In 2 Timothy 2:3-4, Apostle Paul of Tarsus writes to his mentee Timothy to endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. He reminds him that a good soldier does not entangle in civilian affairs. Instead, his focus is on pleasing the master. In my sedulous studies of the sacred scriptures, I ascertained that during that dispensation, Apostle Paul was in Rome waiting to go and plead his case before Caesar. As he closely observed the life of Roman soldiers, he thought a lot about how it symbolized the life of a practising Christian. Perhaps, while waiting, Apostle Paul, through some vantage point, saw soldiers mending, sharpening and cleaning their weapons. He saw soldiers under drills. He saw soldiers marching. He saw soldiers standing bolt-upright on parades. He saw soldiers put on their armours. Then, he thought deeply. Christianity has never been a spiritual fanfare, but warfare. No wonder, towards the end, in what looks like a farewell, again, Apostle Paul pens in 2 Timothy 4:7: “I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith.”
Actually, brothers and sisters who went before us paid the painful price. Our friends died miserably in the cruel hands of foes of the gospel. For instance, Apostle Paul was brutally tortured, then beheaded by the evil Emperor Nero in Rome. Stephen was stoned to death. Epaphroditus fell ill while doing God’s work. Timothy suffered from serious stomach troubles. Matthias, who replaced the apostate Judas Iscariot, was stoned, then, beheaded. They dragged Mark by horses in the streets of Alexandria in Egypt until he gave up the ghost. They hanged Luke on a tree in Greece. They crucified Peter upside down on a cross. They killed Bartholomew also known as Nathanael. John suffered in the Island of Patmos. They later dipped him in a drum of boiling oil. They crucified Andrew on an X-shaped cross in Greece. They stabbed Thomas to death using a spear in India in one of his ill-fated missionary trips. They pricked Jude by arrows when he refused to deny Jesus.
They beheaded James the son of Zebedee in Jerusalem. They killed Matthew in Ethiopia. Likewise, they threw Daniel in the den of marauding lions. They threw Meshach, Shadrach and Abednego in the fiery furnace. Now, you understand why Paul pens to Timothy to endure hardness or join him in the suffering. From those distant days, the fight of faith has never been easy. In an unfortunate twist of fate, while professing and confessing Christ, some found themselves in dens of marauding lions. Ferocious flames of fire licked some soldiers of Christ. Some went to jail. Whereas, some were sawn asunder under sad circumstances. Meaning, even as I sit to write these words, serious Christians still suffer. They suffer ridicule, rejection, dejection, intimidation and trepidation.
No wonder, Jude 1:13 says that we must earnestly contend for the faith, which was once delivered unto saints. In Romans 8:37, Christians are not described as conquerors, but as more than conquerors. Again, being a good soldier calls for bravery, bravado, courage, and adherence to set standards. A Christian, who is a good soldier, believes in the course for which he takes. Such a Christian believes in the Kingdom of God, redemption, gospel, Christ, cross, crown, truth, prayer, heaven, right and wrong. A good soldier keeps in contact with the commander — Jesus Christ. More importantly, when the soldier joins the army, training revolves around three things: Firstly, to obey orders.
Secondly, to engage in self-sacrifice. Then, thirdly, to clad in uniform, and use weapons of warfare. This brilliant thought on uniforms points us to Ephesians 6:10-18, where Apostle Paul reminds us to put on the full armour of God. Delving deeper, we should be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might. Meaning, in our limited strength, we cannot access success. Actually, we can only overcome wiles and wicked schemes when we wear the armour. Next, there is a clarion call for us to remain steadfast while waxing strong in faith. Then, the Roman soldier focused on application of the armour on the front part of the body. Maybe, because once the soldier was on the battlefield, there was no turning back.
No retreat. No surrender. No going down. The focus was to wage and win the war. Just as the hymn Higher Ground puts it: I am pressing on the upward way. Moreover, we learn that we are not fighting against flesh and blood, but against four supernatural evil empires: Principalities, powers, rulers of darkness of this world, and spiritual wickedness in high places. This looks like what we read in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5: “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not wage war against the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God: to the pulling down of strongholds.
Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” Back to Ephesians 6, Apostle Paul repeats that we should put on the full armour to help us stand in the day he calls an ‘evil day’. For in the walk of faith, there is a day the war is not kind. Therefore, before I conclude. Permit me to cite the components of the armour. Firstly, we should have the belt of truth buckled around our waists. Truth or sincerity is the girdle. The author cites it first because it girds on all the other pieces of our armour. Secondly, on our chest, we should have the breastplate of righteousness. The righteousness of Christ implanted in us, fortifies the heart against evil arrows the devil throws to us. Thirdly, our feet should be fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In order to march forward, the feet must be fleet to meet this mandate. Motives to obedience, amidst trials, must sprout from a clear conscience, and knowledge of the gospel.
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Above all, we should carry the shield of faith to help us quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one— the devil. Faith means a lot, in trials. Faith is the shield we should carry every day. Consequently, we should take the helmet of salvation. Then, the sword of the spirit. The helmet is the assurance of salvation, which makes us immune to dangerous doubts and unbelief, which assail the mind. In fact, the Word of God is supernatural in its origin. It is divine in its authority. It is human in its penmanship. It is infinite in scope. It is wonderful in its instruction. It is inspirational in its application. It is universal in its quotation. Hebrews 4:12 says that the Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword. In Psalm 119:130, the Psalmist harps that the entrance of the Word of God brings light. It gives understanding to the simple.
Finally, there is a clarion call for prayer because it fastens all the other parts of our Christian armour. In a page-turner titled Tough Times Never Last, But Tough People Do, Dr. Robert H. Schuller writes: Prayer is the power that pulls everything together successfully. We must focus on all kinds of prayer: public, private, secret, solitary, social, solemn or sudden. All parts of prayer — Adoration,
Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication (ACTS) — should take preeminence. In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, we read, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
By Victor Ochieng’
vochieng.90gmail.com 0704420232
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