Suffering for the Cause of Christ (2 Timothy 2.9)

for which I suffer trouble as an evildoer, even to the point of chains; but the word of God is not chained.

I was sixteen at the time I met the youth pastor at Calvary Baptist Church. He was a man of passion, and a 

man of God. He was young, energetic and had a heart for ministry. His preaching was full of conviction. He 

was a youth minister at a successful church. It was a stalwart in the community for almost forty years at that 

point. It was a comfortable church. The youth pastor challenged that. He got to preach to the congregation 

many times due to the health of the senior minister. The Lord used his preaching to get many right. I remember 

many going forward at the altar calls. He was fired a year later by the deacon board.

Fast forward some fifteen to twenty years in a different state. I met another youth minster. He was a different 

man than the other. He was not a great preacher or teacher. He was a great minister. The youth group 

exploded with life. Many were coming to Christ. Many were trying to live a better Christian life. The church 

became a light to the neighborhood. From kindergarten on up was solid. There were plenty of workers to 

do the work. Church had become a celebration. A couple years later he was forced to resign.

Those who live truly for Christ are those who rock the boat. They challenge the status quo. They are going 

against the grain of the world’s system. See right now the devil runs the world’s system. He runs most 

churches. Those who live for Christ are considered troublemakers. These two men I mentioned were deemed troublemakers.

How do we suffer as evildoers today?

Does your faith cost you something?

Consider What I Say: 2 Timothy 2.7

Consider what I say, and may the Lord give you understanding in all things.

           

            Two years ago I had the swine flu. I was stuck in bed for the better part of two weeks. I could barely move. Getting out of bed and going to the bathroom was a major deal. I was miserable. I could not breathe well. I could not eat or sleep. God had me right where He wanted me. See I had allowed anger and pride to enter my life. It was blocking my relationship with God. Those two weeks I had nothing but time to lay and bed and think. What does God want me to do? Am I being a faithful Christian? Do I care what God thinks?

There is an old song that says “I live my life like there’s no tomorrow.” It is a fun song but unfortunately, it describes what so many of us fall into everyday. We do not think about the long term consequences of our actions. Many of teenagers who engage in sex and drugs do not think about the long term consequences. People who drink and drive do not think about the consequences. When people speed while driving, they do not think of the possible consequences. The list goes on and on. What we do in this world has long-term ramifications.

The Apostle Paul is telling Timothy to think about what he is saying. Think about the long term consequences of being a faithful Christian. To say some words someone else tells you to say and going to church once or twice a week is easy. Being a faithful, Christian takes dedication. A faithful Christian is a twenty-four hour a day three hundred sixty five days a year job. Paul is telling Timothy to think about it. Reflect and put some thought into it.  Make sure this is what you want to do. Reflection is an important part of life. If you do not reflect on life there is no possible improvement.

Today reflect on your spiritual life. Are you doing what God wants you to do? Are you living for Him? Have you brought everything to Him in prayer? Are you holding back from God? When we consider what God wants us to do, He will give us understanding. 

Part 3: I am a Christian what do I do? (2 Timothy 2.5-6)

And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. The hardworking farmer must be first to partake of the crops.

1. Be honest.

I was eight years old. The Pittsburgh Steelers played the Denver Broncos to a 35-35 tie. I thought it was great. I was a football fan from that point. Terry Bradshaw was my hero. Football and baseball were my two favorite sports. I grew up a big sports fan. Sports became a big part of my life. Through the years I noticed a disturbing trend in sports.  More and more athletes were doing anything to succeed. More and more leagues were doing anything to sell tickets.

The great thing about accepting Christ as your Savior is that the rules never change. We don’t have to do anything unethical. We just have to be honest. We need to compete for God according to His rules. We don’t have to come up with gimmicks to get others to come to Christ. We just need to stick to the message. It’s the same as it always has been. Grace through faith. Honesty and integrity are important aspects of the Christian life. The reason the world doesn’t notice a difference is that we do not live lives that are honest. We talk about following a certain code but we really don’t. We just end up being hypocrites. Saying one thing and doing another. The most honest thing we can do in our lives is ask God are we honest with You? Do we love Him? Do we live for Him? Do we tell others about Him?

2. Be hard working.

I live around forty miles southwest of Columbus, Ohio in a rural area. Drive south on US-62 and you will find my town. You will drive down a two lane road the whole way. Corn and bean fields litter the landscape along the way. Every spring I notice farmers plowing, and planting. Every fall they harvest. Sure as the sun and the moon exist this happens every year. If the farmers neglected one of these activities they would have no produce.

We as Christians are to be hard working as farmers. Christianity is not some designation we fill out on some paperwork. It is real life. We don’t stop being a Christian at conversion we work harder. Some just want to do enough to get to heaven. That is really sad. Christ died for our sins and rose from the dead for us. We should be willing to return the favor but many of us are content to just do the bare minimum. I had a friend once said that no matter what he did his wife would always love him. His attitude was what is the least I can do for you? Many times this is how we are in our spiritual lives. God what is the least I can do for you today? It should be what can I do for you today?