 Welcome back after break. Just before we went for a break, we looked at the last part of Paul's letter to Timothy, his first letter that he wrote to him. So we looked at chapter six, the last few verses. We studied that before we move on to Paul's second letter to Timothy. Does anyone of you have any questions regarding his first letter, first Timothy? Anything that you'd like to discuss about what we studied in chapter six? Any thoughts, any questions? Anything that you need more clarity on? Okay, there is silence, so I'll take it as no questions. We'll move on to second Timothy chapter one. Okay, thank you Asha, thank you Kung. We'll move on to second Timothy chapter one. Okay, so before we look at chapter one, you know, this is second Timothy, you know, when Paul is writing his letter, he's almost done 24 years of his ministry. He's traveled to 15 major cities, and in his 24 years of ministry, for 18 years, Timothy was alongside with Paul, learning from him, drawing principles for ministry, for life. Just looking at the life and the work of Paul, Timothy has learned so much. And, you know, from growing to be from a son in the faith, you know, being mentored by Timothy, now he comes to a place where Paul feels that he has, he's spiritually mature, and he was pretty strong to oversee or to give spiritual leadership to the churches at Ephesus, which is an important strategic city. Overseeing also seven churches around the city of Ephesus, so it was a huge responsibility and Paul knew that Timothy was the best person for this important role, this important position. And so he leaves Timothy at Ephesus. And then, you know, we know that he goes on to Macedonia and he writes first Timothy there, and then Paul goes or returns to Rome, where he's imprisoned for the second time. And this is somewhere around 8067 to 8068. And this time, Paul knew that death was imminent, that he is surely going to die. And before his death, you know, he writes his last episode to Timothy, which is second Timothy. So second Timothy is his final words of instruction to his son in the faith, who's now grown to be his co-worker, co-laborer in Christ Jesus, along with Paul. And in this letter, we see that, you know, he requests Timothy to come to him soon. But shortly after he writes this letter, and this letter has been dispatched or sent over to Timothy, Paul is smarter. And about 8068, soon after he writes his episode, and traditions say that he was beheaded because he was a Roman citizen and because he was a Roman citizen. It's unlikely that he would have been put to death in any other manner. So that is briefly a little background for Paul's second letter to Timothy. You know, in the first letter, he, you know, we just studied it. He basically instructs Timothy on how to lead the local church, the community of saints and believers at Ephesus. But his letter to second letter to Timothy is a more personal letter where Paul is basically sharing specific instructions to Timothy on how to live a life as a minister of God. Okay. So this is something that we can also learn. Like we learned the first letter, how we can draw principles and how to, you know, lead or do things in the local community, the local church among the believers. But in this letter, we can also learn more about how we can live a life as a minister of God and fulfill the calling that God has for us and how God requires us to live. Okay, so we look at second Timothy chapter one, we'll not read the entire chapter, but we just read it worse by worse. So can somebody read verses one and two, please? Second Timothy chapter one versus one and two. Second Timothy. Second Timothy chapter one versus one and two. Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, by the will of God, according to the promise of the life that is in Christ Jesus. To Timothy, my beloved child, grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen. Thank you, Elisha. So here Paul acknowledges that, you know, he is an apostle of Jesus Christ and it is not that he's an apostle by his own will, his own choosing or because he is just designated himself or assigned himself as an apostle. But he says by the will of God. Okay, it is, we know from scripture, if you look at Ephesians chapter four, verse 11 and 12, there we see that the ministry offices are something that is appointed by Jesus Christ himself. So the ministry office of an apostle, you know, of a prophet, an evangelist, a pastor and a teacher is appointed to different people by Jesus himself, you know. So that is the ministry offices that is given to us by Jesus or by God himself. It's God who determines who's an apostle, a pastor, a teacher and an evangelist. Okay, so he says that he's an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and he says according to the promise of life. Now this is a statement that he makes here is very unique compared to the other greetings in all of other Paul's epistles or letters. And it's very appropriate that he writes this here because, you know, Paul, at this stage, he's imprisoned. He's not in home imprisonment where he's free. He's, you know, proper imprisonment and he knows that that is impending upon him. He's going to die soon. And, you know, which he mentions later in this episode, but he locks into the truth that, you know, even though that is impending upon us, you know, we're going to die any moment. Anytime we can be killed, martyred, you know, we can face that. But he, you know, he locks into the truth that we have to promise life. We have, we have been promised life. And he's talking here, the Greek word for this promise of life here is eternal life. The Greek word there is Zoe, which is talking about eternal life, the God kind of life, or the fullness of the light that God has in himself. And he's saying that, you know, this promise of life, which is in Jesus Christ. So this life, this Zoe life that is in God himself, you know, we have been promised this life is eternal life. So he's, you know, just imagine, you know, Paul writing this, even as he's going to face death, you know, but he has this wonderful assurance. So Paul is not just overwhelmed with what is happening, the challenges, the difficulties that is surrounding him at the moment. But he's always living for, he's always living with this perspective of eternity, of what, you know, eternity holds for him, has for him, and, you know, what he can fulfill about eternity here in the present. And then he goes on to say, you know, to Timothy, a beloved son, again, talking about his closeness, his love for Timothy, his association with him, what position or who Timothy is, what he means to him. He says he is his beloved son. And then he says, Grace, mercy and peace. Now, if you look at all of Paul's greetings and all of his other letters, which he writes to various churches at the Church of Rome, Corinth, Church of Galatia, Ephesus, in Ephesians chapter one verse two, or Church of Philippi, Colosse, Thessalonica, all of these he just basically writes, you know, he uses grace and peace. But when he's writing to specifically to pastors, like spiritual overseers, elders, Timothy and Titus, he's compelled to greet them with grace, mercy and peace, not just grace and peace. Like he includes in his greetings to all the other churches that he writes in his different episodes. But here in his episodes or letters to Timothy and to Titus, he also adds mercy, because he knows that, you know, as pastors in this important strategic place as spiritual leaders, we just don't need the grace and peace of God. We also need the mercy of God to help us to stay there, to fulfill the calling, to do what God has entrusted to us and to hold fast to our faith. So he says grace and he adds mercy and then also peace. And he says grace, mercy and peace from God, the Father and Christ. But so he's just basically saying that this grace, mercy and peace is does not come from our situations, our life, but it comes from God. It's he's God is the source, the giver. He's the one who blesses us with grace, mercy and peace. And this grace, mercy and peace that he gives us is unlimited. Okay, and this grace, mercy and peace does not come from human beings. It only comes from God. It is unlimited. So when we pray, you know, for ourselves, we can also pray for God's grace, mercy and peace in our life. And when we pray for someone else, we can also pray the same thing. You know, we can pray God's grace, mercy and peace over their lives as well. Because, you know, his grace, mercy and peace is unlimited and abounding in supply. We'll move on to verse three. So can somebody read verse three please? The verse three says, I thank God who I serve with a pure conscience as my forefathers did. As without season, I remember you in my prayers, in my prayers night and day. Amen. Thank you, Harrison. So here, see, again, he's talking about pure conscience. He's talking about serving God with a pure conscience. In his earlier episode to Timothy, in First Timothy, Paul again talks there about pure and good conscience. And he mentions this pure and good conscience at least three times. And now he says the same thing here in relation to how, you know, he has been serving God. And this is something that we can learn, you know, that even as we desire to serve God, even as all of us are called to serve God, even as all of us are called as a royal priesthood or holy nation, you know, we need to serve God with a clear, good and a pure conscience. It's only when we have a clear conscience, you know, we have a clear, good and pure conscience only when we live right before God and man. So, you know, people cannot see our inner motives, our inner thoughts, our inner agendas, our schemes and all the things that we do. But we know it and God holds us accountable for our motives, our thoughts, you know, why we do what we are doing. And we need to maintain a pure, clean and a good conscience before God all the time. And how do we have a clear conscience is when we live right before God and man. And so, you know, he's not just saying that you need to serve God with a pure conscience, but he's also pointing out to the forefathers, which is he's talking about Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who walked righteously before God and man. And, you know, they walked righteously before God and man according to what they received or the revelations that has was manifested or made known or the truths that have been known to them in their time, in their time, in their age and their season. But, you know, and they did what was right before God according to the revelation that they had during the time that they lived in. Now in the age that we live in, you know, we have greater revelations, greater manifestations, which guides us how to live right in the sight of God. And we also have this word with us, which helps us to know how to live right in the sight of God. And then because of Paul's great affection to Timothy, it was so great that he says that he continues to pray for Timothy, you know, night and days without ceasing. He continues to remember in his prayer all the more now because he has put Timothy in the strategic position in this place. He knows the difficulties and hardships. And so all the more he is, you know, praying for Timothy without ceasing. It also, you know, reminds us that we need to pray for men and women of God who are especially, you know, those who are elders of the church, those who are giving spiritual leadership, those who are teaching the Word and doctrine. We need to pray for them, missionaries, evangelists, all those who are going through persecutions and for the saints in the body of Christ. It's so important for us to pray for them, uphold them continuously without ceasing, pray for each one of them. Any questions on verses one, two and three? Any thoughts, any questions? Okay. There are no questions. Then we move on to verses four and five. So can somebody please read verses four and five, please? Yes, please, Asha, thank you. I thank God, whom I serve. As did my ancestors with a clear conscience, as I remember, you constantly matriarchs night and day. As I remember your cheers, I long to see you that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwells first in your grandmother, Louise, and your mother, Eunice, and now I'm sure dwells in you as well. Amen. Thank you, Asha. So we see that Paul has a great desire to see Timothy, just to be with him, just to impart to him, bless him, and he also says that he's mindful of his tears. Perhaps the tears that Paul remembered were the tears that Timothy shed in the last parting when he left him at Ephesus and moved on. Maybe Timothy cried or whatever, so he remembers his tears. And he says, you know, he talks about genuine faith here, and he says that genuine faith is passed on as a heritage throughout the generations. Or this genuine faith is passed on as a heritage through the generations. And this is what God desires. He wants the faith that is there in one generation to be passed on to the succeeding generations. We read this also in Isaiah 59 verse 21. God desires to see the spiritual truths, the anointing that is in one generation be passed on to the next generation and to the next generation. Now, this does not happen automatically, you know, but we, in this present generation, we need to work towards ensuring that, you know, the truths, the anointing that is that we have received in this generation is passed on to the next generation, which means we need to be careful to model, you know, what we, the truth, what we, the gospel, what we are living by the word of God. We need to model it before our children and grandchildren. And this is the genuine faith that will be passed on to generations. We also need to impart these truths, teach these truths, these doctrines to the next generation and also pass on the anointing and teach them to flow in the gifts of the Spirit, pass on the anointing, impart things into their lives so that, you know, it, all of this is passed on from one generation to the other generation. So it's important that, you know, we not only teach it, but also live these things, live these truths, live, model this truth, model what the word of God says in our lives, because, you know, in the classroom, things are taught, but at home, more things are taught than taught. Okay. So as, even in the church, you know, children are watching us, observing us, they catch more of what we do, how we live, how we walk, how we speak, how we react, they catch more than what they are taught. So even at home, you know, children catch more what they are, what they see than what they are taught. So it's important that we not only teach them, impart them, but also model it out in the way that we live. And then he talks about this genuine faith that he sees, intimacy, and also the genuine faith is not something that is a made-up faith, a false pretence, something that, you know, you just try to act holy or pretend to be holy or act it out, but he says your faith is very genuine, Timothy. And, you know, he says, you know, this genuine faith you've seen in your grandmother Lois, and also in your mother Eunice, and now it's passed on to you. So it's passed on from generations. And so he's reminding Timothy of this great, you know, privilege that he has of his position, his calling and the great responsibility that he has to pass on these truths, and also to live out the truth, you know, so that he's a good testimony, a good witness, and also to teach to pass on and to impart these truths to others. Elisha says, so the litmus test of how genuine a person's faith is the ability to pass it on to generations. Yes, the ability to pass it on. And you can only pass it on when you are able to yourself live it out and also to, you know, practice it or to do what it says. So you can't pass on something that you are not living, that you're not following, that you are not doing yourself to others. You can only pass on the knowledge that you know that you have put into practice, you can only pass it on to others. So yes, it's not just teaching, but also living it out, also modeling it out to the younger generation and also to teach it to them and impart it into their lives. Okay. What's the six and seven? Can one of you please say it was a six and seven, please? It was a six and seven. Yeah, okay. Go ahead. Go ahead. Therefore, I remind you to stand up the gift of God, which is a new through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of his own mind. Amen. Thank you, Abinas. So he says therefore he's reminding Timothy to stir up the gift of God. Okay. So Timothy was gifted a valuable man for the kingdom of God. But you know, Paul sees in him, you know, a timid streak of a streak of being timid of being fearful. And so for this reason, you know, Paul is often encouraging him to be strong and to be bold. So it seems to appear that Timothy might have been reluctant to exercise his spiritual gifts. Perhaps he's intimidated by people who are older than him. The elders, the spiritual leaders, the deacons of bishops in that place were much older. You know, sometimes he feels that he shouldn't be speaking up. He shouldn't be telling them what to do. But we see that, you know, Paul is telling him to be bold. And here in 1st Timothy and in 2nd Timothy, you know, there are 25 different places where Paul is basically encouraging Timothy to be bold, not shy away from his confrontation of those who are opposing him. Those who are doing things that are wrong. Those who are not living, elders who are not living holy life. Those who are living a sinful life. Those who are talking and teaching wrong doctrines and teaching wrong doctrines. You know, not to shy away from confronting them, to stand up where he needs to stand up and to be strong. And he says that, you know, you need to do this because of who, you know, he is because of who Timothy was and the responsibilities he has to bear. And, you know, and he makes sure that Timothy hears this and knows this because he needs to be encouraged to be bold and to be strong. Okay. And he goes on to talk about, you know, that, you know, that we have not been given a spirit of fear, but of power of love and a sound mind. Okay. So he's saying that, you know, you have not been given a spirit of fear, but you have been given a spirit that is of power, that is of love and a sound mind. And then he goes on to, you know, basically, encouraged Timothy. Like he says in First Timothy chapter four was 12. He encourages Timothy there. You know, Timothy, don't let you being a youth hold you back. You know, from doing what you're supposed to do as a leader, but he exhorts him to exercise his gift. We looked at this in First Timothy chapter four was 12. Again, in First Timothy chapter four was 14. He tells him not to neglect the gift that is in him, which was given to him by prophecy with the laying on of hands of the eldership. Remember, we studied all of this. First Timothy chapter four was 12 tells him, you know, don't let anyone look down on you because you're young because you're a youth. And then in verse 14 of chapter four of first Timothy, he says, don't neglect the gift that is in you, which is given to you by prophecy of laying on of hands of the eldership. And so here again, in this second letter, second epistle, he encourages Timothy to stir up the gift of God in him. The word stir up basically means to kindle to a flame to fire up. Now, if a fire is, you know, you said something on fire and, you know, the wood is kind of ebbing or the fire is ebbing away. It's not burning fully. You know, you just stir it up. You just blow air into it and then you, you know, rekindle the fire. So he says, Kindle the flame, you know, fire up alive, you know, stir up the fire that is in you, keep it burning, keep it burning bright and strong. And so he's encouraging him to stir up the, you know, the gift of God that God has given to him. So how do we stir up God's gift in us? Basically, you know, spending time reading God's word, praying, spending more time in worship and prayer, you know, reading God's word. Also, you know, associating with people who are flowing in the similar gifts and using the gifts, you know, more frequently stepping out in faith, just exercising the gifts. And the more you use the gifts, you know, I'm talking the gifts of the spirit, the more the stronger it will become in your life. And the more confident you'll be in operating and, you know, it will just activate the seeds of faith in your life to use the gifts more often to bless others. And he says, you know, you have, do not neglect the gift that is in you, which you have received by prophecies. It's basically, and laying on of hands of the eldership. It's basically talking about, you know, how when the elders laid hands on Timothy, set him aside for the work of the gospel, for the ministry, for his calling, you know, people prophesied over him, spoke over him. Even as they laid hands, the spiritual gifts were just imparted into his life. So, you know, we can also receive spiritual gifts through impartation, or spiritual gifts can be imparted into our lives, and also can be activated in our lives, which means activated means can be initiated can get it started in our lives. When another believer just speaks into our lives can lay hands on us, just impart into our lives. So, spiritual gifts can be imparted and activated by one believer into another believer. And so, also here when the elders laid hands on Timothy, you know, he received an impartation of the spiritual gifts, and also an activation of the spiritual gifts in his life. And so, he's reminding him of what he has received, his spiritual gifts, and he's saying, put this to good use, use it, you know, to bless the other saints that believe us in Christ Jesus. And he says, the reason we need to stir it up, you know, set up these gifts God has given us is because the Holy Spirit whom God has given us, you know, he fills us with power. Now this word power, the Greek word is dunamis, from which we get the word English word dynamite. And so we know what a dynamite does, right? You put a dynamite, it can destroy an entire village, a city, a locality, a neighborhood, buildings, it's so powerful. So, you know, he's saying that you need to stir it up and set out and, you know, use these gifts because the Holy Spirit whom God has given us, you know, he fills us with this power which is not just, you know, ordinary power, simple power, but it's a dynamite like power which can, you know, which can just move in such a powerful way that can bring deliverance, healing, wholeness, restore people's life. You can just, you know, do that to an entire city, a nation, you know, an entire church or people gathered there. It is that dunamis power that is in us. And then he's talking about, you know, because the Holy Spirit not only fills us with dunamis like power, but also love. And he's talking about love here, the Greek word is agape, God's love, you know, not any other kind of love that is based on situations. You know, you love me, I love you, you're good to me, you're nice to me, I'm good to you, I'm nice to you. But he's talking about God's love, agape love, that even though we don't deserve God's love, his grace, his goodness, his mercy, yet he loved us as sinners and he chose us. And so he's talking about that kind of love. And then a sound mind, a sound mind which is talking about a mind that is self-controlled, self-disciplined and self, and has self-governing ability. So God has given us dunamis like power, a love that is agape love, God kind of love that will help us to love people irrespective of what they do to us, how they react to us, how they treat us, how they see us, and also a sound mind. Now the ancient Greek word for the sound mind has an idea of a calm, self-controlled mind in contrast to a mind that is panicked, that is confused, that is living in constant fear. So this verse is so powerful, it reminds us of what we have received and other spiritual inheritance that we have received is we have not received a spirit of fear or spirit of timidity. So some of us who are filled with fear are timid, we don't want to speak, we don't feel we are competent enough, we are good enough. This is not what God has given to us, but what he has given to us, Paul mentions three things, power, love, and a sound mind. And so he says, stir this up in you. Every time you are filled with fear, just be reminded that your God has filled you with power, not a timid spirit, not a fearful spirit, but a power that is like a dynamite like power, use that step out in faith, use it, love and self-control. And all of these three things which the Holy Spirit gives to us, God has given to us power, love and self-control is in the context of using the gifts of God. So when we use the gifts of God, we need to be reminded that when something happens to people, we see a good result for what we pray for. It's not our power, but it's God's power. And you also exercise these gifts in the context of love, because when Paul writes the gifts of the Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12, he goes on to talk about, but greater than all of this is chapter 13, he talks about love, which is more important. So love, when there is this love, the gifts of the Spirit will automatically be activated to be manifested, but if there is no love, we judge the person, we think this person does not deserve to be healed so sinful. The prophecy that we give is not something that enriches them, exhausts them, encourages them, builds them up, but it's something that puts them down because we know their life. We're not doing it in a context of love, then the gifts of the Spirit will not be activated in us, or we will not be able to manifest the gifts of the Spirit. So it's important that in a church context where believers are gathered or when you're having a life group or a Bible study group, if there's no love, there's no unity in oneness, then the gifts of the Spirit will not be manifested in the fullest sense. We will not see things happening in the full sense of the manifestation of the gifts of the Spirit. And also, when we manifest the gifts of the Spirit, we need to do it in a self-controlled way, and that is why Paul writes to the Church of Corinth. He says, hey, all of you are so eager. You have a word of wisdom, word of knowledge, word of prophecy. You want to interpret tongues and all of that. It's great because you all are so mightily flowing in the gifts, but when you come to church, there should be some kind of order. We do that in a self-... we exercise the gifts in a self-controlled manner in a self-controlled way. So wait for each other and listen to each other. Don't be in a rush to speak and all of that, you know, maintain some kind of order and discipline in the church. So even when we practice the gifts of the Spirit, do it in love, do it in the power of God and in a self-controlled manner. And fear must not hold us in any way. Don't be afraid. Don't be afraid of failing. Don't be afraid of being wrong. You know, just step out in faith and do what God is asking you to do. So we don't accept what God has not given us. He has not given us a spirit of timidity or of fear. But what we need to do is we need to humbly receive and walk in what He has given us. What has He given us? He has given us a spirit of power, of love and a sound mind. And then verse 8, he says... can somebody read verse 8 please? So, do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord or ashamed of me, His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel by the power of God. Should I continue, Pastor? That's verse 8, right? Power of God. Amen. Thank you, Divya. So here he says therefore, so Paul has just told Timothy about the spirit of power, love and a sound mind with courage. That is the birthright of every believer in Christ Jesus. This is our spiritual inheritance that you have received. So receive it today. Walk by faith that you have received a spirit of power, love and a sound mind. And activate that use that, stir that up and use it with courage and boldness because that is your birthright as a believer in Christ Jesus. And he says, you know, even as he's mentioned this, he says therefore, now he's telling Timothy how to let what God has given him to guide his thinking. So you've received all of these things. It's great. Now he's telling him, you know, what God has given him, how to guide him in his thinking. So he says in the view of the spirit that God has given us, do not be ashamed of speaking about the Lord and also do not be ashamed with identifying with genuine ministers of God. Genuine here is because, you know, there are false preachers and false teachers. You know, don't be ashamed of identifying with genuine ministers of God, even if they are suffering for the sake of Christ, be willing to share in the sufferings of the gospel because God's power, which is his due to mis-power, his miracle-working power is what enables us to take, what enables us to do our part in the sufferings of the gospel. Now why is Paul telling him this is because, you know, many of them, many of them who are co-laborers with Paul, who are his co-workers, were with him for so many years of his life, you know, have kind of abandoned him saying that they don't know Paul, they have nothing to do with Paul because they are afraid of their own lives because they know now Paul is imprisoned and he is going to, you know, Nero is going, as persecuting many Christians, he's going to martyr Paul, they too, because they are associated with Paul, co-workers, co-laborers with Paul would also be identified, would also be imprisoned and would also be killed or martyred. So many of them, you know, are, you know, not identifying with Paul, saying that they don't know him and so Paul is writing to Timothy, don't be ashamed, you know, of testifying of the Lord Jesus Christ and also don't be ashamed of, you know, of identifying with ministers like me who are in prison, who are in shame and are suffering because of, you know, of sharing the Gospel and then he says, you know, also sharing the sufferings of the Gospel, that means, you know, as a minister of God, you would have your share of being persecuted of going to suffering because of the Gospel that you're preaching, but he's saying that, you know, you have God's power, His miracle working powers, dunamis power, which will enable you and take you forward, you know, even as you suffer for the Gospel. So Paul actually suffered, he's saying, you know, Paul is saying here, you know, suffering for the Gospel according to the power of God. So Paul is saying that actually he's suffering according to the power of God, which means he's saying that the power of God is always there, you know, is there even in times when they are preaching, teaching, you know, stepping out to do science miracles and wonders, healing people, the power of God is manifested, the power of God is activated in their lives, the power of God is there in their lives available for them to use, but the power of God is also there for them, even when they are going through sufferings, when they are in prison, when they're in chains, when they're facing challenges because of their position as spiritual leaders or because of what they're doing as preaching the truth and teaching the word of God. So, you know, remember that even as you are going through challenges in Christian ministry, difficulty is being persecuted, being ridiculed, being put down, put to shame, gossip, made fun of, remember that the power of God is also activated at that time, it will be manifested in your life. The power of God will also strengthen you, will enable you to face those challenges. Of course, the power of God will not remove the difficulties, will not remove the challenges, the persecutions, but the power of God will see you through those difficulties and it's so wonderful in the way that Paul puts it here. He says, you know, share with me the sufferings of the gospel according to the power of God. So, power of God is not just for science miracles and wonders and preaching the gospel, but the power of God is also there, made available for us even when we face difficulties and challenges. So, this is another very important dimension of God's miracle working power, that is his ability to endure suffering, persecutions, hardships, or positions for the gospel, okay? Any questions so far? Verses 1 to 8? Anything that you need clarity on? Not understood? Anything you want me to explain again? I'm just wondering what an amazing mentor Timothy had. I mean, what detailing Paul was into his, you know, guidance, the kind of prayers and through words. So, it's really enriching. Thank you. Thank you for teaching us. Yes, I know it's so wonderful. Thank you for sharing that thought. I mean, what a wonderful mentor. Yes, it also teaches us, you know, as we mentor people, you know, the extent that we need to go and just pray for them without seizing, teaching them, imparting into their lives, strengthening them, you know, and also reminding them of the powerful spiritual inheritance we have just blessing God's people. Yes, wonderful. Timothy was privileged to have a mentor like Paul. You know, we can also ask God to help us to be that kind of mentor. Yes. Thank you, Stephanie, for sharing that thought. It's just a wonderful insight. Thank you. Ma'am, I think Paul had to build on the foundation that has been laid by Timothy's grandparents, grandmother and his mother, Lois and Eunice, respectively. And I, in that, I, Glynna, I record that it is important when we lay the foundation of faith from the hope, we lay the foundation of faith from the home. So when they come to church, the pastors and our spiritual leaders would have to build on the foundation that has been laid by our parents or our guidance, guidance we leave in the home. They will leave them little work to do. Other than that, there's so much work to do on the individual who comes from a home that has not been taken through the foundations of faith. So I believe the parents did extremely well by introducing Timothy to the sincere faith that they had already lived in their lives. Yes, very true. Thank you for sharing that, Elisha. I just agree with you, you know, it's so important for parents. So parents also, the role of spiritual nurturing is so important in the lives of the children that God has entrusted to you. You know, they are given to you by God and it's important what you impart, you teach them from the very womb, very true. You know, from the very womb, what you're teaching them, speaking to their lives, it's so important. I see this in one of the religions. I won't mention the religion because, you know, we are on YouTube and it's a very delicate issue when you talk about religion. But I admire this religion, you know, when the child is born, they don't even feed the child till their priest comes and speaks the chance into the years of the child or recites things from their book into the years of the child. And only then can the mother feed the child. Even if the child is crying, they don't feed the child, they wait. And they say that scripture, that words of God must just resonate in the years of the child for the rest of their life, you know, they keep listening to it. That's their foundation. And I've also seen the same religion, you know, that the parents give so much of importance to the children to learn the language in which their holy book is written. So even if the child doesn't do their homework, doesn't study their project work, no, it doesn't matter for them. What's important is the child has to go every day to their school where they learn their language, where they can read their holy book. And, you know, it just starts so important. And that's why we see these people in this religion are so zealous for their faith. So when I see that, you know, that kind of makes me zealous for my faith and how I need to teach children, how we need to bring them up in the ways of the Lord. I think, you know, when we have the truth and we serve a true and living God, how much more zealous we need to impart these truths and what a good job, you know, Timothy's grandmother, his mother and Paul have done. And just seeing the amazing work that Paul, Timothy, is doing as a result in the Church at Ephesus. Thank you, Elisha, for throwing light on that. Okay, we'll stop here at verse 8. Anyone else has any questions? Anything you'd like to share? Thank you for your valuable insights and thoughts. This helps. Yes, Asha, you had your hand up. Sorry. We have Asha speak, and then how does it... Asha, I just want to clarify verse 7 and 8, where it talks about the power of power and love and self-control and ways not to be ashamed of the testimony. So is this during like when believers are getting persecuted and when they're about to share the good news and how the world will treat them? I just want to be glad. Not sure. Can you just repeat the first half of your question, please, because I do catch that. From 7 and 8, where it talks about like, for God, a human being has a spirit of fear, but of power and love and self-control, and therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our love, Jesus, and nor of his prisoner but sharing suffering for the gospel by the power of God. So does it talk about like, where the believers are getting persecuted or it's like he's giving the courage to say to continue the suffering? Okay, verse 7 is basically talking in the context of using the spiritual gifts. So he's saying, don't be timid, because timidity has spiritual gifts, but he's not being bold enough to use those spiritual gifts or flowing in the gifts of the Spirit. So he's saying, don't be timid, because you're not given a spirit of fear and he's reminding him of what he's been given. But in verse 8, he's talking about, in the view of the Spirit that God has given us, don't be ashamed of speaking about the Lord, don't be ashamed with identifying with other ministers, what's suffering for the sake of the gospel, and also, even as you were suffering, are going through suffering because of the gospel or what you're teaching or your position as a Christian leader, don't step away from that. Be willing to participate in the sufferings of the gospel. Why? Because God's power, which is the same power that is able to do science miracles and wonders, is also the same power that will strengthen you in your difficult times and see you through the times of challenges and difficulties. Thank you, Pastor. Did that help, Asha? Yes, Pastor, thank you so much. Thank you, Asha. Yes, Addison, you have your hand up. All right. I'm looking at the role Paul played in the life of Timothy and possibly role Paul has played in the life of other leaders in the gospel. And I'm trying to liken it to our own time. And one thing I'm feeling is that if we have the likes of Paul played in our own time, we will have a very good leadership in the Christendom because it is very important that we have some leaders who are feeding with the Spirit of God, leading the people so that people understand the real core responsibility of being a child of God or being a Christian because when you look at Timothy and the role Paul played in the life of Timothy, it's as a result of the sound leadership, you know, gotten from Paul. That is why we can testify of Timothy today. So my own appeal to us is that as we are here, we can learn from Paul and we can also learn from Timothy for most especially the role of Paul in the life of Timothy so that we can be some Christians leading people in the right way. Thank you. Thank you, Addison. Yes, very true so that we can, you know, pass on the spiritual legacy to the generations. Yes, very true. Thank you for sharing that. Okay, thank you everyone for joining class, for being patient these three hours, listening to my voice and for being part of the class. Have a blessed day and a week ahead. God bless you all. Thank you. Thank you, Ma'am.