Don't be timid!

2 Timothy 1:7-8

"For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline. Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God."

Paul was in prison when he wrote these words of encouragement to Timothy. Later in this letter to Timothy we learn that he also knows that his execution is set and there is no way out of it (2 Timothy 4:6). Not only in the passage above but throughout the book Paul encourages Timothy to be a bold witness for our Lord Jesus (2 Timothy 4:1-2 is a great example of this) and that he does not need to be ashamed of Jesus. The problem of being ashamed hits most of us here in America though (even though we are relatively free to share the gospel). The late Bill Bright of Campus Crusade for Christ estimated that only 1-2% of Christians routinely share their faith with others. So when we look around our congregations we can rightly assume that 49 out of 50 people do not feel that they need to share the gospel regularly. Given the opportunity we are timid, we are ashamed, and we are afraid that we will not know what to say if we find ourselves with an open door to share with someone about the hope that is inside us.

David Hocking, in his commentary on this epistle, said the following:

"The command of verse 8 begins with 'therefore' which means we should back up and remember that the verse which precedes it gives the reason behind it. That reason is that 'God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.' Therefore we should not be ashamed. If we are ashamed, then we have a spirit of fear and do not understand the ministry of the Holy Spirit. How interesting that the command to not be ashamed grammatically means, 'Don't start being ashamed' rather than, 'Stop being ashamed.' Paul is not indicating that Timothy was being ashamed, but that he should not start being ashamed or embarassed aabout what he believed. As we know, that is an easy thing to do."

A few verses that encourage me to not be ashamed (or to start being ashamed) are -

Mark 8:38

"For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels."

Romans 1:16

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek."

1 Corinthians 6:19

"For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel."

Jeremiah 1:5-8

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations." Then I said, "Alas, Lord GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, because I am a youth." But the LORD said to me, "Do not say, 'I am a youth,' because everywhere I send you, you shall go, and all that I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you," declares the LORD.

Acts 1:8

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth."

Many people express a lack of confidence when it comes to evangelism because they are not confident in what they are talking about. We (the modern day body of believers) don't have the basic understanding of what the gospel is (1 Corinthians 15:3-7) or how to lead people to an understanding of why the gospel is such great news (Galatians 3:24) which has hindered us as the body of Christ from sharing the glorioius gospel! When we lack knowledge it is natural for us to be timid or ashamed. If you feel timid or ashamed from time to time know that you are not alone. But don't let that be an excuse for not sharing the good news with others. All too often I hear people say "I am not called to that" when it comes to evangelism. How tragic this stance is for a believer! We are told that we have been given the ministry of reconciliation and have been called to be ambassadors for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17-21). I encourage you to study the Bible more closely and see how Jesus talked to people when sharing with them. Read the book of Acts and see how Peter, Paul, and the early church shared the good news and then take that knowledge to your family, friends, and community. If we truly believe that Jesus is the only way (John 14:6, Acts 4:12) it is imperative that we learn how to share our faith and then go out and do it!

Hope you have a great day! Until next time go serve Jesus our blessed hope!

-Fei Cheng