Commentaries:
As the elect of God, we must put on or clothe ourselves with longsuffering. By doing this in unity as a church, we rid ourselves of, or at least dramatically reduce, friction. To be loving and effective, a minister must correct, rebuke, and encourage with longsuffering.
Martin G. Collins
Longsuffering
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Preaching is not bound to what time of the year it is. If somebody needs the instruction, it should be given! Normally, we would not speak about the evils of Christmas during July, but if it is necessary, we should preach it. If we need to talk about the Feast of Tabernacles during the spring holy days, we should do it! We have to be ready at all times, armed, as it were, to speak about anything that pertains to God's Word and His way of life at any time. A preacher should always give instruction when it is needed, not just when it is routinely given by others.
Richard T. Ritenbaugh
Itching Ears
Paul gives Timothy a great deal to think about and to do. Notice, though, that he ends with a warning that false teachers and false gospels are inevitable. As time goes on, as he said earlier, things will get worse and worse.
We must be especially careful of this these days because Jesus tells us that, as the end approaches, it will get really bad! Those things will wax, not wane, as the end comes. And in our information society, not only have there been more bad things, but they are coming at us faster and faster. It is hard to keep up with all the false teachings, heresies, and strange ideas. And those are just what are in the church, and not what comes from Protestantism, Catholicism, New Age, or whatever!
The Internet has been a blessing and curse, just for that reason. It is wonderful for transmitting information—especially if it is the truth, but it is damnable for transmitting error. All "media" are. Any kind of media can be used wrongly. The two biggest users on the Internet are, on the one hand, pornographers, and on the other, churches. Is that not crazy? It shows how bad the times are, and how we have to be prepared to face these things, show the error of falsehood, and explain the truth. It is not easy in these times to be a true minister of God, because things are coming at us from right and left at 190 mph.
Richard T. Ritenbaugh
Itching Ears
The New King James Version puts an exclamation point after "preach the word." That is an emphatic command. That is what a true minister is to do—that is his job. Preach the Word!
Richard T. Ritenbaugh
Itching Ears
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