2 Timothy 3:10,11 You know

2 Timothy 3:10, 11 You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings – what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them.

Paul often makes lists. Here is one containing nine items. The purpose of it is to encourage Timothy to go the same way. He begins with my teaching. Doctrine is fundamental. We must follow Paul's teaching first. Doctrine can be divorced from life, however, and so he adds my way of life and more importantly my purpose. People can adopt a certain lifestyle and not share the purpose of the one they adopted it from. Then come the Christian virtues of faith, patience, love, endurance typical of Paul and with an emphasis on keeping on keeping on. Finally persecutions and sufferings. He expands on this by reminding Timothy of the kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. By this stage the items could seem less encouraging as a to do list but Paul adds, with great exuberance, Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. This is the Christian life then - following the apostolic teaching, way of life and purpose - believing and trusting but doing so with patience, love and an enduring spirit, regardless of persecution and other sufferings. This way was known to Timothy and it was the way Paul wants him to go and the way all ministers, indeed all believers, must go if they are in Christ.