2 Timothy 4:2 –
Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching.
In Paul’s final words to Timothy, he gave him encouragement for pressing on. This verse really should talk to us all, to a point. First we must all learn God’s truth and not some false understanding. Once there we must be able to clearly explain it to someone. So we are all called to “preach” the word of God, just most of us will never do it from a pulpit. The key is being prepared to do this at any time and not be afraid to open ones mouth.
Now the next section I think gets lost in translation or gets misinterpreted. Other versions translate to “in season and out of season” which implies a different time. Now many have interpreted this as preaching from a soap box anywhere. I sometimes wonder if this is what Paul meant. I wonder how receptive people are to “some crazy guy” just talking to whomever will listen. So is this more directed towards us, as in our “season”? Think about this, if you are preaching it doesn’t matter if you are in “summer” or “winter”, you need to be prepared to share the story of Christ. So I think this is more directed towards Timothy and not the time.
I relate this to racing, we drove from SF to LA to race Riverside, I was not “feeling” it an was about to hang up my leathers, when a friend “slapped me upside my head” and reminded me we were riding motorcycle as fast as we could!! Because I listened to him the weekend was a blast. I know this does not relate to preaching, but stick with me on this. Whereas my enthusiasm was at a low I was doing something I trained to do. Much as we need to do with the Gospel, we need to share the passion even if we are not feeling it at that moment.
The last line is perfect for pastors, friends and parents alike. We hate it when people rush us or get upset when we are not on their “schedule”. Many times we talk to people about “what they should do” and expect them to act. With two young adult offspring and many friends, I have found that forcing your opinion doesn’t work all the time. What I have learned and am still learning is to be consistent and not force the issue, but remain clear. So to sum this all up, as Paul says in verse 7 we must “fight the good fight!”