Beth Moore "Entrusted" Session 1
In our first week of studying 2 Timothy, we began to construct what Beth Moore termed a "Devine Triangulation" between three different cities:
Jerusalem - Where Jesus of Nazareth had been arrested, tried, and whipped to sheds. forced to carry a criminal's cross outside the city walls. Nailed to that wood for six hours.
- Tarsus - The hometown of Saul, a brilliant student of Jewish dispersion. Saul, seven years younger than Jesus, relocated to Jerusalem to study at an "Ivy League" school. During his study, the Galilean family of Jesus would come in and out of the city on pilgrimage.
- Lystra - This is the home of Eunice. Eunice married a Gentile and was the mother of Timothy. The name "Timothy" means "honoring God."
"Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, according to the
the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus,
To Timothy, my dear son:
"Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord."
2Timothy 1:1
In week 1, we become acquainted with Saul, who later became known as Paul.
Day 1 - We learned of his religious learning, and how he studied with the great Rabbi Gamaliel and was brought up among conservative Pharisees. (Acts 23:5; 26:5).
Paul traveled from Tarsus to Cilicia (Acts 21:39; 22:2, 3). He spoke Greek and Hebrew. We were to consider our own stories and how God could fine-tune our lives.
Day 2 - We discovered more about Saul's life. He didn't spend all of his time in religious studies but earned a living by tentmaking (Acts 18:3).
We learned about how his mentor and teacher made an impact on his life. The Great Rabbi Gamaliel was a Pharisee and served on the Great Council call the Sanhedrin.
There were many events involving the apostles and the Sanhedrin. (Acts 5:12-42).
Peter and the apostles were often asked "Why do you continue to teach about Jesus?" Their reply was that they must obey God and not man (Acts 5:28, 29). Furious with their response, the Sanhedrin wanted to have them killed until Gamaliel spoke up.
"Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it
will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men, you will only find
yourselves fighting against God." (Acts 5:38, 39).
In conclusion, Beth Moore highlights Jesus and Saul as contemporaries from different geographical origins.
In Day 3, we consider the thread of connection. Beth suggests that Saul was possibly in Jerusalem during the crucifixion of Jesus. Through cross reference, Saul's location around the time of the crucifixion is traced through his footsteps.
Based on this information, we assume that is why Saul/Paul never referenced being there in any of his letters. We read that he observed Stephen being stoned for his faith. Saul began to arrest followers and seek to destroy the Church. (Acts 9:1, 2).
The Lord Jesus, however, intervened and Saul had an encounter he would never have imagined.
"As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.
He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"
"Who are, Lord? Saul asked. "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting, he replied. "Now get
up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do." (Acts 9:3-6).
Day 4 - We fast forward to Paul's future as we considered the third city in our "Divine Triangulation."
We were introduced also to our third person, Timothy. A young man was raised by a Jewish grandmother and mother, who were both believers, and his greek father (Acts 16:1; 2 Timothy 1:5).
Paul had been to Lystra during his first missionary journey. Before he returned to Lystra for the second time, Paul split from Barnabas over a disagreement concerning Mark (Acts 15:37-39); Colossians 4:10).
Paul took on a new companion, Silas for his second missionary journey. These men soon added Timothy to accompany them on their journey.
Day 5 - We witness a budding relationship between Timothy and Paul. Before departing, Paul had Timothy circumcised.
Session 1 investigated instances of circumcision among the early Christians. A comparative analysis of their relationship to Timothy's story takes place.
As we wrap up this session, we consider key people in our lives that have been crucial and used by God to help us live into and fulfill our divine calling.
Lesson 1 is wrapped around Acts 14. Beth encourages us to remember that we were meant to be mighty and to live a life with meaning. She exhorted us to remember that we're all called to be Christian communicators by sharing our faith.
Beth challenges us to pray for God to "ramp up our effectiveness" and to gain fresh traction on our journey. We are reminded that we can't fulfill our individual callings without others. We need each other in order to be effective for God's great glory. We can't go to the next level without Faith. Faith keeps us answering the call.
Week 1 Video - click here.
Week 2 - Purpose and Grace
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