The Church Persevering

In our passage, Paul, in a very personal and pastoral tone, calls Timothy to persevere. As you know, Timothy was a young pastor in a cosmopolitan church. We have seen how he was timid, often in ill health, and yet in a job that demanded wisdom, maturity, nuance, and perseverance. Last week, we were given warnings to help us avoid traps designed to derail us in the faith, but now Paul offers us four encouragements on persevering in spite of the challenges of living faithfully in this world.