May 9, 2023
Pastoral work can bring many joys, especially for faithful ministers who have served for decades. Yet as preaching professor and Basics guest speaker Hershael York considers, in his second epistle to Timothy, the apostle Paul spoke of this calling very seriously. Paul reminds us that while people will become arrogant and greedy in the last days, faithful Gospel ministers must preach the Word forever settled in the heavens. This will cost pastors much in the world—but they will grow to become more like Jesus in the process.
1hI charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, iwho is to judge the living and the dead, and by jhis appearing and his kingdom: 2preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; kreprove, rebuke, and lexhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3mFor the time is coming when people will not endure nsound1 teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4and owill turn away from listening to the truth and pwander off into myths. 5As for you, qalways be sober-minded, rendure suffering, do the work of san evangelist, tfulfill your ministry.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language.