Missions Paul

It is always about His presence.

Life can be lived differently to what the world offers. It can be lived in the truth that God is with us. When we know this then we are anchored in something unshakeable.

“The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you all.” (2 Timothy 4 v 22)

So what can these final words say to us today?

Our greatest need isn’t for God to change our circumstances or to use us in a situation. Paul knows the deepest need is for God to be present in our very essence. Echoing Jesus’ final words of ‘I will be with you’ Paul’s thoughts are on the presence of the Lord in our lives as being of the most importance. If Timothy is going to make it as a leader in difficult circumstances then the one thing Paul prays for him is the only thing that matters and that is the Lord.

The only thing that matters for your life today is knowing that He is with you.

But then see a slight shift in these last words. Paul knows that Timothy will be reading this letter to the Church. “Grace be with you all.” Paul’s desire is for everyone, Timothy, the leader, the mature and the immature, the faith-filled and the doubter, those marching as saints and those who are hobbling away from sin, to know the unmerited favour of the Lord, grace.

Paul’s final words weren’t just a sign-off. They were visionary words of how life can be lived. With the presence of the Lord then we’re anchored in something unshakeable. When grace surrounds our communities then we can extend to others what we’ve received.

So the last words of 2 Timothy aren’t really an ending. They’re a beginning, an invitation to live blessed and to be a blessing, to experience the Lord’s presence personally and to extend grace to all.

And with that – the New Testament devotions are finished. Every verse written about. Yet I know I’ve only skimmed the service of the treasure that is here in the gospels and the first-century church. I will return often. But now I turn to the Old Testament. Thank you for staying with me. I write for my own soul knowing there are others, like you, reading also. Knowing I am encouraging you in some way is the greatest gift I receive in return.

Not everyone leaves. Some stay with you.

Paul chooses to end with something beautiful; personal greetings from friends.

“Eubulus greets you, and so do Pudens, Linus, Claudia and all the brothers and sisters.” (2 Timothy 4 v 21)

Let’s look at these names who decided to stay.

Eubulus – His name means “good counsellor.” In Paul’s darkest hour, this man remained, did he live up to his name as a source of wisdom and support to Paul?

Pudens – Tradition suggests he was a Roman senator who converted to Christianity. Imagine the courage it took for a member of Rome’s elite to associate with a prisoner such as Paul. Is tradition correct?

Linus – Tradition identifies him as the second Bishop of Rome after Peter. Here we see early church leadership taking shape, continuity being established, even as the apostolic era was ending. Is tradition correct?

Claudia – A woman’s name in a male-dominated world, yet Paul mentions her equally alongside the men. The early church was revolutionary in its inclusion, and Claudia represents the vital role women played in sustaining the faith. What was her exact role?

The Community – All the brothers and sisters. The church wasn’t defined by those who left, but by those who stayed.

These greetings remind us that even in our darkest moments, we’re often more loved and supported than we realise. For Timothy, receiving the letter, it would have been enormously encouraging to know that Paul had companions in his final days.

These weren’t famous people. Sometimes the most powerful ministry we can offer is simply remembering – and helping others feel remembered.

As Paul faced death, he chose to end not with grand theological statements, but with love expressed through the simple act of remembering friends. These greetings remind us that Christianity is fundamentally relational. It’s not just about doctrine or duty, but about real people choosing to love and support each other through the darkest times.

Paul has already told Timothy that he is being poured out like a drink offering and that the time of his execution (his ‘departure’) is very close. He now calls for him to come to him urgently.

“Do your best to get here before winter….” (2 Timothy 4 v 21)

“Timothy come quickly, come now, I need you here promptly.”

Paul likely understood that in the ancient world, winter meant more than just cold weather—it brought all travel to a complete halt. If Timothy failed to arrive before the harsh season began, he wouldn’t be able to make the journey until spring returned. And Paul sensed he wouldn’t live to see another spring.

In a broader sense, winter is perpetually approaching. Not always the winter of death, but seasons of lost chances, unspoken words, and delayed presence that stretches too long.

How often do we act as though the people we cherish will always be available to us? We defer the visit, postpone the call, avoid the hard conversation. We behave as though everyone important to us will remain accessible tomorrow, next month, years from now. Paul recognised a deeper truth. He grasped that love must work within time’s boundaries, and his time was dwindling.

This sense of urgency extends beyond mortality, though death certainly brings it into sharp focus. It reflects the truth that every relationship unfolds within distinct seasons. Children mature and establish their own lives. Parents grow older and require more care. Friends face crises that can’t wait for our schedule to clear.

Paul’s appeal strikes us so deeply because of its precision. He didn’t simply say “visit when possible” but “arrive before winter.” Before the opportunity vanishes. Before conditions make it unreachable. Before the moment passes forever.

History doesn’t tell us whether Timothy succeeded in reaching Rome before Paul’s death. Yet the very request reveals something essential about love’s character: it carries sacred urgency because it recognises how easily opportunities can slip away.

Who requires your presence before their winter arrives? The moment to act is now.

I didn’t intend to have a little series on ‘where have your friends gone’ in approaching the last of Paul’s writings before he was executed. If I hadn’t then I would have entitled this something like, ‘even the greatest apostle couldn’t heal everyone.’

“… and I left Trophimus sick in Miletus.” (2 Timothy 4 v 20)

Trophimus was with Paul on his third missionary journey (Acts 20). He was with Paul in the Jerusalem riot (Acts 21). However, this devoted companion of this great apostle who had risked his own life for the gospel is left behind. He hasn’t walked away from the gospel or Paul. He hasn’t been unfaithful. He was left behind due to illness.

Paul the miracle worker who had handkerchiefs placed on him and then taken to the sick to be made well. Paul the miracle worker who did “extraordinary miracles” (Acts 19) Paul had the gift of healing. But when it came to his faithful friend and ministry partner, healing didn’t come.

It reminds us that:

• Healing isn’t earned.
• Healing is according to what God is purposing.
• Healing isn’t a science nor does it need explaining when it doesn’t happen.
• Paul doesn’t try and explain the reason why he wasn’t healed.
• Paul doesn’t blame Trophimus for a lack of faith.
• Paul doesn’t become derailed by healing not coming.

I was thinking the last few days of a lady I met who had survived the super-typhoon Yolanda in the Philippines, in 2013. She was an amazing lady who had survived by standing under the only remaining part of her house, the door frame. I had met her in the ruins of her home and highlighting her story we raised money for a new home for her. Yesterday I heard she had died a few years ago with a stroke. I don’t understand why God saves us in a typhoon but we die from an illness later. But it isn’t something new. Paul also knew these thoughts.

We don’t know what happened to Trophimus after Paul left Miletus. Did he eventually recover? Did he die from his illness? The silence is itself instructive. Not every story has a neat resolution. Not every prayer receives the answer we seek. Yet God’s purposes continue to unfold, often in ways we cannot see.

Trophimus, a disciple of Christ, a ministry partner of the apostle, remaining sick, speaks loudly to so many today. This is authentic faith. A faith that remains when the healing doesn’t come.

In our desire to do great things for God, we shouldn’t overlook the importance of staying where God has placed us. I have heard more prophecies about moving than staying. I believe it is possible that some people have moved from unique positions that God has been using them in when to stay would have been better for kingdom purposes. Sometimes the most strategic thing you can do is stay exactly where God has placed you and serve Him there with all your heart.

Why do I say all that? It is an introduction to this verse:-

“Erastus stayed in Corinth…” – 2 Timothy 4:20

If this is the same Erastus as in Romans 16:23, “Erastus, the city treasurer”,  the one who sends greetings to the Roman church, then this city treasurer of Corinth is particularly significant. His position demonstrates how the early church drew converts from various social levels, including those with significant civic influence.

This is not abandonment by Erastus but it points to strategy. Corinth was a crucial commercial and cultural centre, having a mature believer of Erastus’s calibre would have been invaluable for the ongoing work of the church.

God uses people in their own contexts. Where you are right now and whatever you are doing cam be a tremendous platform for the kingdom.

God’s mission has different callings. The church needs both those who go and those who stay, both those who plant and those who water, both those who evangelise and those who establish.

God sees remaining as being faithful as well as going. Staying can be just as strategic and sacrificial as going. It takes faith to remain when opportunities elsewhere might seem more exciting.

May we all have the wisdom to know whether we’re called to go or to stay, and the faithfulness to serve wherever God has placed us.

Yesterday I noticed a whole team of people supporting their Pastor up to 2 hours before people arrived. This is not unique I know but I noticed it. Paul is at the end of his life and he is remembering friends and people who detached their friendship from him. Here are some more people whose names are familiar. The first two from Acts and the letters of Romans and 1 Corinthians and of course previously in his first letter to Timothy. It’s a simple message but clearly they hold a special place in his heart and ministry.

“Greet Priscilla and Aquila and the household of Onesiphorus.” (2 Timothy 4 v 19)

Priscilla and Aquila stand out as one of the most remarkable ministry partnerships in the New Testament. This married opened their home, their trade, and their hearts to advance the gospel. What’s striking is that Priscilla is often mentioned first – unusual for the time period – suggesting she may have been the more prominent teacher or leader between them. Those of us who support women in ministry notice these things.

The household of Onesiphorus represents another fascinating glimpse into early church life. Paul mentions in 2 Timothy 1:16-18 how Onesiphorus “was not ashamed of my chains” and “searched hard for me until he found me” in Rome. While we don’t know if Onesiphorus himself was still alive when Paul wrote these final greetings, his household clearly continued the legacy of faithfulness and service.

The brevity of this greeting doesn’t diminish its power – sometimes the shortest acknowledgments carry the deepest affection. In just a few words, Paul honours partnerships that shaped eternity.

We can so easily overlook some verses in the Bible and this is one of those.

Paul’s personal warmth challenges us to consider: Who are the Priscillas, Aquilas, and households of Onesiphorus in our own lives? Who has opened their home, shared their resources, or stood by us when it was costly? And perhaps more importantly, whose names might we mention with gratitude if we were writing our own final letters?

To anyone who has felt abandoned, betrayed, or alone in their struggles, there is an important truth to remember: Abandonment by man doesn’t mean abandonment by God. This is the heart of what Paul says in some of his final words to Timothy.

“At my first defence, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them. But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” (2 Timothy 4 v 16-18)

Picture the scene: the great apostle, once surrounded by fellow believers and ministry partners, now standing alone in a Roman courtroom. “No one came to my support,” he writes with striking honesty. “Everyone deserted me.”

This wasn’t just any ordinary abandonment. Paul was facing his final trial, likely before Emperor Nero himself. His life hung in the balance, and those he had served, taught, and loved were nowhere to be found. The very people who had benefited from his ministry, who had seen his sacrifice and dedication, had melted away when the stakes became highest.

Yet Paul’s response reveals something extraordinary about his character and faith.

We all have experienced people walk away or not turn up when we expected they would.

What does Paul teach us?

• Pray for them. “May it not be held against them.”
• Acknowledge Him. God is in the darkness.
• Continue. God’s presence wasn’t there to comfort but to bring courage to continue, even in a courtroom, to fulfil the calling God has given you.
• Circumstances may remain. God’s deliverance sometimes means preservation through suffering rather than removal from it. “The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom.”
• Keep your eyes ahead. This life isn’t all about your escape from earth’s difficulties but rather it is all about your arrival into heaven’s glory.
• Worship. “To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” When we truly understand God’s faithfulness, even our deepest disappointments can become occasions for praise.

In the end you are never alone.

Opposition isn’t optional for followers of Jesus—it’s inevitable. Ministry and discipleship both come with their share of resistance, because opposition is woven into the fabric of life itself. Even the great Apostle Paul faced it, so we shouldn’t expect immunity.

Paul writes candidly about Alexander the metalworker: “Alexander the metalworker did me a great deal of harm. The Lord will repay him for what he has done. You too should be on your guard against him, because he strongly opposed our message” (2 Timothy 4:14-15).

In reflecting on friends—those he commissioned, those who disappointed him, and those who may never have been true friends at all—Paul offers us a masterclass in handling opposition. His approach to Alexander reveals five crucial principles:

1. Name the Reality

Paul identifies Alexander by name. Sometimes we’re so wounded that merely hearing someone’s name triggers anxiety. But naming your opposition robs it of its power over you. When you can say the name without flinching, you’ve taken back control.

2. Acknowledge the Damage

Paul doesn’t sugarcoat the impact: Alexander “did me a great deal of harm.” Minimizing hurt only keeps you trapped in it. Honest assessment is essential—the harm happened then, but it doesn’t have to harm you now.

3. Trust God’s Justice

Rather than seeking revenge, Paul entrusts Alexander to divine justice: “The Lord will repay him.” This surrender requires ultimate forgiveness—releasing the person who hurt you into God’s hands.

4. Exercise Practical Wisdom

Forgiveness doesn’t equal foolishness. Paul warns others to “be on your guard against him.” You can forgive someone completely while still protecting others from potential harm. This isn’t character assassination—it’s wisdom.

5. Keep the Bigger Picture

Paul recognizes that Alexander opposed “our message,” not just Paul personally. The apostle’s primary concern remained the gospel. Opposition should prompt us to ask: How can I respond in a way that serves the greater purpose, not just my personal interests?

When your own “Alexander the metalworker” appears, may you respond with Paul’s blend of honesty, faith, and practical wisdom.

He didn’t write letters that made it into the New Testament, plant famous churches or perform recorded miracles. He is only mentioned once. But one day Paul asked him to take care of some things for him.

Timothy is planning to visit Paul in prison.

“When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, and my scrolls, especially the parchments.” (2 Timothy 4 v 13)

Carpus, what’s your role in the grand scheme of things?

“I’m the keeper of the winter coat.”

In many ways, Carpus embodies the vast majority of Christian service throughout history. Faithful, practical, often unnoticed, but absolutely essential to the work of God’s kingdom. His brief mention reminds us that behind every great ministry are people like Carpus: reliable, trustworthy, and willing to help with whatever needs doing, even if it’s just holding onto someone’s winter coat and a few books.

At the end of his life, all Paul had left, was a cloak and a few books. Even then he had left them with a friend, perhaps because he was arrested quickly before imprisonment.

Parchments were expensive, precious items, likely containing portions of Scripture or important theological works.

At the end of his life, with his desire for these parchments and his books, we see the heart of a lifelong learner, a man whose passion for knowledge and truth never dimmed, even in the shadow of execution.

We all need friends to hold our coats.

We all need friends who can carry our books.

We all need friends to carry out the most mundane acts of service so that we can survive our difficulty and continue to grow in God.

Paul knows his time is short, we have already seen how he writes of his departure being at hand and having fought the good fight. Yet even in these desperate circumstances, his mind remains focused on the churches he has planted and the leaders he has trained.

We will now read a short sentence which gives some insight into what apostolic leadership actually is.

“I sent Tychicus to Ephesus.” – 2 Timothy 4:12

It demands the careful development and deployment of reliable leaders who can carry on the work when the founding apostle is no longer available.

It always placing the mission and the welfare of others above personal preferences, even in the most difficult circumstances.

Tychicus has appeared in Paul’s writings in places like Ephesians 6 v 21-22 and Colossians 4 v 7. He was a good friend to Paul.

Ephesus was no random assignment. Ephesus was arguably the most important church in Paul’s apostolic network, a metropolitan centre where he had invested three years of intensive ministry. The church there served as a hub for reaching the entire province of Asia Minor.

By the time of 2 Timothy, Ephesus likely faced significant challenges. False teachers were infiltrating the church (1 Timothy 1:3-7), and the spiritual climate was deteriorating. The church needed mature, tested leadership during this critical period. By sending away one of his closest and most reliable companions, Paul was choosing the needs of the church over his own comfort during his final, lonely days.

So what more can we learn?

• Send your friends. They need to be used of God as much as you. Celebrate that.
• Sacrifice for your friends and the mission. Don’t hold on to them for your own needs.
• Strategic thinking regarding your friends. What is best for them? What is best for where you are cheering them on to? Paul didn’t send Tychicus randomly but strategically placed him where his particular gifts and experience would be most effective.