Following God: A Guide to 2 Timothy

By Susie Shellenberger

Susie Shellenberger has a pretty good idea about what's up with kids these days. The former full-time youth pastor and high teacher now fields more than 1,000 emails a month from teenage girls when she's not talking with them on her radio show or speaking to them from the stage at the Girls of Grace conferences.

After penning more than 30 books, including Dear Diary, Girls Want to Know, and Girl Talk with God, she's turned her sights on the Bible. Her study guide series, written especially for girls, debuted with 1 and 2 Thessalonians and now continues to 1 and 2 Timothy.

Highlighting the loving relationship between Paul, as mentor and Timothy as loyal disciple, she shows that Christianity is not just an emotional experience, but a conscious decision to engage in a trusting relationship with God. Using her own mentoring skills, she gently steers teenage girls towards a better understanding of their lives in Christ.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson
• Release date: Mar 11, 2014
• ISBN: 9780718018795

Susie Shellenberger

Susie Shellenberger travels as a fulltime speaker forty weeks or weekends every year. She has written fifty-two books, and lives in Bethany, Oklahoma with her two mini Schnauzers Obie and Amos. Susie is a former youth pastor, high school teacher, and editor. She loves Sharpies in every color, burnt hotdogs, and praying at OKC Thunder basketball games.  

Book preview

Following God

A GUIDE TO

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2 Timothy

Following God

A GUIDE TO

Line

2 Timothy

SUSIE SHELLENBERGER

Copyright © 2006 by Susie Shellenberger

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other—except for brief quotation in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Published by Nelson Impact, a Division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., P.O. Box 141000, Nashville, Tennessee 37214.

Scripture quotations noted NCV are from the New Century Version ®. Copyright © 1987, 1988, 1991 by Word Publishing, a Division of Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations noted NIV are from The Holy Bible, New International Version ®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations noted KJV are from the King James Version.

ISBN 1-4185-0541-2

Printed in the United States of America.

05 06 07 08 09 RRD 6 5 4 3 2 1

Contents

Introduction: First Things First

1 Confident, Encouraged, and Satisfied

2 Not Ashamed

3 Teach, Don’t Argue!

4 Don’t Become a Twisted Christian

5 Last Words

6 Keep the Faith

Wrapping It Up

Introduction:

First Things First

HI, MONICA! JANNA SAID AS SHE MADE HER WAY TO THE TABLE AT THE GIRLS’ favorite pizza parlor. Have you already ordered?

Sure have! That’s the beauty of knowing my best friend’s favorite pizza toppings. Monica smiled.

Janna laughed as she slid into the booth. So what’s new with you?

Can you believe that Pastor Mark has been gone for three months now? Monica said.

Yeah, Janna said with a sigh. He was a great youth pastor, wasn’t he?

Yeah, I really miss him. Pastor Kevin and his family will be here in just a few more months, but that seems like forever. Being on this leadership council and trying to run the youth group ourselves is hard work. It’s been really tough, Monica said.

I know you’ve had a lot of responsibility, but you’re doing a great job on the leadership council!

It’s not that, Monica said. It’s all the trouble going on inside the Bible study—you know—with the people.

Really? I guess I’ve missed out on what’s been going on this past month while I’ve been gone. I missed everyone, but God really taught me a lot on the missions trip.

Well, I’ve sure missed you! Monica sighed.

Well, fill me in. What’s been going on?

For starters, everyone is just arguing about really picky things. I mean, they’re not really important spiritual matters. They’re surface-level points of disagreement, but it’s causing dissension within our group.

What else is going on? Janna asked.

Some of the longtime members just don’t seem as serious about their faith as they used to. Not everyone—but there’s a good number of students who are coming and, I don’t know . . . it’s like they’re just going through the motions. They don’t really join in during prayer time. They leave early. They never talk about spiritual stuff; all they talk about is other students.

Ouch.

Yeah, it’s been hurtful. And some of our students have even started to believe weird stuff. Like last week, Grayson said he didn’t believe that the whole Bible was true anymore. He said he only accepts parts of it.

You’re kidding, Monica! Grayson has been a part of our Bible study for two years! He knows better than that.

Tell me about it. And I overheard Kim talking with Ashley after Bible study, telling her about how there are lots of ways to get to heaven—that it doesn’t simply depend on Christ.

Hey, that’s just wrong! Monica, you’ve gotta do something!

I know! I’m just not sure what to do.

How’s your faith right now?

Oh, I’m not wavering, Janna. I know the truth. And I also know God wants to use me to help our students. I just wish I could talk with someone else who’s been through what I’m dealing with as a leader.

Hey, I just remembered something, Janna said. When I lived with Pastor Fletcher and his wife last month during the missions trip, he shared some similar stuff that happened in the first church they planted on the island.

You’re kidding! What’d he do?

He read 2 Timothy. Paul wrote a letter of advice to Timothy, who was experiencing some big-time tough stuff in his church, too. Paul didn’t have much time left to live, so he didn’t mince words. He gave it to Timothy straight.

Sounds like just what I need.

Pastor Fletcher said after he put the principles from 2 Timothy to work in their first church plant, it really made a difference.

I’ve definitely got to take a look, then!

ParaSap

HAVE YOU EVER NEEDED ENCOURAGEMENT AND DIRECTION IN YOUR RELATIONSHIP with Christ and with other believers?