Unlimited Energy

“You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus”  (2Tim 2:1).

What’s the most powerful source of energy you can think of? We’ve got a few candidates. Nuclear reactor. Coal-fired power plant. The sun. My seven-year-old grandson Marcus (that little dude has a non-stop motor!). Worthy nominees, for sure. But according to Paul, there’s one energy source that generates limitless power and is totally renewable. Grace. 

In a letter from a Roman prison cell, the apostle writes to his protege Timothy to stoke the fires of this young pastor. With a death sentence hanging over his own head, Paul knows Tim needs to personally plug into the ultimate source of power without his mentor’s help. “You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus” (v1). 

Paul is passing the baton of the Gospel to Timothy. He knows his time is short (2Tim 4:6-7). He knows there’s no one better to fill his sandals than the young man from Lystra. The apostle has already handed him the reigns as lead pastor of the church he planted in Ephesus a couple of years ago (1Tim 1:3). But replacing the legendary Paul?!? The APOSTLE Paul?!? I mean, God has used this guy to devote his life to traveling the Mediterranean Rim telling people about the grace of Jesus and starting churches faster than Starbucks can open coffeehouses. Sure sounds like mission impossible to me. 

Just like Timothy, God calls each of us to an impossible task. A job so big we could never do it in our own strength. What’s yours? That’s between you and our Savior. But there’s one thing I do know. There’s only one fuel that will provide the power we so desperately need. Grace. And there’s only one place to go to get it. Jesus. 

Let’s pick up in chapter two of 2 Timothy. First of all, Paul didn’t have all these chapter and verse numbers in his original version. Religious types added them a few centuries later to help us find our way around God’s Word. Think of these digits like addresses. Imagine trying to find a place you’ve never been if you didn’t have the city, street, and house number. So when the apostle first sent it to Timothy, it was a just a letter. God-inspired to be sure. But a letter. From a real person. To another real person. 

Here at the beginning of what we now know as chapter two, things get personal. “You then, my child” (v1). One close friend writes to another. A mentor writes to a student. A father writes to his spiritual son. You’re literally reading someone’s mail. It’s okay. God gives you permission. But it gets incredibly personal. And that’s what makes it so incredibly powerful. 

Paul begins by using a term of endearment for Tim. “My son” (v1). He drops a Greek word (Gr. teknon) that means descendant, posterity, or one’s immediate offspring. While this certainly can describe a blood relative, writers of the Bible use it when talking about a spiritual descendant, a particularly close disciple, or favorite student. 

The apostle doesn’t exactly toss it around willy nilly. He saves it for just three very special individuals. Two of them are Titus (Titus 1:4) and Onesimus (Phm 10). But he doesn’t hold back when talking about Tim (1Cor 4:17; Phil 2:22; 1Tim 1:2, 18; 2Tim 1:2). Imagine how many people Paul has lead to the Lord during his life. God handpicked the former Pharisee to be his number one spokesperson to non-Jews around the world. For Pete’s sake, the guy wrote a huge chunk of the Bible. Yet he calls Tim his son.

Who’s your spiritual dad? Who’s the person Jesus dropped into your life as a firehose of His grace? Who has God used to walk with you to grow your faith? Who is your Paul? Ever thanked them? No better time than the present. Drop them a note. Give them a call. Better yet, give them a hug. 

Now turn it around. Who has God brought into your life as a spiritual son or daughter? Maybe you’ve had the honor of telling them about the Good News of who Jesus is and what He’s done for them. Perhaps it’s somebody who already has a relationship with the Lord but you’re encouraging them to trust more deeply and serve others more sacrificially. Be intentional. Be transparent. Who’s your Timothy?

It’s a great idea for every follower of Jesus to have Paul/Timothy relationships in our lives. Be a Timothy. Hook up with a spiritual mentor. Look around for someone who’s walked with Jesus longer than you. Be intentional. And why limit it to one? There are hundreds of people out there who’ve written books, preached sermons, and post podcasts. Read. Listen. Apply. Why not follow them on social media? You get the idea.

Don’t forget to be a Paul to somebody’s Tim either. This is where it gets a little uncomfortable for a lot of us. I mean, who am I to tell anyone about following Jesus? But I must remember that it’s NOT about me. It’s about Christ. He’s the one who’s really doing the heavy lifting. I’m just the one He’s using. How do I find someone to help? Keep your eyes out for a person in your life who is a new believer or just started going to church. Start by just being their friend. Grab some coffee. Ask questions. Talk about life. Trust me. You can be a Paul.

Okay, back to 2 Timothy. Now that he has his spiritual son’s full attention, Paul tells Tim to “be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus” (v1). He doesn’t tell him to hit the gym. He doesn’t suggest hiring a personal trainer and getting in better shape. This isn’t an encouragement to increase his bench press or dead lift. The apostle uses the verb endunamo’o, which is all about being made stronger by an outside force. In other words, you CAN’T do this by yourself. This is all about power you DON’T have. But I know Someone who has it and is more than willing to hook you up.

Check out a few other uses of this word in the NT. Back in his prequel to Timothy, Paul writes, “I thank Him who has given me strength (Gr. endunamo’o), Christ Jesus our Lord” (1Tim 1:12). Later in this same letter, the apostle recalls the last time he was in prison and “the Lord stood by me and strengthened (Gr. endunamo’o) me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed” (2Tim 4:17). The writer of Hebrews describes how God used a long list of goofballs, weirdos, and cowards in big ways, that they “were made strong (Gr. endunamo’o) out of weakness” (Heb 11:34). God gives us the strength we don’t have apart from Him. Unlimited power that’s totally renewable.

That incredible fuel is none other than “the grace that is in Christ Jesus” (v1). Grace. I’m not sure there’s a more powerful idea in the entire Bible. It’s certainly seems to be Paul’s favorite word. And why not? Everything he writes absolutely drips with grace! First of all, what is it? Justice is getting the punishment from God we rightfully deserve for our sin. Mercy is NOT getting that punishment. Grace is getting the radical goodness of God we by no means deserve. 

We’ve done nothing to earn it. We’ve done nothing to deserve it. Some describe it as God’s descending one-way love. It’s His promiscuous and scandalous goodness to rebels, terrorists, and enemies of His kingdom. You DO realize that’s your status apart from Jesus, don’t you? “Amazing” doesn’t even come close to describing this unlimited power source, but it is certainly a great place to start. 

We can’t save ourselves. We don’t have the strength. We’re 98-pound spiritual weaklings. There’s absolutely no way we can muscle up the power to obey all of God’s commands. And that’s what it would take 100% obedience. Anything less than perfection is trouble. Jesus’ kid brother James says if we break one of God’s laws we break all of them (James 2:10). Grace radically changes all that. Once Jesus comes to our rescue, we go from absolutely powerless without Him to supernaturally powerful with Him. All because of the unlimited energy of His grace.

What does our man Paul have to say about grace. Gracious plenty! God saves us by grace through faith in Jesus. “It is THE gift of God” (Eph 2:8-9, emphasis added). God declares us totally innocent and absolutely perfect by His “grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Rom 3:24). Because it’s impossible to save ourselves by perfect obedience to God’s rules, we need His goodness. Or as the apostle tells his friends in Rome, “But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace” (Rom 11:6).

But just as this letter is incredibly personal to Paul, so is the impact of God’s undeserved goodness on his life. He tells the Corinthians that he wouldn’t be the man of God is today without it. “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain” (1Cor 15:10). Later, he remembers that time he pleaded with Jesus to remove a painful thorn in his life. Christ’s response? “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness” (2Cor 12:9).

There’s only only place to get this limitless power. And when I say “place,” I’m talking about the one and only Christ Jesus. Let’s just say He has exclusive rights on God’s descending one-way love. A total and eternal monopoly. But here’s the cool thing. As followers of Jesus, we’re local distributors of His amazing grace. This is one multilevel marketing system with no gimmicks. Grace isn’t grace if you don’t give it away. We’re blessed to be a blessing. We give it away freely because He gave it so freely to us!

Now grace may be free but it certainly isn’t cheap. Our Savior paid for it with His own blood. He gives it to me freely out of His incredible love but it cost Him His very life (Jn 3:16). We’re on the receiving end by simply trusting in Who He is and what He’s done for us. Once I truly realize the unbelievable cost of what He did for me, I can never take grace for granted. Never. Ever. 

So just like Timothy, let’s be “strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus” (v1). God’s grace gives you the energy and ability to tackle whatever task He’s placed before you. We’re talking limitless power that’s totally renewable.