I always love kicking off a new teaching this series, and
this Sunday – the very first Sunday of 2014 – we are beginning a new one.
It is entitled A Good
Soldier of Jesus Christ and it’s based on the book of 2 Timothy.
Paul wrote this letter to pass the torch to a new generation
of church leaders. In doing so, he emphasized
the importance that believers need to endure hardness, stand strong, and be
solidly grounded in Christian service.
It’s easy to serve Christ (or attend church) for the wrong
reasons: because it’s exciting,
rewarding, entertaining, or personally enriching. Yet, without a proper foundation, people find
it easy to quit in difficult times.
That’s probably why we see so many defections from the faith nowadays –
superficial commitment.
The tone of this book is strong meat, almost military in
nature. In it you hear language like:
“Stir up the gift of
God within you”…. God has not given us a spirit of fear… Hold fast to sound
doctrine… Endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ… If we deny Him, He
will also deny us… Study to show
yourself approved unto God… Flee youthful lusts…. Men shall be lovers of their
own selves… Endure afflictions… Fight the good fight…. Keep the faith… God will
judge the living and the dead…
This is a far cry from the soft wimpy version of
Christianity that is so popular today. Somewhere
along the way we have dumbed-down the definition of what a real believer looks
like. Today, a good Christian is not
known for being a soldier, but known mostly for meekness, sensitivity,
passivity, mild manners, sentimentalism, and being sweet. The Christian
life has been reduced down to an invitation to a passive lifestyle. It’s like angle food cake – soft, spongy, and
unsatisfying.
That’s why we are going through the book of 2 Timothy
verse-by-verse, so we can learn what the Bible actually says!
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