A WOW Moment with Vicki, Mercedes and Courtney

I've been really busy at work the last couple of days, and do you know where's my Timothy tab? That's the Thelonians. Oh, that is it. Yeah. And I have glasses on. And I don't have contact lenses. Which one did I lose that time that I was there?

Oh, I don't remember. You lost him. It was right there. I lost one one night. That's a good thing. Oh, that is.

We lost limitations. That's what it was. I was thinking. That's what it was. Oh, how. There's a one on the first page of the one.

She lamented of losing her limitations.

Yeah, there's a lamb on the page of the lamentations. There's a lamb. There's a lamb picture up there. A lamb. God. Lamb. Lamentations. Lamb. Lamentations. We have people like this.

We have people. Are y 'all watching this? No. I should. Why? I'm just kidding. You don't have to. It's actually better for me, because then I'm not stressing about it with you saying what. I watch all that later, and then it's like, dang, I was kind of stupid saying that.

Opening the Bible Study and Introducing Courtney Lynchford

Good evening, everyone, and welcome to our Bible study. Look, y 'all, it's been a rough week. We have who with us? Courtney. Who? I haven't even wrote my stuff down yet. I did it, because she knows that I'm old.

Okay, good evening, everybody, and welcome to our Bible study. We're going to get started. It's been a week. It's Thursday. Thank you, Lord. Tomorrow is Friday. Mercedes is cracking up at me, because it's been kind of a week for me.

It's been really rough, but it's okay, because it doesn't matter. We're doing 1 through 12. Yes, ma 'am. The main focus is All right. So tonight, ladies and gentlemen, let me start over, because this is just bad.

I don't even have a drink. I came with nothing to drink. I need tea or water. Mercedes is dying. It's just bad. It's okay. She's going to start feeling my pain pretty soon, because I'm ashamed of her.

Anyways, good evening, everyone, and welcome to our Bible study. I'm Vicki, and everyone remembers Mercedes. Tonight, we have the wonderful and beautiful Miss Courtney Lynchford with us. Hello. And we are at the church this evening.

It's a beautiful place to be. It's a safe haven for most and for many. Except it would be really good to have something to drink in your safe haven. No, ma 'am. I don't want you running upstairs, because when you get back, you'll be

Because that's a long way over to the office and the steps. So anyways, Courtney, I'm so happy to have you back with us tonight. Seriously, and in all honesty, usually I will read over the Scripture before we go up here.

I did not last week with Karina, because I told Karina, I said, I don't want to know what you're going to do. And then I told Karina, I said, because that's why it's a Bible study. We study it at the time you're there.

She sat, that woman sat right here and said, yeah, I couldn't wait. I had to study it all before I got here.

And you called me in over a year. Courtney did the same thing, because Karina and I are a lot alike, believe it or not.

But if y 'all haven't seen last week with Karina, you need to watch it. She is an awesome storyteller, as you both should know, I know you know. And she will have you rolling in the floor. But anyways, tonight we have Courtney with us, and I kind of took Courtney by surprise.

Last week, last Wednesday, or was it Sunday? It was Sunday. Sunday. I said, oh, well, I'm going to see you Thursday night. And she said, huh? It's OK. Because, you know, as much as we are together. So anyways, Courtney, tonight, have you picked a go-to verse, or have you picked a verse that you just wanted to study?

Or have you, is this just a verse you came up with? Or did you just open your Bible and say, oh, that looks good?

Courtney Lynchford Chooses 2 Timothy 1:1-12

This is one of my all-time favorite passages since I was in high school. My youth pastor taught on this a lot, and his kind of verse that he really challenged us to study was 9 through 12. So it stuck with me for a long time, and it had been a while since I studied it.

So I just decided to do that one.

Well, I'll be honest with you, I can't say I have a verse that's my favorite from high school because I was a heathen. I have one.

I stood on the spot. OK, so now I've been put to shame. No. Well, kind of.

No. OK, we still love you. Thanks, I needed that affirmation. We're beautiful. I know. Showing the love. All right, so what is it that you picked again for 2 Timothy?

2 Timothy, I really tried to narrow it down to a couple verses, but I'm a big context person, so I'm going to see if Mercedes will just read 1 through 12, and then we can talk more about 8 through 12.

Or 6 through 12.

Or 6 through 12. A little bit. OK, Mercedes, we need scripture. All right. Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God's will for the promise of life in Christ Jesus. To Timothy, my dearly loved son, grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I thank God in whom I serve with a clear conscience as my ancestors did, when I constantly remember you in my prayers day and night. Remembering your tears, I long to see you so that I may be filled with joy.

Clearly recalling your sincere faith that first lived in your grandmother Lois, then in your mother Eunice, and that I am convinced is also in you. Therefore, I remind you to keep ablaze the gift of God that is in you through the laying on of my hands.

For God has not given us a spirit of fearfulness, but one of power, love, and sound judgment. So don't be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me, his prisoner. Instead, share in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God.

He has saved us and called us a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began. This has now been made evident through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who has abolished death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

For this gospel I was appointed a herald, apostle, and teacher, and that is why I suffer these things. But I am not ashamed, because I know the one I have believed in and am persuaded that he is able to guard what has been entrusted to me until that day.

Paul’s Apostolic Calling, Timothy’s Faith, and the Gift of God

I was challenged to memorize when I was in high school. It got me through a lot of hard times when I was younger. So this passage is just really interesting to me. When I was looking over it before we came in here, one thing that really stuck out to me was at the beginning, and that's what I love about studying is you always find different things each time you read it.

So the first verse, Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God. So it wasn't Paul's choice that he was an apostle. It was God's will that he was an apostle. So that was really interesting to me.

But you know, Paul was in prison during this time, and he was actually expected to be executed in prison. So this was just really encouraging to me that he's writing this, telling people not to be ashamed, you know, about the testimony, don't live in fear, live in love, and he's in prison.

So that had to be really hard to, I mean, it would be hard for me to do that in prison. But he did, and I also thought it was interesting that in verse 5, it says, you know, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother and your mother.

So he was brought up in faith. He saw it in two generations growing up. So I thought that was really interesting. I didn't notice that when I studied before either.

Timothy. And Timothy was the daughter. Right. Yet he was brought up.

It's definitely the highlight for me. It starts with 4, so you have to look at the verse before that because it's a continuation. And so that's why I did that through all of these. And I was like, well, you just got to keep going.

You just got to keep going because it all goes together. But for God gave us a spirit not of fear, but of power and love and self-control. So when you fear, that's not of God because he didn't give us a spirit of fear.

So I just thought it was really, I love this passage. It gives me kind of an encouraging, you know, don't be afraid of the testimony of God. And then verse 9, who saved us and called us to a holy calling.

Not just any calling, a holy calling. So a calling that was set apart.

And not according to our works, but according to his purpose and grace.

And then, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began. So there we're back to, you know, pointing to Genesis in the Old Testament. Which is cool to me. Yeah. I love the words in verse 10, abolish death.

Completely abolish death.

What stuck out to you? Well, one of the things was in verse 7, just like you were saying, with God has not given us a spirit of fearfulness. But in 6, it says, I remind you to keep a blaze. So as long as you do that, then you shouldn't have fearfulness.

Right.

Which is why that's a continuation of that sentence, because it goes with it. Mine actually says, remind you to fan into the flame, the gift of God.

I've heard people say things like, you know, it's words are not a thing today. Oh, you're having the same thing. Yeah. Words have been rough for me today. I haven't been wording very well. You know, like, they're trying to, it's not clicking.

It's not clicking at all. Well, here's why. Instead of, you started, it just said, erp. Instead, share in suffering. Share in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God. You know, the only thing I can think of is everything, well, not everything, but all of the suffering that people did back then because of the faith they had in the Lord and because of the beliefs that they had.

And I look back on these days, and then I look to what I feel will be days in the near future. I believe that they will be about the same. Not that they're going to be hanging people at other feet or anything, but, you know.

The persecution. The persecution part of it, I think, will be a little different, but I think we're heading in the same direction, that there, for us, there's something better on the other side. For some countries, that persecution has already started.

Right. And that's, well, within the United States, though, I can feel it. I mean, I just, I have this feeling that it's about to become harder and harder for us to do this or for us to even gather together.

And, you know, I may not see it, but my children will, and my children's children will. And it's just so important to remind the younger generation that they have to stick together and bond together because that's how they're going to have it.

And they, again, have to, like in verse 8, rely on the power of God. And that's, you know, because He is the one. He has saved us and called us with the Holy Calling, like you were talking about, Courtney.

And we don't have any reason to go back on what we have promised that we would do as Christians and what we should do as Christians. Like I just got through saying, and y 'all saw the beginning of this video, if not, go back and watch it because I've had a rough week.

It's very easy to tell if you watch the beginning of this video. I was not together. I didn't have anything ready. When it's time to, when it's time, there's days that you don't want to. But Christ didn't want to.

I'm sure He didn't want to hang on that cross. So you know what? Yeah, do what you gotta do. Verse 8 stuck out to me. So don't be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me as prisoner. Instead of sharing suffering for the gospel, rely on the power of God.

Romans 1 .16 says, As far as I'm not ashamed of the gospel because it is God's power for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew and also to the Greek. That was our mission trip. We should not be ashamed to tell people where we were or where God's grace is.

Well, not only that, but it also... That. Did you know that's another thing? Not only that, but it just shows somebody else that's struggling with what you're struggling with. Praise God. Echo.

Well, I know we didn't read verse 14, but I have read all of it. So I love verse 14 even though we didn't get to it. Wait a minute. You're going over the boundary. Not to say it because it piggybacks off what you just said.

Okay, good. By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you. Exactly. The good deposit. Right. Oh my gosh, what a word. Right. But you just said with the Holy Spirit living in us.

I never thought of it like that. It doesn't only... I never thought of it like a deposit. Would only have the Holy Spirit. It dwells, so it's there to stay. Right. It tabernacles. Yeah. And it's not to be withdrawn.

Right. Like a bank.

It is. Can't touch it though. Dunna. Dunna. It was the hammer breaking out here. It hurt too much. I need to put on pants. Now I can see with the ones I just had.

So yeah, and like I said, this passage really sticks out to me because he's in prison. Like, he's not having a great day. He's not, you know, out feeding his favorite sheep and like having a big time.

He is in prison waiting to be executed and he is still encouraging Timothy. You know, Timothy, don't be ashamed. He saved us. Timothy, don't be scared. Right. And he's sitting there waiting to die. So to me, you know, that, you know, if I have a bad day, oh, I'm having a terrible day.

Well, look what Paul wrote when he was having probably his worst days, but he was still being encouraging. So to me, I took from it, no matter what you're faced with, it can be, you know, cancer or the death of a loved one or, you know, your best friend, hurting feelings or a broken marriage, you know, whatever, you can still see that you can be encouraged because we have the Holy Spirit and we don't only have it, but it dwells in us.

And that's something that we should be telling other people about and not being ashamed about no matter our situation on the outside. So that's kind of how I use it as an application. It's very encouraging to read it.

I read it a lot, like just at break at work and stuff, just to get some encouragement.

Comfort in Christ’s Sovereignty and the Holy Spirit’s Indwelling

Before I got here, I got word that my girl at work, Denise, her aunt passed away this afternoon. Her mother's not taking it very well at all. And you know, when it comes to death, especially if you know that that person is a believer in Christ, sure, you're going to miss the person, but just imagine the place that they're at, you know what I mean?

Let me get through. I'm glad you said that, Courtney, because I do need to make that call. Thank you, ma 'am. Let me just share something with y 'all. This really bites. I can see with these glasses on, the words on here, but when I go to write, it's all blurry, so I'm probably not even going to be able to read what I'm writing.

Well, I should just open them like this. Put them out of your nose some more. A little farther. There you go. Perfect. Or I'm all gussy in the house. You know, there is nothing, there is absolutely nothing that anybody could ever say that they've had, and I just have to say, I had a bad day, I had a bad week, but for Paul to sit and write what he's written to so many people for encouragement and for lessons of life while he sat in prison is just completely and totally amazing to me and how the Holy Spirit worked through him, because that's all it could have been, was the Holy Spirit working through him to where we would have this today.

You know what I mean? It just really gets me a lot of times, and there are days that I just sit there and I go, wow, really? I mean, that just... Oh! Hello. Okay.

Excuse me. We're on Facebook. Thank you. I was going to say, my goodness, that just kind of reiterates, you know, God's plan is sovereign and perfect, and even when things happen that we don't understand and we don't like, like Paul, he's in prison.

I'm sure he wasn't excited. He'd be like, yes, prison, let's go. Woo! Get me some good food. Right. Especially then. Right. I'm sure he wasn't excited to go to prison, but he was there, and he was used in that moment, and he's still...

What happened to him is still being used today. Right. So just because things aren't going well and, you know, you've had a bad day or, you know, your loved one's battling cancer or you have daddy issues or whatever the case may be, who knows what God is going to do through your story, through your life, years to come, decades to come.

You know, you never know. You don't know what God's going to do. That's exactly what First Saint says. Don't be ashamed. Yeah. Because my biggest thing, I'll never forget, and I think Ms. Glynn told me this a while back, is no matter what you're in, you know, God can use it, and don't discount it, basically.

Don't think, oh, well, let me just get through this. Let me get through this issue. Please, God, just help me get through this day. Help me get through this time. Instead, learn what you're supposed to learn in it, grow from it, and be there for somebody else to learn.

Courtney, honey, you're a woman after my own heart, because that is something that I have been trying to tell some people in my life, that there's a reason and a purpose for everything, one of them now.

And now, I can sit back and say, I now understand why I went through that, and I now understand why I went through this, and I see how I made it. And I sit and I tell people that I counsel with, I'll tell them, trust me, you're going to get through this, and you're going to get through this fine.

You have to rely and depend on God and God alone, lean on the faith that you have in Him, and trust every single word in this book. And when you do that, when you get to be my age, you will then look back and say, I get it, I understand now.

And I know, and I've told people this, I know it's so hard to do that when you're in the middle of it. I know, I remember being in my 20s and 30s. I remember it, but it was not easy. But to be able to sit here now and tell both of you that if it were not for the grace and mercy of Almighty God, that I'm thankful that He is true and loyal, and the promises He makes, He keeps, and we don't have, we're only here for a blink, in all honesty.

And that's the whole reason why we do this now, because people need to know that this book is truth, and this book is about the only book you're going to be able to open up and totally, totally know that it's truth and facts.

Well, Courtney's isn't like mine. Mine's just worn out. I make notes. But, you know, so anybody out there, and I know that I have talked to several people that have been on the Whitten Facebook page, and discussed different issues with them, and it was fun.

When we first started doing this, in our staff polo, it would be like, tag, it's Vickie's. You know, depending on if it was a man or a woman or whatever. But, church. And if you still sit there and you don't control, because you don't actually have it to deal with, you just think you have it.

Well, that's true, and I'll be honest with you, Mercedes, I'm so happy that you've learned that at the age that you are. Because there are things that you can't control in your life. You can control if you go to the bar and have a drink.

Oh, yeah. For sure. I mean, there are certain things that you can control in your life. But, he is, and always will be, because he is not you.

Learn what's happening. Not only will it continue to happen, but also, you know, I was thinking about this, if you don't learn your lesson and you have to keep wallowing in this issue, you're robbing somebody else from a blessing.

Right. And from teaching them and being able to minister to them, it takes you ten times to learn your lesson, what could you be doing with it in the meantime?

Exactly. And, Courtney, there are so many people out there that are so stubborn, because I am one of them. You know, and I used to, I mean, I did. I would try it all the time. I knew what I was supposed to do, but would I do it?

No. And you know what?

Right up against the wall, I'd go again. I was going to teach the lesson no matter how long it takes.

And it got to be where the wall was not sheetrock anymore. When I started hitting them brick walls, I'm going to tell you, you get slammed up against a brick wall by the Lord enough times, you've got to listen, because when he stops slamming you against the wall, you're done.

So, I still get slammed up against the wall every once in a while. Oh, I ain't perfect. Very, very, very far from it. But I've been slammed enough. So, my nose is really, does my nose sound like I have a stuffed up nose?

It's so beautiful, though. Thank you, Pastor. It's so nice out. How are you feeling? Courtney, I want to thank you for bringing us to Second Timothy tonight and the writings of the Apostle Paul. Of course.

I want to learn more about Timothy, though. You know, and this is what really bites, because it talks about his grandmother and his mother, but, you know, I'd like to know about them. I was thinking about that a little bit, though.

I bet we can't find nothing out. Oh, Mercedes lifting her eyebrow. Looks like we might be having another study going on. That's what I was thinking a few minutes ago.

Timothy, Lois, and Eunice as a Family of Faith

In the background. Well, they're mentioned for a reason. They were important enough to be specifically named instead of just saying your grandmother and your mother.

Paul used their names. So in order to get to them, we're going to have to figure out more about Timothy.

You'll learn about him a little bit more. Well, and think of Timothy like, hey, Paul's writing me. Paul is speaking to me. Like, that's a big deal for, I mean. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. Could you imagine getting a letter from Pastor Justin?

I would have had to proofread it a lot. Yeah.

Well, ladies. Thank you for this wonderful evening. We've gone over it again tonight. But we were late. We were late. Sorry we were late. I had to get it together. But, um, next week. I'm a loser. Can you take this?

Um. I'm going to record it. Sometime this week. Are you going to be, uh. We'll see what happens for next week. Somebody wrote a whole lot of stuff. I'm interested. It's a big paragraph. No matter how old you are is what the last, the bottom part says.

You can read it from that far, but you can't read your notes in front of you. Sandra.

Sandra. Not an understanding that always comes with age. Still hard to go through things and remain encouraged and faith focused when trials last a long time, no matter how old you are. Turn it down. Yes, ma 'am.

Sandra Matusi. Yes, ma 'am. See, I want her over here so bad that she won't come in. Sandra, I want you over here so bad. You would be such a wonderful guest for us. Truth. Facts. Big facts. Truth. Big facts.

Big facts. So think about it. Anyways, I love you, Sandra. I hope y 'all have a great night, and I hope your Friday is a good Friday. I have a very busy weekend. I'm going to Matthew West tomorrow night, then the shower Saturday, then church Sunday, Sunday.

So I'll be busy this weekend. Where's Matthew West? In Mississippi. Patty's taking me. Aw, that's so sweet. I know. Thank you, Patty. She said her daughter, for her birthday, gave her two tickets and said, Mom, take one of the ladies at the church.

Aw, that's sweet. Isn't that sweet? So tomorrow night I'll be at Matthew West. Don't do that there. Please don't do that there. Not at the concert. Miss Patty doesn't need to be embarrassed. She gave you a ticket.

The least you could do is be good. Not embarrass her. All right, y 'all. We're done, because inevitably I just embarrassed them. So y 'all have a great night, and I love you bunches. And, um, oh, Miss Sandra put capital letters.

No. She won't be on there. We love you anyway, Miss Sandra. Yes. Just please continue to make comments on here, because your wisdom is priceless. Y 'all have a great day. I mean, night.