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22nd July 2025
TuesdayReflection
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Joel Dorman
Teaching the Scriptures, leading the church
"Knowledge is Not Enough "
2 Timothy 2:15
"I not only want to bring the Bible to life,
but to your life."
I'm not sure where I first picked this up, but I've said it so much that it certainly feels like mine.
It stays in front of my eyes when I'm doing sermon preparation or writing blogs.
Part of my goal is bringing the Bible to life.
To ensure my readers don't feel the Word of God is dusty and flat, but alive, breathing, and moving.
I want them to shiver in the cold as a young, scared girl named Mary wrapped strips of cloth around the olive-skinned, black-haired Son of God lying in her arms.
I want them to smell the freshly cut palm branches on Jesus' triumphant entry to Jerusalem as the thunderous crowd shout and sang praise to the Lord as the Son of God rode into town on a floppy-eared, knocked-kneed donkey.
Yes, I want to bring the Bible to life.
But that's only half the battle.
We as teachers of Scripture MUST also bring the Bible to YOUR life.
We must help show you how to walk out the truth of God's word.
One could say 2 Timothy 2:15 serves as my "life verse for preaching and teaching".
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.
2 Timothy 2:15 NIV
This verse is probably familiar to long-time Christians.
But when we actually see the verse as the Holy Spirit inspired the Apostle Paul to write it to young Timothy, we find valuable insight and focus.
We handle the holy truth of God's word wholly.
We are careful, honest, and sound in our handling of Scripture.
We straighten out confusion instead of adding to it.
We bring the clarity of God's word into the fog bank of life.
An approved worker for the Lord is not one tearing up and wrecking.
Nor is an approved worker a theological junkyard dog chasing after every errant word someone might say.
Instead, it is sure confidence in the truth of God's Word who keeps his or her eyes on the prize.
Herein lies another application questions:
How best do we present ourselves to God?
Is Paul telling Timothy to gain more education?
More knowledge? More experience?
Maybe. But not primarily.
When we keep 2 Timothy 2:15 in the context of this paragraph, chapter, and letter we see this is part of the antidote to false teaching going on in Timothy's assignment in Ephesus.
It wouldn't be Timothy's knowledge, wits, personality, or education (alone) turning the tide of false teaching.
Instead, it would be what the false teachers couldn't argue with:
Timothy's own changed life.
Presenting ourselves to God, dear one in Jesus, isn't about how many degrees you have.
It isn't about how much Bible knowledge you have.
It isn't about how much experience you have.
It's about the life that has been changed by the power of the Holy Spirit.
The Apostle Paul was teaching Timothy - and I believe he's teaching us today - what an old poem by Edgar Guest says:
I'd rather see a sermon than hear one any day.
><(((°>
Un-edited version avaiable, on request
Joel Dorman
I'm the Lead Pastor at Summit Church in Merced.
My primary responsibilities are teaching the Scriptures, leading the church,
casting the vision for The Great Commandment and Great Commission,
and developing leaders for the next level in their ministry.
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