Teaching in the UK in August
Dear Friend,
Warmest Christian greetings from the land of my birth. It is always heartening to hear from those of you who, having found your way to Scotland, return with happy recollections of time spent here. It was in Scotland that I heard the Gospel from Sunday school teachers and Bible class leaders under whose influence I trusted in Christ. When my family moved to England, those teachers presented me with a Bible. The verse inscribed in it was 2 Timothy 2:15 in the King James Version:
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
At that time as a fifteen-year-old boy, I understood what Paul’s word to Timothy meant but had no inkling of how important it would prove to be in my own life. When I am asked if I have a favorite book of the Bible, my usual answer is 2 Timothy. It has charted my course in pastoral ministry, and it was no surprise to me to learn that I make frequent reference to Paul’s letters to his protégé. I learned just recently the extent to which this is true: Since December of 1991, I’ve preached forty-two times from 1 Timothy and ninety-six times from 2 Timothy—a total of 138 sermons!
As he neared the end of his earthly pilgrimage, the apostle Paul urged Timothy to “be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.” He had fought the good fight, finished the race, and kept the faith, and he knew that it was imperative that Timothy guard the good deposit of the Gospel and entrust it to others who would pass it on. I suppose this forms the basis for the Basics Conference, which by the time you read this letter will have taken place in Southern California. We gather on these occasions to exhort and encourage one another to run the race marked out for us.
It is in keeping with this emphasis that we offer this month a verse-by-verse Bible study on (no surprise!) 2 Timothy and, along with that, a really helpful, practical, and encouraging book from our friend Christopher Ash. The title says it all—Not Old, Not Young, Not Done: Following Jesus in Your 50s and 60s. Of course, there is no need to wait until we are of that vintage, as what we are becoming in our early years is laying a foundation for the future.
During the last couple of months, it has been wonderfully encouraging to meet so many for whom Truth For Life is an important supplement to the steady diet they are receiving in their local churches. Be quick to thank your pastors who are preaching the Word “in season and out of season,” and undergird them with your prayers.
As aye with my love in the Lord Jesus,
Alistair
Truth For Life Blog