When I was in my early 30s, my wife and I finally got a bathroom scale. I did not know my body could make that big of a number. That was when I decided I needed to start exercising. I chose swimming as my form of exercise for two reasons: I knew I needed to enjoy whatever I was going to do, and I loved swimming as a kid.
Somehow my church family found out about it. Most people were non-swimmers and would just walk up and say, "That's really unique. Most normal people run or lift weights, and instead you swim." I went about three or four years on an ongoing basis.
One day I'm swimming at the pool and I see someone who looks a lot like Eric, one of our key leaders. I knew Eric well enough to know that he is not a swimmer. When I approached him, he was struggling just to get to the other end of the pool. It turns out, a couple days before, he'd been to the doctor and got the results back of his blood work. His blood pressure was sky-high and he wasn't even 30 yet. The doctor told him he needed to change what he ate, start medication, and begin exercising.
When I asked why swimming, Eric said, "Well, I hate running. I don't own a bike. I don't like the idea of a gym. And so I figured, well, Aaron does this. I may as well try it, too."
Eric had been getting orders from the doctor so that he could get healthy. In 2 Timothy, we're going to hear God give us some orders. Dr. God is going to tell us what we need to do to be spiritually healthy. For some, this will be no big deal. But for others, this is going to be awkward. If you try to implement exactly what we're going to hear today, you're going to feel like Eric trying to get across the pool for that first time—you are going to be struggling.
Yet what we're going to see is we cannot let the awkwardness and the newness keep us from obeying God. Because if we will actually do what he calls us to do, it will be for our spiritual health, and we'll also create the opportunity for others to be spiritually healthy.
In 2 Timothy 2:1-13, Paul writes to Timothy with clear instructions about what it means to live a spiritually healthy life. Today we're going to see that healthy lives share three things: the gospel, the mission, and the suffering.
Paul begins in verse 1: "You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus." Grace is unmerited favor—a gift given to us that we have not earned and do not deserve. If you are a follower of Jesus, the moment you put all of your faith and identity in Christ, you experienced God's grace. That grace from the gospel should strengthen you to do one incredibly important thing.
Verse 2 tells us: "And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also."
Years ago, I knew a gentleman named Dave who had impacted hundreds of lives as a youth leader. He once taught on evangelism using 2 Timothy 2:2, helping youth remember the reference as "2T22." What does 2T22 tell us? That what Paul had invested into Timothy, Timothy was to give to other faithful men who would give it then to others.
There are four generations listed here: Paul (generation one) invests the gospel and disciples Timothy (generation two). Timothy is then to share it with faithful men (generation three), who are then to share it with others (generation four).
That's important to know because rarely does generation four know generation one. Think about it biologically—most of us know our parents and grandparents, but very few know our great-grandparents. Spiritually, when it comes to discipleship, that's okay because it's not about generation one. It's about Jesus.
We're not doing this to impress others. We are to do this for their good, their growth, their spiritual health. So we share about Jesus. If generation four has no idea who you are, so what? We're called to do this because it's for his glory, our good, and their growth.
To make this point, Paul uses three illustrations in verses 4-6: a soldier, an athlete, and a farmer. This is a brilliant move to show one incredibly powerful point—that we are to be dedicated to this mission.
In Paul and Timothy's day, a soldier was not supposed to marry or have children. They were to give everything to the Roman Empire and could not be distracted by civilian pursuits. Athletes would sign an agreement dedicating ten months to preparing for the Olympic Games, giving everything to it. A farmer must be dedicated to his land and crops—he cannot go on a three-month vacation during planting season.
Paul is saying that to disciple others effectively, we must be dedicated. We must be singularly focused. We must give everything to this.
When you are so dedicated and passionate about this mission, you can't help but encourage and invite others into the mission. A soldier wants his fellow soldiers to be just as dedicated because his life is in their hands. Athletes want their teammates to give their all. A farmer needs his workers to be just as dedicated because their livelihood depends upon it.
The great thing is when you invite others in, you're going to go so much farther, so much faster because you're bearing this burden together. And there is joy in that.
Notice that in all three illustrations Paul gave, there was a benefit: the soldier gets to please the one who enlisted him, the athlete receives a crown, and the farmer enjoys the first of his crops. There is a benefit to giving yourself to ministry and inviting people into this.
Paul also recognizes that as much as there is benefit and joy in doing ministry, there is also pain and suffering. That's why his third point is that a healthy life shares in suffering. He says directly in verse 3: "Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus."
Paul knows there is a weight to doing ministry—a burden and hardship. You're interacting with people, finding out the sin they're wrestling with and the tough things they're going through. There can be conflict, and there is just a heaviness about it.
This is why Paul says we are to share the mission—because that's going to help us share the suffering. When we share in the suffering of others, we can go so much further, so much faster, and be so much stronger.
When you enter into someone's suffering in ministry, you bring hope to them. I remember helping with flood relief work, spending three days helping an elderly couple whose home had been destroyed. On the final day, I heard the wife say, "Oh my goodness, I can see my house again." She had hope. Because six of us were willing to enter into her suffering, suddenly it brought hope to her.
Before I conclude, I need to address a couple of things. First, for many of us, this is awkward. We don't know how to share the gospel or what it looks like to share the ministry. Because of the awkwardness and our lack of knowledge, we step back.
You need to be like Eric and just get into the pool. Yes, your first few laps are going to look weird. It's going to feel awkward. But when you keep at it, it will get easier, and you will begin to see God work not just in you, but through you.
Second, there have been times when struggling emotionally becomes an excuse not to do these things. It's natural to say, "I need to get healthy first before I can do that." But sometimes, even in the midst of our own suffering, as we enter into someone else's suffering, our eyes get off ourselves and our own issues. We gain perspective and suddenly realize we're not as bad as we thought, our big problem gets smaller, and our God gets bigger.
Sometimes when you step into awkward situations and follow the doctor's orders, you see God work through you as he also works in you. Don't let suffering keep you from doing what God is calling you to do. It doesn't mean you ignore your problems—if you need counseling or support, find it. But don't let it be an excuse to avoid sharing the gospel, sharing the mission, and sharing in suffering with others, because it might be right there that you find the relief and healing you need as you also bring that same thing to them.
God calls us to share the gospel, invite people into the mission with us, and enter into suffering together because we will help one another come through and see God do glorious things.
