2 Timothy 2:3-5
3 Share in sufferings ynkakopatheō as hōs a good kalos soldier stratiōtēs of Christ Christos Jesus Iēsous. 4 No one oudeis serving in the military gets entangled emplekō in the ho affairs pragmateia of ho daily life bios so that hina he pleases areskō the ho one who enlisted stratologeō him. 5 Likewise kai, if ean ·de anyone tis competes as an athlete athleō, he does notou receive a wreath stephanoō unless ean mē he competes athleō lawfully nomimōs.
Let’s put ourselves into the story here today. A month or so ago we spoke about the Armor of God and how it is armor that is provided by God, that it belongs to God. So, for that Armor to belong to us, we must belong to him. When it comes to leaders in the early church, battles occurred frequently. Timothy is a perfect example of this:
Who is Timothy?
- Name means “honoring God”.
- From Lystra (South Central Turkey)
- Son of a mixed marriage. His father is never mentioned but his Jewish mother and grandmother are, Eunice and Lois.
- Paul chose Timothy to be his successor
- Timothy is the recorder of 2 Corinthians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, and Philemon for Paul.
- Because Paul knew that Timothy would be witnessing to the Jews, he circumcised him himself (Act 16)….yep, that happened!
- Timothy is young, some say early to mid-twenties, and he had a tendency of having anxiety and for being timid. (All recorded in 1 Timothy)
- Timothy’s death occurred in AD 97 during the reign of Domitian. This would place Timothy’s martyrdom shortly after the exile of the apostle John to the island of Patmos, which occurred around AD 95. According to Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, “as the pagans were about to celebrate a feast called Catagogion, Timothy, meeting the procession, severely reproved them for their ridiculous idolatry, which so exasperated the people, that they fell upon him with their clubs, and beat him in so dreadful a manner, that he expired of the bruises two days after”
Full Armor of God and the world still beat Timothy to death!
Being a good soldier does not mean you will always win over worldly things. A battle rages and you may lose here but be a good soldier. Your followed orders from someone higher up. You did not flee; you sacrificed your life due to higher orders. You followed the rules of engagement. You were fair and did what was commanded to the best of your ability. Therefore, you are a faithful servant to the King of Kings.