Doctrine Matters: Study and Preparation

In this episode of the Expositors Collective podcast, Jeff Figgs offers a sober and deeply pastoral charge drawn from Paul’s final words to Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:10-11. Speaking from decades of ministry experience, Jeff reminds listeners that Christian leadership is ultimately measured not by recognition or platform, but by faithfulness, character, and endurance.

Jeff serves as Senior Pastor of Calvary Chapel Greeley, where he has faithfully taught verse-by-verse through all 66 books of the Bible over the past 28 years. Ordained in 1992, he began the church in 1996 with a small Bible study that grew into a thriving congregation. He also hosts the radio programme Under the Fig Tree, co-hosts Calvary Live on GraceFM Colorado, and serves as a chaplain for the Weld County Sheriff’s Office. That long obedience in ministry gives particular weight to this exhortation.

The session is set in the context of Paul’s final imprisonment in Rome. Knowing that his life is drawing to a close, Paul writes to Timothy, his “son in the faith,” warning that the last days will be perilous times. Paul describes a culture marked by misdirected love, counterfeit spirituality, and people who are always learning but never arriving at the truth. Against that backdrop, Paul draws a sharp contrast: “But you have carefully followed…”

From there, Jeff walks through the qualities Timothy had observed firsthand in Paul.

First, doctrine. Timothy had carefully followed Paul’s teaching from the time he joined him in Lystra on the second missionary journey. Sound doctrine is shown to be essential, not optional. Drawing from Acts 20 and 2 Timothy 2:15, Jeff emphasises diligent study, faithful preparation, and rightly dividing the Word of truth. Congregations, he notes, can tell when the hard work has been done, and the goal is not to impress with humour or stories, but to leave people saying, “We heard from God.”

Second, manner of life. Paul does not only point to what he taught, but how he lived. This unique phrase highlights the inseparable connection between message and messenger. Referencing passages such as 1 Corinthians 11:1 and Acts 20:18, Jeff stresses that a godly message must come from a godly life. The call is searching and personal: to be the same person outside the pulpit as inside it, so that those closest to us would never say, “Not you, pastor.”

Third, purpose. Ministry is framed as stewardship rather than self-promotion. Faithfulness, not fame, is the true measure of success. Jeff reflects on the seasons of ministry that shape character over time, including suffering, grief, discouragement, and perseverance. He urges leaders to maintain a genuine devotional life, not merely study for sermons, reminding listeners that we cannot lead others where we ourselves are not walking.

Throughout the session, one theme remains clear: godly character matters because we carry a godly message. In a world of perilous times and noisy voices, light does not argue, it is seen. Faithful ministry flows from lives shaped by the Word of God, empowered by the Spirit of God, and marked by humility, love, endurance, and integrity.

This episode is a timely reminder that the church does not primarily need famous leaders, but faithful ones, men and women who will handle the Scriptures carefully and live them visibly, for the sake of the next generation.

Jeff Figgs in 2019 on speech impediments, introversion and the call of God:  https://open.spotify.com/episode/3lirX6nlgYk1XDRHlIZsWM?si=515c1d9e1c7c4831

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