We have been studying the life of Timothy and then the book of 1st Timothy. That book was written by Paul after his first incarceration in Rome. 5-6 years later Paul was again in prison in Rome. This time he was in a cell and the prospects of being executed soon were very real.
He mentions in 2nd Timothy he was lonely. Demas had deserted him. Others had gone elsewhere on assignments. Only Luke was with him. He wanted Timothy to come to him so they could refresh each other one more time.
Reading over the book a number of times I decided to do a “Focus and Amplify” study of the whole book. Usually I use that study approach for a chapter or a shorter section of a book, but I concluded it would work well for our study of the whole book of 2nd Timothy.
I determined that a fitting title for the focus of the book would be, Passing the Baton in the Relay Race of Life. As a key verse I chose 2nd Timothy 4:7, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
As I reflected further over the content of the book I decided that the first chapter could be titled: Keeping the faith. The second chapter: Running the race. The third chapter: Fighting the good fight. Chapter four would focus on passing the baton on to your mentoree.
Over the next few weeks we will amplify this basic outline further. I trust you will be able to join us in this study so that you will more effectively fight the good fight, keep the faith and run your part in the relay race of life so well that you and your fellow Christians can finish the race as winners.
