Seven Cameos of a faithful Christian: 2 Timothy 2
In 1 Timothy Paul is concerned with local and specific needs at Ephesus. There he gives careful instructions to his young lieutenant Timothy dealing with the thorny problems brought about by the false teachers.
In 2 Timothy Paul’s concern is personal, and at the same time, focussed on the universal church. On a personal level Paul wants Timothy to come and be with him as he suffers the confines of a Roman gaol. Paul’s time is short, yet his focus is on preparing Timothy for his future ministry among the Gentile believers once Paul is gone. We find vision in the universal dimension of Paul’s second letter to Timothy as we discover, through these instructions, what ministry is all about.
Paul’s circumstances changed dramatically between writing 1 and 2 Timothy. Paul wrote 1 Timothy from Macedonia while he was actively involved in ministry. He wrote this second letter while in chains in Rome. His friends had deserted him, and he knows he will soon be put to death. Paul feels alone and betrayed. Yet, his concern is not for his own problems. It is focussed on the kingdom. Death holds no fear or terror for Paul, as he knew he would meet his risen Lord in all his glory.
Sitting there in the Roman gaol, Paul had time to ponder the questions he faced. Who would go to the places where the gospel had never been preached? What needed to happen to ensure that the churches in Europe and Asia would prosper? Who would lead the church forward after Paul was gone? Timothy was timid, so was he up to the challenge?
So, Paul wants Timothy to come to Rome, to be by his side. If Timothy does not make it to Rome in time before Paul’s execution, this 2nd letter to Timothy contains the basic instructions for Timothy to do his job to lead the church forward.
2000 years later we still have this letter; the last words of the Apostle Paul. We sense the urgency, anger, hope, and heartrending reality of ministry as Paul sees it. Despite all the problems, the church will flourish, because Jesus is Lord and he will reign. What are your last words going to be? Focussed on yourself? Or sharing love for others?
Here in chapter 2:1-13, the theme continues from chapter one: the encouragement to be faithful. Then from 2:14-26 the theme shifts to being a worker approved by God.
Paul sketches seven pictures of a Christian minister; and for that matter, anyone who wants to be a faithful Christian.
V1-2 The Steward
The first cameo is of a steward (v1-2). We are stewards of the spiritual treasure God has given us. We are called to guard this deposit and invest it in others lives. They too are to pass it on. In these first 2 verses we sense something of the urgency of Paul’s letter: ‘Be strong in grace’ v1; ‘pass the treasure of the gospel on’ v2. What would you specifically do in order to pass on your faith in Christ to the next generation? 3 Things I would like to do better: Be more resilient as endurance and loyalty are the essential characteristics of someone who wants to be a Christian minister / faithful Christian; Expect to suffer hardship, so that when it comes, it is not a demoralising intruder; Live all your life for Jesus as he is the reason we do what we do. 3 Things that I would like to say: The only agenda that is really gospel is love and grace; Asking for forgiveness is the easy part. What is really hard is discovering what needs to be forgiven. Listen to the quiet whispers of the Holy Spirit and obey the voice of God speaking to your heart.
V3-4, 8-13 The Soldier
The second cameo is of a soldier (v3-4; 8-13). A good soldier …
*endures hardship (v3), don’t let hardship demoralise you. Learn from difficult times, remember the promises God gave you when things were going better, and these will help you through.
*avoids worldly entanglements (v4), the more you are tangled up in the cares of the world the less useful you are to God. In our 1 John studies we discovered John saying it in different words: 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
*magnifies the CO (Jesus)(v8-9), He is the best! He alone is worthy of all our admiration.
*thinks of the whole army (v10), If we are good soldiers for Jesus then we will be less selfish and more thoughtful of the other troops. &
*trusts the CO (v11-13). It is one thing to praise Jesus but it is a different matter to rely on Him and depend on what his word says.
V5 The Athlete
The third cameo is of an athlete (v5). Paul had already encouraged Timothy to exercise like an athlete (1Tim 4:7-8). Here he urges Timothy (& us) to obey the rules so we do not get disqualified. If a competitor won, but had broken the rules, he was stripped of his crown.
From a human perspective, as far as this cameo will take us, Paul was a loser. 2 Tim 1:5 says that everyone in Asia had deserted him, no one was in the grandstands cheering him on. He was alone, in gaol, and suffering as though he was someone who had broken the rules. But, the opposite was the reality. Paul was a winner! He had kept the rules laid down in God’s book. One day soon he would collect his reward from Jesus in heaven. Paul was saying to young Timothy: Listen & do what God says, regardless of what people say. You are not running the race to please them, you are doing it to please Jesus.
V6-7 The Farmer
Farming is hard work, often involving long hours. Mostly the rewards are very poor. Ploughing, sowing, watering, harvesting are likened to various aspects of ministry. If a farmer leaves a paddock to itself, it will only produce weeds. Real ministry is just like farming. It requires hard work for there to be a good harvest.
A farmer needs patience. A farmer has to wait for the rain. In the same way, the pastor has to wait for the harvest of people for the kingdom; its not at the altar rail after the service – that’s a shower of blessing. The harvest is the end of the age.
But also, the farmer enjoys the first taste of what he has grown. God honours the church that honours its pastors. As well as this, it is the preachers and teachers who get blessed the most through the word of God. They get more out because they put more in.
V 14-18 The Workman
The fifth cameo is of a workman (v14-18). The sense here is to be diligent in the work so that when the work is inspected for quality control, there will not be any need to redo it bringing shame.
A pastor is a workman who uses God’s Word. The Word is the treasure the steward protects, guards and invests. Its the soldier’s sword and the farmer’s seed. But its also the builders tool for building, measuring and mending God’s people.
An approved worker will be conscientious to study God’s word diligently and will apply it to his own life. The approved worker will move away from godless chatter (v 16) because it leads to ungodliness. An approved worker knows that false doctrine is dangerous – Paul thought it was like gangrene (v17). Only healthy doctrine keeps a church healthy & strong.
Each of us as a worker will either prove ourselves to be approved or ashamed. Approved = tested and found acceptable. Ashamed = work is below standard, & unacceptable. Suffering is the testing.
V19-22 The Utensil / Vessel
The sixth cameo is of utensils or vessels that perform different functions (v19-22). He divides them into either honourable (true teachers) which are valuable (precious metal) or dishonourable (false teachers) which are not valuable (wood & clay). Timothy’s name means ‘God-honouring’. So Paul was telling Timothy to live up to his name. For God to be able to use us as clean vessels, we must be clean, not already being used for other purposes (holy = set apart), and available.
V23-26 The Servant
The seventh (& final) cameo is of a servant (v23-26). The word Paul uses is ‘slave’. Slaves had no rights, and were totally at the mercy of their masters. Paul says he is the slave of Jesus. God’s slave does not have an easy time teaching hearers because Satan tries to snatch away the truth (v26). Some hearers are just plain hard going (v23). Paul encouraged Timothy to keep on teaching those who opposed him, and hopefully they will listen & recover (v26).
So, what have I been saying?
There is an urgency about being useful for God. Being a faithful Christian is not just about coming to Church regularly (though that is important).
*Guard & invest the treasure like a good steward;
*Be disciplined, follow the instructions, and trust the CO knows best, like a good soldier.
*Train yourself, persevere and follow the rules to avoid disqualification like a good athlete.
*Be resilient, ready for hard work and patient like a good farmer.
*When you are tested, make sure you are not ashamed but come up acceptable and be like a good worker who diligently and correctly divides God’s truth.
*Be clean, be set apart and be available like a useful vessel / utensil.
*Be kind, be teachable, and be wise like a good servant.
