Onesiphorus

1tim1.16-18

"16 May the Lord show special kindness to Onesiphorus and all his family because he often visited me and encouraged me.  He was never ashamed of me because I was in chains. 17 When he came to Rome, he searched everywhere until he found me.  18 May the Lord show him special kindness on the day of Christ's return.  And you know very well how helpful he was in Ephesus." 

Relationship is huge.  Relationship between ministry workers is huge.  

I know for myself that I count it a blessing to have been placed on a ministry team which I serve. I am hardwired to be in community, and this plays out in my style of ministry as well.  I believe that Paul here makes known that partnerships in ministry are extremely important to him as well.  In the section of 1Tim just prior to Paul's thankfulness for Onesiphorus, he makes mention of 2 other ministry workers who will not come to see Paul.  My presumption would be that they are afraid of being associated with this prisoner for the possibility of they themselves being locked up for preaching "the way".  

Then Paul Goes on to pass on the message to Timothy his thankfulness for Onesiphorus.  Possibly he wanted Timothy to personally pass on such thanks, but I would imagine more so he wanted to encourage by example the importance of Timothy surrounding himself with other Bold and unashamed believers that can pour their lives into him.  

What a thank you Paul gives to Onesiphorus.  Asking the Lord to show special kindness to him and his family because of his visits, and because he was not ashamed.  And stating that the Lord should show him special kindness on the day of his return, and reaffirming his helpfulness in Ephesus. 

Onesiphorus sounds like he deserved such thankfulness.  As Paul mentions that when Onesiphorus would come to Rome he would search the entire city until he was able to find Paul and come encourage him.  

Paul was extremely encouraged by this fellow ministry worker, just making the effort to come and see him, and encourage him.  I know for myself, when I have those coffees, lunches, and dinners with these type of people who are committed to me I have felt the same as Paul.  I feel energized, more confident, and more willing to keep serving in the capacity I am.  So I know the importance of having such people in my life.  

And in knowing such truth, the challenge is making sure that my ministry life does not keep me so busy that I do not have the time to go visit other ministry workers, to spend time just loving on the people who are serving in my ministry.  Onesiphorus was not completely bogged down by the task of ministry that he totally forgot the ministers. And the fact that Paul was writing this letter to Timothy shows that Paul also did not busy himself so much that he was not able to engage in relationship. 

If when my time in ministry is over, or my time on this earth is over, and I do not have people making such comments about me as Paul makes about Onesiphorus, I have to admit that I would consider having missed out on the point and come up short. 

May I always be reminded of the importance of such love and encouragement and relationship for those who I have the privilege and honor to serve along side of. 

preacher, teacher, and apostle of the Good News.

2tim1.11-14
11 And God chose me to be a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Good News. 12 And that is why I am suffering here in prison. But I am not ashamed of it, for I know the one in whom I trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until the day of his return. 13 Hold on to the pattern of right teaching that you learned from me. And remember to live in the faith and love that you have in Christ Jesus. 14 With the help of the Holy Spirit who lives within us, carefully guard what has been entrusted to you.

To be totally honest, if I knew that my preaching and teaching of the Good News could land me behind bars for the rest of my life I can't say I would be that eager to say a word. I put myself in the shoes of Timothy, seeing a mentor of mine pay a pretty serious price for his commitment to sharing the Good News now behind bars, and in his goodbye letters to me telling me to do the same. to "carefully guard what has been entrusted to me".

I am reminded of the Scene back in the book of Acts where Paul is sitting in prison with Silas, after they were stripped and severely beaten with wooden rods and then thrown in prison for calling out the demon within the slave girl. Somehow they are able to pray and sing worship to God in their cell. Again I put myself in their position asking if I had suffered so much under the finger of injustice as a result of my ministry work, I wonder if I could muster up the energy to sing praise.

But again we have Paul pointing back to the fact that he does not have to have such faith on his own, instead he is to rely on the help of the Holy Spirit living within him. Paul provides such an amazing example of a man who fearlessly proclaimed the truth. Saying "for I know the one whom I trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until the day of his return. Even Looking at Paul's life mission statement of: "But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus - the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God."

Are we as believers ready to take such a stance? or more importantly am I as a Preacher and Teacher and Apostle of the Good News ready also to "follow the right teachings" regardless of where they may cause me to end up? Or do I even have a choice? Again I say the kingdom is at stake, eternity is at hand and if God broke the power of death and illuminated the way to life and immortality through such Good News, A Good News that must be heard, do I want to face God on the day of judgment having not taken such a stance?

It is the God who saved us AND...

2tim1.7-10
"7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. 8 So you must never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord. And don't be ashamed of me, either, even though I'm in prison for Christ. With the strength God gives you, be ready to suffer with me for the proclamation of the Good News. 9 It is God who saved us an chose us to live a holy life. He did this not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan long before the world began - to show his love and kindness to us through Christ Jesus. 10 And now he has made all of this plain to us by the coming of Christ Jesus, our Savior, who broke the power of death and showed us the way to everlasting life through the Good News."

After Paul reminds Timothy of his spiritual heritage of his mother and his Grandmother, (which would have been a Jewish Faith that would have been pre-Christ at least for his Grandmother) he affirms the fact that Timothy must remember that this faith heritage was made complete through the fulfillment of God's long plan beginning before creation. Paul then goes even further to remind and affirm Timothy that after this Jewish Covenant Fulfillment, came the Holy Spirit with which Timothy has been given, and through which Timothy has recieved his "spiritual gift" (v.6) presumably the gift of evangelism.

And it is with this gift, that Timothy is to use withouth shame, and with Boldness that comes from the power of the Holy Spirit, with which Timothy finds power, love and self discipline regardless of his "pastor" Paul's imprisonment or the possibility of his own persecution.

Where I see this verse jump from just a final declaration of Paul to Timothy, to truly also speaking to us as believers is the word "AND" found within verse 9.

"It is God who saved us and chose us to live a holy life"
or, "It is God who saved ME and chose ME to live a holy life"

God saved us, AND now he is calling us.

If we truly believe that we are saved, then we also must also truly believe that we have become the living temple of the Holy Spirit. The everyday place where Heaven and Earth intersect, and where the rest of the world can experience the love of Christ and the truth of his Good News.

God saved us "not because we deserved it", nor is it by any works which we can accomplish. BUT, now that we have recieved said salvation, we have been called to be part of his redemption story, an agent of change per say.

and as Timothy is reminded (as are we) that this proclamation of the Good News will lead to persecution: take heart because we do not proclaim it alone, we proclaim it with power, love, and self-control which is granted to us through the Holy Spirit. We must remember that eternity is at stake "Christ Jesus, our Savior, who broke the power of death and showed us the way to everalsting life through the Good News"