Read the Book: January - MarchSample

Week 12 

2 Timothy 4

Rebuke, Correct, and Encourage

Have you ever heard something another Christian said and it really rubbed you the wrong way? Maybe it’s happened while reading this devotional, during a situation in a small group, while scrolling through your social media feeds, or maybe it happened on a Sunday while you were listening to a sermon. 

We all can think of a time where we didn’t agree or simply didn’t understand the point another Christian was trying to make. So this begs the question: What should we do in that situation? After all, didn’t the Apostle Paul warn of false teachings all through his ministry, even calling us to “rebuke” and “correct”? Isn’t it our responsibility to try to shed light on injustice? 

So does this mean that the next time we hear or read something we don’t like or disagree with, we should jump up and “rebuke” one another? We might have just fallen into what Paul was trying to warn us about… cherry-picking scripture to fit our own narrative or preference. Paul states in 2 Timothy 4:2 that Timothy is to “proclaim the message; persist in it whether convenient or not; rebuke, correct, and encourage with great patience and teaching.” 

So, what is Paul actually saying here? He’s using Christ as our model for relating to others—especially with those we might find disagreement. Christ is the supreme example of persistence, truthfulness, and patience. Christ did not expend more energy to save others as He expended to save you. Yes, protecting sound teaching is extremely important—but let us do all that we can to protect that sound teaching and preserve community with each other at the same time. 

Family Connection: Pull out the Bible! Ask your family what book it is and who wrote it. Say the Bible says it is “breathed out” by God! Hold up a balloon - on its own, this is just a floppy balloon. It can’t really do much, can it? But when I put my breath into it, something happens! With the inspiration of my air going into the balloon, it kind of comes to life!  Well, that’s what happens with the Bible. God breathed out those words and gave the Bible life…and the Bible will help bring life into our lives!