2 Timothy, Part Five
A Second Challenge: Join With Me in Suffering for the Gospel
2 Timothy 1v8
12th June 2026
In verse 6, Paul challenged Timothy to "fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you". In verse 7, he reminded Timothy that we can and should do this because "the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline". Because the Holy Spirit is like this, we're able to obey Paul's second instruction to Timothy, even more challenging than the first:
2 Timothy 1v8
So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner.
Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God.
Never be ashamed of the Gospel message that saved you. Never be ashamed of good Christians who are being persecuted and wrongly imprisoned for standing up for the truth. Instead, join with them. Make a stand. Make a difference. Speak the truth, as given us in the Bible, whatever the consequences. God has equipped you with the power, love and self-control you need to do so.
It seems Timothy was not a gifted evangelist. Later in this letter, in 2 Timothy 4v5, Paul urges him to "do the work of an evangelist". A pastor needs to do a lot of things he doesn't feel particularly gifted to do. That's one of the reasons being a pastor can be stressful. Pray for your leaders.
Whether we're evangelists or not, the Holy Spirit gives us the power we need to preach the Gospel. We can't all fill auditoriums like Billy Graham. We can't all preach to thousands in the open air like George Whitfield. However, one way or another, we can all find ways to share the Good News of Jesus with people who don't yet understand. God gives us love for our fellow men, who are lost and doomed without the Gospel, which motivates us to tell them about the love of God and how to be saved. He gives us self-discipline not to run away from danger but to preach in the presence of our adversaries.
Here is the second great challenge Paul gave to Timothy: "join with me in suffering for the gospel". Evangelism is always a sacrifice; some people will reject us. It can be a very great sacrifice; some people may revile us or physically attack us. Some governments, including the British government right now, may imprison us. In many countries throughout the last 2,000 years, many Christians have been killed for evangelising.
The mild persecution we suffer in Britain has come as a shock to our generation. For 250 years or so, we were free to preach the truth about God and about Christ, but that period of safety for the church and its evangelists is unusual in history. We're now returning to the state of the church in most of the world, most of the time.
Through the words of this ancient letter, God gives you and me the same challenge. Are we willing to suffer for serving God? Are we willing to tell people the wonderful Good News of Jesus Christ, knowing there will be a price to pay, perhaps a heavy price? Or are we going to simply accept all the benefits of being a Christian: forgiveness, relationship with God, a clear conscience, God's guidance and help, wisdom and eternal life, without being prepared to pass the message of faith, hope and love on to other people who need to hear it as desperately as we did?
God doesn't send us out alone to do the work of evangelism; He goes with us. We evangelise by the power of God. God gives us words to speak. God convinces other people that the Gospel is true. God gives us the courage we need. As verse 7 told us, "the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline".
This teaching is not for church leaders alone; it's for every one of us. Will we seek God for the power, love and self-discipline we need to obey it?