Trust Issues

“which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know Whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me” (2Tim 1:12).

Some people have serious trust issues. Some don’t trust the government. Many don’t trust the media. Others don’t trust their boss. And nobody trusts a politician. You certainly couldn’t blame the Apostle Paul if he had a boatload of trust issues. For Pete’s sake, he’s deep inside the dungeon of the Roman Death Row. He’s all alone except for his old buddy Dr. Luke (2Tim 4:11). 

As the clock ticks down on the final days of his life, Paul writes to his spiritual son Timothy (2Tim 1:2; 4:6-7). Despite all that’s happened, he makes it crystal clear that his faith in God has never been higher and never been stronger. Jesus has called him to take His message to the world, “which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed for I know Whom I have believed, and am convinced that He is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me” (v12). The apostle remains convinced of God’s goodness. He trusts God and continues trusting in what God can do through him.

(Disclaimer: There’s a TON of awesome stuff here in this short little verse. Paul’s suffering for Christ. The apostle’s total lack of shame for his faith. His absolute certainty that the Lord is coming back for a spectacular encore. But we’re going to set all that aside in order to drill down on what it means to believe in Jesus and what our Lord has entrusted to us. You good with that?)

The apostle’s trust in Jesus is the whole reason he’s in the joint and why he’s suffering. Despite the stigma of being a dead man walking, he’s anything but embarrassed. Paul makes it clear that “I know Whom I have believed” (v12). Not WHAT he has believed. WHOM he has believed. The man from Tarsus doesn’t trust an ideology, philosophy, or religion. He doesn’t put his faith in a political system or financial plan. He trust in a Whom. (By the way, I’ve added a capital “W” to the original ESV translation. I make it a habit to go large on any pronoun about the Person of God.)

That Whom is God. Specifically the Son of God. The Second Person of the Godhead. You may know him better as Jesus Christ. Seventeen hundred years before our Founding Fathers slapped “In God We Trust” on our money, Paul had placed his complete confidence in the who Jesus is and what He has done. While doctrine is important, it doesn’t save. While theology is critical, it doesn’t save. Only Jesus does. Only God does. That’s why Paul trusts in a Person. Jesus.

Whom or what do you trust? Leaning hard on that great career, are you? Are you living vicariously through your children? Counting heavily on your 401k? Maybe you’re going all in on the next election (you HAVE seen who’s running, haven’t you?). There’s a chance you’ve realized there must be more than running the rat race. Remember, if you win that race you’re just the fastest rat on the track. Some of us have turned to religion. But by definition, religion is simply trusting in my own performance in order to earn God’s approval. That’s never going to work for me. My board scores barely got me into community college. If we trust in anything other than Jesus, we have serious trust issues.

Paul tells Tim that with his own death on the doorstep he has no doubt in “Whom I have believed” (v12). He uses the Greek verb pisteuo, which means to trust, place your confidence, rely on, or have faith in someone or something. It comes from the same root word that’s often translated “faith” (Gr. pistos). A cool way to rephrase this might be “Whom I have faithed” (v12) or even “Whom I have totally trusted” (v12). 

There’s also a little sumpin’ sumpin’ going on in the grammar too. The apostle uses the past perfect tense. In biblical Greek, this describes a completed action with ongoing results. Paul leaned hard on Jesus a few years back. It changed his life forever. The completed action of salvation. The ongoing results of becoming more like Christ every single day. Now don’t confuse this with some sort of wonky “once saved, always saved” idea. The apostle stays in a continual attitude of dependance on our Savior. A better way of saying it is “IF saved, always saved.” Completed action. Ongoing results. And when I say “ongoing,” I mean eternally ongoing!

So what does Paul believe about Jesus that makes an eternal difference? First and foremost, the apostle knows he can’t save himself. He spent the first part of his life trying to do just that (Phil 3:4-6). Turns out what he hoped would be his golden ticket of personal performance was nothing more than a big steaming pile of worthless works (Phil 3:7-8). The former Pharisee suddenly realized that God’s Law doesn’t save you any more than an MRI can heal you. All it does it diagnose the problem (Rom 3:20). As Mike Lee says, the law is a mirror. It shows me that my face is filthy but doesn’t have the power to clean me up.

We’re invited to trust in Who Christ is and what He’s done for us. You see, Jesus left the lap of luxury in the heavenly palace and come to our rescue. He made a spectacular dumpster dive into the slime of our sin and did what we could never do for ourselves. He lived the perfectly obedient life to the law we totally fail to live (Mt 5:17). He took the punishment of what should have been our death on a cross that we should have died (2Cor 5:21; 1Pet 2:24). He walked out of the graveyard, rising to a spectacular new life we don’t deserve (Eph 2:5). We believe in what He did that we could never dream of doing for ourselves.

While every follower of Jesus wants a deep and abiding faith, the most important part is in the Object of our trust. There is nothing more trustworthy in the universe than Christ. It’s better to have a weak faith in a strong object than the other way around. You may believe with every fiber of your being that the Detroit Lions are going to win the Super Bowl. But your amazing faith won’t get them the Lombardi Trophy, no matter how strongly you trust it will happen. (Please tell me you don’t REALLY think the Lions will win it all!) Strong faith in a weak object gets you zip, zilch, zero. And if you’re trusting the Lions, believe me, you’ve got serious trust issues. 

While Paul places his trust in Jesus (and NOT the Lions!), Christ is also trusting in the apostle. “I am convinced that he is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me” (v12). The apostle knows that it’s a stone cold, lead pipe lock that his Savior has his back until the day He returns. Specifically, Christ handpicked Paul to spread the word about how God was throwing the doors open to His kingdom to Gentiles all over the planet (Acts 9:15). Chances are you’re not Jewish. If that’s the case, you don’t hear the Gospel without the message Jesus entrusted to Paul. 

Paul trusting Jesus seems like a no-brainer. But Jesus trusting Paul? Who saw THAT coming?!? Certainly not Paul. Why would the Son of God entrust His number one enemy, known back in the day as Saul of Tarsus, with such a critical responsibility? First of all, God doesn’t think like we think and He doesn’t work the way we work (Is 55:8). He specializes in making what would appear to be foolish chances with foolish people in order to show off (1Cor 1:27-28). God places His power in cracked human pots so the world will know it’s Him making it happen and not us (2Cor 4:7). Jesus wasn’t trusting in what Paul could do for Him. He was trusting in what He could do in and through Paul! 

So if Christ can take Saul the murderer and transform him into Paul the missionary, what could He do in and through you? He may not be calling you to a worldwide assignment of Gentile evangelism or writing a huge chunk of the NT, but Jesus can use you in a big way. Shine His light and spread His salt everywhere you go. You do that by loving people where they are. At home. At work. In the neighborhood. Have your doubts that He can use you? Feel like a nobody and a nothing? Remember, God began this whole thing by creating everything from nothing (Gen 1). We may be just the person He’s looking for. He’s not trusting in what we can do for Him. He is trusting in what He can do in and through us!

Reppin' My Savior

“for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher” (2Tim 1:11)

A change of address doesn’t change your assignment. Just ask Paul. He may behind bars but that doesn’t get in the way of doing what Jesus picked him to do. What exactly is that? The man from Tarsus reminds his friend Timothy that it’s because of message of Jesus “for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher” (v11). Because the Lord personally selected him and assigned him, he must be exactly where the Lord wants him. The apostle may be on Death Row but he is still announcing, still reppin’, still teaching about Jesus. His change of address hasn’t changed his assignment.

It’s critical to understand exactly what’s going as Paul writes these words. He’s locked up Caesar’s SuperMax, the notorious Mamertine Prison in Rome. This is where the empire incarcerates dead men walking. It’s temporary housing for those facing execution. The apostle is a dead man walking. The New Testament book we call 2nd Timothy is simply a letter from the Green Mile. It’s a note from a follower of Jesus who knows he’s about to die to his spiritual son, a young preacher named Timothy. 

Paul realizes death is right around the corner (2Tim 4:6-7). He has two important purposes for this letter. One, he desperately wants Tim to hit the road ASAP and see him before it’s too late (2Tim 4:9, 21). Two, he wants to pass the baton of spiritual leadership and encourage his protege to continue spreading the Gospel (2Tim 2:1-4:5). The apostle has the ultimate sense of urgency. It’s crunch time. The clock is ticking down. He’s focused like a laser on his mission. His change of address hasn’t changed his assignment. He’s still announcing, still reppin’, still teaching about Jesus. 

Right out of the chute, Paul wants us to know this mission wasn’t his idea. He was “appointed” (v11). The man from Tarsus uses a word here (Gr. tithemi) that describes setting something or someone in a specific place for a specific purpose. For you grammar nerds out there, this verb is in the passive tense. In other words, Paul isn’t self-appointed. He’s God appointed. 

If you haven’t heard the story, flashback about 30 years before he found himself in this Roman cell to the highway just outside of Damascus. Back in those days, folks knew him as Saul. He was on another black ops mission to search and destroy the followers of Jesus. That’s when the resurrected Jesus blindsides Saul (Acts 9:1-9). This divine mugging transforms Saul the murderer into Paul the missionary. A little later in Dr. Luke’s account of the story, the risen Christ shows up to tell another disciple in Damascus all about what He’s doing in and through Saul. “He is a chosen instrument of Mine to carry My name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel” (Acts 9:15). From Jesus’ enemy to Jesus’ emissary. The apostle formerly known as Saul literally never saw it coming.

According to Paul, the Lord picked him as His personal representative to fill three specific and interrelated roles, “preacher and apostle and teacher” (v11). Christ gives the former Pharisee the authority to be His announcer, His rep, and His explainer. Since that fateful day outside Damascus, Paul has devoted his life to do just that. Three long tours of the Mediterranean Rim telling everyone who will listen about God’s gracious invitation to the world through the radical risen Rabbi/Carpenter from Nazareth. 

It hasn’t exactly been a day at Disney World (2Cor 11:23-28). Prison. Beaten nearly to death. Floggings. Canings. Stonings. Shipwrecks. Even contract on his life. But no matter what happened, it didn’t change his assignment. Wherever Paul went, he was still announcing, still reppin’, still teaching about Jesus.

Christ handpicked Paul as His “preacher” (v11). The apostle dusts off a Greek word (Gr. kerux) that doesn’t get used much in the NT. Just three times. In the Greco-Roman world, it describes a herald, proclaimer, or public messenger speaking on behalf of royalty. A modern day equivalent would be a presidential spokesperson. We’re talking about an announcer with authority. Anytime Paul has the chance to speak before crowds, he tells them about Jesus. That’s basically all Dr. Luke writes about in the Book of Acts starting in chapter 9. Call Paul the Good Newscaster. 

Now I know there’s a huge percentage of folks who break out in a cold sweat at the thought of public speaking. Jesus may not be calling you to step up to the mic at Jerry World. (Then again, He might just do that. Who am I to say?) But are you willing to live out loud for the Lord? I’m not talking about spending your spare time knocking on doors and passing out pamphlets. Do you readily drop Jesus’ name when talking with friends? Don’t worry about answering crazy questions about dinosaurs on the ark or the temperature in hell. Just tell them about the One who came to your rescue. Say it loud. Say it proud.

Jesus selected Paul as His “apostle” (v11). The word in the original language (Gr. apostolos) really doesn’t have a good modern day equivalent. An apostle wasn’t originally a churchy word. Back in the first century, this was a official representative, a special messenger, or one who is sent with authority on behalf of another. If you were in the presence of an apostle, it was if the one who sent them is standing right there. If any of Jesus’ apostles was in the room, it was as if He was there. That’s the kind of oomph He gave them.

So what’s the difference between an apostle and disciple? Seems like folks just use them interchangeably. Well, a disciple is one who comes close so they can follow and learn. The word “apostle” literally means one who is sent away for a purpose. Think of it this way, Jesus invited people to follow Him as disciples. Later He sent them out as apostles under His authority to spread the message of grace.

The best definition of a capital “A” Apostle is somebody who’s laid eyes on the resurrected Jesus. Remember Paul’s run-in with the risen Christ? So there’s a pretty good chance anybody you meet who claims that title doesn’t check that particular box. BUT there are modern day, lower case “a” apostles. These are people with a passion for planting churches and working on the front lines of the faith. Could God be tapping you on the shoulder to do just that?

But while we’re all not apostles, we’re all sent in His name for a purpose. Jesus first invites us to follow Him. There comes a point when it’s time to go and tell others about him. In His last meal with His posse before His execution, Christ tells them, “As the Father has sent Me, even so I am sending you” (Jn 20:21). What we don’t see in our English translations is the appearance of the verb form of apostle here (Gr apostello). Just as His Dad sent His Son as the Ultimate Apostle, He’s sending us to rep Him too. 

Third, Christ drafted Paul as a “teacher” (v11). The apostle drops the Greek term didaskalos, which paints the picture of instructor and even a rabbi. This is somebody who causes others to learn. A person who creates a an environment of learning. They invite questions. They provide analysis. They encourage application. A teacher of the Gospel explains the message of Jesus and helps folks apply God’s truth to their everyday lives. 

It’s not to say that deep doctrinal teaching isn’t important. It is VERY important. But ultimately God’s truth changes us from the inside out. It transforms our minds (Rom 12:2). It performs delicate spiritual surgery (Heb 4:12). It makes us more like Jesus (Jn 17:17). Great teachers communicate the Bible creatively and passionately. The great Howard Hendricks is famous for saying, “It’s a sin to bore people with the Bible.” You can be sure Paul was never boring. Okay, there was the time the kid fell asleep and fell out of a window during one of his sermons, but that probably had to do with the fact that the apostle was still preaching after midnight (Acts 20:7-13).

It’s interesting that Paul wrote nearly the identical description of Jesus’ commission on his life back in the prequel to this letter. “For this I was appointed a preacher (Gr. kerux) and apostle (Gr. apostolos) (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher (Gr. didaskalos)of the Gentiles in faith and truth” (1Tim 2:7). Preacher. Apostle. Teacher. He was doing it then. He’s doing it now. The apostle may be on Death Row but he is still announcing, still reppin’, still teaching about Jesus. His change of address hasn’t changed his assignment.

It’s the same for you and me. His call on my life isn’t limited by my zip code. It isn’t constrained by my career. Wherever I am, I can drop His name and speak publicly about my Savior. I can be sure that He sends me as His rep no matter where I go. I can help others by explaining who Jesus is and what He’s done. My change of address doesn’t change my assignment.

Blowing Your Mind

to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ (Eph 3:8) 

Paul reminds his Ephesian friends that God has called him to blow their minds.  Christ selected the man from Tarsus for an assignment so crazy, so wild, that you can't begin to wrap your brain around it.  The apostle's job is "to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ" (v8).  Jesus handpicked this former Pharisee and rising superstar among the Jews to invite non-Jews to the party.

Gospel preached.  Minds blown.

That's the entire reason he's writing this letter from a Roman jail.  Just down the road in Colossae, a group of spiritual hucksters have spread a counterfeit gospel that's done great damage to the church there.  These snake oil salesmen have duped Jesus' followers into believing that Christ didn't really get the job done.  In order for us to REALLY be saved, we've gotta follow a long and complicated list of religious rules.  Specifically, in order to follow Jesus you have to be a Jew first.  This is devastating news to these new churches that are made up mostly of Gentiles.  Paul fires off a letter to the Colossians telling them to drop that stupid idea like it's hot.  And before he puts down his pen, he writes this important epistle to the folks in Ephesus, just 100 miles down the road from Colossae.

His purpose is just as urgent for us today as it was for the Ephesians 2000 years ago.  We desperately need to know EXACTLY who Jesus is.  We desperately need to know EXACTLY what He's done.  We desperately need to know EXACTLY who we are in Him.  We place our trust in His perfect life, not our own imperfect ones.  We place our trust in His death for sin, so that we don't have to.  He did it for us.  In many ways, there's no clearer or succinct announcement of the Good News that what a dying Jesus screamed from the cross.  "It is FINISHED!!!" (Jn 19:30).  It's over.  There's nothing more that needs to be done.  He's completed the work.  He's done for us what we could never do for ourselves.  That includes stuff like trying to follow Jewish religious rules, diet and holidays.

Christ then sent Paul on the mind-blowing mission of letting non-Jews know the doors of salvation are open to everyone.  A big stop on one of his world tours was Ephesus.  The apostle stayed there three years.  Three CRAZY years.  Three WILD years.  Exactly what happened?  Dr. Luke wrote all about it in Acts 19.  It's what happens when people try to wrap their brains around God's incredible goodness.

Jesus will blow your mind.  Always has.  Always will.

The apostle writes that he's telling the Gospel of Jesus to "Gentiles" (v8).  Actually the Greek term here is ethnos.  It's where we get our word ethnic.  It describes an ethnicity, a people group, a socio-political community or a cultural tribe.  Paul repeatedly uses the term in a plural form to describe non-Jews throughout the world.  For centuries, the Jews thought that they were the sole recipients of God's goodness as His chosen people.  But Jesus blasted down the walls of race, ethnicity, religion, class and gender (Eph 2:14; Gal 3:28; Col 3:11).  Messiah Jesus has made a way for everyone to have access to God.  For folks living in the Roman empire, this was crazy talk.  They couldn't wrap their brains around it.

Jesus will blow your mind.  Always has.  Always will.

When Paul searches for a word to describe God's gracious goodness, he comes up with "unsearchable" (v8).  It's the Greek adjective anexichniastos.  Looks like a mouthful, doesn't it?  It's beyond a mouthful.  It's beyond a mindful.  It means that which cannot be searched or comprehended.  Impossible for the mind to understand.  Beyond human discovery.  Fathomless.  Infinite.  Beyond your ability to imagine.  In other words, the incredibly Good News of Jesus is SO good that it will make your head hurt.  You want the truth about Jesus?  Well, you can't handle the truth...IN A GOOD WAY!!!  His goodness is SO good, His grace is SO gracious, that it's off the charts.  Off the scale.  Off the hook.  

Jesus will blow your mind.  Always has.  Always will.