The gospel of Paul

Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David.  This is my gospel.    --2 Timothy 2.8

The apostle Paul was a man of action.  He knew how to get things done.  But he also knew what it was like to fail.  He knew what it felt like when the whole world seemed to crumble around him: some people said evil things about him, untrue things; some people asked him to leave their places of worship, others threw him out of their town.  Some took the law into their own hands, and threw stones at him until they thought he was dead.  Some people called the authorities and had Paul thrown into jail.

Yet through all of this persecution, Paul kept on believing.  Not only did he believe, he kept on telling others about Jesus.  Not only did he tell whoever he met, he went to other towns and cities to meet more people, so he could tell them about Jesus.  When he was thrown in jail, he told the jailer about Jesus.  When he was shipwrecked, he told his shipmates about Jesus.  When the men of Lystra and Derbe--two towns in Asia Minor that he preached in--when these men took Paul outside the city and tried to stone him to death, Paul got up, dusted himself off, and went back into the city to tell them about Jesus.  That's dedication!

Five time I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one.  Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move.  I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. (2 Corinthians 11.24-26)

Yet through all of this persecution, through all of this danger and  peril, Paul kept on thinking in his mind, "Remember Jesus...remember Jesus...remember Jesus."  The exhortation Paul gave to young Timothy was likely what had kept Paul going throughout his ministry.  Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah, the Chosen One sent from God.  Jesus, who had the power over death, yet He submitted Himself to the rulers and allowed Himself to be nailed to a cross.  Jesus, who came from the royal line of David, who is Lord over all creation, and who will come again one day to rule as King of kings and Lord of lords.

If Jesus is at the top of our minds, if He is the first thing we think of when we wake up and the last thing we think of when we go to sleep, does it really matter what happens to us in between?  If we are lied about, or gossiped about, didn't Jesus already endure that?  If we are persecuted, physically tortured for our faith, Jesus has borne that, too.  If we are sent far from home, to a lonely foreign land whose customs we do not understand, that shrinks in comparison to Jesus leaving Heaven to come to Earth for us.  Paul knew this, and went way out of his comfort zone to share the gospel.

Even if it seems your whole world is crumbling, falling down around you, remember this:

Nevertheless, God's solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: "The Lord knows who are His," and "Everyone who confesses the Name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness." (2 Timothy 2.19)

In Isaiah 28, verse 16 says, "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who trusts will never be dismayed."  Jesus is our foundation; He is the rock of our salvation, and a mighty fortress against His enemies.  All who trust in Him will be saved.

But Paul gives a second pillar to our foundation, a different inscription than the first.  "Everyone who confesses the Name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness."  To the church at Galatia, Paul said this:

But now that you know God--or rather are known by God--how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again? (Galatians 4.9)

Paul was not saying you could lose your salvation.  Their place in God's family is secure.  But turning back to your sinful ways is like voluntarily going back into slavery after you have been redeemed and set free.  A friend of mine used to say "This is freedom" as he raised his hands in praise.  But then he would drop his hands and hold them out in front of him, as if he were handcuffed.  "And this is slavery.  Which would you rather be?"  God has freed us from the slavery of sin, but like Lot's wife, we are always looking back, longing for the days of sinful pleasures.

The encouragement Paul gives is to shun evil and pursue good.  The example Paul gave was to go all out, and to not be dissuaded from doing good even when he was persecuted for it.  The exhortation Paul gave to young Timothy is found in 2 Timothy, verses 11 through 13 (this might have been a first century Christian hymn):

If we died with Him
     we will also live with Him;
If we endure,
     we will also reign with Him;
If we disown Him,
     He will also disown us;
If we are faithless,
     He will remain faithful
     for He cannot disown Himself.