2 Timothy 2:1-7 New King James Version (NKJV)
2 You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. 3 You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 4 No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. 5 And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. 6 The hardworking farmer must be first to partake of the crops. 7 Consider what I say, and may the Lord give you understanding in all things.
Five disciplines that Paul wrote:
Be strong in the grace that is Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:10
10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
We must be strong teachers.
A strong teacher does two basic things:
- He receives the truth.
- A strong teacher trains other to transmit the truth.
1 Peter 5:2
2 Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion.
Matthew 28:19-20
19 Go ]therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
We must endure hardship as a good soldier of Christ.
1 John 2:15-16
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.
Matthew 7:21
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
The Christian believer is also to be a strong athlete in the cause of Christ.
1 John 2:6
He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.
The hard-working farmer must be the first to partake of the crops.
James 5:7-8
7 Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. 8 You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.
What do you look like as a soldier for Christ?