Today’s passage: 2 Timothy 2:8-13
Helpful thoughts:
- Chains may bind a person, but they will never bind the spread of the gospel.
- No one knew this better than Paul/Saul (Acts 8:1, Acts 11:19-26).
- The doctrine of election (Verse 10) does not put a damper on evangelism, it guarantees its success!
- There are people out in the world who will be saved! Christians must obey the Great Commission and take the gospel to them (Matthew 28:18-20).
- The saying of verses 11-13 confirm Paul’s charge to Timothy:
- Christ’s mission will not fail.
- Not even the failure of any Christian or apostate cannot thwart it.
Questions to consider:
- Why wasn’t Paul feeling defeated though he was in chains, bound up like a criminal? In whose power and sovereignty does our victory lie?
- When we are worried about how people will respond to our efforts to share the gospel, what truth can change our perspective? Why can we be eager to see how they will respond? How will God be glorified through our obedience, even when people reject him?
- Why is the saying in verses 11-13 so compelling? What challenge does it present? What promise does it present? How does a passage like Romans 8:29-30 encourage us to receive this saying with confidence?