Three little BIG words

I didn't get to teach on 2 Timothy 2. I have had sick kids for what feels like 110 years and somehow we had been able to avoid anyone being too sick to come to church on a Wednesday night...until last week. So my sweet friend Megan led the discussion and I hear it went smashingly well. I'm not sure what the group talked about specifically or what they walked away from the session with. But as I reviewed 2 Timothy 2 in preparation to write the study on 2 Timothy 3, three little BIG words jumped off the page at me.

Check out 2 Timothy 2:8-9.

"Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound!"

Can you guess what the three little BIG words are there? You don't have to read far to get to them. In fact, you don't have to read past the first three words! Remember Jesus Christ. Oh, Paul, there you go again, pointing us back to Jesus. It seems he never gets past that, does he? He never moves past Jesus. He says the name of Christ Jesus three times just in the first sentence! I'm sensing that Jesus must be really important to Paul...you see it too?

Now I know your brains have been on Spring Break. And I know many of you have had the same stinking illnesses in your house that we've had in ours. But think back with me over the past few months...Remember who is writing (Paul), who he's writing to (Timothy), why he's writing (his last words to Timothy as he prepares for death!) and what's happening at the time (Paul's in prison and Timothy is leading the church in Ephesus and teaching against false teachers). Not only that, but the church is being persecuted; many are already falling away and turning back to false gods. People are confused. They don't know who to believe or why they should believe it. Honestly, it sounds a lot like what's going on today.

So why are Paul's words, Remember Jesus Christ, so important here? Because in the midst of the chaos, JESUS. When everything is falling apart, JESUS. When you don't know who to believe or where to turn, JESUS.

So often we rush past Jesus, don't we? We like to read books and blogs and devotionals and articles about all the topics...marriage, family, finances, church life, missions, women's issues, men's issues, parenting, healthy living...the list goes on and on. We want REAL stuff. Stuff we can hold and see and sink our teeth into, right? Something we can go home and apply right away, checking off some proverbial box on an imaginary list in our heads. When some preacher starts preaching about Jesus, we kind of start to go off into a little daze, assuming that all the Jesus stuff really applies to someone else. After all, we've already accepted Christ- invited him into our hearts, gotten baptized, joined the church. Surely the Jesus stuff doesn't still apply to us. We've moved on from all that, right? We've moved past that stuff.

Oh friend, how foolish we are. (And please notice I'm saying WE, not YOU. All of this has been lived out by yours-truly here before I ever poured it out through these keys.) I've had the same pastor for ten years now, which I realize is not very long compared to some people. But I'm likely to have the same pastor for the rest of my life because I happen to be married to him. It used to drive me nuts when he would share the gospel at the end of every single sermon. I'd look around the room and think, "Come on, babe, we're all saved here. We all know this stuff already and we could really just skip this part." Seriously, I thought that for many years. (Did you know that's what your pastor's wife thinks as she sits perched prettily on the second row?) Well, not any more. I have seen something that has totally changed my whole way of thinking about Jesus.

We NEVER get past the Gospel. NEVER ever EVER never. Just NEVER. If you think that you have gotten past the Gospel of Jesus Christ, you haven't even gotten to it yet. The good news of what Jesus did for us on the cross and in the tomb and on the earth and in heaven (the Gospel) is what this life we live is all about. Oh, we've done a mighty fine job of making ourselves believe that it's about marriage and family and finances and church life and missions and women's issues and men's issues and parenting and healthy living. We have pasted so many pretty faces on so many magazine covers and gone to so many church services and listened to so many sermons where people tell us all the things we want to hear. Things that sound so good that we might even say "Amen" and nod our heads approvingly. But here's the truth.

Remember Jesus Christ.

Your marriage? Centered on Jesus.
Your family? To honor Jesus.
Your finances? Not yours. Jesus's.
Your church life? The body of Christ. (Jesus)
Missions? To make Jesus famous.
Women's Issues?  To share Jesus.
Men's Issues? To honor Jesus.
Parenting? To point them to Jesus.
Healthy Living? To glorify Jesus.

If the sermons you're listening to don't point to Jesus every single time, stop listening to them. If your pastor doesn't share the Gospel in every sermon, ask him why! If the books you're reading are focused on YOUR best life now, throw them in the trash. If the blogs you subscribe to claim Christ but are more about bettering yourself, succeeding in life or getting ahead somehow, click the little x in the top corner.

Remember Jesus Christ.

Those three little words are so BIG. Paul wanted Timothy to remember. And God wants us to remember, which is why he included it in his love letter to us. Tell yourself every day. Tell yourself the story of what Jesus did for you every single day until you understand that you can never get past that. It is absolutely everything.

And then the precious promise comes. If we will remember Jesus Christ, even though we suffer, even though we are bound with chains, no matter what happens, the word of God is not bound! In the middle of that trial you're facing - Jesus. In the storm? In the struggle? In the valley? Jesus. And there may come a day soon that we are faced with actual suffering for the Gospel. How sweet it will be in the face of persecution, to remember Jesus Christ.

Fear vs The Spirit in You

I started studying 2 Timothy several weeks ago on my own and then got to share with my ladies at church last Wednesday night. Before I get started, I just want to say that if you aren't plugged into a Bible study group of some sort, you are REALLY missing out. This group of ladies that I study with challenge me every week to know more, study more, learn more, depend on Jesus more, glorify the Father more, more, more, more! I am so glad I get to do life with them. The fellowship we have is so sweet. So if you aren't a part of a Bible study group, let me encourage you right now, sweet sister, find one! (If you need help, let me know!) If you're anywhere near Gonzales, I'd love for you to join us soon. There is always room for one more around our tables.

If you haven't read through the blogs that cover 1 Timothy, you might want to go back and start with "Precious Promises in 1 Timothy" and read through the 1 Timothy blogs. Paul's first letter to Timothy really helps us understand what's happening with Paul and Timothy and the church in Ephesus and it sets the stage for Paul's second letter to Timothy, which we are about to dive into...Are you ready?

Once again, Paul is writing to Timothy, who is the leader of the church in Ephesus. The biggest difference this time is that Paul is imprisoned in Rome and he knows he is about to die. He writes 2 Timothy as a sort of "final words" letter to his beloved understudy. These are the words he's using to pass the torch of the gospel on to Timothy, who Paul loving calls his "beloved child".

Paul starts his letter as he often does, by identifying himself and reminding the recipient that his apostleship and authority come from Jesus Christ. He doesn't ever want to take credit for the authority he speaks with. He is a servant of Jesus Christ. He mentions his last encounter with Timothy and remembers Timothy's tears. You know they must've been such close friends to hear Paul speak so longingly of Timothy. Paul references his ancestors' faithfulness as well as the faithfulness of Timothy's grandmother Lois and that of his mother Eunice. Paul acknowledges that Timothy's strong faith must've been significantly impacted by the faith of his matriarchs. Wouldn't we all love to have such an impact on the faith of our children? I can think of nothing greater than to know that my children love and serve the Lord! Which brings up our first discussion question...

How can we nurture our children to develop a faith of their own, not piggybacking on their parents’ faith? 

The answer is simple. We can do everything we can do, but ultimately, our children will be responsible for their own faith. We can pray for them, teach them Scripture, model what a close relationship with the Lord looks like, but one day our children will decide for themselves whether or not to follow Jesus Christ with their lives. We have NO control over that. It is their choice to make. Which is why the next words Paul writes are so important.

He tells us to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you...what is that gift? The gift of the promised Holy Spirit! One commentary I read put it this way, "It was not that the Spirit’s flame was weak or needed to be alive by human effort but that the Spirit only works in cooperation with those who desire his enablement. ^[1]” Do you desire the enablement of the Holy Spirit? If you do, your life is gonna look so different than the lives of the people around you. The Holy Spirit is REAL. He is not some magical, mystical being who hovers around like ghosts in scary movies. Acts 1:8 says that "you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you..." He will come upon you and give you power! Do you desire that? Do you desire the power he promises to bring to you? Keep reading in 2 Timothy 1:7. Paul says, "...for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control." So not only do we receive power, but we receive love and self-control too! But here's the problem...far too often, we choose to live in fear rather than acknowledging the power that we have through the Holy Spirit in us.

Fear is comfortable. Fear is familiar. Fear is easy. Power? Power is risky. Power is unfamiliar. Power is difficult. Or so we tell ourselves, right? But the truth is that if you are a follower of Jesus, a Christian, you have received a spirit of power. It's done. He's there, in you. Squelch the fear. Embrace the power. And love? Well, Christians are marked by their love, right? It's not a love that comes from ourselves though. It's a love that comes from the Holy Spirit in us, the Spirit that we have fanned into flame through prayer and submission. And self-control? Here we go... This is not one we like to talk about. We like to say things like, "I just couldn't help myself!" or "I'm not strong enough to withstand that kind of temptation." or "I have no self-control!" WRONG. Did you read 2 Timothy 1:7? Go back and read it again if you need to. The Spirit that we have received is one of self-control. 

What causes you the most fear and insecurity? How can you begin to apply God’s promise of a spirit of power and love and self-discipline?

And then Paul seemingly switches gears and begins to talk about the fact that he is not ashamed of his faith in Jesus Christ. That's a pretty big deal considering it's the main reason he's sitting there in chains. He's reminding Timothy that he would do it all over again if he had to. He is not ashamed. He knows who he's believed in and he is absolutely certain that he (The Holy Spirit!) will guard what has been entrusted to him until the day that Jesus Christ returns. What is it that Paul has been entrusted with? The gospel! There's Paul, in prison in Rome, having endured hardship and persecution and abuse and ultimately facing death and what is he talking about? The Gospel. The good news that Jesus Christ came in to the world to save sinners. He just wasn't going to give up on that. He was convinced that he was guarding a precious treasure through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit and he was ready to pass that job on to Timothy. So Timothy, "do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God..."

So how do you suffer for your faith?

Most of us don't suffer in any way that comes close to comparing with the persecution and martyrdom that Paul and Timothy and first-century believers faced. But we do suffer. What would happen if you proclaimed your faith, loud and proud, at your workplace? If you're a teacher, you could get fired. (And it's not just teachers, of course. Fill in the blank with many professions.) So should you keep quiet about it or should you shout it from the rooftops? Most of us keep quiet, making excuses, because we wouldn't want to risk losing a job. If we really wanted to join Paul in suffering for the Gospel, we would boldly proclaim the God we serve!

I love how Paul ends this section in chapter one. He throws a few guys under the bus here. Old Phygelus and Hermogenes seem to have jumped ship, along with many of the Asians who began to follow Christ. Their dedication to Jesus sure didn't last long. 2 Timothy was written sometime between 64 and 67 AD, which means that only about 30 years had passed since Jesus's resurrection. It didn't take long for people to turn their hearts to other gods again. But Paul does have one friend, Onesiphorus, who he brags on quite a bit. He tells Timothy that Mr. O  often refreshed him and wasn't ashamed of his chains. He had gone looking for Paul in Rome and searched until he found him. Paul was encouraged by his friendship in the middle of persecution and suffering.

Who has refreshed you spiritually? How did they do it? What positive influence can you have on other Christians? 

If someone comes to mind, send them a note of encouragement or make a phone call to let them know what they mean to you. We believers have to stick together, especially when times are hard.

So in the middle of the suffering, in the midst of the hardships, you have a choice to make: Will you choose to wallow in the fear that wants to choke the life out of you? Or will you choose to believe this very precious promise of God...

"...for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control."

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^[1] Larson, K. (2000). I & II Thessalonians, I & II Timothy, Titus, Philemon (Vol. 9, p. 266). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.