SEVEN PICTURES OF THE CHRISTIAN MINISTER
Paul did not want Timothy to have an identity crisis, so he carefully explained what a pastor is and does. The same principles apply to all Christians. Paul presented seven pictures of the Christian minister.
1. The Steward – 2Tim.2:1-2
The ministry is not something we get for ourselves and keep to ourselves. We are stewards of the spiritual treasure God has given us. It is our responsibility to guard the deposit and then invest it in the lives of others. They in turn, are to share the Word with the next generation of believers.
It is important that we get our original treasure from the Word of God, and not from the ideas and philosophies of men. It takes strength to teach the Word of God. We must dig out of the rich mines of scripture the gold, silver, precious stones that are hidden there Prov.2:1-10.
This strength can only come from God’s grace. The secret of Paul’s great ministry was the grace of God 1Cor.15:10. The ability to study, understand, and teach the Word of God is a gift of God’s grace.
A steward must be a diligent student of the Word of God 2Tim.2:24. Able to teach implies able to learn. A steward must be a diligent student of the Word of God.
2. The Soldier – 2Tim.2:3-4, 8-13
Paul often uses military illustrations in his letters. This is not surprising since he lived in a military state and was in prison himself. He described in these verses the characteristics of a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
He endures hardship vs.3. Many people have the idea that the ministry is a soft job. But a dedicated Christian minister is in a battle that requires spiritual endurance.
He avoids worldly entanglements vs.4. He is totally committed to his commanding officer; in our case, this is Jesus Christ. It is sometimes necessary for a pastor, or a pastor’s wife to be employed because their church is not able to support them. This is a sacrifice on their part and an investment in the work. But a pastor who is fully supported should not get involved in sidelines that divide his interest and weaken his ministry. Our purpose is to please the Lord, not ourselves.
He magnifies Jesus Christ vs.8-9. Jesus is the captain of our salvation Heb.2:10, and our purpose is to bring honor and glory to Him. What an encouragement Jesus Christ is to a suffering Christian soldier! For He died and rose again, proving that suffering leads to glory, and that seeming defeat leads to victory. The best way to magnify Christ is through the ministry of the Word. Paul was bound, but God’s Word cannot be bound Ps.147:15.
He thinks of the whole army vs.10. Paul not only suffered for the Lord’s sake, but he also suffered for the sake of the church. There were yet many people to reach with the gospel, and Paul wanted to help reach them. A soldier who thinks only of himself is disloyal and undependable.
He trusts his commanding officer vs.11-13. It is faith in Jesus Christ that gives us victory 1Jh.5:4. We do not fear the enemies, for He has already conquered them. Through our identification with Christ in death, burial, and resurrection, we have won the victory Rom.6.
Death leads to life! Suffering leads to reigning in glory.
We have nothing to fear! The important thing is that we not disown our Lord, for if we disown Him here, He will disown us before the Father Matt.10:33. Paul made it clear that even our own doubts and unbelief cannot change Him 2Tim.2:13.
The great missionary, J Hudson Taylor often said, “It is not by trying to be faithful, but in looking to the Faithful One, that we win the victory.”
3. The Athlete – 2Tim.2:5
Paul sometimes used athletic illustrations in his writings; wrestling, boxing, running, and exercising. The Greeks and the Romans were enthusiastic about sports, and the Olympic Games were important events to them. Paul had already urged Timothy to exercise like an athlete 1Tim.4:7-8; now Paul admonished him to obey the rules.
A person who strives as an athlete to win a game and get a crown must be careful to obey all the rules of the game. If an athlete was found defective in any matter, he was disqualified from competing. If after he had competed and won, he was found to have broken some rule, he then lost his crown.
Jim Thorpe, a great American athlete, lost his Olympic medals because he participated in sports in a way that broke an Olympic rule.
From the human point of view, Paul was a loser. There was nobody in the grandstands cheering him, for all they which are in Asia had turned away from him 2Tim.1:15. He was in prison, suffering as an evildoer.
Yet, Paul was a winner! He had kept the rules laid down in the Word of God, and one day he would get his reward from Jesus Christ.
Paul was saying to young Timothy, “The important thing is that you obey the Word of God, no matter what people may say. You are not running the race to please people or to get fame. You are running to please the Lord Jesus Christ.”