Christian Leadership #6:

“A Christian Leader…Is Called to Suffering”

2 Timothy 4:6-22 (Psalm 22:1-5, 11, 19-21, 27-28)

Opening Prayer:

Lord Jesus, you endured suffering for our sakes; help us now, by your Holy Spirit, to see how we can live out our call to suffer for your sake as you work to establish in and through us the kingdom of our Father in heaven. Amen.

Introduction

In our sermon journey this fall through Paul’s second letter to his young  disciple Timothy we have reached the closing verses which highlight a theme that has been running throughout the letter – that a Christian leader is called to suffering.  In the previous five sermons we have seen that a Christian leader…is chosen by God…is gifted by God…is called to hard work…steers a straight course and…teaches the truth.  At various points during these sermons, I have noted some “Points to Ponder” to help you as you embark upon the discernment process for a new leader in the months ahead.  I have emphasized that these are not only for those with the direct responsibility of making the selection but for all members of the congregation because you each have role in preparing for and receiving your leaders.  After this sermon, these will total over fifty and I have printed them up for you to use in the months of discernment ahead.  They are not an exhaustive list, of course, but what God reveals to us about leadership in this particular letter.

The theme of suffering fits in well with the focus of today’s service on the persecuted church.  In the gospel we just heard read, Jesus speaks about the reality of suffering and persecution and its capacity even to be a channel of blessing, “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me” (Mathew 5:11).  This was the reality for Paul and although the situation for most of us is nowhere near like his, we shall see that suffering and persecution in some form is the experience of every Christian and especially those in leadership.  As we look at “A Christian leader…is called to suffering,” we shall see first, the nature of Paul’s suffering, then Paul’s attitude to suffering, then how he responded to suffering and finally his needs in the midst of suffering.

The Nature of Paul’s Suffering

As we examine the nature of Paul’s suffering, we will look at two things – the reality of suffering and the source of suffering.

The reality of suffering:    Throughout this letter, Paul has spoken about the reality of suffering – for him, Timothy and every believer:  “Join with me in suffering for the gospel (2 Timothy 1:8); “That is why I am suffering as I am…this is no cause for shame” (2 Timothy 1:12); “Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 2:3); “For which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal” (2 Timothy 2:9); “You, however, know all about my…persecutions, sufferings – what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured…In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted”  (2 Timothy 3:10-12).  This last reference would have been especially poignant to Timothy as these events happened in Timothy’s home town and region.  Elsewhere in Paul’s letters he speaks about the reality and degree of his suffering such as in 2 Corinthians: “I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again” and goes on to describe his physical suffering in detail and ends with “Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches” (2 Corinthians 11:23, 28).  Suffering is a reality for any serious Christian.

The source of suffering:     This moves us on to look at the source of this suffering which is ever-present – it comes from outside the church and inside the church.

• Outside the church:   The reason why Paul was at that very moment “suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal (2 Timothy 2:9) was his second (and final) imprisonment in Rome under Nero about 66-67 AD.  The emperor saw the Christian church as a secret society and political threat to him and so was intent on destroying it.  So Paul was arrested and has already gone through a preliminary hearing and is awaiting his formal trial: “At my first defence, nobody came to my support but everyone deserted me…But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength…And I was delivered from the Lion’s mouth” (2 Timothy 4:16-17).  We see this external threat again and again from both Gentiles and Jews in the book of Acts (e.g. in Damascus, 9:23-25; in Philippi, 16:16-24; in Ephesus, 19:23-41).  This external threat is very real today as we read of church burnings in Egypt and restrictive laws in Algeria to name just two situations – we will hear further on this as we move to prayer for the persecuted church in a few minutes.  It makes the more subtle discrimination we face seem minor in comparison – but our suffering is none the less real.

• Inside the church:    But we have also seen that there is much, if not more, opposition to Paul from within the church and thus the suffering is all the more painful.  In this letter alone, we read about three kinds of suffering.  There is betrayal through wrong teaching:  “Everyone in the province of Asia has deserted me” (2 Timothy 1:15); Hymenaeus and Philetus are teaching that “the resurrection has already taken place” (2 Timothy 2:18); and “Alexander the metalworker did me a great deal of harm” (2 Timothy 4:14).  There is desertion through backsliding – abandonment of the faith: “Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica” (2 Timothy 4:9).  There is disappointment through abandonment due to shame: “At my first defence, no one came to my support, everyone deserted me” (2 Timothy 4:16)…”Do not be ashamed of me his prisoner” (2 Timothy 1:8).  Here we can identify more with Paul – St. Aidan’s and its leaders have had more than our share of opposition in the past from those who disagree with us theologically and think of us as bigoted and narrow.  Our stand has cost us money, time and energy.  Then there is the pain we all feel when we have been betrayed, deserted and disappointed, along with everyday misunderstandings, by brothers and sisters in our own parish.

Points to Ponder:

• Choose a leader who is aware that the call to suffer is integral to the gospel – especially where leadership is concerned.
• Choose a leader who is fully aware of the sources of suffering outside and inside the church - naiveté is not a virtue when it comes to knowing where suffering can come from, especially within the church and congregation!

Paul’s Attitude to Suffering

Having looked at the reality and source of suffering, what is our attitude to be towards it?  Paul’s attitude is made clear in the opening verse of today’s passage:  “For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near” (2 Timothy 4:6).  Paul sees his suffering first, as an offering to God, and secondly as a release.

Suffering as an offering to God: Paul’s attitude awaiting the second part of his trial before Caesar and probable execution is to see his impending death as a sacrificial offering of love to God: “For I am already being poured out like a drink offering” (verse 6a).  Paul sees his forthcoming execution not as a failure, or an unfortunate end to an otherwise profitable ministry, but as the culmination of all he has lived for.  When he speaks of his life as a drink-offering, he is thinking of the Jewish Temple practice at the beginning of the daily practice of pouring out a drink-offering of wine at the foot of the altar.  In this way, just as he had offered up everything to God since his conversion – his money, his scholarship, his time, his physical body, the devotion of his heart – so now he was giving the only thing he had left – his very life itself.  And he was glad to lay it down; he will die as he has lived – in complete commitment to his Saviour and his God.

Suffering as a release:    He then sees death as a release: “the time has come for my departure” (verse v6b) The word, “departure,” is a “loosing” such as an animal from its yoke, a prisoner from his chains, a soldier the cords of his tent, or a ship from its moorings.  Paul has finished his earthly work; he is released, ready for a new campaign and journey to the new life beyond.  William Barclay says that “for the Christian, death is laying down the burden in order to rest; it is a laying aside the shackles in order to be free; it is striking camp in order to take up residence in the heavenly places; it is casting off the ropes which bind us to this world in order to set sail on the voyage which ends up in the presence of God.  Who then shall fear it?   [1]     Paul had a positive view of death as release.

These attitudes are very positive but seem somewhat foreign and even macabre-sounding to us – we are not facing physical death as Paul was, so how could they apply to us?  Jesus speaks about “denying ourselves and taking up our cross” (Mark 8:34) and Paul speaks about “crucifying our sinful nature” (Galatians 5:24) and “counting ourselves dead to sin” (Romans 6:11).  Can we see the daily struggle and suffering involved in dying to self as our offering to God – a positive thing?  Can we see this daily dying to sin as a release into something beautiful and liberating and worth whatever we have to give up to do so?

Points to Ponder:

• Choose a leader who sees his or her ministry not as a job but as an offering of their lives to God – where undeserved suffering is seen not as punishment or failure but a gift of all that they are and have to God.
• Choose a leader who is willing to “die to self” and sees that death as a release from all that would diminish their lives and ministry for God – and worth the suffering involved.

Paul’s Response to Suffering

Having seen Paul’s attitude to suffering – what is his practical response to it?  It is three fold – perseverance, focusing on God’s approval, and looking to Jesus as his model.

Perseverance:   In the face of suffering, Paul’s response was to persevere, to never lift his guard: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (verse 7).  Perhaps Paul was staying within sight of the Coliseum or one of the great Roman Circuses because these phrases are all tinged with sports imagery.  He has already told the younger Timothy that “anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown except by competing according to the rules” (2 Timothy 2:5).  Now he says that he has successfully contested for the faith of Christ; he has not just run, but finished the race; he has kept the rules he promised to keep and not let his master down.  In the face of suffering, how easy it is to slack off in the Christian contest and not to give the struggle your best, to fall out of the race at the last lap, or to use methods that compromise the life Christ has called us to live.  Paul persevered.

Focused on God’s approval:    How was Paul able to persevere?  Because he kept his heart focused on God’s approval, not that of others around him.  Continuing with the sports imagery, he says “there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day” (verse 8).  He may have been facing Nero’s verdict in an earthly court but his chief concern was God’s verdict in eternal realms.  He wanted to hear his Master’s “Well, done!”  and he goes on to say that such approval is awaiting not only him but “all who have longed for his appearing.”  Paul is telling us, “Keep your focus on God’s upward call to you in Christ Jesus.”  Paul was focused on God’s approval.

Looked to Jesus as his model:   Our response to suffering is not merely to persevere and focus on God’s approval but to look to Christ’s example.  We see Paul doing this in his closing comments: “At my first defence…the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it.  And I was delivered from the lion’s mouth.  The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom” (verses 16-18).  Now here is a great confidence that God will pull him through but there is something more.  I wonder if you recognize the echoes here from another passage of Scripture.  How about Psalm 22?  “No one came to my support” = “Why have you forsaken me?”  (Psalm 22:1);  “Everyone deserted me” = “There is no one to help” (Psalm 22:11); “I was delivered from the lion’s mouth” = “Rescue me from the mouth of the lions” (Psalm 22:21);  “So that…all the Gentiles might hear it” = “All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord” (Psalm 22:27); “The Lord will rescue me…and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom” = “Dominion belongs to the Lord” (Psalm 22:28).  William Barclay points out these parallels  [2]   and the most logical conclusion is that the words of this psalm were running in the mind of Paul as he wrote this.  This was the psalm that was in the mind of Jesus as he hung on the cross – “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”  “As Paul faced death, he was encouraged in his heart with the same psalm that his Lord used in similar circumstances.  Like Jesus and Paul, we, too, may be appear to be alone, totally powerless, facing extreme opposition and seeming defeat, but God has the last word.  He will stand by us even when things look absolutely bleak.  It is he who will ultimately deliver us and bring us safely to his eternal kingdom.  This is how Jesus faced suffering; Paul looked to him as his model, and we can do the same.

Points to Ponder:

• Look for a leader who is willing to persevere to the end – who has a good “track record” of sticking with the task even when the going gets tough.
• Seek out leadership that looks to God for ultimate approval – and his verdict on their ministry, not that of others.
• Choose a leader who looks to Jesus as the model for enduring suffering – and thus has confidence in God’s ability to bring him or her through.

Paul’s Needs in Suffering

In the midst of all this glorious approach to suffering we have mixed in the down-to-earth human needs when facing suffering.  Paul needs people, practicalities and parchments!

People:  Twice in this passage (and earlier in 1:4) Paul pleads with Timothy, “Do your best to come to me quickly…Do your best to get here before winter” (verses 9, 21) and also asks for Mark, “Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry” (verse 11).  Paul was lonely.  We are not meant to suffer alone – we need companionship and partners in the tasks God sets before us.

Practicalities: “When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas” (verse 13a) – we all have physical needs – Paul needed his winter coat!  Recognize you have these needs and minister to one another in practical ways in trying times – invite someone over or out for a meal or shovel their walk when they are going through pain.  This can help a person move on to the deeper responses needed in times of suffering.

Parchments:  “And my scrolls, especially the parchments” (verse 13b) – these may have been portions of what is now incorporated into the New Testament and Paul wanted to keep up his reading and studying.  Paul needed help to keep his mind active and devotional life going even in the midst of deep suffering.

Points to Ponder:

• Search for a leader who recognizes the need to work with a team and have a good support group - Jesus and Paul needed to have companions – so will your rector; ensure it happens.
• Ensure your leader is down-to-earth about his or her physical needs – lack of honesty in this area will cause needles additional suffering.
• Seek out a leader who values continuing study and personal development – and who doesn’t let the pressures around them prevent this from happening.
• Choose a leader who reflects the humility and vulnerability of Paul – who is not afraid to be open about his or her needs in the midst of the suffering and at the same time recognizes that a Christian leader is called to suffering.