Daily Archives: March 9, 2011

Paul continues to “speak into” young Timothy exactly who God has made him to be…

2 Timothy 1:8-9 So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, Who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time,

Paul tells Timothy that you were EMPOWERED by a Holy Calling!

He says:

1. “Don’t be ashamed of me or Jesus.” With all of the pressure facing young Timothy and his church, this was bigger than you might think.
2. “Join with me in suffering for the Gospel.”He reminds Timothy that his call to Christ includes suffering. (good theology in spite of what you hear on TV) Everyone knew that they would suffer when giving their lives to Christ. It was completely against their culture.
3. “It is God who will EMPOWER you to stand for HIS purposes.”

Remember that these verses were written when NERO was Emperor of Rome. Paul’s liberation from his first imprisonment took place in a.d. 63, the year before the great fire at Rome, which Nero made the pretext for his persecution of the Christians.  Every cruelty was heaped on the Christians; some were crucified, some were arrayed in the skins of wild beasts and hunted to death by dogs; some were wrapped in pitch-robes and set on fire by night to illuminate the circus of the gardens of Nero!

He reminds Timothy that in all of this persecution, destruction and injustice that flies around him … be strong! You have the Holy Spirit and are gifted and called to this. He is with you and has made you ready!

I think we could all use someone in our lives who will remind us that God has set us apart to honor Him even when things get tough!

CONSIDER:  2 Timothy 1:3-18

³ I thank God, whom I serve, as my ancestors did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. ⁴ Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. ⁵ I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.

Appeal for Loyalty to Paul and the Gospel

⁶ For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. ⁷ For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. ⁸ So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God. ⁹ He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, ¹⁰ but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. ¹¹ And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. ¹² That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet this is no cause for shame, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day.

¹³ What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. ¹⁴Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.

Examples of Disloyalty and Loyalty

¹⁵ You know that everyone in the province of Asia has deserted me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes.

¹⁶ May the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains. ¹⁷ On the contrary, when he was in Rome, he searched hard for me until he found me. ¹⁸ May the Lord grant that he will find mercy from the Lord on that day! You know very well in how many ways he helped me in Ephesus.

My freshman year at Texas Tech, I was recruited by Kanakuk Kamp to serve as a summer counselor/coach. (It is a big Christian Sports Camp) All of the counselor/coaches were recruited because of their faith in Jesus and because they stood out in some sport. I arrived at camp “fired-up” about what I would be doing for the next 52 days…teaching kids how to hit a tennis ball and “hanging out” in the Ozarks…Awesome!

HOWEVER, my excitement changed to nausea when I met all of the other counselor. These folks were big time college athletes! I mean BIG TIME! At orientation I sat between two starting linemen for the (then) National Champion Oklahoma Sooners. My co-counselor (shared a cabin of kids with) was the starting forward for the Kansas State Wildcats basketball team. I made friends with a baseball player from Big 12 Champ Texas A&M and the Oklahoma State Wrestler (National Semi-finalist) was a great guy…. BUT C’MON!!!!!! I was a high school tennis player with a couple of scholarship offers to D-II schools. (that I did not even take cuz I had to go to a “big” school and do big things blah-blab-blah!…. idiot.)

“Intimidated” did not even begin to tell my story………

The head of the camp (Joe White, author, speaker and amazing athlete) must have “seen” everything I was feeling. You know, the  fear, trepidation and that unmistakable look a guy gets when he does not know if he should run away,  fake illness or just throw up!

He asked if he could “talk to me for a second over here ?” (“crud”, I thought, “I’m going home because of some recruiting mistake…well, it is probably better this way.”)

In the corner of the main dining hall, where we could not be heard, Joe White (“THEE” Joe White!) put his hand on my shoulder, looked me in the eyes and said, “Hixon, (Joe White knew my name! …or read my name badge….whatever.) “don’t be intimidated by these guys!  I know what you can do, you have everything it takes to be a great counselor/coach here… “BE ONE!

In an instant, fear left me and determination set in!  I became one of the best counselors Kanakuk had that summer. All because Joe White told me I had what it takes!

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

• Has God put a young guy/gal in your life that needs YOU to remind them that they are gifted, equipped and able?
• Does your child (ren) need to know that you believe they have what it takes to grow up well?
• Maybe YOU need someone to tell you that very thing…Timothy did!

The older Paul made sure that Timothy knew he was… EQUIPPED/GIFTED FOR THE TASK AT HAND.

2 Timothy 1:6-7

For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

Joe White changed the course of my summer and in some ways my life….who’s life can you change?

Consider: 2 TIMOTHY 1:3-18