In 2 Timothy 2 Paul used six kinds of people to depict a person who serves the Lord. He also referred to some matters related to character in order to train his young co-worker. Verses 3 and 4 say that we who serve the Lord as good soldiers of Christ Jesus should not entangle ourselves with the affairs of this life. This requirement is absolutely related to our character. We cannot fulfill this requirement if our character is lacking. Verse 5 speaks about a person who contends in the games. It likens a person who serves the Lord to an athlete who competes in the Olympic games. In order to win a game, an athlete must receive strict training. Some coaches not only teach their athletes skills but also train their character by controlling their diet, sleep, and dress. If an athlete is loose in his character and does not eat, sleep, live, and walk according to a schedule, he will not be able to win the game.
Verse 6 mentions the laboring farmer. A lazy farmer is destined to fail because a farmer must labor in order to succeed. The word labor implies diligence and toil. Thus, this is a matter of character. Verse 15 says, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, an unashamed workman, cutting straight the word of the truth.” Here the word workman refers to a carpenter, and the cutting straight of the word is likened to the work of carpentry. Paul was telling Timothy to unfold the Word of God in its various parts rightly and straightly without distortion, just as a carpenter cuts a piece of wood. When a piece of wood is cut crookedly, it becomes completely useless. If you are not strict enough in your character, your reading of the Word will be loose and your interpretation of the Word will be inaccurate. If you take the attitude that everything is “about the same,” then your interpretation of the Word will also be “about the same.” Only those who are strict in character can cut straight the word of the truth.
Verse 21 says, “If therefore anyone cleanses himself from these, he will be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, useful to the master, prepared unto every good work.” A vessel unto honor has to meet a certain standard that it may contain a specific object of honor. Here the word honor is related to our nature, the word sanctified indicates our position, the word useful implies the matter of function, and the prepared reveals the matter of training. Paul exhorted Timothy to cleanse himself from the vessels of dishonor that he could be trained in these four matters. These four items together would make Timothy a vessel unto honor according to a certain standard. This also involves our character.
Verses 24-25 say, “But a slave of the Lord ought not to contend but be gentle toward all, apt to teach, bearing with wrong; in meekness correcting those who oppose.” It is wonderful that when Paul spoke about being a slave of the Lord, he did not say that such a one should read the Bible, pray, grow in life, or pursue the truth. Neither did he say that such a one should develop his eloquence, utterance, and gifts. Rather, he said that a slave of the Lord ought not to contend but to be gentle in his attitude. Those who contend are loose in their character. Those who are strict in their character do not contend and have no time to contend. A policeman always carries a gun with him. If he has not been strictly trained, the gun can be very dangerous to him because he might pull it out and shoot carelessly. A tendency to contend is proof that a person does not have the power to restrain or control himself. His power of self-restriction is poor. Because his character is poor, it is easy for him to contend with others. When you go out to labor for the Lord, you may encounter people who will argue. Old people will argue with you, Buddhists will argue with you, and those who have scientific minds will also argue with you. If you can avoid arguing with them and simply give them the truth, then you will be a very skillful worker. This requires much self-control and self-restraint. This kind of character is hard to build up.
This is the training that Paul gave Timothy. By reading these few points, we can see that a person who serves the Lord must be a soldier, an athlete who runs on the racecourse, a farmer who labors in the field, a carpenter who cuts wood, a vessel unto honor, and a slave of the Lord. If you study these six kinds of people carefully, you will realize that they are altogether related to the matter of character. Once the problem of character is solved and your character is built up, you will be a good soldier, a good athlete, a good farmer, a good workman, a good vessel, and a good slave. I hope that you would concentrate all of your effort on this matter of building up your character in your living, your walk, your conduct, your speaking, and your attitude whether at home, abroad, at work, or in the church, so that you may be very useful in the Lord’s hand.
Question: In the past you spoke about the thirty character traits that require training. Like you, we feel that this matter is very important. However, we do not know the secret of how to be trained. Moreover, although those who have a poor character are like “hot potatoes,” we cannot allow them to remain the same. Are there any secrets to helping such people?
Answer: The answer lies in your determination. You must be determined to consecrate yourself to the Lord to become a useful vessel in His hands. You need to labor with such a determination. The secret of your labor is to exercise not to be loose but strict in all things, whether big or small. The foundation depends on your exercise in your practical daily life. For example, you should be exercised in returning something to the place from which you took it, in paying attention to tidiness and neatness, and in doing things according to a plan. Once you begin to exercise in this way, you will realize how loose you were in the past. If you appreciate and are touched by this kind of fellowship but do not exercise or labor in your daily living, this fellowship will be completely useless to you.
You also have to help one another and be willing to be reminded of this matter at any time. Do not merely try to keep the peace with one another by being polite. Instead, you must go before the Lord, have adequate prayer, and ask the Lord for enlightenment and guidance. I know that these are not easy matters. It is helpful to remind a child who is three or five years old. However, such reminders may not be of much use to those of you who are already set in your ways. This altogether depends on you. If you are not determined and do not exercise, then there will be no way for you to be trained. If you are willing to take this matter seriously and spare no effort to carry it out, then it will be easy for you to be trained. From this perspective, it is better for you to be strict than to be loose. Even to be overly strict is all right, because it may be necessary to be overly strict in order to effectively correct our defects.
I am full of joy to see that you have made a great improvement in your dress. This proves that you are determined and willing to be reminded. I spoke a strong word to the elders that if they want to manage the affairs of the church, the first thing they need to do is to clean the meeting hall and put it in order. Some elders and co-workers keep their homes clean and tidy but have no feeling concerning the dirtiness and untidiness of the meeting hall. They say that they love the Lord, but actually they love themselves. If you truly loved the Lord, you would arrange and decorate the meeting hall, which is being used for the Lord’s work, so that it would look nicer than your own home. By the Lord’s mercy, I can tell you that when I was laboring for the Lord in Taiwan, I used the best toilets and bathtubs for the meeting halls and workers’ homes, but for my own home I used very simple furnishings.
If you want to serve the Lord full time, first you must be trained in your character. Second, you must view the Lord’s work as far more important than anything else. You must consider everything that is related to the Lord’s work as the most important. This also involves our character. Therefore, I hope that you all would seriously be trained in your character from the very beginning of your training. In this way, all the meeting halls in Taiwan will be changed in appearance, not to be extravagant or to make a vain show but to be elegant, presentable, neat, and tidy, and to meet every need. Whether or not the Lord’s work can be successful today depends on the training of your character. I hope you all would receive this word.
Prayer: Lord, Your words were found, and we ate them. Lord, cause us not to reject this word, and enable us to fully receive and amen Your word. We do not want to say, “This word is hard; who can hear it?” Lord, cause us to exercise our spirit to receive it. Your speaking such a word to us proves that You are merciful and gracious to us. We want to say amen to Your word. May Your word transform us. Lord, make us good soldiers, good athletes, good farmers, good workmen, vessels unto honor, and good slaves to You. We pray that You would remember our desire and grant us grace upon grace so that we may seriously practice this in our daily living. Amen!