Text: 2Timothy 1:8-18
"Therefore, never be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me, his
prisoner. Instead, by God's power, join me in suffering for the sake of the
gospel."
-2 Timothy 2:8
Introduction
Paul was in prison, and most probably in chains. Feeling sad and feeling lonely and long to see all his friends and colleagues, he writes Timothy and encourages him perhaps for the last time.
He saved us and called us with a holy calling (v.9)
As true ministers of Christ, be assured that all of us were saved and called with a holy calling. Verse 9 is a great passage for us to see. It says that we are not called according to our works but according to his purpose and the grace that was given to us in Christ Jesus.
God never based his calling in us because we did good things. He did not called us because when we were not yet Christians we helped the poor and sponsored hundreds of children to go to school.
He called us not to practice our own purpose but the purpose of God for us. He called us because he wants us to do something not for our glory but for our glory. This is why serving God through preaching and teaching is a dignified ministry. Even if other people will not listen, even if other people will not believe in what you teach, and even if people will not act to what God says through you. For as long as God’s calling is clear, there is nothing to be ashamed of.
Again, God did not give us the spirit of timidity but of power, love, and self-discipline (v.7)
He called us before the beginning of time, which means He planned and predestined our calling even before the beginning of time as a confirmation of the statement in Ephesians 1:4
Paul was a hypocritical Pharisee when he was called. He was a legal murderer of Christians of his time. But because of this calling the lies in him, he is deeply convinced that it is only rightful to work for the Lord whether or not, we are in a good condition. We have to stand even in the midst of trials. Paul himself suffered from several shipwrecks, persecutions from his fellow Jews, and even from imprisonment. Noah seems to have gathered all the ridicules on him for the making of the great Ark. He was called for God’s purpose.
Know that God’s ways are sometimes foolishness in the eyes of men. Be careful then in weighing things and decision making. Our personal desires can easily deceive us.
We were appointed to be preacher, apostle, and teacher (v.11)
It is God who appointed us to become preachers, apostles, and teachers and not other people. Just like Paul as being appointed by the our Lord Jesus Christ himself, we too were called to do the same or else, he will not be instructing us to go to all nation baptizing them in the name of the Father , the Son and the Holy Spirit.
We are to carry out the gospel as what the preacher does. It is letting them know about Christ, carrying the gospel to these people just like the apostles. The work does not stop there. It continuously goes on until they learn and apply what the message says. We do this like a teacher that assists and takes good care of his students.
All of these are like a cycle. We are to preach the good news to all people, bringing them the gospel and teaching them to obey everything Christ commanded. It is not men who appointed us, it is Christ himself as he commissioned us.
The only thing that remains is our decision to follow him. Again, the preaching the gospel and
In verse 12, Paul noted that because of this appointment, he suffers. He already have experienced the most difficult things that an apostle, or an ordinary believer can ever experience. Yet, he was never ashamed; instead he puts all his confidence to the One who sent him. He is deeply convinced that the One who sent him is able to protect what He entrusted until the Day of Judgment.
We are to hold on to the pattern of healthy teachings along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. We are not to invent neither religions nor beliefs that has no or have very low theological values.
Going back to the historical flow of ministerial practice. Contextualization has helped millions of lost people to know Christ. Missionaries and ministers contextualized God’s word to fit into culture. But later on, contextualization was over used and has been the source of doctrinal perversion of the Christian world to which, the major portion of this supposed to be "Christian Church" refused to go back to the real Biblical teachings. Such refusal also made its way to make many people loose its way to salvation.
The Holy Spirit lives in us (v.14)
Our world is full of corruptions. People always look for "Padrinos" to be somebody in the government, agency or even in corporations. Unfortunately, all these "Padrinos" are something to be ashamed for. People used to boast for their earthly "padrinos" semi-privately, but they used to deny it in the open public.
Unlike, these earthly "Padrinos" we Christians also have a padrino, but He is something that we are suppose to be proud of. He does not do any crime, nor any illicit and illegal acts. Rather, he is something who teaches us to do good, to obey God’s command.
He is the Holy Spirit. The One sent in exchange of Jesus Christ in carnal form (John 14:26).
"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of all that I have told you."
He is the great Helper, sent by the Father in the name of Jesus, and the one who will be teaching us all things and remind us all that Jesus told us.
In the passage, Paul mentioned about the abandonment of his colleagues. He was left alone in prison. We can see a picture that in some ways, Paul’s feeling of loneliness here grew the more. He was deserted by Christians from Asia, maybe because of disgrace of his imprisonment. But it is the Holy Spirit that is with Paul, the great Padrino.
The Holy Spirit is also the one who convicts the world of sin, righteousness or judgment (John 16:8). When we are still in darkness, we do not mind at all in sinning. Now that we are in the children of Light, we feel sorry whenever we commit sin and mistakes. This is why, after hearing the gospel, accepting Christ, being baptized and attending the Church, and still we do not feel sorry when we commit sin, or after two or three years of claiming "to be Christians" yet without any change, perhaps, we already need to ask ourselves if the Holy Spirit is really with us.
Conclusion
We really don’t have to be ashamed of anything by becoming a Christian. Instead, we are to be proud of it, yet not becoming self righteous, instead fearlessly proclaiming the word of the Lord.
There are three main reasons why we should not be ashamed of proclaiming the word of God.
- He saved us and called us with a holy calling (v.9)
- We were appointed to be preacher, apostle and teacher (v.11)
- The Holy Spirit lives in us (v.14)
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