Receiving & Passing the Gospel

For 2,000 years, the Church has passed the baton of the Gospel from one generation to the next. It started with the apostles and has made its way all the way down to us. Like a relay team passing a baton, each generation has been doing their part.

When you study the letter of 2 Timothy, you see this powerfully at work. Paul is writing to his younger protégé and missionary companion, Timothy, and in 2 Timothy 2:1-7 he uses a few analogies to depict the Christian life. One of them is that of an athlete.

“The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. Suffer hardship with me as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier. Also, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules. The hard-working farmer ought to be the first to receive his share of the crops. Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.”

Timothy is part of a spiritual heritage that has been passed down to him by his grandmother Lois and mother Eunice (2 Tim. 1:5). Paul had also invested a lot in Timothy as they traveled together on mission (1 Tim. 1:2). Now, Timothy has been called to Christian service 2 Timothy 1:6. He is Paul's representative and will be pastor of the church at Ephesus.

Like an athlete in a relay race, he is now being asked to pass on the baton he received from Paul. Paul refers to this "baton" in (2 Tim. 1:13-14) as “the things which you have heard from me”, “the standard of sound words” and “the treasure." Basically, this baton is the body of truth and gospel teaching that he is to protect and pass on.

There are seven handoffs in view here: Christ, who entrusted the teaching to Paul and the apostles, whom God used to entrust it to Lois, Eunice, then Timothy, and now to faithful men who will entrust it to others. This is a picture of successfully passing the baton.

The sad context, however, reveals the tendency of some to drop the baton! In chapter 1:15, Hermogenes and Phygelus have “turned away” from Paul. In 4:9, Demas is described as having “deserted” Paul out of a love for this present world. And in chapters 3 and 4, Paul prophetically cautions Timothy about the “last days” when people will reject the truth in exchange for anything that sounds more pleasing to them. Timothy is being asked to preach the truth in a world that doesn’t always want to hear it, but he must not bend. The Word of God is what people need! That’s why you have one of the clearest affirmations of Scripture’s inspiration in 2 Timothy 3:16-17.

Therefore, in order to pass the baton on successfully in this present age, Timothy needs to augment a couple of virtues mentioned:

• For one, he is going to need endurance. The word "suffer" in verse 5 could be rendered "endure". "Suffer [Endure] hardship with me..." Endure is a key word in 2 Timothy. Every soldier, farmer, and athlete must endure if they are to win the war, harvest a crop, or wear the crown.

  
  

• Secondly, he'll also need unwavering obedience. "If anyone competes as an athlete, he does not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules." Just like each sport has a rulebook, so God’s Word is where we find the rules of engagement for life and ministry. It’s through the Word of God that we understand the will of God and learn how we are to run this race of the Christian life. The Word is our standard and what we proclaim. We run according to the Word so that we may win and not be disqualified from rewards.

  
  

  Years ago, I was confronted with this very situation. A church member approached me and basically said, “If you teach (such and such), I’m going to leave, and you’ll have to cancel my membership.” They didn’t deny that what I was teaching was biblical truth. They just didn’t like what the Bible taught on that subject. In a moment like that, you’ve got to decide, what do I care more about? Pleasing people or pleasing the One who enlisted me as a soldier? We're all running, but are we running according to the rules?

  
  

  We know that competitors in the Grecian games had to be citizens of their country and take an oath before a statue of Zeus stating that they had diligently prepared for this game for at least 10 months. If any competitors who after having competed and won, were later found out to have broken a rule, they lost their prizes. We see this regularly today with Olympic contestants as well. With every Olympic contest, it seems we find out later on that someone cheated and their medals are revoked.

Every believer is an essential runner in the relay team, responsible to receive truth and to pass on truth. It takes time and practice to do both! Pastors to congregations. Parents to children. Students to peers. One coworker to the next.

Are you receiving the baton by placing yourself under a godly ministry and mentor? Are you passing the baton on by serving, sharing the gospel, and investing in the next generation?

Some good questions to consider!

Pastor Justin