 Okay, good morning everyone and welcome to the class on 1st Timothy, 2nd Timothy, Titus and Philemon. We finished studying 1st Timothy. We began last Monday looking at Paul's second letter to Timothy and we looked at verses 1 to 8 in 2nd Timothy chapter 1. We will continue on from verse 9 onwards. But before that, let's just pause for a word of prayer. Can one of you please lead us in prayer, please? Anyone can lead us in prayer? Shall I pray, ma'am? Yes, thank you, Savani. Heavenly and gracious Father God Almighty, the Creator of heaven and earth as we bow down to you, Father, in adoration and admiration for who you are and how you lead us day after day in your word, in your truth. We thank you for this platform. We thank you for pastor. We thank you for the word that we have so handy in our hands, Father, that we have no way to escape, no way to make excuses, Father. But as we are learning deeply your truth, Father, Lord, may it enrich us, may it empower us, equip us to do your will on this earth, to mighty exploits for your kingdom, to bring many, many souls to your kingdom, Father, and be a vessel of mercy, glory and honor to your name, Father. Use us for your glory as we receive the word. Help us to apply it in our lives in daily walk with you, Father, and glorify your name in every word, action and deed, Father. We surrender this class, our learning and our teaching to your hands, Father, and Father, we are prepared, prepare our hearts to receive the word. We give you glory, we give you honor and praise for everyone who's part of this movement. In Jesus' name we pray and ask amen. Amen. Amen. Thank you, Stephanie. So Second Timothy is more a personal letter of Paul to his son in the faith, his mentor, you know, when he was mentoring, who was Timothy. And so Paul is disclosing more about his own personal life and ministry. And as he's doing that, even as he's disclosing his own personal about his own personal life and ministry, he's teaching another man of God how to be a servant of God and how to live as a man of God. First Timothy is more about, you know, how Paul is writing to Timothy and telling him how he needs to take care of the local church, more administrative kind of a letter. But this second letter to Timothy is more a personal letter where Paul is just pouring out his own life, his own ministry. And he's teaching Timothy how to be efficient and a good servant of God and how to live his life as a man of God. Okay. So in verses one to eight, we basically saw, you know, how we read, you know, Paul, Apostle Paul telling Timothy, you know, that he needs to stir up the gift that has received the laying on of hands. He also tells him to, you know, not to neglect the gift that is in him, which is given to prophecy. And, you know, he tells him to that he's not given a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound of mind. And that is where we looked at in verse seven. And then he goes on to tell him in verse eight, you know, not to be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of, you know, be ashamed of Paul as his prisoner, but share in the sufferings of the gospel according to the power of God. Okay. So we looked, we stopped at verse eight, we will continue with verse nine. Can one of you please read verse nine, please? Second Timothy chapter one verse nine, he has saved us and called us to a holy life, not because of anything we have done, but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time. Amen. Thank you, Divya. So here this is a fully loaded verse, you know, it's telling us that if we are saved or when we are saved, we are also called. And what are we called to? We are called to a holy living. We're called to holiness. We're called to live morally pure lives. So, you know, when we are saved, God calls us. He calls us to this for his own purpose to fulfill the purpose that he has ordained for our lives, even before time began. Like it says here, you know, it's given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, you know, the plans and the purposes that God has for our lives was something that he taught about ordained even before time began. And we studied this in the course, you know, fulfilling God's purpose for your life in the first year. And we know that God has a plan and a purpose. And even as he has called us, and he has, you know, has a purpose for us, we also learned that he gives us the grace. He gives us a grace that will enable us, that will equip us, that will strengthen us, strengthen us, that will empower us to fulfill his calling, his purpose in our lives. Okay, so he gives us a grace to walk in that call and purpose that he has called us to. And he gives us a grace to enable us to fulfill the calling and the purpose that he has on our life. Verse 10, can one of you please read verse 10, please? Can I read faster? Yes, just go heavy, I can read. But has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ who has abolished death and brought life and morality to the right through the Gospel. Amen. Thank you, Asha. So Paul knows that, you know, he's going to be dying soon, that death is very inevitable. It's just looming large on him. But he says that Jesus is his Savior. And he says that, you know, he has life and immortality through the Gospel. And he, he mentions here that the Lord Jesus Christ is our Savior, which means that, you know, the appearing of Jesus, you know, or Jesus, you know, God becoming man, incarnation, you know, revealed the purpose of God to us. It reveals God's purpose of redeeming mankind back to himself. His, it revealed to us the whole purpose of God of salvation, of how to save mankind from their sin, even as he sent Jesus, even as God became incarnate. So the appearing of Jesus revealed the purpose of God, you know, how when, when Jesus went about fulfilling the eternal plan of God, when he died on the cross, when he took upon our sins, it just revealed to mankind God's eternal plan, his purpose for our lives, how he wanted to save us from sin and, you know, and redeem us from sin Satan and, and from death, and to bring us to eternal life, to draw us back to him. So everything that Jesus did here on this earth, you know, truly shows us what God's plan was. And also it talks about the grace of God, you know, the divine enablement, the divine favor, the divine empowering of God, even as he empowered Jesus and, you know, Jesus had that favor, that divine enablement, the divine empowering to go about fulfilling the plan of salvation, the plan of redemption, the eternal plan of God. So the, the very appearing of Jesus, you know, reveals to us the purpose and the grace of God. And also, you know, he's, he's telling Timothy that, in the same way, you know, God has given me a call, you know, he has a purpose for my life. And, and even as he has a call and the purpose is graces upon me. And so he's just reminding Timothy that you too have a call, you too have a purpose. And just as God Almighty enabled Jesus to fulfill that purpose and the call that he had on his life and gave him the grace. Remember, you studied in, in the first year, you know, Grace basically talks about divine enablement, divine empowering and divine favor. These three characteristics are, are the very core things of what grace means. You know, so you too will have the divine enablement, the divine empowerment and the divine favor to accomplish what God has called you, even as you are in a position of responsibility that is difficult, that is challenging. And, you know, Timothy just wants to leave his post and come back to be with Paul, but Paul is reminding him of, you know, his calling and his purpose and the grace that comes along and how Jesus himself, you know, fulfilled the calling and the purpose upon his life because the grace of God that was on him. And he says that he has abolished, which means he is completely and definitely cause to seize debt. And instead of debt, you know, Jesus came to bring about and give us life. And he's talking here about Zoe, the God kind of life, the fullness of life, the life that God has in himself, and also because of God, what Jesus fulfilled the eternal plan and the purpose of God because of that, you know, debt has been abolished. And we have the life of God, the Zoe life of God, and also immortality, which means, you know, we will be raised up to bodies that are incorruptible, and we will have an unending existence. And he says this all through the gospel. So he's saying, you know, what you are preaching and teaching is something that is of greater eternal significance, greatest price, because it is something that is abolished debt and is giving us going to give life to people, the God kind of life, the fullness of life, the Zoe life, and also going to bring about immortality, even as you labor for the gospel, even as you preach and teach the gospel. Okay, one John chapter five, verses 11 and 12 says, and this is a testimony God has given us eternal life. And this life is in his son, whoever has the son has life and whoever does not have this son of God does not have life. So this eternal life is in the sun. And the sun has given us this eternal life. So life and immortality, you know, we will experience when we are resurrected. It's a future inheritance at the resurrection as we read in 1st Thessalonians chapter four, verses 13 to 18 and 1st Corinthians chapter 15, verses 51 to 58, you know, where it says, you know, the perishable will be raised imperishable, the corruptible will be raised incorruptible. And, you know, mortality will put on immortality. So, you know, the Lord himself, you know, will come down, you know, and the dead in Christ will arise. And all of these things will happen, mortal will put on immortality. And all of that what we read in 1st Corinthians chapter 15 and 1st Thessalonians chapter four. So he's saying, this is the hope that we have in the gospel. Now, it's, it's amazing that Paul is writing all of that. So you can see the great hope that he has a great joy in the midst of the challenge that he's facing in the midst of debt that is so evident that is just upon him looming large upon him. But he has this wonderful assurance. And just look at him the way he's, you know, talking about the calling, the purpose, fulfilling it, the grace of God that is going to enable them even as they are in different situations, the grace of God that is going to enable them and also the future hope that they have. And he's saying, you know, he's giving us profound truths about really what the gospel is all about. And why is it worth pursuing this gospel, preaching this gospel, teaching this gospel, even the point when you're persecuted, even the point when you're failing, facing challenges and difficulties and you want to feel like giving up and giving up on ministry, walking back and all of those things. But look at what is the hope of the gospel and what he talks about the truth about the gospel, what it has in store for us and what it can, the blessings it can bring about for us. So that is verse 10, verse 11, can, verse 11 and 12, can one of you please read verse 11 and 12, please? Verse 11 and 12, for which I was appointed a preacher and a apostle and teacher, which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed for I know whom I have believed that I'm convinced that he's able to guard until the day what has been entrusted to me. Thank you. Amen. Thank you, Rupa. So here, you know, Paul is again stating his calling to the Gentiles. And he's saying that, you know, this gospel is so much so precious, so worthy, so much worthy of even just laying down our very lives for it. And he's saying that is what I've been doing all of my life, preaching it, teaching it, because it is so priceless. It is so great. It has such great eternal significance. And then he goes on in verse 12 to say, you know, for this reason, I suffer these things. So he's telling Timothy that, you know, a Christian life or a life of a believer or a servant of God is not, you know, exempt from suffering, hardships, oppositions, persecutions, difficulties, challenges, you know, it's all part and parcel of receiving the blessings, the eternal hope that we have, the eternal blessings, experiencing it even now, but also it comes along with hardships, difficulties, challenges and persecutions. And he's saying, you know, look at me, you know, why am I in prison? Not because I'm an evil man or I've done evil things or bad things. But he's saying, you know, I'm in prison now suffering because of the gospel. And he says, but I am not ashamed of the gospel. And we also read in verse eight, you know, how Paul encouraged Timothy not to be ashamed of the gospel he tells him in verse eight, therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord nor me, his prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings of the gospel, according to the power of God. So he's looked at how, you know, Paul is saying that even in that time of persecution and difficulty and challenge, he's experiencing the power of God. So I remember I said, we don't only experience the power of God when we are preaching or teaching or doing evangelism or, you know, praying for a sick person or, you know, trying to flow in a manifest, it gives the spirit. We also experience the power of God when we go through sufferings and challenges and difficulties and persecution. Okay. And then Paul goes on to, you know, make his own statement of why he is not ashamed to suffer for the sake of the gospel. Now, the obvious reason why he's not ashamed of suffering for the gospel is the fact that, you know, Paul is, you know, already feels empowered supernaturally by the Holy Spirit. He is, he's all he's already said that, you know, that the grace of God is available, the power of God is available. He knows that. But he also states two additional reasons why he is not ashamed to suffer for the sake of the gospel. The first reason he gives is he says, I know whom I have believed, which means he's saying that, you know, I have believed in Jesus, the Savior. And, you know, like he has mentioned in verse one and verse two, he says the Savior, who is Jesus Christ, he's a source of all grace, mercy and truth. And, and like he has just mentioned in, in verse, you know, in verse 10, where he says, you know, the Savior has, you know, has given me life and immortality, the promise of life, eternal life, the zoe life, and immortality. And the second thing he says is that he says, I not only believe that, you know, Jesus Christ is a Savior, that he's a source of all grace, mercy and truth, that he has given him the promise of life and immortality. But he says, you know, the second reason he says is he says that he knows he is able to keep what I have committed to him. That means he's saying that, you know, I have entrusted, I have given, you know, Jesus or God, you know, committed some things to them, entrusted to keep, asked them to keep some things. And I know that, you know, it will be guarded, it will be protected, and they're able to keep what I have committed to him. So he says he's, he's very sure that, you know, God is able to protect, to save God, to keep what he has committed to him until that day, and what has all committed to God, to protect, to save God, to keep his very life, eternal life that he has received, as a result of his encounter on the road to Damascus, he says, I have placed my life in his hands. And he says, I know that this God is more than worthy, more than able to keep what I have entrusted to him. Now we can look at this verse in in two ways. It can be rendered in two ways. And both these ways can be true. One way of looking at it is that God is able to guard what has been committed by me to him. So even as you entrust a very life to God, your eternal life is salvation to him, he is more than able to guard, to protect, to save God, to keep what you have committed to him, and is also able to guard what has been committed to me by him. So whatever God has given us to God, you know, whether it's the gospel, the truth of the gospel, the doctrines in the gospel, you know, the how to manifest the gifts of the spirit, the food, the spirit, all that has the treasures of the mysteries, the revelations of the truth in God's word, that God has entrusted to us, even what he has entrusted to us, he is able to protect, save God, and to keep, you know, what he has given to us, and also what we have given to him. So isn't that wonderful that even as, you know, God has given us all of these things, as the sources of gospel is true, these doctrines, the revelations from his word, the gifts of the spirit that, you know, we don't have to protect it and guard it, he is able to empower us to strengthen us, enable us to guard, to protect, to keep these truths, these revelations, and to teach it in the right way, so that people are edified and strengthened. So this is so amazing about the God that we serve, that he just does not call us and give us a purpose and leave us on our own to do what we are supposed to do. But he gives us the divine grace that we need, the divine enablement, the divine empowerment, the strength, the favor, the wisdom, and also is able to guard and protect, so that we don't, you know, diverse from the truth, we don't go off in another way, another angle, and also don't use the gifts that he is giving to us to misuse it, which will be a great hindrance for his kingdom. Okay, so this is why, you know, the two reasons that he gives that he is not ashamed to suffer for the sake of the gospel. Verse 13, can somebody read verse 13, please? Hold fast, depending on the sound words, which you have heard from me, in faith and love, which are in Christ Jesus. Amen. So he's saying, you know, continuing to talk about what he has already spoken in first Timothy, you know, the one reason that Paul has assigned Timothy to Ephesus is to protect the church from all kinds of false teachers, false teachings. And we saw this even as we studied first Timothy. But secondly, we also learned in first Timothy chapter four, verses 122, where Paul is telling a warning Timothy that, you know, that there are seducing spirits. And these seducing spirits are giving rise to false doctrines and teach teachings. And these seducing spirits and demons are actually infiltrating the church through the leaders who are Jews, and to their own teachings, their false teachings, you know, they've been seduced, and they're seducing others and they're leading them away from the faith. And then Paul is reminding Timothy, again, he's coming back to the core topic, the core main point of what, you know, he wants Timothy to focus on. And he says, you know, Timothy, stay with the teachings that you have received, what you have learned from your childhood, from your mother, your grandmother, from what you have heard me teach, and you have learned the doctrines, the truths, stay with those, don't digress, don't move away, you know, just teach what is necessary to be taught the truth, the right doctrines. And then he says something very important. He says, walk in faith and love in Christ Jesus. Okay. So Timothy's faithfulness has to be tempered with faith and love is faithfulness to teaching the gospel, the truths, the doctrines, faithfulness of living his own life has to be tempered with faith and love, which are in Christ Jesus. Now, some people, you know, take God's word and consider it some as only something that is an intellectual matter. And they leave out faith and love, but faith and love basically, you know, describes how the truth has to be held, how, you know, we hold on to the doctrines, the truth, the revelations in God's word have to be hold held on with faith and love. If you hold it in faith, you know, truly believing it and putting our lives on it. And we, you know, then we whatever challenges that we face, whatever difficulties, you know, we will just hold on to these truths, this, and this revelations from God's word, these doctrines, because we just believe it 100%. And we just put our lives on it, we willing to even give up our lives for the truth, because of the faith that we have, that this God's truth, this is His word, this is His revelation. And we hold it in love. When we hold it in love, you know, we do not become proud that we are super spiritual, that we know things more than others, you know, or, you know, it doesn't bring about a sense of spiritual pride, spiritual arrogance, looking down on others, talking down on others, making fun of others, and also will not bring us to a place where we will seek a superiority, a self seeking superiority, where we think we are better than others, we are more spiritual. For example, you know, let the Pharisees in Jesus time, you know, they were so committed to holding on to certain teachings and rituals, and they would do everything they would dress in that way, they would, you know, come to the temple, they would pray aloud, you know, the corner of the street, they would just pray and all of those things. But if you really look at their actions, there was no fruit in their life, there was no faith, there was no love that was evident in their lives, they had no love for people, and their whole religiosity or their, you know, their actions, their way of doing things did not bring about faith in God, they did not have faith in God, and that's why, sorry, that is why, you know, they didn't even, were not even able to recognize who the Messiah was, they failed to put their faith and trust in Jesus. So, you know, if one thinks that they are faithful to the truth, you know, you can hold on to the truth and you can become, come to a point where you become so legalistic, you know, rather than showing faith and love, which, you know, it's like nothing, and what does Jesus call them? He calls them, you know, these whitewashed tombs that look so beautiful on the outside, but inside is just decay and dead bones and, you know, dust. So it's important that even as we hold on to the truths, you know, we hold it on in faith and in love, which are in Christ Jesus, and we see that even in Jesus' life, you know, he held on to the truth, he knew scripture very well, but he was compassionate, he was gracious, he was merciful, and when they said the law required us to do this, this, this with this woman, what do you say, what did Jesus do, you know, if you, anyone without sin, take the first stone and throw it, and then he says, you know, everyone is gone, he says, either do I condemn you, go and live your life free from sin? So we see that, you know, how did Jesus' truth of the scripture translate in his life, there was fruit, okay, it showed itself in faith, he had total faith in his father, and what his father is asking him to do, say where he wants to go. So that's why he kept on saying, I only do what my father says, I only go where my father asked me to go, I only say what my father asked me to say, and we also see his faith translated in his relationship with the father and also love for people through which he manifested the love of God, the father, and also, you know, showed what faith is. So that is what the truth of the gospel, the word of God should do in our lives, it should not just bring about legalistic ritualism, you know, to a point where we're becoming so ritualistic, and that was so sad for the Jews, you know, they became so ritualistic, in following the rules and laws that they had no faith in God, and they had no love, and that's why God says, I will remove that heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh, and I will write my laws upon your heart and mind and the Holy Spirit will cause you to obey it out of love and out of faith. Okay, any questions so far? Well, are you able to understand? Any questions? Okay, I'll take the quiet with for a no. Okay, so we'll move on to verse 14. Can one of you please read 14, please? That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in you. Amen. Amen. Thank you, Stephanie. So he has Paul is telling Timothy, you know, what he needs to guard, he needs to guard what has been committed to him. This is something that he's already told him in 1st Timothy chapter six verse 20. Remember, he says, God, what was committed to your trust, and he says, you can guard what is committed to your trust, or you know, what is committed to you with the help of the Holy Spirit. So he's basically encouraging Timothy, you know, giving him examples of how he has been living his own life, how has, you know, Paul guarded what God has called him to even his very calling, you know, he's faced so much of persecution and shipwreck and beatings and sloggings and all of those things. But why was he so committed? Because, you know, he knows that, you know, to whom he has committed his life, and he is able to guard what he has committed. And also that, you know, Paul is able to go about doing ministry because the one who has committed him the task, has given him the task, is able to guard and protect and safeguard him. And that is the assurance that, you know, Paul has had. So he has been able to, you know, guard what God has given to him, you know, the truth in the gospel, the doctrines, his calling to the Gentiles. Even in the midst of persecution and difficulties, why? Because to the enabling power of the Holy Spirit, because it is the Holy Spirit has got himself who's enabling him, guarding him, protecting him, safeguarding him to, you know, to fulfill what he's calling his purposes by giving him the grace that is required. So we need to, coming back to the same thing, you know, reiterating it, because this is so important for us, you know, each one of us have a calling and a purpose, and sometimes we think we are, you know, we are left alone, God is not responding, we can't see God working, God moving, we just feel like quitting, but just know that the grace of God comes along with his, you know, calling and his purpose, because that is what his word says. And that is the reality in Paul's life, and he's trying to reiterate this truth and tell this to Timothy himself, and this is a powerful truth that we can remind ourselves as well. So he's saying that, you know, even as the Holy Spirit is the one who guides us into all truth, like we read in John chapter 14 and John chapter 16, when Jesus teaches his disciples who the Holy Spirit is, he says he will guide you into all truth. So, you know, the same way that we need the power of the Holy Spirit to guard the word within us, we need the Holy Spirit's anointing, we need his guidance to guard what, you know, he has deposited in us. So even as you have been deposited with so much of learnings the last three years and all through your life, the so many past years of your life, you know, asked the Holy Spirit to guard, you know, what is there to remind you of these truths, to speak these truths, to, you know, to give you that the right truth, the right revelation, to speak when, where, you know, which season of life to whom, when to preach it. So, you know, just ask for the Holy Spirit's guidance and anointing so that you can, you know, preserve this truth and walk in this truth, live this truth and also teach it in faith and truth, okay? Elisha says, by the power of the Holy Spirit or the Holy Ghost, we preserve the faith of the fathers that has been handed to us. Yes. And we also preserve the truth of the word of God. You know, we preserve the gospel, the truth, the doctrines in God's word. It's only through his guidance and through his anointing. If you look at 1 John chapter 2 verses 20 and 27, it tells us, you know, it's the anointing within that will teach us what is right and wrong. I'm just, you know, mentioning these things because we don't have time to go into all of the scripture passages, but it will be good to read 1 John chapter 2 verses 20 and verse 27 where it says the anointing within us, you know, what is the anointing, right? Anointing is basically the presence of the power of the Holy Spirit is what will teach us what is right and wrong and also help us to teach God's word. Verse 15 and then was, can somebody please read verses 15 to verse 18 please. Does he know that all those in Asia have turned away from you from service then? Can I read? Yeah, go ahead, Kong. We can hear you now. Okay. Does he know that all those in Asia have turned away from me from from among whom are fake alias and how much he is at the Lord Grand Mercy to the household of on me for this, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chain, but when he arrived in Chrome, he sought me out very zealously and found me. The Lord granted him that he may find mercy from the Lord in that day and you know very well how many, how many ways he ministered me at Ephesus. Amen. Thank you, Kong. So here, you know, Paul, you know, it from his writing, we can know that many believers in Asia Minor have deserted him or abandoned him, you know, abandoned their friendship, their association with Apostle Paul because of his imprisonment. They were scared that, you know, now because he's in chains, because the gospel then, you know, Nero who's already persecuting the Christians will find out about his fellow co-workers, fellow laborers and friends and also have them imprisoned. So many of them abandoned their friendship with Paul and it was very heartbreaking for Paul, you know, and he mentions two of them, Phycilius and Hermogenes and he says, you know, he mentions these two names, men who seem to have abandoned their friendship with Paul. We do not know anything much about these two but only these names. Maybe, you know, Timothy knew them well and so he he's specifically mentioning it or writing it to Timothy. So it's no wonder, you know, that Paul firmly is encouraging Timothy not to be ashamed of speaking of the gospel, ashamed of being identified with the Lord Jesus Christ, teaching the gospel or sharing about the Lord Jesus Christ or even being associated with Paul, even as he has mentioned this in the preceding verses and in the previous letter that he has written. And then he talks about Onesiferous, you know, and he says, Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiferous. Now this name Onesiferous is not mentioned elsewhere but, you know, it's a wonderful thing what this man has done for somebody like Paul or somebody in chains, somebody who's going to difficulties and challenges. So he mentions, you know, what Onesiferous has done for him. He says, you know, he ministered to Paul when Paul was at Ephesus, you know, when Paul was at Rome. He came to Rome, he looked out for Paul, he searched for him, he found him out in Rome and he's often refreshed Paul and he says that, you know, Onesiferous is one of them who's not ashamed of, you know, knowing Paul or identifying with him even as Paul is in chains. So Onesiferous, even though we do not know much about him, you know, a wonderful example for us to follow, you know, even as we are believers in the body of Christ, how we need to relate to other believers, to other saints in the body of Christ, you know, how we need to minister to them, you know, if you know that they have left church, they've gone away, they moved away, how we can keep in touch with them, connect with them, you know, refresh people who are going through difficulties and challenges, how we can support them and when they are being persecuted, how we can help them out, identify with them and, you know, be a support system to them, okay. So Onesiferous is a good example, something that we can also follow and invite as believers in Christ, okay. The key takeaway for this chapter one is, you know, verse eight, do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor me, his prisoner, but share with me the sufferings of the Gospel according to the power of God. So basically, do not be ashamed to witness the Gospel, to teach Christ or to make him know, okay. So that is 1st Timothy chapter one, anyone has any thoughts, any inputs you'd like to add, any questions, anything that you all didn't understand and you want me to explain again, you could ask, yes, say. Yes, Master, thank you. Just clarity again more on, was Paul just making a prayer for Onesiferous when he said, may the Lord grant that he will find mercy from the Lord on that day. I presume he's talking about the rapture, the day of rapture. Was it just a prayer or was it a declaration of what he wanted the Lord to do for him when he appears? Yeah, I think you could look at it in both ways, you know. Paul already knows that Onesiferous was a believer and that what is the hope that he has on the day of when the Lord Jesus will come because he's been speaking about that in the preceding verses. He's talking about the hope that we have with the mortality, so he's adding that in here and also it could be, you know, yes, just that hope that along with him, Onesiferous also has the same hope and also it could be a prayer that he has or this great anticipation that they are all going to see each other on that the day of the Lord. Yes. Thank you pastor. Another question is I see here, you know, in verse 16 again, he says, may the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiferous. Does this go to show that there is more to mercy than just forgiveness? In the body of Christ we've mainly said, oh mercy is pardoned for an offense while grace is empowerment. In other words, what you do not deserve likened to a law court basically, but it seems to be that there is still more to mercy in terms of maybe Paul was here saying God showed the household of Onesiferous. In other words, give them an advantage. I don't know if that's right to say that there is more to mercy than just pardoned for offenses that we can actually cry out for the mercy of God for giving us an advantage, sparing us from harm. I'm just wondering, what do you think? Yeah, it's a good thought. It could mean also yes, a grand mercy in the sense, you know, to the household of Onesiferous because maybe they're already believers. So they've also received forgiveness of sins and salvation. Mercy could also mean a blessing, you know, just the blessing of God to be upon them which comes because of God's grace and his mercy upon our life. We don't inherit blessings because of the works that we do and Paul has, you know, elaborated on this in various of his episodes and he knows where we stand in terms of grace and mercy compared to where we stand in works because that is what the Jews were looking for. But so it could mean here mercy in terms of, you know, the Lord bless the household of Onesiferous and may he receive God's blessing, not because of what he is doing, because of his works, because he's going around refreshing someone like Paul, but because of his, not because of his works, but because of the grace of God that is upon each one of our lives. It could also be seen in that way. Did that help, Sey? Yes, Pasta. Thank you. Thank you, Pasta. Thank you. Yes. Thank you Sey. Yes, Divya. Thank you. Thank you, Pasta. I just wanted to share something that's related to verse 12 here, which says, I trust the one to whom I'm interested, right? So where Paul says, I'm not ashamed of the Gospel. So we can see Paul says, there's even in Romans 1 and I love that verse very much where he says, I'm not ashamed of the Gospel for it is a power of God, the salvation of everyone who believes. Yeah, so it's very beautiful to see the different perspectives that Paul brings in for not to be ashamed of the Gospel. Many times we hold back, you know, from sharing the Gospel to others, thinking that, oh, like, as we are in the center of it, but the Gospel is the center. It should be the center when we preach it. And yes, it has the power for the salvation of everyone who believes. And also, yeah, it's so beautiful as Paul brings it here. Like, he completely trusts the God to whom he is entrusted. So yeah, if we take it in that perspective as you shared, Pasta Salina, as you said, like the two ways of looking at it, yeah. But if I take it in this way, yeah, it's very beautiful. Thank you. Yes. Thank you so much, Divya. Yes, Paul mentions the righteous in Romans chapter one verse 16. I'm not ashamed of the Gospel because the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes. Yes, you know, just his love for the Gospel because it has such a prominent place in his life, what it has done. You know, Paul thought he was a very zealous, a very religious Jew. He was doing everything according to what God required of him, you know, but when he encountered, you know, Jesus in the road to Damascus, it brought about a different enlightenment altogether that all of his religiosity, all of his zealousness for, you know, the Torah was actually, you know, filled with pride and self-arrogance. It was something based on works, but you know, just looking at the very life of Jesus, that it's not by works, but it's by grace through faith was something that has caught him and the power of that Gospel, which for which he is, you know, he just speaks about it, he lives for it, he's even willing to die for it. Yes, very true. So, Elisha says, in our time, ministers of the Gospel do not face similar persecutions as in the early church. How do we practicalize these wonderful affirmations of onusiferous to ministers of the Gospel in our time? Yes, if you look at in our country, there is a lot of persecution that is happening now for two Christians, pastors and church people as well. So, you know, this can apply in our Indian context because we are facing it. I know it's not so persecution is not broken out in various other countries as well, but you know, we can look at it in the context of how when people go through difficult challenges and struggles because standing up for the truth in the Gospel, like not paying bribes or, you know, not taking bribes or, you know, speaking the truth to the extent where even, you know, they can be put into prison and all of those things. So, how do we enable, help them, strengthen them, help them out? Or even if they go through challenges, people go through various challenges in our church context, believers, small challenges, big challenges, people who lost their loved ones, their husbands, their, their spouse, their children, you know, how we can, you know, strengthen them, help them, people who have left the church because, you know, people have hurt them or said something that is not, should have not been said or treated them in the wrong way, but how we can connect back to them, get back and, you know, get them back to church or how we can minister to their lives, you know, can all be something that we can follow the example of onusiflis. Did that help Elisha? Yeah. Okay, we'll come back after break. It's time for a break and we'll, I'll just read out what Asha has written her takeaways and then we'll continue on with Second Timothy chapter two. Okay, we'll meet you after break. Thank you, everyone.