The Paradox of the Soldier and the Servant The Pastoral Epistles (1st & 2nd Timothy &

Titus) are probably the most unique of the epistles because Pauls message was directed toward individuals instead of an entire church. 2nd Timothy is the most unique out of the three because it encapsulates Pauls last words before being martyred under the emperor Nero. Paul not only wrote a letter wrought with emotion, this was his final opportunity to convey to Timothy what he felt was most important that he knew. In the second chapter of 2nd Timothy, Pauls lesson centered upon being a believer active in service. That is, a teaching on what the duty and activity of the believer ought to be. He does this quite well by contrasting the believer with other well-known roles of society. Paul refers to Timothy as his son not in the physical sense, but in the spiritual sense. Timothy found Christ through Pauls ministry and therefore Paul became his mentor. Feeling as if he was a father figure, the first piece of advice Paul gave Timothy was to be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus (2 Tim. 2:1 English Standard Version). But, what does it mean to be strengthened by the grace that is in Jesus? Grace is what bridges the gap between us and God and faith is what allows us to move toward God. To be strengthened by the grace that is in Jesus means to quit taking steps back when things get tough, be honest with God, admit when you are wrong and seek forgiveness from all involved. The grace of God covers you as a believer. Therefore, there is no good reason to be disappointed in yourself while you are walking with Christ. Because if you walk with the strengthening grace of Christ, your faith leads you to righteousness, but if you enter through the wide gate, taking your own way, as Jesus tells us in Matthew, destruction awaits you. Next, Paul compares the believer to a soldier. No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him (2nd Tim. 2:4 ESV). Like a good soldier, the believer is to be willing and able to establish his or her priorities and the point Paul is getting at here is the fact that soldiers are disciplined in a way in which their priorities are clear and executed quickly and out of necessity. Oh, how entangled we can become, from time to time, in worldliness, justifying it by means that we would consider ludicrous if we were to just step back a test ourselves with scripture. There is spiritual warfare taking place, brothers and sisters, there is winning and there is losing. So let us follow what Paul says to the church of Ephesus and fasten our belt of truth and breastplate of righteousness, lace up our boots of readiness, grip tight the shield of faith, strap on our helmets of salvation and sheath the sword of the Spirit to begin winning those battles we would have lost, lest we not have prioritized our lives to serve Christ. In verse 5, Paul contrasts the Athlete and the believer. During the time Paul was writing this, the Greco-Roman world had been significantly influenced by athletic games. It was not just the Olympics; there were regional games similar to the Olympics that took place throughout the areas the Apostles evangelized. Because athletics were so engrained within the culture, this is an important comparison in the sense that the reader could identify with the writer. Timothy in reading this knew that the athlete could not cut corners because his objective was to be and beat the best of the best. Cutting corners would only be hurting the athlete, not helping him. Similarly, this rings true for Christians. Condensed gimmicks like tracts that are often left as a tip, water down the necessity for and urgency of salvation. The typical tract

preaches a message that assures the reader that if he or she says the sinners prayer, they will be saved. This is simply not true. It is not that easy. Paul reminds us in Romans that being a follower of Christ costs us our life. This is not to say we are saved by works, but it is to say that confessing with our mouths is often the easy part, believing in Christ enough to declare him savior of not only ourselves, but everyone else is a message that a quarter-page tract fails to convey. Trying to pack the power of witnessing for God into such a tiny message because of a quantity over quality mindset may be well-intentioned, but it is wrong and it is not going to cut it in todays world. As Paul is testimony to this through his adoption of Timothy, we must not only cast the seeds, but stick around to cultivate them. As believers, we are farmers. We are not merely sewers of seed, preaching the gospel to those who do and do not want to hear it, but we are also charged with making sure that we cultivate those seedlings that spring up from the seeds we cast. A million people could be saved, but unless we have as many disciples to minister, mentor and council them, we are not reaping the full potential of the harvest. In my twenty-some years as a Nazarene, studying the Word is an activity not many Christians particularly know how to do. Simply reading your Bible, Daily Bread in hand, may be necessary for you to start your morning, but it is a stretch to think that it gets your hands as dirty as reading a biblical commentary by Wesley, Calvin or Arminius. Under the subheading, Paul highlights the ultimate goal of studying the Word. He tells Timothy to be a diligent student and to be able to use the Word. The Bible was not meant to have verses plucked out here and there, taking some and leaving some. It was meant to be taught in its entirety. We must be able to rightly divide the entire Word of God. Like Paul with Timothy, we should strive to help new believers get a logical and rational answer for nearly every question they have. There are a lot of good answers, most of the time all we have to do is seek, ask or open our eyes. Let go and let God is something I regularly see in picture frames on the walls of many Christians throughout my life. To let go and let God is to be an empty vessel. But what does that mean? It is to agree that you will follow God at any cost. And not only is God looking for empty vessels, He is also looking for those vessels that are clean. He seeks those who throw aside the lusts of their youth, putting away foolish questions and bickering, shifting their focus on the essentials spreading the gospel and making disciples! Verses 20-21 highlight the importance of focusing on holiness, demanding that we strive to be strong in the grace of God, realizing and searching ourselves for ways to serve God in accordance to His perfect will for our lives. Finally, in verses 24 and 25 Paul compares the believer to a servant, gentle unto all men. Serving both those in need and those without needs, but most importantly, serving God. By introducing the servant into the chapters illustration, Paul creates a paradox. Essentially, we are told to be both a servant and a soldier. In many ways, these two roles are polar opposites. The soldier is violent, representing power and control and the servant, passive, powerless and controlled. So, how should we take this paradox? We are told to stand and fight like the best soldiers. Yet, we are also told to serve others, stepping away from all the bickering and methods making the Christian life easier and more compatible with our ways. When we are confronted with a challenge, we stand and fight for the truth, but within that fight we must also practice humility, respecting others opinions. Perseverance and patience is key, remember, Rome wasnt built in a day.