Finishing Strong

Minister’s Letter – 23 August 2026

Friends in Christ, we’ve just finished working our way through Paul’s Second Letter to Timothy at Choral Evensong from 5:15pm on Monday and Thursdays evenings. 

Courtesy of the Bible App!

On Monday people heard Paul’s famous words to Timothy: fight the good fight, finish the race, keep the faith (2 Tim 4:7)! Tonight with the last section (2 Tim 4:9-22), we reflect on how to finish well; how to make it to the end of the marathon that is the Christian life! And we asked if you can learn anything from the long list of obscure names and incidental personal details. 

Firstly in in vv9-11, we saw Paul on his own. I think he sounds lonely. All through his ministry Paul had co-workers around. Now he’s under house arrest, facing the death sentence, with only Luke nearby. 

Worse still, one of the blokes who’d left was a deserter. Demas walked out on Paul because he loved the world. Presumably it promised an easier life. And vv14-15show there’s outright opposition. Alexander the metalworker was harming gospel preachers. And v16 says no Christians in Rome had the courage to come to court with Paul.

All Christians, not just preachers, will endure hardship (2 Tim 3:12). If you want to finish strong, you’ve got to be realistic about this. Maybe you can minimise some suffering. But you can’t avoid it all. 

But secondly, Paul finishes strongly with people work. Some people portray Paul as a hard-headed, task-oriented, doctrine warrior. Interested in ideas, not people. Nothing could be further from the truth. Look how many people he happily mentions by name in this final section. From v10… Crescens, Titus, Luke, Mark, Tychicus, Carpus; from v19, Priscilla and Aquila, Onesiphorus, Erastus, Trophimus, Eubulus, Pudens, Linus, and Claudia. Fifteen individuals to greet. Or catch up with. Or commend… Never oppose Bible-work to people-work.  

Christian life and ministry is people. The church is people. Not the sandstone. Friends, you won't survive as a Christian without brothers and sisters in the Lord, loving you and you loving them through all the ups and downs. Yes, you can do some things via email and social media. But you see how much Paul longs for personal presence. V9. “Do your best to come to me soon.” V11… And get Mark! 

Ministry is personal. Christians need to visit. You need to phone. You need to show up.

Christian people, we make it stronger to the end, together. 

Then thirdly, Paul wants to finish – with books! Look at v13; bring my scrolls, especially the parchments. He’s so human. He feels the cold. He also needs books. Maybe legal papers for his court case. More likely, books for study, for reading and writing, maybe left behind when arrested. Charles Spurgeon says:

Paul had a few books which were left, perhaps wrapped up in the cloak, and Timothy was to be careful to bring them. Even an apostle must read… 
He has been preaching at least for thirty years, and yet he wants books!
He had seen the Lord, and yet he wants books! […]
He had written the major part of the New Testament, and yet he wants books!
[…] Brethren, what is true of ministers is true of all our people. You need to read. 

The 20th century’s greatest evangelist, Billy Graham is famous for saying he actually preached too much and studied too little. 

So, some tips for finishing strongly. Accept suffering. Invest in personal work. And read books. 

But such good advice focuses on what you do. 

Grace always says to focus on what Jesus has done and will do for us. 

To put it another way: you can only really finish strong with Jesus. God’s Son is the absolute foundation of your forgiveness, your holiness, your eternal security. 

Knowing Jesus as Judge helps you finish strong because he guarantees wrongs will be righted. Look at v14 again. Even if the unrepentant escape human justice, the Lord will repay them for what they have done. Ultimately Jesus will bring us safely home and keep us safe in heaven. 

So we finish strong with Jesus the Saviour. 

When everyone else deserted Paul, v17 reminds me of Daniel in the lion’s den, honouring God over a pagan king. And like Daniel’s three colleagues chucked into a furnace for refused to worship King Nebuchadnezzar’s gold statue? …A fourth heavenly figure came and stood beside them to save them. If the Saviour rescued Daniel and his friends, he can rescue Paul. 

This is exactly what Paul knew in the Roman prison. God got him out of jail before – Acts 16 with the Philippian jailer. And he obviously came through his first defence in Rome. But now he expects to die – at the hands of Emperor Nero. 

So I think v18 means not that Paul will be rescued in this life, but rescued into the next life. He’s confident God will bring him safely to heaven, that nothing can separate him from God’s love in Christ Jesus our Lord. Not trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword. Not. Even. Death. 

That’s how we finish strong. Not by rugged Aussie endurance, not even by good relationships and reading books. 

Fundamentally by knowing Jesus. Finish strong by trusting Jesus the Judge is Jesus the Saviour. That’s why v18 concludes by saying. “To him be glory for ever and ever.” Not to us. But to Jesus. 

Warmly in Christ,

Sandy Grant
Dean of Sydney