Fearing persecution from the government, pressure from the church, and distraction from false teachers Timothy was weakening in his faith and maybe even contemplating quitting the ministry. Earlier in chapter 1, Paul had written for Timothy not to be consumed with a spirit of fear, but rather a spirit of boldness and courage in spreading the message of the gospel. Obviously in the face of intense persecution and even seeing that preaching the gospel had landed Paul in prison, Timothy feared for his own life. I mean, who wouldn’t? No one wants to do something which may have a negative backlash and endanger their very life. But Paul felt as if the message of the gospel was worth laying down his life and he desired Timothy to have the same attitude. Paul writes “do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God” (1:8). In the first century, Christians feared persecution for their faith mostly because they were rejecting the belief system of the culture and trusting in Jesus Christ, but the modern day church (in the United States) knows nothing of this type of persecution…yet we are ashamed of the gospel. Sure, we may be laughed at or mocked for speaking the gospel, but usually there is no fear for our life. Jesus Christ has freely given us salvation (1:9), “abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel…” (1:10) so that we can share the gospel with others. Paul had been “appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles” (1:11) in order to make this message accessible to all. I believe it is also our responsibility to make sure this message is placed into the hands of the next generation who will also faithfully share the truth about Jesus Christ. What made Paul so courageous in sharing his faith? He knew that his life was in God’s hands and would one day experience eternal life with Christ (1:12). There is no need to fear a life that is temporary anyway, so Paul chose to live radically, live passionately, and live faithfully. What about you?
Dear God, I’m not sure why I am so fearful about sharing the life-changing message of the gospel so give me the courage to make my faith public and apologetically share the gospel with others.
