What are his commandments?

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329» 2Tim 2:24b-26 . . The Lord's servant must . . be kind to all, apt to
teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in
opposition, if perhaps God may grant them a change of heart leading to the
knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from
the snare of the Devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.

The all in "be kind to all" really should be taken to mean all in Christian
congregations rather than all in the world. The reason being, according to
Eph 4:11-16, Christ doesn't dispense his servants for the world's benefit,
rather, for his body's benefit.

For the above reason; Sunday school teachers need to treat the people in
church who oppose them with the same sympathy and consideration as they
would patients in a mental hospital who lack the faculties to know what
they're doing and/or to think for themselves; hence the instructions to be
kind, gentle, and patient because according to the last words in that
passage, those folks are entangled in a bit of paranormal activity not easily
overcome by argument.

* Compare Heb 5:2 where it's said that a high priest is able to deal gently
with those who are ignorant and are going astray.
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330» 2Tim 3:12-15 . .You, however, continue in the things you have learned
and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them; and
that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to
give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ
Jesus.

The "sacred writings" upon which Timothy cut his teeth are of course the Old
Testament's collection; which Paul affirms is useful to Christians.

● Rom 15:4 . .Whatever was written in earlier times was written for our
instruction that we, through patience and the encouragement of the
scriptures, might have hope.

NOTE: The Greek word translated "hope" means to anticipate (usually with
pleasure and confidence). In other words: this kind of hope doesn't cross its
fingers and pray for the best while in the back of its mind dreading the
worst. No; this hope speaks of having something to look forward to with the
bold unreserved expectation of obtaining it.
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330» 2Tim 4:1-2 . . I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of
Christ Jesus-- who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing
and His kingdom --preach the word; be ready in season and out of season;
reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.

Preaching and teaching are areas where pastors must take the reins. They
can't wait until their boards take a vote on it. No, the pastor's vote is the
only one that counts because left to themselves, congregations (and boards)
are just like any other flock of dim-witted sheep: they're prone to wander.

● 2Tim 4:3-4 . . For the time will come when they will not endure sound
doctrine; but wanting to have their ears rubbed, they will accumulate for
themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires; and will turn
away their ears from the truth, and will turn aside to fiction.

Once somebody adopts an error for themselves as the God's truth, they like
to hear it reinforced, over and over again so they feel good about
themselves rather than feeling like a fool for thinking a certain way.

That mindset is very difficult to correct. So, like it's said; the best remedy is
prevention; hence the instruction to "preach the word' lest by preaching
something else a pastor's congregation gets their heads full of wrong ideas,
and from then on they tune out everything that opposes those ideas and/or
fails to reinforce them.
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[Genez]

1 John 2:3-5
King James Version
3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.

So what are his commandments?

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him
nothing was made that has been made. John 1:1-3

One must mature in Christ to become able to rightly handle the entire Word of God to know His commandments.

Jesus did not say to his disciples.... "Keep the commandments that I specifically gave to you all."
But, said, keep my commandments!

He is the entire Word that was made flesh! (John 1:14)


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331» 2Tim 4:5a . . Be discreet

Webster's defines "discreet" as: using good judgment, caution, and
prudence.

Human nature can be so inconsistent. Though most adults have fairly good
judgment, they oftentimes do things that are contrary to their better
judgment and make foolish choices (especially on Black Friday) because they
don't always use their heads but instead yield to their feelings; and
everybody knows that one's feelings, by and large, are mostly incoherent.
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333» 2Tim 4:5b . . endure hardship

Some of the aspects of hardship are adversity, mischance, misfortune,
danger, hazard, peril; affliction, trial, betrayal, drudgery, toil, travail,
anxiety, fear, discomfort, hunger, thirst, illness, and distress. Feelings of
isolation and loneliness are a part of that too. Nobody really cares to
sympathize with somebody when they're at the top of the food chain.
Pastors comfort others, but who comforts the pastors?

The lives of Christ's pastors are not supposed to be a piece of cake. If
they're doing their jobs in a way that pleases The Lord, pastors will have
some struggles. Hardship comes with the turf; it's a given when Christ's
pastors serve him faithfully and effectively.

The reason being that a pastor is essentially a shepherd. Well; according to
Jacob, that job was a rough career path back in the day.

● Gen 31:40 . .Thus I was: by day the heat consumed me, and the frost by
night, and my sleep fled from my eyes.

Part of the reason that tending sheep was rough in Jacob's day is because a
shepherd was essentially a security guard, constantly keeping an eye out for
rustlers and predators. That part alone was a 24-7 task; not to mention
monitoring the herd so none of them wandered off as sheep are prone to do.
It's no wonder Jacob lost a lot of sleep outside in the fields; and when you
throw in exposure to the elements; a shepherd's life was really not one to be
desired.
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334» 2Tim 4:5c . . do the work of an evangelist

The Greek word translated "evangelist" means a preacher of the gospel.

Here in America, we typically think of evangelists as guys like Billy Graham
and Louis Palau. But according to Paul, pastors are supposed to be
evangelists within the walls of their own churches rather than on the road.

My ex-Catholic wife begged and cajoled her Catholic father to accompany
her to a Protestant church back in the 1970's before we met. On that
particular Sunday, of all days, the pastor spoke about money; especially
giving it to support his church and its programs.

My father-in-law was disgusted, and commented afterwards: Protestants are
no different than Catholics; all they care about is money. He never went
back. Had that pastor spoken about Christ instead of money, my father-in
law might have returned.

The same goes for tongue services, political activism, and people dancing
with rattlesnakes, shouting, shrieking, rolling on the floor and fainting in the
aisles. That kind of stuff is entertaining but certainly not conducive to
fulfilling Christ's command to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and
teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. (Matt 28:18-20)

Sunday morning services are a mission field right here at home. A sharp
pastor will make sure that visitors leave his church with a full hour of real
gospel preaching to think about.

* Paul described evangelism as pastors fulfilling their ministry. (2Tim 4:5)
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335» Titus 2:2 . . Older men are to be temperate, dignified, sensible, sound
in faith, in love, in perseverance.

I used to get my watches serviced by an aging repairman at a local mall
until the day finally came when I could no longer tolerate his manners. He
was around seventy-five years old, cantankerous as can be, and perpetually
cross. I often felt like asking him if he ever gave any thought to his future.
You know, heaven is a place of peace. A hateful man like that repairman
would not only never fit in there, but it wouldn't be fair to the others to
permit him in their world.

"Cantankerous" can be defined as: habitually ill-humored, irritable,
disagreeable, bearish, cankered, cranky, cross-grained, dour, morose, sour;
crabby, cross, crusty, huffy, petulant, prickly, snappish; dyspeptic, ill
conditioned, thin-skinned, complaining, and ill-natured.

A Christian man in old age really ought to be a sweet, mellow guy: a pal and
a big brother for the younger ones rather than somebody they'd prefer do
the world a favor by stepping in front of a bus.
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