Don’t be Afraid, and Therefore Don’t be Ashamed; Share in Suffering for the Sake of the Gospel
2 Timothy 1:8
2 Timothy 1:8
Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God,
Shame is often only a few feet behind fear. If you think of fear as a person, then you can think of shame as that person’s shadow. Let me give you an example to illustrate my point. Imagine a teenage girl who simply places too many of her pennies in her highschool reputation. Imagine then that her highschool peers have a certain behavioral norm and standard, you know, the way they dress, the things they say, and the manner in which they behave. This norm and standard, however, is not just their standard. These norms and standards, though totally created by these highschoolers, are norms and standards that are applied universally to everyone, resulting in the praise of those who align with and adhere to their created standard, and the silent judgment and inadvertent inferiorization of those who don’t.
This girl that we mentioned in the beginning, because she cares so deeply about her reputation, does everything she can to live up to the remarkably short sighted standards and norms her highschool peers have made. In reward for her strenuous efforts, this girl actually makes into the popular cliques and manages to actually become quite well-known herself. However, in spite of all of her highschool glory and fame, it could all vanish as quickly as it came because of this one reason. You see, her younger brother, who couldn’t care less about the laws and legislations of her highschool peers, is looked at by her friends as, well, a total weirdo. And therefore, everyone who remotely, or worse, overtly interacts with him is thereby also given the most-feared and abhorred title of weirdo (highschooler law 7.3). So because of her brother’s great and odd peculiarity, and lest she lose her hard-earned pomp and position, this girl then becomes ashamed to be seen around her younger brother. She avoids him like the plague and even begins walking to school to avoid being dropped off with him in the same vehicle. In other words, because she fears losing her illustrious popular status and precious reputation, she is ashamed to be around her brother.
In our verse for today, Paul, on the heels of calling Timothy to be characterized not by cowardice but by Spirit-filled courage in verses 6-7, is now calling Timothy to not be ashamed of both his Lord and his mentor and friend Paul. He says, “Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God.” Notice the word “therefore”? There’s a classic evangelical cliche that says, “Whenever you see a therefore, you need to know what it’s there for.” So what is this particular therefore there for? Well, as we observed earlier, shame is always a few feet behind fear. If being afraid is the substance, then being ashamed is the shadow. Paul, therefore, first treats Timothy’s ailment of fear in verses 6-7, before treating his ailment of shame in verse 8. This is strategic and intentional, because when it comes to our gospel witness, unashamed and unapologetic gospel-proclamation cannot be achieved until fear of failure and the fear of man’s opinion is eliminated. By using the word therefore, Paul is connecting his exhortation to not be afraid with his exhortation to not be ashamed.
Paul in the rest of the verse then says, “Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God.” Here, Paul gives us the cause of Timothy’s apparent shame, and also possibly his fear. Notice how carefully Paul sequences his words to Timothy. He first calls Timothy to not be ashamed of his Lord and of Paul, and then secondly, and immediately, calls to him to share in suffering for the gospel. Paul does this because being a messenger of the testimony of God and the gospel and being an associate with those who also proclaim the gospel message is a guarantee for suffering. Or to put it another way, gospel-proclamation promises gospel-persecution. This is the reality Paul clearly iterates later on in 2 Timothy 3:12 when he says, “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” It is also what Jesus states in John 15:20a when He says, “Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.” The ultimate point? Gospel-proclamation promises gospel-persecution.
“Gospel-proclamation promises gospel-persecution.”
But guess what? The verse isn’t done. Paul ends verse 8 saying, “share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God.” (emphasis added). In other words, in addition to the reality that gospel-proclamation promises gospel-persecution, 2 Timothy 1:8b also tells us that gospel-proclamation also promises Spirit-empowerment. Do you see what this means? It means that God not only calls us to suffer for the gospel, but promises to sustain us in doing so. To quote Charles Spurgeon, “God’s commands are his enablings.” This simply means that God what calls and commands us to do, He enables us to do. As God has called us to go and make disciples of all nations (Matt 28:19), God has also promised to empower our witness with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 1:8). This is the reminder that Paul gives to Timothy, and the reminder that God is giving to us.
“In addition to the reality that gospel-proclamation promises gospel-persecution, 2 Timothy 1:8b also tells us that gospel-proclamation also promises Spirit-empowerment.”
So in what ways are we boldly proclaiming the message of the gospel? Do we need to repent of times when we’ve been ashamed of being associated with our God and the gospel? Just like Timothy, we all need the exhortation to not be ashamed of God and His people, and to also share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God. However, what does it mean to practically implement these truths into our lives? Well firstly, it means confessing to God our shortcomings and failures. It means reckoning with our flaws and our fears, and laying them at the feet of the cross. It also means seeking to be filled with the Spirit for the specific purpose of bold gospel-proclamation. Interestingly, in Scripture, bold gospel proclamation often follows the filling of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 1:8, 4:31, 33). Scripture and life-experience indicate to us that when we have the reactants of a passion to love and obey Christ, which inevitably leads to a love for people and the God-given filling of the Holy Spirit, the product will always include unapologetic and unashamed gospel proclamation. When we are filled with the Spirit of God, we simply can’t help but proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ.
And how do we be filled with the Spirit? We seek to be filled with the Spirit by regularly seeking God’s Word and regularly calling upon the name of the Lord in prayer. It’s important to recognize that being filled with the Spirit needs to be a regular occurrence, which highlights the need for daily devotion to prayer and God’s Word. It also is worth mentioning that being filled with the Spirit isn’t some magical and mystical divine encounter, but is simply the natural outcome of quality time spent in prayer, God’s Word, and obedience to Christ. If we desire to be filled with the Spirit of God, we need not go beyond the God-given means of time in God’s Word, time in prayer, and obedience to the Word of God.
“Being filled with the Spirit isn’t some magical and mystical divine encounter, but is simply the natural outcome of quality time spent in prayer, God’s Word, and obedience to Christ.”
In response to these truths then, let us pray that God would fill us with the Holy Spirit, leading to bold and unashamed gospel proclamation. Let us pray for opportunities to proclaim the gospel and also seek to spread the gospel not only through word, but also in deed. (1 Thess 1:5). May we never forget how God may use our public display of humble love and obedience to point people straight to Him. (Matt 5:16, John 13:34-35). All in all, let us pray that our love for Christ will compel us to be faithful servants and children of our God. (2 Cor 5:14-15). It is only because God first loved us why we ought to be so motivated to love people by sharing with them the message of the gospel. (1 John 4:7). Let us therefore share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God. Praise God that because of His Son Jesus who purchased our salvation, and promised the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we can endure in suffering for the sake of the gospel. May we do so faithfully to the glory of our God. Amen!