2 Timothy 2

I'm teaching Sunday school this Sunday . I probably teach in my own class around once a month, and then in other adult classes every so often. This Sunday is one of those "every so often" Sundays. When I teach my own class, if I don't like the lesson topic in the regular literature, I just pick something else. It's a great freedom, and I like the variety this gives to the structure of the class. I have noticed, however, that this very freedom allows me to pick and choose what I teach -- when something looks too challenging or hard, I can just ignore it.

I don't get this same freedom when I teach other classes. They expect the teacher to follow the curriculum. Sometimes that means I have to work harder than I would like. Sometimes that means that I have to tackle subjects that I don't feel equipped to teach. For example, several years ago I was asked to teach about sexual purity to a class of 70-80-90 year old women. They were very sweet, but I would have picked a different topic if I had my "druthers."

This weeks lesson in the Adult Bible Studies literature is 2 Timothy 2, with an emphasis on 2 Timothy 2:14-26. Usually, as I prepare a lesson, it starts to "gel" for me -- everything falls into an outline of sorts, and it start to make sense. So far, not happening. I thought I would spend some time in this post listing impressions and questions to see if that helps:

• We do try to avoid controversy in the church. We don't handle it well. As church members, we have pretty high standards for each other. It is a church, and we expect people to be nice. We don't always have this expectation in the secular world, but we do in our sacred world. When people disappoint us in this area in church, we are more hurt than we would be normally.
• How do we decide what is a silly, waste of time argument, and issues where we need to stand our ground? For me, whether to applaud or not in a worship service quickly develops into a senseless controversy. I have seen this issue, however, deeply resonate with people. Dare I compare this to the parenting axiom, "Pick your battles?"
• I really like in the teacher's manual when the author says, "It was not a matter of winning an argument; it was about winning others for the gospel." He also says that, "It is not enough simply for a Christian leader to be right; the leader must show forth the character of Jesus Christ at the same time. The goal of the Christian is not to win an argument, but to extend God's salvation to all."
• Paul warns against false teachers. He compares false teaching to gangrene -- rotting of the flesh. False teaching was causing believers to fall away from their faith. As a teacher, I need to pay special attention to this.
• He talks about "profane chatter." "This is foolish talk that probably sounded religious but whose fruit was a growing impeity rather than the desired growth in such godly virtures as faith , hope and love." I like the advice given here -- to judge "chatter" by its fruits.
• Paul advises Timothy to lead a holy life. What does this mean? What does a holy life look like?

More thoughts to be thought and hopefully a lesson will emerge.