Jacobs Thoughts and Doings

Greet Priscilla and Aquila and the household of Onesiphorus.  Erastus stayed in Corinth, and I left Trophimus sick in Miletus. Do your best to get here before winter. Eubulus greets you, and so do Pudens, Linus, Claudia and all the brothers and sisters.

 The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you all.

2 Timothy 4:19 – 22

Paul was in chains in a Roman prison but his spirit was as free as the morning breeze.  He regretted that no one had been there in Rome to stand with him and defend him as he was sentenced by the Roman Empire as worthy of death, but that does not mean that he was friendless.  Paul moved on, carrying no grudge in his heart.  Why the leaders of the Christian communities in Rome did not stand with Paul is a mystery to me.  It could be that the believers were seen as part of the Jewish community that Rome had trouble controlling.  In any case, Nero had his own agenda.  He used Jews and Christians as scape-goats for his mad vision of self-splendor when need be.

Paul knew that he was deeply loved by many.  In the concluding section of his letter he named several.  Some, like Priscilla and Aquila we know, others not. But they were precious to Paul.  Were he to have greeted all those who loved him dearly it would have taken many, many lines.  I would have been on that list for I have developed a deep and profound relationship with the missionary Paul through the years and I am only one among thousands who thank God for this mighty man of God who knew what it meant to be praised and hated.  Like Jesus himself.

I find so much included in his last words, “The Lord be with your spirit.  Grace be with you all.”  Paul knew that young Timothy would be stretched and tried.  That was a burden God wants him to carry.  It is only possible if the Lord is with him.  The Lord is the God of all grace.

Dear Anna Ruth keeps producing loaf after loaf of the best whole wheat bread ever, always delicious, always the same. She enjoys using Jane’s new-fangled slicer.

At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them. But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

2 Timothy 4: 16 18

One would have hoped that the great Apostle Paul would have finished his ministry with a flourish, pointing to great successes. This letter to Timothy is more of a lament than an adulation.  The church, particularly in Rome, was suffering terribly because in AD 64 the great fire destroyed large parts of Rome, probably set by the Emperor Nero.  He blamed it on the Christians who were then hounded and persecuted terribly.  Some think accusations were brought by the Jews.  Many Christians were killed without trials and without human mercy.

Paul was arrested and brought to Rome to stand trial for what had happened. There was no one to defend him.  At issue was probably the spread of the Gospel among the Romans and the Jews who lived there, a fact that raised the ire of the Jews.  The Jews hated Paul and the Romans had little regard for him at all.  It could be that because he was a Roman citizen he was not killed outright.

While in these straits Paul wrote this second  letter to Timothy.  He was placed in chains but not killed just yet. He wrote, “I was delivered from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”

Not long after that he was martyred by the Romans, under Nero, probably in AD 67.  Within three years the Romans, in AD 70, destroyed the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem, thus weakening the Jews in Rome and elsewhere beyond words.  By then our beloved brother, Paul, was enjoying his eternal rest, there in glory with his Lord Jesus and all the saints.

May the Lord grant us mercy and strength to fight the battle as did Paul.  There is no higher purpose on earth for any human being.

Do your best to come to me quickly, for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia. Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry.  I sent Tychicus to Ephesus. When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, and my scrolls, especially the parchments.  Alexander the metalworker did me a great deal of harm. The Lord will repay him for what he has done. You too should be on your guard against him, because he strongly opposed our message.  2 Timothy 4:9 – 15

It is heart-breaking when a brother or sister in the Gospel turns away from Jesus Christ and especially devastating when he or she was once a sincere follower of the Lamb and a valued member of the team. Paul wrote in Colossians 4:14, Our dear friend Luke, the doctor, and Demas send greetings.  Fast forward several years – Demas has deserted me.

A painful memory comes back to me. One of the leaders of the believers in Bumangi in Tanzania was a powerful witness for Jesus.  That was about 1956. As is often the case, he was despised and even cursed by his fellow tribesmen. He was as faithful to his calling as anyone I knew.  Then, a few years later, I learned that he had taken a second wife and was no longer a simple follower of Christ.   I had to struggle with that.

I have seen many “Demas’s” in my lifetime.  Not everyone who confesses faith in Jesus Christ will persist in that walk until death.  Satan will do what he can to break the heart and faith of the followers of Jesus.

Praise God, many will not be moved, but will keep their eyes on Jesus, no matter what the cost, like Crescens and Titus and Thychicus.  They are committed!  Of the three, we know Titus quite well for Paul wrote a memorable letter to him.

But, how about Alexander who harmed Paul most deliberately? Paul offers no details about that!  The story goes on for all of us – forgive, repent and praise for the now.  Some will stand, others will fall.  As for you and me, we must continue to follow the Lamb where ever He goes!

Paul was suffering because he knew he was called to bring Gentiles to belief and to include them into the fellowship, where Jews and Gentile believers love Jesus with identical passion.  The task is so daunting that Paul, originally a Pharisee himself, an educated one, must rely only on the miracle working grace of God.  It will be contested from every angle.  Yet, it was that vision, given by Jesus Christ himself, that shaped Paul’s entire life!  What shapes me?  That vision lifts Paul into a life-giving relationship with Jesus Christ that frustrates the devils!  The battle is not over until death.

The yellow roses are now pushing their first blossoms.  I am impressed!!  The Bible speaks well of roses.  I can see why.

Do your best to come to me quickly, for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia. Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry.  I sent Tychicus to Ephesus. When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, and my scrolls, especially the parchments.  Alexander the metalworker did me a great deal of harm. The Lord will repay him for what he has done. You too should be on your guard against him, because he strongly opposed our message.  2 Timothy 5:9 – 15

It is heart-breaking when a brother or sister in the Gospel turns away from Jesus Christ and especially devastating when he or she was once a valued member of the team. In Paul’s letter to the Colossiansans,  4:14, he wrote  “Our dear friend Luke, the doctor, and Demas send greetings.”  Fast forward several years – “Demas has deserted me.”

A painful memory comes back to me. One of the leaders of the believers in Bumangi in Tanzania was a powerful witness for Jesus.  That was about 1956. As is often the case, he was despised and even cursed by his fellow tribesmen. He was as faithful to his calling as anyone I knew.  Then, a few years later, I learned that he had taken a second wife and was no longer a simple follower of Christ.   I had to struggle with that.

I have seen so much since then!  I have few answers but find great delight in seeing followers of Jesus live courageously for Him – like Crescens and Titus and Thychicus.  They are great.  But then there is, by the way, Alexander who harmed Paul most deliberately. The story goes on – forgive, repent and praise for the now.

Paul was suffering because he knew he was called to bring Gentiles to believe and to include them into the fellowship, where Jews and Gentile believers love Jesus with identical passion. A miracle indeed.  That vision shaped his entire life!  What shapes me?

Yesterday Jane and Glenn celebrating 37 years of marriage and that very day Roma, my sister, and John Ruth, her husband celebrated their venerable 65th!  Jane and Glenn drove us to the Heritage Restaurant  where we joined others in the family to celebrate the occasion. Here are Roma and John!  They were simply marvelous.  John’s inquisitive, assuring, pleasant face says so much.  And Roma keeps the stories coming, all hilarious or dead serious.  Anna Ruth and I are privileged to have John and Roma as friends, not only because of close family ties but because through the years our hearts have been braided together by love and admiration, a source of comfort and delight.

For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near.  I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. 

2 Timothy 4:6 – 8

In a way, I can relate to what Paul is feeling.  He is about 61 years old.  He knows that the wicked Emperor Nero, a hater of the followers of Jesus, and the one responsible for the chains that bound Paul in the Roman prison, will certainly have the Apostle killed.  It could happen almost any time.  Paul had just returned from his final missionary journey, visiting churches he helped plant in Turkey, a very, very difficult time for him as he saw the troubles the churches were going through.  One would have expected the churches to have received, praised and thanked Paul for pouring out his life for them.  We have no record of that happening.  Instead Paul was pursued by Emperor Nero, captured and returned to Rome as a common prisoner, in chains this time.

This letter was written about AD 66, probably the year that Paul was martyred and four years before the mighty Jewish Temple in sacred Jerusalem was destroyed, completely.

Clouds were gathering above the churches threatening the very life of the church.  As Paul pondered the situation he knew that his days of active ministry were over.  His appeal to young Timothy to step up and lead the body of Christ carries a weight of urgency.

My mind goes back to the time Paul was about 30 years old, an admired and powerful advocate for the strictest form of Judaism, Pharisee-ism.  That movement hated Jesus because his followers did not look to obedience to the Law as the way of redemption.  Further, Paul was not the product of Jerusalem Judaism, no, he was born and raised in Turkey where he was a Roman citizen, unlike those who lived in Jerusalem.  So when he appeared as a student of the renowned Gamaliel he was recognized by the Jewish leaders as a person who would exceed Gamaliel as the greatest Jewish theologian. The future looked bright for Paul.

Timothy knew Paul’s story, how Jesus encountered him and turned him around completely.  He was called to suffer with Christ.  Now, Paul is calling Timothy to follow Jesus, a path of joy but suffering as well.  While my sufferings because of following Christ were real to me, they were nothing compared to what Paul is talking about and experiencing.  But all of us who were called in the service of Jesus can relate to Paul who is putting all behind him and looking to life eternal with Jesus.