2 Timothy 4 v 5/8 (October 18th)
Today is the day the Church celebrates St. Luke,
the writer of the third gospel, and the only non- Jewish contributor to the
Bible.
The Bible reading for this day is Paul’s Letter to
Timothy. Paul is imprisoned in Rome on false charges, levelled
against him by the Jewish Church leaders, and he knows his death is imminent.
He is at the end of his life and he wants his devoted service to be continued,
and he has chosen Timothy as the one to carry on, so he writes offering
guidance and words of encouragement.
He wanted stability, and such can only happen when
the Ministry of the Church is faithfully committed to following the Holy
commands of Jesus. Paul was committed to preaching the Word of God
as it was given to the men God chose to write.
In this passage Paul begins by warning Timothy that
there will be those who will not accept the true teaching, but will be driven
by their desire to go their own way and make their own choices.
He calls on Timothy to be an evangelist, that is to
proclaim the gospel especially to those who do not know it’s
message. He wants Timothy to keep a clear mind, and never be afraid
of suffering, as it will inevitably come to all who are preaching the good news
of the Lord.
He calls on Timothy to remain calm and steady, not
to fall for anything sensational, and to keep to the truth and not engage in
myths.
Paul the turns to his own condition, seeing his
life has been like a sacrificial drink offering. In other words, he is forecasting
the end of his life which he laid down for the good of the gospel, and is now
bound for execution and entry to eternal salvation. God is calling him home,
which makes it so important to guide and advise Timothy.
He has fought a good fight against evil, false
teaching, and served Jesus devotedly planting numerous Churches in different
lands over which he cared and nurtured. He uses the image of an athlete who has
successfully run a race and has reached the finishing line, he having
completed all that God sent him to do. He now he claims the prize
promised to him by God, through earning by the price paid by Jesus. and which
is also for all who remain faithful and set their hearts on the return of
Jesus.
Paul ends the Letter by mentioning three men who had
been with him I ministry. First there is Demas who abandoned Paul to
follow the ways of the world; then Mark, who though he had once forsaken Paul
on a mission, had redeemed himself by having committed himself effectively on
later missions.
A special tribute is paid to Luke, who is our
special interest today. Luke had been a constant companion, most faithfully
accompanying Paul in all his work and service for Christ; he was number two to
Paul who depended on him. Like Paul, Luke was a cultured man with a good
education. He was in fact a doctor, which is why many medical buildings are
called St Luke’s
Luke meticulously recorded the events and
travels, which we find listed in Acts of the Apostles.
The above is the explanation of the passage, we now
have to consider what we can learn from it.
There is a call to all Christians, lay or ordained,
to make the true gospel known to those who do not know. There is no need for
theological training, a simple few words, or even just telling of your Church
attendance.
There is a very great need for stability in the
Church, for all to speak with one voice rather than the cacophony of words
coming from people at the head of Churches, who are favourites with the media,
because of their controversial views.
How often have you ever heard a Muslim cleric
contradict their Holy Book or faith; I suggest never. We should never betray
our faith by denying the teaching of our Holy Bible, as too many in high Office
delight in doing. I watch them putting themselves forward as stalwarts of the
faith, yet the words are hypocritical and not practiced in life. It is a sad
fact that the Western Church has in many places become decadent.
Every new fashion and whim of society is adopted,
rather than following Paul who called for protection of the gospel without
timidity, proclaiming as God directed.
There are now so many versions of the gospel being
put forward, we have lost our sense of direction. We are like people lost in
darkness with no light to guide us as we lose sight of the pure light of
Christ.
Jesus laid down a course of guidance for us to
follow, and when we digress we come to grief for there is nothing left to hold
on to. We are like people walking along a small path on a mountain top, who
when we wander from the straight laid down way we are safe, but we
stray and fall away. This has happened to so many of our friends with whom
we once shared worship, but who fell away, and some who we pushed off.
We are not told a lot about
Luke in the Bible, other than he was the only non- Jew contributor and was a
doctor, and yet he merges as the fondest. He was with Paul on his last mission
and when Paul was in prison.
When Paul writes in Acts he refers frequently to ‘we’
and it can be reliably concluded he was referring to himself and Luke. The
Romans sometimes allowed a person being removed to prison to be accompanied by
a friend, which accounts for further praise for Luke.
Luke is described in Paul’s Letter to the Colossians, as the beloved physician, and he owed much to Luke who cared for him and nursed him after the beatings, and consoled him about the thorn in his flesh. Luke may not have been a great evangelist or preacher, but gave much personal care, giving much back to God, for the gifts God had given him.
Kindness humility and dedication are not the virtues we find in many people, especially in our age when people’s principle concerns are themselves. Many people are proud of their knowledge and all the degrees they have and what eloquent speeches they can make, but ironically the qualities that strikes at other people’s hearts, are just plain common sense and personal care.
Having worked in public life in two widely different careers, I fall for the man or woman who talk in plain basic words, conveying interest in others, with kindness and love in their hearts. Degrees are good to have, but in the way of life are not always as helpful. I once had to choose who to take on under my supervision, an ex plumber, or a man with a degree in zoology, it was not a difficult choice to make.
Paul writing to Philemon called Luke a fellow
labourer, ready to get on with whatever was needed, but always as a doctor he
could much for his fellowmen.
The Church has many men and women who can properly claim academic brilliance; many who can talk fluently, but unfortunately have never lived in the real world, and by not doing so have impractical ideas concerning practical issues, which are not the way ‘ordinary’ people think. Hence we have come to live in a politically correct society, polluted by thought police, where what one says is often thought to be more criminal than true crime.
Faithfulness is a quality I have found to be in
short supply these days. I have worked for many years in daily contact with people. I can say rationally, I
have come to the conclusion there are very few people, comparatively speaking ,
even within the Church, who one can say with confidence, will remain true to the
end.
Luke sets a wonderful example for all. Faithful, reliable,
dependable, true to the end. May we pledge to follow his example on this Luke
day and every day.
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