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?