I want to do something I’ve never done before, to take us back to reflect on the same text I shared last week.
I’d like to invite you back to 2 Timothy 2.
We are in the second season of the pandemic. Timothy’s in his second season at Ephesus.
"Be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus..."
- 2 Timothy 2:1
Paul invites Timothy in chapter 2 to do the work of a church leader: To teach and disciple, to suffer, to remember and endure.
But notice what he leads with, "Be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus".
Be strengthened for the work Jesus has called you to, by experiencing the grace that is in Jesus.
Do the work of Jesus, in the grace of Jesus.
Paul then outlines what’s involved in Jesus’ work:
- Teaching and Discipling (2:2)
- Suffering (2:3)
- Remembering (2:8)
- Enduring (2:10)
What has struck me repeatedly over the week is the reality that the grace of Jesus can be found in the work of Jesus.
Jesus' grace can be richly experienced in teaching, and discipling.
In the midst of suffering and enduring in the work of Jesus, we can encounter the sustaining power of the grace of Jesus.
In difficult and draining seasons, his grace is sustaining and renewing.
