Paul the Preacher

The Apostle Paul loved Christ above all else and was thus so changed and transformed that Christ became everything in his life. No longer could anything separate him from Christ. That is why he allows himself no rest. He sacrifices himself completely for the proclamation of the Gospel. We see him travelling from one city to another, establishing new church communities, writing his letters and strengthening the determination of the faithful. All this without care to the difficulties, without counting the cost to himself.

He was a gifted preacher and a capable public speaker, well versed in the sciences and skilled in presenting the proofs for his case. This was because he believed absolutely in Jesus Christ and spoke but the truth. (Acts 26:25) He desired that all those to whom he preached would become as he was ... a believer in the Risen Christ, and, that they should experience Christ living within them. In his preaching, he witnessed to the things of the Kingdom of God by appealing to the books of the prophets. Yet the rhetorical arts and the expositions of knowledge have for him but one purpose – to invite others to share with him the Lord, Jesus Christ. (1Cor 1:1/7)

In his speech there is boldness and there is enthusiasm. He sought to please God and not mankind. Because he was entrusted with the Word of God, every single word that Paul writes has but one purpose, and that is to draw both himself and the hearer ever closer to God (2Cor 5/9).

In today's epistle (2Tim 2:1-10) addressed to his spiritual son, Timothy, and indeed to each of us, Paul asks us to be strong by the grace that the Lord, Jesus, has given us. He urges us to be trustworthy because only the trustworthy can effectively teach others the ways of God. Are we competent to teach? Yes, because the Lord endows us with understanding and he breaths his Holy Spirit into us. Paul wants us to be good soldiers for Christ even if it means that we must endure the hardships set upon us by others. This can be achieved because, in the end, we are set free only by the Word of God.

Issam John Darwish BSO, DD

Eparch

Share|