Bible Study This Week Will Be the 1st Half of 2nd Timothy Chapter Two

Being a Good Soldier For Christ

[2^nd Timothy chapter 2, verses 1-18]

Today as we continue our study of the 2^nd letter to Timothy as written by the great apostle Paul, we'll be going over the first half of chapter two because it is rather lengthy. In this chapter, as Paul continues his thoughts on Jesus Christ and what we now call Christianity, we find Paul continuing to mentor Timothy about his own ministry, which must have been growing like crazy. All I can say here is that, to me, it would be an honor to be mentored by Paul. In a way we all are ultimately mentored by Jesus Christ, the ultimate mentor for sure! Bearing that in mind, let's begin with verse 1.

“Timothy, my dear son, be strong with the special favor God gives you in Christ Jesus. You have heard me teach many things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Teach these truths to trustworthy people who are able to pass them on to others. Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. And as Christ's soldier, do not allow yourself to be tied up about the affairs of this life, for then you cannot satisfy the One who has enlisted you in his army. Follow the Lord's rules for doing his work, just as an athlete follows the rules or is disqualified and wins no prize. Hardworking farmers are the first to enjoy the fruits of their labor. Think about what I am saying. The Lord will give you understanding in all these things. Never forget that Jesus Christ was a man born into King David's family and that he was raised from the dead. This is the Good News that I preach. And because I preach this Good News, I am suffering and have been chained like a criminal. But the Word of God cannot be chained. I am willing to endure anything if it will bring salvation and eternal glory in Christ Jesus to those God has chosen.” (2 Timothy chapter two, verses 1-10)

“My dear son”. This is actually coming from Scripture. Although Timothy and Paul obviously had a close relationship, Paul notably puts the emphasis on a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. “You are my son”, says Psalm Two, “today I have become your Father”. Paul also wrote elsewhere that our hearts cry out to God with the Spirit of adoption towards the Lord (the old King James calls it a “spirit of son-ship”). So when we become born again believers in Jesus, who walked the earth as a Jewish man, we become adopted into the Family of God, meaning we all become Jewish by adoption when we surrender our lives, hearts and minds peacefully to Christ. I don't know about you, but being adopted into the Family of God sounds pretty good to me.

“Teach these truths to trustworthy people who are able to pass them on to others.” This has been a problem for the Church ever since day one (well, almost). Clearly the apostles were very trustworthy individuals. But since the early church's inception, there have been those who take the Good News of Christ and twist it around to suit their purposes for financial gain. Today the greater Church has continued to try to deal with this internally, but only with limited success because too many “believers” are believing the wrong people (I won't name names). As a result, organized mainstream religion – and particularly conservative Evangelicals – has and will continue to have issues with credibility – not from within the overall congregation, but it's the leadership that's at fault. It's not what they're teaching so much as how the Truth is being presented. If certain TV preachers, for example, claim to be presenting the Gospel of Christ then why do some have their own jet planes? Why are they driving around in cars with six figure price tags? And why do they seem to feel it's necessary to live in homes with 8 figure price tags? Does anyone else besides myself see a problem with this?

“... as Christ's soldier, do not allow yourself to be tied up about the affairs of this life, for then you cannot satisfy the One who has enlisted you in his army. Follow the Lord's rules for doing his work, just as an athlete follows the rules or is disqualified and wins no prize.” Be a soldier for Jesus! Not in the traditional sense with guns and artillery, but rather in the Holy Spirit. Don't be so weak that people just walk on over you, but let's not be so aggressive with our faith that we offend or frighten people either. Neither of these has anything to do with Christ. Don't get all tied up about daily living. In order to do this, we must free ourselves from the distractions of this world. Don't be materialistic, or a seeker of wealth for its own sake, and especially avoid falling into the trap of comparing yourselves with someone else. Above all, turn off your television and disconnect yourself from Satan's world until our Lord returns and takes the 'evil one' out of the way. Success in life and enrichment by our walk with Christ should be measured by God's standards as well as our own. We are to be living our present life to please God first, others second and ourselves last. Above all, let's not get disqualified by God and lose the prize – our vitally important eternal inheritance in the Kingdom of God!

“Think about what I am saying. The Lord will give you understanding in all these things. Never forget that Jesus Christ was a man born into King David's family and that he was raised from the dead. This is the Good News that I preach.” That sums it up very nicely, don't you agree? Jesus was crucified, died and was resurrected on the morning of the third day. He did this so that, when our physical lives are over, all who sincerely believe are raised up to eternal life with Jesus. Eternal life in this context simply means a life outside the boundaries of time and space as we know and understand it. The salvation of Jesus Christ is the greatest news in the world for all humankind who believe in Him.

“... because I preach this Good News, I am suffering and have been chained like a criminal. But the Word of God cannot be chained. I am willing to endure anything if it will bring salvation and eternal glory in Christ Jesus to those God has chosen.” It is an established fact that there were more Christians who died for their faith in the 20^th century than had been killed for their faith in the previous 19 centuries combined. So far people here in America have not yet had to suffer for their faith, but when the Antichrist steps onto the world stage – and this will happen sooner rather than later – you had best believe you may indeed be forced to suffer for your faith. What will happen when this occurs? Without a doubt it will be the acid test of our faith, and many may well fall away from their faith to keep from getting killed by the forces of the Antichrist. Anyone who decides to do this will wind up in hell with the devil and all his demons. Don't make this crucial mistake! About this Jesus said, “...but he who stands firm to the very end shall be saved”. (Matt. 24: 13) We as Christians may well be imprisoned or worse during this time, whose arrival is imminent. Be willing “to endure anything” as Paul was, and you will most definitely be saved from the coming wrath of God. And now let's conclude today's study.

“This is a true saying: 'If we die with him, we will also live with him. If we endure hardship, we will reign with him. If we deny him, he will deny us. If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself'. Remind everyone of these things, and command them in God's name to stop fighting over words. Such arguments are useless, and they can ruin those who hear them. Work hard so God can approve you. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the Word of truth. Avoid godless, foolish discussions that lead to more and more ungodliness. This kind of talk can spread like cancer. Hymenaeus and Philetus are examples of this. They have left the path of truth, preaching the lie that the resurrection of the dead has already occurred; and they have undermined the faith of some.” (2 Timothy 2, verses 11-18)

“... If we die with him, we will also live with him. If we endure hardship, we will reign with him.” Here we have it in a nutshell – the ultimate truth about Christianity. When our bodies wear out and die our spiritual, or other-dimensional, selves remain. Since God is eternal, as well as the salvation of Christ, then we will also live with Him eternally. So, in essence, the sacrifice of Christ together with his resurrection render death to be a gateway, or maybe a rite of passage, from our temporal world to that of the timeless and eternal. And anyone who endures hardship for the sake of the Gospel will have a greater reward awaiting them when it's time for all of us to go home to New Jerusalem. “If we deny him, he will deny us. If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself.” Jesus said, “Anyone who denies me I will deny before my heavenly Father”, and I'm fairly certain that Paul was referring to this verse of Scripture when he wrote these words. Best of all, Christ Jesus remains faithful to us whether we sin or not, or when we are believers or not, because he cannot deny himself. 

 

“... command them in God's name to stop fighting over words. Such arguments are useless, and they can ruin those who hear them.” Now where have I seen or heard this one before? Actually I'm just kidding, because certain denominations and even certain pastors spend an inordinate amount of time condemning those whose faith is not the same as his or her own. With things like this going on between denominations, or between individual churches, and even on well-known Christian television stations while millions are watching globally, is it any wonder that Christianity in general, and certain church leaders in particular, have an image problem? Since this problem in our churches is apparently not going to be fixed from the top down, it will be we the members who will have to fix this from the bottom up. It is this singular movement that I am proud to be a part of, and it can only grow continuously for the foreseeable future.

“Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the Word of truth. Avoid godless, foolish discussions that lead to more and more ungodliness. This kind of talk can spread like cancer.” Be diligent! Slackers and lazy people never get anywhere in life. That's because we get out of life whatever we put into it. Nothing in equals nothing out. Never be content with that! Always strive for ways to improve yourself, your life and your overall enrichment because God has given us all that very same ability to improve ourselves, which brings us closer to God. All of us can do this one way or the other at one time or the other. Jesus has already given each of us the Power Source from which we can grow and allow ourselves to be cultivated by the Holy Spirit. All we have to do is to learn to plug into it.

 

Spiritual misinformation, Paul wrote, spreads like cancer. It has a carcinogenic effect on the human spirit by replacing the Word of God with the word of someone who presumes to be a Christian leader, oftentimes by finding ways to elevate themselves to that very position that they covet. It forces out the indwelling of the Holy Spirit so that more of the misinformation and confusion can filter in. But that is one way we can know if something is from God or not. Jesus never forces himself into anyone's heart, not just because he doesn't have to (“for the earth is the Lord's, and everything in it”), but because it is against His nature to do so. There are countless examples of things very similar to this going on in the modern Church today. But the main point I am making is that it doesn't really matter what church you attend, so long as it is Bible-based. Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth”. So when we share our faith with others, and especially with strangers, we must do so with humility, gentleness and compassion. That is how we all can exemplify Jesus Christ. So until next week, practice exemplifying Christ everywhere you go by being compassionate. You don't necessarily have to stand on a downtown corner and preach at the top of your lungs. Something far less dramatic will suffice. By a homeless person a burger, fires and a drink. Make a donation to the charity of your choice, or be a volunteer in your community. The point is that we can exemplify Christ in countless ways. Find your niche in Jesus and go for it!