter letter written by Paul to Timothy. I hope you all enjoyed the study, and learned something from it too, if you did not get a chance to read them all they are all here, if you type in "2 Timothy" in the search engine, or go down my sidebar to "labels" and click "2 Timothy study" then they will all come up. :) Tomorrow I will try to do the recap for chapter four, then I will do a recap of the whole book sometime soon after. Thanks for reading.

Love you all in Christ,
Buttercup :)

2nd Timothy study, Part 26

Hey Y'all! I am very sorry for not posting in awhile, but I've been so busy! I have co-op three days a week, awanas once a week, volleyball three days a week, church on Sunday, and school five days a week; so, I'm pretty busy! Remember to pray before we begin studying today! :D

12. And Tychicus have I sent to Ephesus.

13. The cloke that I left at Troas with Carpus, when thou comest, bring with thee , and the books, but especially the parchments.

14. Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works:

15. Of whom be thou ware also; for he hath greatly withstood our words.

16. At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid at their charge.

17. Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.

18. And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

In the first verse we are looking at today, Paul informs Timothy that he sent a man named, Tychicus, to Ephesus. Most likely to preach, and encourage the Christians there in Paul's absence. That's my guess, but I don't think anyone really knows anything about this man.

In verse thirteen Paul gives him a list of things he wants Timothy to bring to him.

1. His cloke. A circular piece of clothing with a hole in the middle for your head, and possibly a hood, it reached all the way to the ground, so it basically did the work of a blanket. Paul was most likely cold in that prison, and like a normal human being, wanted something to keep him warm, and possibly dry.
2. The books. I don't know which books these were, but they might have been copies of the Old Testament.
   
3. But especially the parchments. I did not know what this meant until I read what our friend Barclay had to say. :P He said that it was probably the early versions of the gospels! What did Paul say? He said "especially the parchments." More than his cloke, he wanted to read God's word. Where is a better place to find comfort and encouragement?!

Verse fourteen talks about a man. What do we know about him? Let's see!

1. His name is Alexander
2. He is a coppersmith. Someone who makes things out of copper.
3. He did much evil to Paul.
4. He withstood the works of the disciples.
   

What else does Paul say about him? He writes, "...the Lord reward him according to his works." Or, in other words, God will punish him according to his works. He also tells Timothy to beware, to stay away from him, not to be around him. Doesn't that sound fatherly? It does to me!

In the next three verses Paul talks about how all forsook him, but God stood by him, for he was doing the work God had planned for him. The first thing he says, is that all men forsook him, they all left him, no one was brave enough to stand by him for God. Then he does something that every Christian wants to do, and should do, a thing that Christ said when he was dieing on the cross; I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge." That, my friends, is true forgiveness, to be able to pray that God will not lay on their charge, the ones that are torturing you, and killing you, and putting you in prison. wow.

Now, he says, "Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion." He says that even though all men deserted him, the Lord stood with him. It is like an army going out to battle, the enemy comes on, and all the men flee, except one; he and his commander, stand alone on the battlefield facing a whole army alone! No doubt, that is how Paul felt. He says next that his commander, the Lord, strengthened him; so that he could keep on preaching so that all the Gentiles (all people except Jews) could hear the gospel. Paul says that the Lord didn't strengthen him for his own use and pleasure, but so that he could go on preaching!

The last thing he says there, is that he was, "..delivered out of the mouth of the lion." In other words, he was rescued from certain death.

Well, sorry y'all, I was going to do verse eighteen too, but I have to go. We might possibly finish chapter four tomorrow! God bless!

In Christ,
Buttercup :D

2nd Timothy study, Part 25

Hi Y'all! Sorry I've not been posting the Bible study. Remember to pray before we begin today. Btw, now, there isn't much meat, it is Paul's greetings and benediction.

9. Do thy diligence to come shortly unto me:

10. For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia.

11. Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for this ministry.

The first thing Paul says is, "Do thy diligence to come shortly unto me." Or, in other words, Paul is telling them to make it a top priority to come to him soon. Why would he say that? I don't really know, my guess is that where Paul was, there was a ton of people who wanted to learn more about God, and those that needed to be reached with the gospel; but Paul is only one man, he could not personally talk with everyone! So, he needed help. But we must also remember that this letter is to Timothy, Paul might want him to come not only for him to help him, but so that Paul can teach Timothy more.

He tells Timothy next about a man named, Demas. What about him? He says that he has forsaken him (Paul), and loves the world, and has gone to Thessalonica. What does it mean to love this present world? Well, "this present world" refers to the lusts and evil things of this world. For example money, clothes, stuff in general, etc. To love this world, means that you love things of this world more than you love God. A Christian should want to leave as soon as possible so they can go to be with their Heavenly Father! Where is Thessalonica? Thessalonica was a city in Macedonia/Greece at the time of Paul, here is a map.

Paul lists two more people, Crescens and Titus. I am not sure if these two people were also deserters, or if they were still spreading the gospel, or what. All we know is that Crescens went to Galatia, and Titus went to Dalmatia. I'm afraid I don't know where, and couldn't find a map of where Dalmatia is. :( It must have been too small for the maps. If anyone knows where in the world that is (literally!) then let me know! I'll post it! One other thing, I don't know if the Titus mentioned here, is the same that Paul wrote the letter/book of Titus to.

The next person he mentions is in verse eleven. His name is Luke. Luke was the writer of the books of Acts and Luke. He was also a doctor. What made Luke special is that he was a very learned man, a doctor; but, instead of settling down in a busy town and making some money, he accompanied Paul in his missionary journeys. He even posed as a slave so that he could go with Paul to prison! Also, Luke was kind and loyal. He was probably not a very good preacher, but his other qualities made him a very useful tool for God's kingdom.

Next is Mark. Who was Mark? His full name was actually, John Mark. I knew nothing about this man until I read about him in Barclay's commentary. What he says is quite interesting, I might type it out sometime for y'all. :) In short, Mark went with Paul and Barnabas on a missionary journey, but Mark chickened out and went home. After that Barnabas wanted to take him on the next journey, for he was a relative, but Paul would not do it, so, Paul and Barnabas split up; and it looks like they never got back together. Mark's mother's house was probably the one that Paul came to after being released from prison, and it might have been the center of the Jerusalem Church.

Now we've had a switch, something had to have happened, but we don't know what; because now, in this letter to Timothy, Paul wants Mark to come to him. This is a mystery....

Next, he says that Mark is "profitable to me for the ministry." Now, Paul is saying that Mark is not a deserter or quitter, but that he is profitable, he can help Paul in the ministry! What a turn of events! Barclay says what could have happened during their separation, he says that "Tradition has it that he went to Egypt and that he was the founder of the Christian Church in that country. But, whatever he did , he certainly redeemed himself."

I think that's where we'll stop today. I really enjoyed it today, I never knew that about Mark, Demas, or Luke! How cool to see how Paul interacted with other Christians of his day! Hope y'all are havin' a good week! God bless!

In Him,
Buttercup :)

2nd Timothy study, part 24

Well, well, well, look who's reading my blog! JK! I wish I knew who you were! Please post a comment when you drop by! :P Remember to pray before we start a'studying today! Btw, today we are doing some incredible verses that I just love! Enjoy!

6. For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.

7. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:

8. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

The first verse is pretty amazing for anyone to say. That is the verse, I think, that every missionary should memorize, study, ponder, and meditate on; having applied it to themselves. See what it says when you turn it into a question. "Am I ready to be offered? Is the time for my departure close at hand?" See? When I asked myself that question, I did not immediately give an answer. For I knew not. Am I ready to go into missions, am I ready to offer myself fully to God, trust Him with everything, even my life? To be honest, I answered no. Why? Because I am a girl, just going into high school, finally starting to dig into God's word, shy, very different from all other girls I know, and trying to learn to listen for God's voice. I am not ready, and I know that. I just pray that God makes me ready. For the other question, I have no idea.

Paul did not ask these questions, and no one asked them of him. He just firmly stated that he was ready to be offered, and that he was leaving soon. Ask yourself those two questions. And, if you want, share your answers with me, I don't have to publish them if you'd rather not tell the world. :) I've done that before.

The next verse is verse seven, it says, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith." I wish with all my heart that I will be able to say that one day! Don't you? One thing I just noticed as I was typing the verse out, is the different occupations that he uses here. Soldier and athlete. Do you remember when he used those before??? It was in chapter two verses three, four, and five! Paul says that he has fought the good fight. He makes three statements in one. 1. He participated in the fight. 2. It is a good/worthy fight. 3. That he is done fighting, he fought, not IS fighting.

He also says that he has finished his course. He has completed the race, he is done. The last thing he says is the most important, I think. He says that he has "kept the faith." He not only finished, but he finished with honour. He never gave up the faith, he kept it, he never let it go, he always depended on God, even when he was stoned or put in prison or ridiculed. That is the main one that I hope to say one day, I hope to say that I not only fought the good fight, and finished the course, but that I kept the faith, all the way through.

In verse eight Paul tells of things to come. He says that "there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness." Isn't it awesome when you win a game/race and get a trophy? It's exciting right? How amazing it will be, when we are given a crown! Of righteousness no less!

Next we need to find out some things about this. Who shall give it? "...which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day." What day? I'm not so sure about that one. Probably on judgment day...I don't know.

To who shall it be given? "...and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing." What does that mean? That love his appearing? Well, those who love his appearing will know what's happening, right? Those who will know what's happening, and who's coming, will be the Christians, right? Not necessarily. What about the non-Christians who know some of the things of the Bible? That is a good point. But what does Paul say? Does he say that the crown will be given to those who know what's happening? No! He says that the crown will be given to those that love his appearing! Those that are jumping for joy and coming out of their skin (not literally!) because their Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ has returned!

Well, that's all for now. I hope this is benefiting y'all, and that you are enjoying reading them. I know I love this book even more than I knew when I started! God bless!

In Him,
Buttercup :D

2nd Timothy Study, part 23

Hey y'all! Well, remember my post yesterday? Today I read verse five, the next verse we are studying, and it goes along with what I was saying yesterday! God works in cool ways! Since it is so important, I am just going to do it today. I really, really, really, really, really like the next few verses too!!! Esp. verse seven!!! Remember to pray today!

5. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.

WOW! Sorry, I can't help but see how cool it is that this would be the next verse to study, when I shared my passion for mission work with y'all yesterday!

"But watch thou in all things." What does that mean? It means that we must watch. Huh? What exactly does Paul want us to watch? I'm not sure, lets look at some different versions and see. I like looking at a few different versions, it helps explain it, in my opinion.

The New International Version* says,

But you, keep your head in all situations.

The New American Standard Version says,

But you, be sober in all things.

The New Living Translation* says,
But you should keep a clear mind in every situation.

So, between these four different translations, I think we have a pretty clear understanding of what Paul is trying to tell us. He is telling us to watch, to keep our eyes open, to be sober, have a clear mind in all situations, and to keep our heads (to not fly into a temper, to keep calm and think about what we are doing at all times). How would this help? My goodness! It would help a lot! Think how calm and peaceful the world would be if everyone did these things! No one would fly into a temper, they would think before they acted, they would see when something bad was coming, they would be sober, and many other things that go along with this!

In the next part of this verse Paul repeats something he has said multiple times in this book, "endure afflictions." Now that we are nearing the end of this book, we need to ask an important question, "Why does he emphasize this?" I think he emphasized it because it is true, and very important. All Christians, great and small, old and young, will be persecuted in some way, at least one time in their walk.*** All Christians should know this so that they can be prepared, they should know that they have to suffer for the gospel, just as Jesus suffered for us.

Next, Paul lists, "...do the work of an evangelist." What does an evangelist do? They preach the gospel, tell people about God, counsel them in the faith, pray with/for them, etc.

Lastly, Paul says to, "...make full proof of thy ministry." What does that mean? I think that it means that we must not only minister, but we must make full proof of it, we must go full into it, we must do it all the time, encourage, exhort, pray, preach to, and love the body of believers! For non-believers we must pray, preach to, and love them, for they might be one of God's elect, and one of our future brothers or sisters in Christ! We must minister until we can do it no more.

Well, that's all for today, I hope y'all are having a great hump day, and a great week! God bless!

In Christ,
Buttercup :D

*I don't usually trust the NIV....
**I haven't really read this translation before, it just said something a bit different than the others, and it kinda explained it better.
***Y'all know what I mean by that right? Their walk with God, their Christian life.

2nd Timothy study, Part 22

Hey Y'all! Sorry I've not posted the study in a few days, I have just been so busy! Well, today we are doing part twenty-two! Cool! Also, I am going to try something new today, I am going to write my questions in bold, and make them sound like someone is asking me the questions, I think it will be fun! Tell me how y'all like it! Remember to thank God for the freedom we have in this country to study His word, and ask Him to give us an understanding of what we are reading and studying.

3. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

4. And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

This is a very strange set of verses. "Itching ears?" "Turned unto fables?" "Heap to themselves?" Let's see what we can learn!

Okay, verse three sounds like the beginning part of chapter three. Remember when we studied that? Remember, said that "perilous times" will come? This verse starts out by saying, "For the time will come..." Do you think this verse will have anything to do with the beginning of chapter three??? Let's see!

Paul writes, "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine..." So, it is talking about the same thing! It says that, "For the time will come when they..." Hold on! Wait a minute! Who is "they?" "They" is referring to all non-believers. How did you know that? Well, would the body of believers endure sound doctrine or not? They would, wouldn't they? So, if "they" will not endure sound doctrine, then "they" must not be believers. Who says that there will be any believers then? The Bible! God says that Judgment day will come when all of His elect have believed. Sorry, I don't remember where that is.

Getting back to the subject, Paul says that, "the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine." What does that mean? It means that they will not endure hearing the truth! They will not listen to the truth. What will they listen to? "...but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears." They will listen to themselves, "...their own lusts." And, also, they will get and listen to teachers who will teach them what they like to hear, what is comfortable to hear and pleasant. How did you figure that out, about the teachers? I read it in a different version, and read about it in one of Barclay's commentaries. In the other version it says, "...but , because they have ears which have to be continually titillated with novelties, they will bury themselves under a mound of teachers, whose teaching suits their own lusts..." What does "titillated" mean? I hyperlinked it, so it should go to the dictionary.com page defining it. =)

One important thing that is not very clear, and I just noticed, is that Paul is not talking about teachers that teach stuff like reading, math, and science; he is talking about religious teachings.

What is the "itching ears" thing? Well, I think that having "itching ears" probably means that they are "itching" (really wanting) to hear. They want to know something, they want to believe in and/or worship a god or something that they make into a god. Everyone has a god of some sort. What about Atheists? I don't believe in Atheists. What!? Have you ever heard of the book by Ray Comfort titled, "God Doesn't believe in Atheists, proof the Atheist doesn't exist?" Well, I'm going to be reading it sometime soon, and well, I think he is (going to be*) right. Everyone has a god, it could be your stomach, chocolate, books, a certain person, etc. If y'all want me to get into this, tell me, and I'll do it; I need to stop because I'm about to start ranting on something I was not going to talk about here. :P

Next, Paul writes, "And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." What does that mean? Let's take it one part at a time, the first part says that they will "turn away their ears from the truth." That is the long way of saying that they won't listen to the truth. Just like verse three, they will not listen to the truth. Why does Paul emphasize this? Great question!** I just wish I had the answer, I am not sure, but I think it may be because he wants us to pray for them, for they will go to hell, not a good place. We do not know who God's elect are, so we must minister to everyone. I also think that Paul might have said it so that the Christians in the last days will know what to expect, and they will see the signs told about in the Bible and know that Jesus is about to return.

The second part says, "...and shall be turned unto fables." The first time I read it, I read it as, "...and shall be turned into fables." Doesn't make sense, right? Well, what does it mean? Basically, it means that they will listen to things that are not true, they will listen to stories made by people, instead of fact or true history (i.e. Greek myths, Mormonism, Buddism, etc).

I have to go! I hope y'all are having a great week, and that you learned something new in this, or at least had a good laugh. God bless!

In Him,
Buttercup :D

*After I read the book. LOL :P
**Hahaha! Y'all had better be laughing! That was great! LOL.

2nd Timothy Study, part 21

Hey Y'all! Well, I am going to have more time for this today...so let's see how much we can do. :D Remember to pray before we start today. Oh, btw, remember the last study??? We did verse one, and it told us that Paul was charging Timothy on something, but we didn't know what it was...

2. Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

Okay, to be honest, the first time I read this today I was so completely lost. And, well, to tell the whole truth, I still am very lost and confused, especially on verse two...so, hopefully, by the end of this I will know what Paul is talking about!

In verse two Paul gives Timothy a list of things he must do, the things that he charges him to do, of which God and the Lord Jesus Christ are witnesses.

1. Preach the word
2. be instant in season, out of season
3. reprove
4. rebuke
5. exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine

The first one is quite clear, it is "preach the word." To tell/teach people about the Bible/God/Jesus/etc. But one thing that Barclay says in his commentary, (that I have added to make more sense) is that he says "preach the word" first because it tells us that these are some of the things a Christian leader should do. Remember when we talked about Christian Leaders before?

The next one is quite confusing. "Be instant in season, out of season?" What in the world does that mean??? Well, I was really stumped, so I just let someone explain it for me.* The version he uses in his commentary, I don't know which it is, says it as, "be urgent in season and out of season." The Christian leader must be two things (in this area of teaching). The first is that he must be urgent, he must be instant, he must do it with a passion and do it with a great urgency! For we know not when Christ is coming.

The second is, that he must do it persistently, at every opportunity he gets, every time God opens a door, almost constantly. I say almost, because even preachers and teachers must eat and sleep for their bodies to function, and that is caring for God's temple.

What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? (1 Corinthians 6:19, King James Version)

Back to the subject, the next thing that a Christian leader must do is, "convict" or "reprove." To convict or reprove someone, is to tell them, and maybe other people, that what they did that was wrong. To "convict" someone, you are stating that they were wrong; does that sound hard to do? It does if you think about it! To go up to a Christian brother or sister, and tell them that they did something wrong is hard. Especially if it is someone older than you. But, does the Bible say to yell it as loud as you can in their face? No!

We must come to them personally, and with gentleness and kindness and respect, tell them what they did that was wrong. For it will be profitable unto them. We must build each other up, not tear each other down! Here are some great verses that back up my point.

1. Job 6:25
   How forcible are right words! but what doth your arguing reprove?
   Job 6:24-26 (in Context) Job 6 (Whole Chapter)
2. Psalm 141:5
   Let the righteous smite me; it shall be a kindness: and let him reprove me; it shall be an excellent oil, which shall not break my head: for yet my prayer also shall be in their calamities.
   Psalm 141:4-6 (in Context) Psalm 141 (Whole Chapter)
3. Proverbs 9:8
   Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee.
   Proverbs 9:7-9 (in Context) Proverbs 9 (Whole Chapter)
4. Proverbs 19:25
   Smite a scorner, and the simple will beware: and reprove one that hath understanding, and he will understand knowledge.
   Proverbs 19:24-26 (in Context) Proverbs 19 (Whole Chapter)
5. Proverbs 25:12
   As an earring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, so is a wise reprover upon an obedient ear.
   Proverbs 25:11-13 (in Context) Proverbs 25 (Whole Chapter)

I love Bible Gateway! Look! It even copied the links by itself! Yahoo!!!! Anyways, here is the link to the page, I didn't copy many of them, so I would advise that you read through them all.

The next thing that Paul says a Christian leader should do is, "rebuke." What does it mean to "rebuke" someone? Well, we've talked about this before too, so you should remember! If you don't, or you didn't read that one, then you can read it here. Since we've done it before, I am just going to let y'all go back and read it yourselves! Muhahaha!**

Now y'all, this is my favorite!!! "Exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine." Why is this my favorite? Because the other ones are, well, harder for me, and not near as enjoyable! To exhort someone means to "to urge, advise, or caution earnestly; admonish urgently...to give urgent advice, recommendations, or warnings...encourage, spur, press." Here are some great verses from the New Testament part of the Bible that kinda defines exhort, and gives us some examples of the early church doing it.

1. Luke 3:18
   And many other things in his exhortation preached he unto the people.
   Luke 3:17-19 (in Context) Luke 3 (Whole Chapter)
2. Acts 14:22
   Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.
   Acts 14:21-23 (in Context) Acts 14 (Whole Chapter)
3. Acts 27:22
   And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but of the ship.
   Acts 27:21-23 (in Context) Acts 27 (Whole Chapter)
4. 1 Thessalonians 5:14
   Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.
   1 Thessalonians 5:13-15 (in Context) 1 Thessalonians 5 (Whole Chapter)
5. Hebrews 10:25
   Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
   Hebrews 10:24-26 (in Context) Hebrews 10 (Whole Chapter)
6. Hebrews 3:13
   But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
   Hebrews 3:12-14 (in Context) Hebrews 3 (Whole Chapter)

To read some more, click here. We must exhort/push on/encourage our fellow believers, our brothers and sisters in Christ! That is the best kind of encouragement you can get, that which is from other believers! But we must not only exhort others, we must do it with longsuffering and doctrine. What does that mean? Well, to exhort someone with longsuffering would mean that you endure hard things for the sake of the others, you are exhorting them through your sufferings. Paul was the perfect person to write this too, if you think about it! And also through doctrine, we must encourage them with the truths of the Bible, we must encourage them with not only our words, but God's!

Sadly, that is a good place to stop. I honestly didn't know that there would be so much meat in this verse! So, tomorrow we will, hopefully, be able to do verses three through five, at least three and four; depending on how much time I have. But, I shouldn't be saying that, God should come first in our lives, for goodness sake, He created us! We should schedule everything around our time with God, but that is hard in the world today, especially the U.S. I hope y'all are liking this! God bless!

In Him,
Buttercup :D

*Barclay. :P
**My weird computer laugh! Muhahahaha! LOL

2nd Timothy Study, Part 20

Wow! Already on part 20?!?! Cool! Okay Y'all, we've only got chapter four left; so, I am starting to think about what I'm doing next. Any ideas? Please tell me! Sorry, I haven't done the study in a few days, I've been out of town. Btw, I have volleyball tonight, so I will probably only have time for one verse. Remember to pray before we start our study today. :D

1. I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;

In verse one, Paul charges Timothy. What does that mean? Well, to charge someone means to order them to do something. Paul orders Timothy to do something. Next he says that he does it before God and the Lord Jesus Christ. To charge someone to do something is one thing. To charge someone to do something with a witness or two is another. To charge someone to do something with Almighty God and His son Jesus Christ as witnesses, is really another thing!

Why would Paul charge Timothy, with God as a witness? Why would it matter? I think that, when someone does something that they know is right and true, they want a witness, so that others also know that he has told the truth. When Paul charged Timothy, he wanted Timothy to know that what he said was true, so, he had God and Christ Jesus as witnesses. Obviously, God is a witness of everything, but, answer truthfully, are we always thinking about that? If we did, we probably wouldn't do anything wrong on purpose!

In the second half of this verse, Paul tells us what God and the Lord Jesus will do. He says that they will "...judge the quick and the dead..." What does it mean to be quick? The first thing that came to my mind was a runner, they are fast at running, they are quick moving. But that's probably not what he's talking about here. In another version, instead of quick, it says "living." Now that makes more sense! But why would someone translate it as "quick?" Well, I honestly don't know. The only thing I can think of (this is amusing) is, living people move, dead people don't. Which one is quicker? The living obviously! :P I don't know. What are your thoughts on this?

So, God will judge the living and the dead. He won't just judge the people who are still living, or the people that have died, he will judge both, together.

The next part is the "when." When will the living/quick and the dead be judged. Paul says, "...at his appearing and his kingdom." Once the work on earth is done, once all of God's elect are saved, then the judgment will come. "...at his appearing and his kingdom." Aren't you excited!? Don't you want that day to come?! For us Christians who are still alive on earth, this will be a glorious day! We will finally get to see our Savior and God, face to face! That will be the day that we will enter heaven for the first and only time, we will get to stay there for all eternity!

Well, this is a very happy place to stop for today, even though I am leaving y'all at a bit of a cliff hanger. :P Tomorrow we will see what Paul charged Timothy to do.....

In Him,
Buttercup <3

2nd Timothy study, recap for chapter three

Hey Y'all! Once again it's hump day! Hope y'all are having a good one! Remember to pray before we start our recap today! :)

1. First, we learned about how, in the last days, people will be horrible. Paul gives us a list of what people will be, and do, in those days. Verses one-five (parts one and two), through six and seven.

2. Paul used Jannes and Jambres as example of people who "resist the truth," and have "corrupt minds." Jannes and Jambres were two of Pharaoh's magicians who were there when Moses was trying to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Verses eight and nine.

3. He lists the things that Timothy knows about him. Verses ten and eleven.

4. He tells about his persecutions and affliction. And lists three cities where he was persecuted. But he makes quite clear that it was not him who got himself out of it, but God. He gives God all of the credit. Verse eleven.

5. He also says on the subject of persecution, that every Christian will be persecuted. No exceptions. Verse twelve.

6. The bad people, will get worse and worse, and will deceive themselves and others. Verse thirteen.

7. Paul tells Timothy to continue doing what he knows is right. Verse fourteen.

8. He says that Timothy grew up learning about the Bible, and the things in it. And what it says teaches us about salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Verse fifteen.

9. He makes quite clear that even though men wrote the Bible, God inspired it. Verse sixteen.

10. He also lists what the Bible is profitable for. Verse sixteen.

11. Lastly he says what he said before in chapter two verse twenty one, "That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." Verse seventeen.

What are your thoughts on this chapter? Personally, I really enjoyed it!

God bless!

In Him,
Buttercup :)

2nd Timothy study, Part 19

Hi Folks! If y'all haven't noticed I've been trying to say something different every day, and it's getting a bit difficult. Hehehe. :P Remember to pray before we start studying. :D Oh, btw, we are finishing chapter three today!

14. But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;

15. And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

16. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

17. That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

Okay. This is a big chunk of very important verses. So, we might not get through today, lets see. :)

In verse fourteen, Paul writes, "But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of..." He tells Timothy to keep doing the things he has been taught. Does Paul mean that Timothy should obey everything he hears? No! He says to keep doing what he has been taught, more specifically, what Paul has taught him. But it doesn't say Paul. I know. I said that because I know that Paul taught Timothy lots of very important things, and obviously, when you teach someone something you believe is right, you want them to do the same, and teach others what is right.

The key is, that Paul tells Timothy not only to continue in what he's learned, but also what he has been assured of. When you are assured of something, it means that you believe it is true, you fully believe that it is not false. Paul tells Timothy, and us, to believe. He tells us to keep doing the things that we have learned from others and believe is right.

Paul writes in verse fifteen that, "from a child thou (Timothy) hast known the holy scriptures." What does that mean? That Timothy was born already knowing about the Bible? No. It does not say "from birth," it says "from a child." So, when he was young Timothy was taught about the Bible, and Jesus, and God. Why would I say "about...Jesus, and God?" I know it says "holy scriptures," but, what does that include? Well, what does the Bible tell us about? Lots of things, but most importantly, God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit! So, when the verse says that "from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures," he means the whole thing.

One thing that is kinda hidden in the verse is the word, "known." Y'all are probably saying, "what? That wasn't hidden!" Yes it was, and I am going to reveal my thought on what this word is there for. :D Paul says that Timothy has known the holy scriptures from childhood. What is the difference between knowing something, and learning something? Or, in other words, what is the difference between knowing something is true and someone teaching you something that is true? Big difference, right?! Paul says that Timothy knew the holy scriptures since childhood, he grew up believing the truth, he knew for a fact that what he believed was the truth. How? Remember verse fourteen? "...which thou hast learned and hast been assured of."

The next part of this verse says what is able to do, it says, "which are (the holy scriptures) able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus." What does that mean? Well, I think it means that when we read and study the scriptures, it will teach us, it will make us wise unto salvation. We will find out how to receive salvation. It says that it will make us "wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus." We must have faith in Jesus Christ. We must put our full trust in Him.

Verse sixteen is another verse I have known for a long time, but never studied, or really thought about. The first part says, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God." He didn't write it. Men wrote it, over 44 of them. But who made us? Who knows our every thought? God! He inspired men to write the Bible, he put the words in their hands! Isn't that amazing when you think about it?!

Next it says what is it profitable for, I am going to make another list. :)

• doctrine
• reproof
• correction
• instruction in righteousness

The first thing it is profitable for is "doctrine." In the Bible it tells us what is right, what is wrong, what to do, and what not to do. It tells us what we should believe, what is true, what is false. It warns us about things to come and things present. It is profitable/useful to tell us these things.

Next is "reproof." Reproof is one of those words that is not commonly used in modern English, but it should be. It basically means to rebuke. To rebuke someone you would be telling them what they did that was wrong, and correcting them. The Bible rebukes us. It tells us that we are horrible sinners, and it tells us how we can be saved from eternal punishment. It also tells us what we do specifically that is wrong. The Ten Commandments, for example, tell us ten things that people do all the time! God rebukes us through His word.

The third one is "correction," which goes with reproof. The Bible not only tells us what is wrong, but it tells us what we can do to make it right. It tells us how God forgives our sins, but we must come to Him and trust Him.

The last one is, "instruction in righteousness." God's Word teaches and instructs us in what is good, profitable, and righteous.

The last verse says, "That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." Remember verse 21 of chapter two? About the vessels of honour and dishonour? Remember, it said that once a man purge himself from bad things (things God hates) then he will be ready/prepared for every good work. This is the same thing. Once we commit our lives to God, and trust Him completely, then we will be able to undertake whatever He has planned for us to do, "...all good works."

Hey! Great we got it all done! I hope y'all liked the study today, and learned or saw something new in the process. :) God bless!

In Him,
Buttercup :)

2nd Timothy study, part 18

Hi Y'all! Sorry I haven't been posting. I hope y'all's week is going off to a good start! Remember to pray before we start studying today.

We are going to go on with verses 10-13, since I came to an abrupt stop last time. :)

10. But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience,

11. Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me.

12. Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.

13. But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

The first thing we are going to look at today is where. Where Paul was persecuted and afflicted. Verse eleven says, these things "which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra." Three places Paul writes about that he was persecuted at. I really didn't know where these cities were until just a second ago (literally!). I googled "map of cities in Asia Minor," and the second one down was this. I don't know anything about this site except for that it has a great map of Asia Minor with all of these three cities clearly shown. Now, one thing that I just saw on it, is that there are two cities named "Antioch." I don't know which Paul is referring to, but I think that it is probably the more northerly one because it is closer to Iconium and Lystra.

What happened at these three cities? Well, it is clear that Paul was not wanted there, for they persecuted him. Were these the only cities in which he was persecuted? I don't think so. He was persecuted in Rome, and probably other cities. Then why does he mention these three??? I don't know. Maybe those were the most hostile to him, or maybe those were his first or last to visit, or maybe he just picked three cities where he remembers the persecution most, or it might just be that he just picked three random cities he was persecuted in. I don't know.

What does Paul write next? He says, "what persecutions I endured; but out of them all the Lord delivered me." I personally, think that is a very important part. Paul does not give himself credit, or say that it was pure chance. No. He gives all of the credit and glory to God. That is what we all should do! For example, when we run a race and win a prize, we should say that "God made my legs, my heart, my brain, and all of me! All glory to Him!" Not the creature, but the Creator. God loved Paul, and delivered him out of prison/bondage. He saved his life even when he was stoned three times! What an amazing God we serve! We should, and must, give Him the glory.

In verse twelve, he says something that he has said many times before in this chapter. "Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." If we love God, and obey, and honour Him, and trust Him, then we will be persecuted. It may be great, or it may be small. But Paul makes it clear that every Christian will be persecuted. He is not telling us this to scare us, but to get us ready, to trust God with everything. To put our lives in His mighty hands.

Verse thirteen is kinda confusing the first time you read it. I have read it many times, and still it sounds a tad weird. "But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived." What are seducers? I didn't know until I looked it up. Dictionary.com defines it as, "to lead astray, as from duty...corrupt." So, Paul writes about evil men and people who lead others astray and/or corrupt them.

What does he say about them? He says that they will "wax worse and worse." What?!? Wax?! What does he mean by wax? Well, I know of the kind of wax that's in your ear and something like candle wax. But he is not talking about either. Dictionary.com defines wax in a bunch of ways, but I finally found something that fit! "to increase in extent, quantity, intensity, power, etc....to grow or become." So, these people will become worse and worse, their worseness (that's probably not a word :P) will grow.

Next it says that they won't only get worse and worse, but that they will deceive other people, and themselves. They will lead themselves and others astray.

Well, that's all for now. I've gotta go! I would love to hear what y'all think of this, and really, the Bible study so far as a whole. Tomorrow (I should have time) we'll finish chapter three! God bless! ~Buttercup~

2nd Timothy study, Part 17

Wow! Part 17 already! I hope y'all are havin' a good hump day! lol. You know, the middle of the week. :P Remember to pray!

10. But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience,

11. Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me.

12. Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.

13. But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

In these verses Paul is telling us and Timothy the "duties and qualities of an apostle." (Barclay commentary). Like before, I am going to make a list and go from there. :D

The first thing that Paul writes is that "thou hast fully known my..." Or, "You have been my disciple in my..." So, I think, that Paul is saying that not only has he done these things, but Timothy has done/tried to do these things in copying Paul, in mirroring what he is doing. Timothy is his disciple or student. He looks up to Paul like a father. He copies what he does because he wants to be like him.

Here are the things that Paul tells Timothy that he has "fully known" of him.

• doctrine
• manner of life
• purpose
• faith
• longsuffering
• charity (or love)
• patience
• persecutions
• afflictions

The first one is "doctrine" or "teaching." A good teacher teaches what he/she thinks is right, correct? Unless, of course, it is a Creation-believing person teaching in a public school that doesn't want to lose their job. Paul taught certain things. He believed certain things. He taught Timothy about Jesus, and God, how to preach, etc. Paul believed that Timothy would teach people what he had been taught by him.

Next is, "manner of life" or "training." Everyone has a different way of living, you know what I mean. No one mirrors another person exactly, no matter how hard they try, you can't. We are all different. We all have different wants, and beliefs. Paul taught Timothy what he believed, just like the first one we talked about. But Timothy also watched Paul, I think. I think that Timothy wanted to be like Paul. Who wouldn't? He was a great apostle of Christ! Paul also taught Timothy to be a teacher, a trainer. He trained him so that he could train others to be Christian leaders.

The next one is, "Purpose." Most everyone have a purpose in life, right? Everyone, at one time or another, finds out what they think they want to do for their career. For Christians, they finally see what God has called them to be and do with the life that He has given them! It is so peaceful to know what you are going to be "when you grow up." Even though you can't see around every corner, you have a glimpse of what your future could hold. Paul had a purpose. He knew that God called him to be an apostle, and to teach others about Jesus Christ. He knew (as we will see later) that he would be persecuted, but he knew that God was in control, all we have to do is rest on Him. Easy to say, right? But, is it easy to do?

The fourth one is "faith." This is a very important one. One must have faith in God, one must put his full trust in God. And why not? God has never lied, never broken any promises, knows everything, and made you! So, if you could put your trust in one thing/person alone, what would it be? Mine would be God. He never fails to do anything! He is the most exact, perfect, true, faithful, loving, just, etc. that anyone could ever be and beyond! Amazing! Paul had faith in God, he trusted Him completely with his life. Even in the face of persecution, Paul did not deny God, he knew the truth, and he was not going to deny it. Timothy wanted faith like that, I think. He wanted to trust God as much as Paul did. I do too! But it is hard to simply say, "I put everything in your hands."

The next one is, "longsuffering" or "endurance." Paul endured many, many hardships. He endured very cruel persecutions. He also tried to teach Timothy to do that as well, he wanted him not to give up or deny God when difficulties came. He tells us to "be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power," which is the beginning of the Full Armor of God found in Ephesians 6:10-20. A Christian must endure hard things for the sake of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Next is, "charity" or "love." A Christian must have love for three different groups. The first is God. A Christian must love God so much that he is willing to die for Him. That takes an amazing amount of love and devotion. The second one is love for other Christians. We must love and care for our brothers and sisters in Christ. We must love each other so much that we are willing to spend our time helping other believers in times of difficulty. The third one is love toward non-believers, which can also count as our enemies in some circumstances. We must love them so much that we empathize with them, and try to lead them to Christ.

The seventh one is, "patience." A Christian must, must, must be patient! We can't fly into tempers, and think that things will happen all at once. God has His own timing, and we must trust God that He knows what is best. We must be patient with all people, not just other Christians. When ministering to someone, we don't know if we are planting a seed, watering it, weeding it, or what. We might not even know if they became a Christian until we get to heaven! We must have a great amount of patience.

The next one is, "persecutions." Paul is such a great example of a Christian dealing with persecutions. Remember when Paul and Silas were put into prison together? What did they do? They sang! They worshiped God Almighty! They didn't sit around and sulk because they were in jail, they thanked God! They saw how wonderfully forgiving God is not to have them killed instead of put into prison! A Christian will be persecuted; all will. It doesn't matter where you live, what you wear, eat, sleep, and think. Every Christian will be persecuted in some way or another. But we must not deny God, no matter how difficult it gets, God loves us very much, and will help us through, if we trust Him.

Next is, "afflictions." Things that people suffer because of another. The Israelites were "afflicted" by Pharaoh because he made them slaves. We as Christians will be afflicted. Paul was stoned a bunch of times. Three I think. And yet he was still faithful to God, and did not deny Him who sits on the Throne of Heaven.

I'm sorry y'all, we are having company tonight, so I have to go. I will complete these verses tomorrow if I have the time. God bless!

In Him,
Buttercup <3

2nd Timothy study, Part 16

Hi everyone! I hope y'all are having a good day so far! Remember to pray before we start today!

These verses are kind of depressing, yet true, just to warn you.

6. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,

7. Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

8. Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.

9. But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was.

This is a, um, odd subject, and one that I really don't want to get into here. Anyways, I am going to do it the same as all of the others, just not as in depth, just because I don't know much about it.

Verse six is split up by first saying who it is talking about, "For of this sort are they..." Of what sort? The sort talked about in the first five verses of this chapter! Remember how horrible these people are described as?! That is the sort of people Paul is talking about.

Next he says what they do, he says that they "creep into houses." Who creeps into houses? A burglar is all I can think of! But I am not sure if he means it the way it sounds. I think that Paul means that they don't "creep into houses," but that they creep into the family or household or a certain person's life.

Why would they creep into houses/lives/households/families? The next part says it, to "lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts." What in the world does that mean? And why does he purposely say "women?" Because women believe things easier, and are attracted by "silly" things more than men.

What is clear about the women? That they are "laden with sins." They have already sinned greatly, and now they are an easy target for these people to lead away and take captive.

Paul says that these people "lead captive.....with divers lusts." Now, divers in this verse, is not referring to a person who scuba dives. Divers means "several; various; sundry." So, they are lead away by lots of things that are wanted or pursued or desired.

Now, what does verse seven say about them? It says, "Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth," or "ready to listen to any teacher but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth." These women are very easily taught, they are ever learning and ready to listen to any teacher. Did you hear that? "Any." They will listen to any teacher! But yet, they are not, and never able, to come to the knowledge of the truth. What is the knowledge of the truth? The belief that God is the one and only Creator and the one and only God. That is the truth.

Verse eight tells us of two people that stood against Moses, they were his enemies. Jammes and Jambres. Who were these two men? Well, (thank God for cross referencing notes!) my Bible cross referenced to Exodus 7:11-12. Let's read and find out! It says, "Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments. For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods." What?! Why would it cross reference to this? I think that Paul knew the name of two of the magicians! For, he writes that they resist the truth and they have corrupt minds. Also that they were enemies of Moses. This fits perfectly!

The end of that verse says, "reprobate concerning the faith." What does that mean? Dictionary.com defined it as: "a depraved, unprincipled, or wicked person." So, they are "unprincipled" concerning the faith. The faith Paul is speaking of is faith in God. I think that he means that, although they are very learned, they don't believe in God, they are enemies of God and His people, as is clear in Exodus.

Last verse for today is verse nine. It tells us more of these two non-believing, enemies of Moses. It says that they will not, "proceed...farther: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was." I don't completely understand this verse, but what I grasp from it is that these two men will not be able to deceive people anymore, and their false faith will be made known. Which, it was, they died like all other human beings (with the exception of Elijah, for he was taken to heaven in a fiery chariot!), and now we know, through the Bible, that they had a false faith, that they didn't have faith in God.

What Barclay writes about these two people is quite interesting. Take a look.

"A whole collection of stories gathered round their names. They were said to be the two servants who accompanied Balaam when he was disobedient to God (Numbers 22:22); they were said to have been part of the great mixed multitude who accompanied the children of Israel out of Egypt (Exodus 12:38); some said that they perished at the crossing of the Red Sea; other stories said that it was Jannes and Jambres who were behind the making of the golden calf and that they perished among those who were killed for that sin (Exodus 32:28); still other stories said that in the end they became proselytes to Judaism. Amidst all the stories one fact stands out-Jannes and Jambres became legendary figures typifying all those who opposed the purposes of God and the work of His true leaders."

That's all for now. God bless y'all today!

In Him,
Buttercup :)

2nd Timothy study, recap for chapter two

Howdy Y'all! Well, this recap post is a bit late, sorry about that. Y'all need to remind me next time! lol. Remember to ask God for His guidance before you start studying today!

Chapter two consisted of parts 6-13. Like the first recap, I am going to list the different things we talked about.

1. Paul told Timothy to remember what he taught him, so that he can teach others. Verse 2.
2. He tells him to be a good soldier of God, and endure hardships, so that he may please God, who chose him. Verse 3.
3. No soldier entangles himself in things of this world, so should we also as soldiers of God. Verse 4.
4. The example of a man in a game. If he heeds the rules then he might win a crown, if not, then he will lose. Verse 5.
5. The example of a husbandman/farmer. He who works, shall reap first. Verse 6.
6. Paul tells us to remember that Jesus was of the seed of David, and was raised from the dead. Verse 8.
7. Paul says that he suffers like a criminal, and is bound, but the Word of God is not, and cannot be bound. Verse 9.
8. Paul writes that he endures all of his sufferings for the elect's sakes, that they may also have salvation. Verse 10.
9. He compares what we do/did/will do, to what Jesus did/is doing. "It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: if we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: if we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself." Verses 11-13.
10. Do not speak words to no profit, only what should/needs to be spoken and/or heard. Verse 14.
11. He tells us to study so that we don't need to be ashamed, and we can rightly divide the word of truth. Verse 15.
12. Paul tells us about two men who are leading others astray with false teachings. Verses 16-18.
13. He tells us that the foundation of God still and always will, stand sure. And that God already knows all of the people that are His. Verse 19.
14. The example of the vessels of gold, silver, wood, and earth; in the great house. Some vessels made to honour and some to dishonour. Verses 20-21.
15. Lastly, he tells us how a Christian leader should act, what he should do, and not do. Verses 22-26.

Once again, I really hope they are all linked correctly! =) I hope y'all are having a good week so far! In Him, Buttercup :)

2nd Timothy study, part 15

Hello! I hope y'all are looking forward to the weekend. I sure am! Remember to pray!

Today I am doing part b. If you know what I mean. I am doing the same verses as yesterday, but not. I am really doing verses 3b-5, but they are all talking about the same thing as yesterday, they are in the same group. If you want to see yesterday's post, click here.

1. This know also that in the last days perilous times shall come.

2. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

3. Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontienent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,

4. Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;

5. Having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

And here are the different characteristics that we are talking about.

• Lovers of their own selves
• covetous
• boasters
• proud
• blasphemers
• disobedient to parents
• unthankful
• unholy
• without natural affection
• trucebreakers
• false accusers
• incontinent
• fierce
• despisers of those that are good
• traitors
• heady
• highminded
• lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God
• having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof

The first one we are doing today is, "fierce." What could Paul mean my this? I think that he might mean it exactly the way you read it. The people will be fierce, not rude/mean/unkind, but fierce, really mean. Totally against one or more persons/nations/people groups. Enemies.

Next is, "despisers of those that are good." The ungodly people of that age will despise us Christians. Just like right now in most countries! Christians will be hated and despised.

The next one is, "traitors." What is a traitor? Someone who betrays someone or some group of people. Traitors are people that say they are loyal to a certain person/group of people/country, and then go against them.

"Heady." What does that mean? Well, in my mind it is basically, an "all about me" attitude. For example, when they get a nice comment/get praised for something, it goes to their 'head' and they think they are great or mighty or beautiful.

The next one is, "highminded." What could that mean? Dictionary.com defines it as, "having or showing high, exalted principles or feelings." So, I think, that it means that the people will think of themselves as " I am the greatest" or "I am the highest" or "I am the most important," etc.

The eighteenth one is, "lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God." This one is clear. It says that people will love their things more than they love God. You know what that is?! It is stuff worship! If something is so important to you, that you spend lots of time with it, and/or your time thinking about it, then you're worshipping it! I worship God. I read my Bible and pray, before I do anything else. Now, we are all human, and we all make mistakes, I haven't always done that (read and pray first). To tell y'all the truth, I've only done it off and on throughout about a year. This is a very, very important thing! If you love money or cars or notebooks or tin cans* or anything else more than you love God, that means that that thing is first in your life, and God is further down on your list of priorities. That is when you either get convicted or someone comes up to you and says, "You need to get your priorities straight!"

In verse five, Paul writes, "Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof." So, the people will still act kinda godly, they might go to church, they might own a Bible, etc. But Paul says that they will have a "form of godliness," they won't be godly, they will be like actors on a stage; they are not that person, they are pretending that they are that person, almost like deceiving others and themselves.

"But denying the power thereof." What does that mean? It means that even though they will look like godly people, they will deny the power of God. They will not truly believe, they will deny Him.

The last part of the verse says, "from such turn away." THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT! Paul warns us that we must turn away from such things, if we don't we very well might be deceived, and we might be lost. We must have self-control and turn away from such things.

Well, that's it for now. Later this weekend, maybe tomorrow or tonight, I am going to post the recap for chapter two, I forgot to do that. Whoops! God bless y'all! I hope y'all have a great weekend! ~Buttercup~

*I know that was cheesy, but I couldn't think of another example! LOL.