The True Pastoral Ministry

2 Timothy 2:1-7
P. G. Mathew | Sunday, November 29, 2015
Copyright © 2015, P. G. Mathew

In 2 Timothy 2:1–7, we learn of the true pastoral ministry in Christ’s holy church through Paul’s instructions to Pastor Timothy. Earlier, the apostle wrote that he was convinced that genuine faith and the Holy Spirit dwelt in Timothy. The Holy Spirit is not a spirit of fear and cowardice, but of power, love, and a sound mind. Thus, a true pastor should not be ashamed or afraid of the gospel that declares that Jesus Christ by his death on the cross destroyed our death, which is the wages of sin, and brought life and immortality to every elect who repents and believes on him.

A pastor especially must suffer for this gospel and die, if needs be, as he proclaims the gospel by the power of the Holy Spirit. Timothy was to guard the deposit of the gospel by living it and faithfully proclaiming it.

God had earlier entrusted this gospel to the apostle, as he himself stated: “And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher” (2 Tim. 1:11; see also 1 Tim. 1:11). Now the apostle was entrusting this gospel to Pastor Timothy. Timothy, in turn, was to entrust it to faithful men so that they then may teach others. Such teaching and preaching must continue in the church until the return of Jesus Christ.

So Timothy was to entrust the gospel and the ministry to faithful men so that he could leave Ephesus and go to Rome to be with Paul, who was about to be killed. Timothy, Titus, and others would then succeed Paul in the ministry. We all have to die. But the church continues to exist in the world, and pastors and teachers are to go on preaching the gospel. In every generation, we need pastors and teachers to preach and teach the apostolic gospel without change.

There are four imperatives we want to examine in this passage.

 

A Pastor Must Be Strong

First, Paul writes, “But you, therefore, my son, be strong in the grace which is in Christ Jesus” (v. 1). A pastor must be strong. In many churches, the board of deacons wants a weak pastor, who will always be subservient to them. Paul was saying, “My son, be different from those Asians like Phygelus and Hermogenes, who abandoned me, the apostle, and the gospel. They were weak and unfaithful. Instead, be like Onesiphorus, and me, your spiritual father.”

Paul was telling Timothy to be unafraid, loyal, and obedient to the gospel. He was to be strong in the grace that is found in Christ Jesus only. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus in eternity and made manifest for our salvation in the life, death, and the resurrection of Christ—in other words, in the gospel as it is proclaimed. This grace is an all-inclusive word for the power and gifts of the Holy Spirit.

So we read, “The law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:17). Elsewhere Paul writes, “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work” (2 Cor. 9:8; see also James 4:6 and 2 Cor. 12:9a).

Paul was saying, “Be strong, Timothy!” And I say to all men who are weak because of feminism, “Be strong, men! Fathers, husbands, preachers—be strong!” It is a present imperative, meaning, “Be strong continually.” Be strong for the task of pastoral ministry. Be strong, not in yourselves, but in the grace, in the Lord, in the power of his might, to preach and teach the gospel, to guard the gospel, to wrestle against the devil and to win in Christ. Be like the believers we read about in Revelation 12:11: “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death” (see also Jas. 4:7; Eph. 6:10–13).

Be strong in your prayer life and in the study of the Scripture. Understand that in Christ we are already more than conquerors. Heed Paul’s admonition to the Philippian church: “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose” (Phil. 2:13–14). Be encouraged by his words: “I can do everything through him who gives me strength” (Phil. 4:13; see also 2 Tim. 1:14; 4:17).

When he relied on his own strength, Peter denied Jesus three times. But in the strength of the Holy Spirit, he was able to preach the gospel, endure much hardship, and die in faith the death of the cross as Jesus himself predicted. John Calvin says, “What God demands from us by his word he likewise bestows by his Spirit.”¹ An arrogant professing Christian will not do the will of God. But God opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble.

 

Entrust and Teach

Then Paul writes, “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others” (v. 2). Timothy was to entrust to other men what had been entrusted to Paul by Christ and then entrusted to Timothy by the apostle (i.e., the gospel). The gospel is not secret or mystical. Paul publicly proclaimed the gospel, and Timothy, along with many others, heard it all his life. He was now to entrust this gospel to trustworthy men. Timothy was not to add to it, subtract from it, or misinterpret it. He must entrust the whole gospel to faithful men. He must preach the whole counsel of God, as Paul himself did: “You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. . . . For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God” (Acts 20:20, 27).

The gospel is the very word of God. It is not man’s word. Elsewhere Paul told the Thessalonian Christians, “And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe” (1 Thess. 2:13).

The gospel is the tradition (1 Cor. 11:2). What Paul received, he passed on to Timothy, and Timothy was to pass it on to faithful men. This process is to continue until Christ comes.

The gospel is the Lord’s command. Paul writes, “If anybody thinks he is a prophet or spiritually gifted, let him acknowledge that what I am writing to you is the Lord’s command” (1 Cor. 14:37). And that is what I am preaching to you: the Lord’s command.

What is the gospel? Paul writes, “Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve” (1 Cor. 15:1–5). That is the gospel.

This same gospel was preached by all apostles. Paul says, “Whether, then, it was I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed” (1 Cor. 15:11). If anyone preaches a different Jesus, a different gospel, or a different spirit, he is an agent of Satan and he is eternally condemned (Gal. 1:8).

The gospel must be entrusted to faithful men who will persevere to the end, who will be faithful to the gospel till death. Paul declares, “So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God. Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. . . . For this reason I am sending to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church” (1 Cor. 4:1–2, 17; see also 1 Thess. 2:4–6a).

It is the responsibility, first, of the church, not of seminaries or Bible institutes, to train pastors and teachers. And this church fulfills this responsibility. We train a number of pastors and teachers by preaching and teaching the gospel continually.

This gospel is entrusted to faithful men, not women. The word “men” (anthrôpois) here means “to males,” not just to human beings in general. The same word is used by Jesus: “For this reason a man [anthrôpos] will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh” (Matt. 19:5). We find the same idea in 1 Corinthians 7:1 and Ephesians 5:31. So anthrôpois means “men.” The apostle also said, “I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent” (1 Tim. 2:12; see also 1 Cor. 14:33b–34; Eph. 5:22–24). The twelve apostles of Jesus and the seventy disciples were all men.

How can we recognize those who have been called by Christ to be pastors and teachers in Christ’s holy church? Many people want to be preachers and teachers. They like to be behind the pulpit. They like to be seen and heard. But the question is, has God called them? Paul writes, “It was [Christ] who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers” (Eph. 4:11). Pastors and teachers are gifts given to the church by the ascended Christ. They are appointed by the Holy Spirit. Paul told the Ephesian elders, “Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood” (Acts 20:28).

That a man wants to be a preacher or went to a seminary does not necessarily mean he is called to the ministry. Some people go to seminaries because they do not like to work hard. They just want to make a reasonable living.

But those men who are gifts of Christ to the church will manifest certain spiritual gifts in the church. Peter told the disciples to find capable men to help with the distribution of food, and they found men filled with the Holy Spirit—men of wisdom, power, faith, and grace (Acts 6:1–4, 8). So we must look for them. And in the church, they will manifest themselves with these gifts. Paul writes, “We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully” (Rom. 12:6–8; see also 1 Cor. 12:28, 1 Pet. 4:11).

Three years earlier, Paul instructed Timothy how to find such people. He wrote, “Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task.” But that is not all. He must demonstrate certain spiritual gifts. He continues, “Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap” (1 Tim. 3:1–7; see also Acts 14:23, Titus 1:5–9).

Such trustworthy men will be filled with the Spirit and with the Scripture, and live disciplined, godly lives. And they, in turn, will be able to train others to the gospel ministry. Paul writes, “So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter” (2 Thess. 2:15; see also 2 Tim. 2:15).

 

Endure Hardship/Persecution

The third imperative is sunkakopathêson, meaning, “endure hardship and persecution.” Paul spoke of this already in 2 Timothy 1:8: “So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God” (see also 1:11–12; 2:3, 9; 3:12; 4:5; Acts 14:22).

Every Christian must suffer hardship and persecution. And faithful pastors, as they preach the gospel, will suffer persecution, not only from the world but also and especially from the church. Some people do not like it when the pastor speaks about their lives or their children. They will say, “Oh, now he is meddling. He stopped preaching; he is meddling.” A true pastor has authority to “meddle” in the affairs of those God has entrusted to his care.

The baptism in the Holy Spirit enables us to face all troubles, even death itself. Jesus said, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses” (Acts 1:8). Elsewhere, Jesus spoke about suffering. He said, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26–27).

The Bible tells us that Timothy later was put in prison (Heb. 13:23), and Paul himself speaks of some of his sufferings in 2 Corinthians 11:23–27. This apostle suffered much for the gospel.

Many of the Old Testament people suffered for their faith. For example, in Hebrews 11:37 we read, “They were stoned; they were sawed in two. They were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated.” From among the early believers, Stephen was stoned to death, James and Paul were beheaded, and Peter was crucified. Even today, we have seen Coptic Christians being beheaded while Christendom stands idly by.

But Jesus makes his people strong to endure all hardship. He made double-minded, unstable Simon to be rocklike Peter. Paul writes, “We are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Rom. 8:37). Elsewhere he said, “I can do everything through him who gives me strength” (Phil. 4:13).

In verses 3 through 6, Paul gives Timothy three illustrations of how we are to endure hardship.

 

THE SOLDIER

First, we are to endure hardship and persecution “like a good soldier of Christ Jesus” (v. 3). We are to be excellent soldiers of Jesus Christ. He enlisted us into his army; he is our commanding officer. We are to do one thing only: to please him in life and in death by hearing and doing his will as revealed in the Holy Scriptures (2 Tim. 3:16–17). Jesus said, “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and [does them] is like a wise man who built his house on the rock” (Matt. 7:24).

Listen to what the centurion, who knew something about authority, said. He knew how to please his commanding officer: “The centurion replied, ‘Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, “Go,” and he goes and that one, “Come,” and he comes. I say to my servant, “Do this,” and he does it’” (Matt. 8:8–9). Delegated authorities are to command the people of God. Fathers, when you say to your children to do something, do they do it?

Jesus said that we are to “go make disciples of all nations . . . teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matt. 28:20). (PGM) Who is this one who commands? He is the Lord of the universe. He also said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matt. 28:19).

Because we are soldiers of Christ, Jesus himself will provide for all our needs. He is Jehovah Jireh. Paul asks, “Who serves as a soldier at his own expense?” (1 Cor. 9:7). The answer is, no one. Paul also asks, “If, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!” (Rom. 5:10). He writes, “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” (Rom. 8:32). What a powerful argument, based on heavenly logic!

A good soldier of Jesus Christ, who is given by the Father all authority in God’s universe, must not be distracted by civilian, secular, worldly affairs. He has only one ambition, purpose, and goal in life: to please his Lord and to hear from him on the last day, “Well done, good and faithful soldier. Come and enjoy your master’s happiness.” So the soldiers of Christ will serve only Jesus—not Jesus and money, Jesus and power, Jesus and fame, Jesus and the world, or Jesus and the devil.

Jesus is our example, for he always pleased his Father. He said, “The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him” (John 8:29; see also John 17:4). Consider what he said from the cross: “When he had received the drink, Jesus said, ‘[Tetelestai] It is finished’” (John 19:30). In other words, “The work the Father gave me is finished. I have accomplished atonement and redemption for God’s elect.”

We are to please our commanding officer, Jesus Christ. Paul writes, “We pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God” (Col. 1:10). As Christians, we refuse to be distracted by the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boasting of things. Jesus said, “The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature” (Luke 8:14). They do not bring any fruit. Elsewhere we read, “Still another said, ‘I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family.’ Jesus replied, ‘No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God’” (Luke 9:61–62). We must focus!

Many in evangelical churches have, like Demas, abandoned Christ, having loved this present world. We, on the other hand, are to endure hardship daily as good soldiers of Jesus Christ.

 

THE ATHLETE

Next, Paul gives the metaphor of an athlete: “Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor’s crown unless he competes according to the rules” (v. 5). An excellent athlete is highly disciplined and fit in body, mind, and spirit. He is not lazy and self-indulgent. His goal is to win the race by training for the competition. He spends hours running. He eats only proper food in proper amounts. He is focused in his purpose. He does all things according to the rules. He is not an antinomian. He trains and competes according to the rules. No one wins the crown unless he obeys all rules. Otherwise, he would be like Lance Armstrong, who had to give back all his titles for the Tour de France bicycle race because he broke the rules of the race.

So Paul exhorts, “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize” (1 Cor. 9:24–27). And the Hebrews writer says, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart” (Heb. 12:1–3).

Be fit for the race! Paul told the Ephesian elders, “I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace” (Acts 20:23–24). God is not calling us to the task of amassing more money or buying bigger and bigger houses. We are called to testify to the gospel of God’s grace.

Jesus fulfilled all righteousness and he cried out from the cross, “It is finished.” Jesus won the race and is now crowned with glory and honor. The Hebrews writer says, “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone” (Heb. 2:9). Jesus Christ was single-minded, totally focused to do the will of God all his life.

 

THE FARMER

The third illustration is that of a farmer: “The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops” (v. 6). A pastor should not be lazy. He must work hard, as a soldier, as an athlete, and as a farmer. He must endure hardship and persecution daily as he faithfully serves his faithful Lord, who became obedient to death, even to the death of the cross. Like a farmer, he must work hard until he is exhausted. He must labor and toil, taking no vacation. He must strive, struggle, and persevere as he patiently hopes for a good harvest. From early dawn until sunset, the farmer is in the field working, dreaming of a good crop.

So Paul says, “A hardworking farmer. . . .” Do you know the name George means farmer? The Greek word is geôrgos (gê means “earth,”ergon means “worker”). He is the husbandman, the farmer. Jesus said, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman” (John 15:1, KJV).

A hardworking farmer must be the first to enjoy the fruits of his labor. He is entitled to it, not the lazy sluggard who refuses to work. Many people go to school but they do not study. They are lazy sluggards. But they want to eat, so the government takes care of them. Paul taught this rule to the Thessalonians: “If a man will not work, he shall not eat” (2 Thess. 3:10). Today our government says, “If you do not work, we will feed you every day.” But the Bible says we must work six days a week.

Jesus worked very hard. Jesus said, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work” (John 4:34). Jesus Christ was focused and hardworking. Jesus also said, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working” (John 5:17).

Paul spoke about working hard: “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me” (1 Cor. 15:10). He also said, “Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Cor. 15:58).

Let me assure you, no lazy person is called by Christ to be a pastor. There is no spiritual gain without pain. Beyond warfare, there is victory. Beyond athletic competition, there is a crown. And beyond a farmer’s toil, there is a crop to enjoy.

 

Think Hard

Finally, Paul writes, “Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this” (v. 7). The fourth imperative is: Think hard! Most ministers are mentally lazy. Indeed, a good number of them are not born again. Instead of thinking hard about the word of God, they remain ignorant of the gospel. They eat well, but they do not think well. They stand behind the pulpit and crack jokes, entertain, and tell stories. They may even practice the deceit of casting out devils and working miracles. Some preach politics and hollow philosophy. Others teach and preach the false science of climate change. Others teach lawlessness and immorality. They preach a different gospel. They preach heterodoxy, which is doctrine of demons.

A true pastor called of God and appointed by the Holy Spirit and the holy church will delight in the Scriptures. He, like Apollos, should be learned and mighty in the Scriptures. He will study daily the Bible. He will think hard and meditate on the word of God. He will ask the Holy Spirit to give him understanding so that he may see Christ in every page of the Bible. He will ask many questions.

Those who come to worship should listen carefully to the word preached by such a pastor because the word of God is the primary means of grace. So the preacher, if possible, should study Greek and Hebrew. He should study books of pious and learned authors like the Puritans of the seventeenth century. He must think hard, think critically, and think biblically. God gave us the whole Bible to tell us what to believe and how to live.

Then Paul gives a promise at the end of verse 7: “The Lord will give you insight in all things.” God himself gives us insight. Elsewhere Paul declares, “However, as it is written: ‘No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him’—but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. . . . We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us” (1 Cor. 2:9–10a, 12). He also says, “The spiritual man makes judgments about all things” (1 Cor. 2:15). If we are born again, we will see all reality through the Scripture. Then Paul concludes, “We,” meaning the people of God, “have the mind of Christ” (1 Cor. 2:16b; see also Eph. 1:17-19a, John 14:26; 16:13).

 

Conclusion

The Lord tells us to work hard, and he will be pleased to reward our hard work on the last day. He said, “For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done” (Matt. 16:27; see also Eph. 2:10, 1 Cor. 15:58). He does not have to give us anything, but he is pleased to reward us. Paul said, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad” (2 Cor. 5:10; see also Col. 3:23–24). And there will be different rewards, glory, and authority based on our love for Jesus expressed in obedience to him. In the parable of the minas, the one who earned ten minas was given charge of ten cities, and the one who earned five minas was given five cities. But we must also take warning from this parable. The one who buried his mina had even that one mina taken away (Luke 19:11–26). And in the parable of the talents, the lazy man with one talent was sent to hell. The lazy are sent to hell because they hate God’s work (Matt. 25:24–30).

May God help us to believe in the gospel, work hard, and endure hardship, so that when Christ comes again, we will receive a crown—a crown of righteousness, a crown of glory, and a crown of eternal life.

 

¹ John Calvin, Commentaries on the Epistles to Timothy, Titus, and Philemon (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2003), 208.