Parting Words

Summary

But the church was not without leadership: a second generation of preachers and pastors stood ready to carry the torch. One of these was Timothy, arguably Paul’s favorite and most devoted disciple. It is Timothy to whom Paul addresses his parting words. Paul mentored Timothy in the fundamentals of faith. Timothy served with Paul in Ephesus for three years and was with him on Paul’s travels to Troas, Philippi, and Corinth. Now Timothy is the pastor at Ephesus, and Paul’s last words are ones of encouragement to him: recharge your batteries; do not apologize; hone your teaching skills; and protect what you have.