Life and ministry will be hard because people and the world are broken by sin. In spite of all the hardness, as Christians, we are never alone. The Lord stands by us. The power of the gospel cannot be thwarted by sinful humans.

2 Timothy 4:1-8 is the crescendo of Paul's last words to his spiritual son Timothy. He stresses that that Timothy (and all of us) that we need to strive to do the work of an evangelist if we want to run the race well.

The Bible is not a book of duties we need to do for God; it is the story of God’s love for us. It shouldn't cause us to think about all the things we need to do for God, but rather, it should make us pause, look up, and say, "Oh my God, look at what you've done for me!"

Rather than seeking new and improved, popular and widely-accepted theological ideas, Paul encourages Timothy to continue in the tried and true beliefs that he was raised up in. Listen to find out more.

In 1 Timothy 3:1-9 Paul warns Timothy to avoid those who claim to be followers of Jesus, but who are content to live in their sin and are unwilling to let His grace change or transform their lives. For the rest of us though, Christians who do want our lives to count for Christ, the reality is that if we run thoughtlessly through life, following the practices and advice of the world around us, however much we may desire to live for Him, our lives will ultimately look no different from those of the people Paul is warning Timothy about.

In all of our houses, there are things we love - and things we wish weren't there. It's the same with our lives. There are things we're proud of - and there are things we wish weren't there. Where do we go from here? Is it possible to be cleansed of these unwanted things? If so, how? Listen to find out more.

Jesus' last words emphasized the importance of disciple-making. Paul's letter to Timothy reiterates the same theme. What is disciple-making and why does it seem to matter so much to Jesus and Paul?

When a person is looking for a church to belong to, they're likely going to want to know what the worship is like, how well-organized the kids program is, and if the church is serving in their local community. Those are all important things, but none of them are quite as important to the health of a church than the church being led by a good pastor. Paul tells Timothy what a good pastor looks like. Listen to find out more.

Paul knew what was important for Timothy to know in order to finish his race well. Because of that, Paul took time out of his last days on earth to urge Timothy about what he should "always remember". What do we need to remember if we want to follow Paul and Timothy's examples?

After telling Timothy to be a good soldier, he brings up two more illustrations for Timothy to embody - that of an athlete and that of a farmer. What in the world is that all about? Listen to find out more.