Amado Timóteo

In the presence of God and Christ Jesus
Who will judge the living and the dead
I solemnly exhort you
Preach the Word

It is with this imperative
That Paul begins his final words
To his son in faith, Timothy
This is his second letter to the young preacher
And it holds unprecedented historical value
After all, besides being a solemn call to ministry
And therefore containing sacred lessons for any called Christian
It is also the last Pauline letter we have record of
By all indications, this was his final document
We are truly facing the last words of the apostle Paul
Not only to Timothy, but to the world
How does a man of God come to the end of his days?
What are the circumstances surrounding him in his final moments?
What leads him to write this letter to his dear friend, to his beloved son?

Paul's request could not be more solemn
Preach the word
This is the summary
Of absolutely everything Paul has been telling Timothy
Since the beginning of this letter
It's not just any letter
It's a final and urgent call
For Timothy to rise from his limitations
And fears and take the place of his mentor

Since Paul
Is indeed reaching the end of his ministerial journey
It's time for young Timothy to rise
With even greater commitment and courage
Paul says he remembers Timothy's sincere tears
And the unfeigned faith he received willingly
And embraced in his heart through the words of his mother and grandmother Lois
God has not given us a spirit of cowardice
But of power and love and self-control
That's what Paul reminded Timothy
In the first chapter of this letter
While referring to the holy calling that Christ made to us
Avoid useless and profane conversations
Paul emphasized in the second chapter
Flee from the evil desires of youth
In chapter 3, Paul refuses to hide from his disciple
The dark side of the ministry and says fearlessly
All who desire to live godly in Christ
Will be persecuted
But you, remain in what you have learned from the Scriptures
Preach the Scriptures

This is such a solemn command
That the witnesses called before whom
Paul orders Timothy to preach are God and Christ Jesus
Some had already questioned the ministry of young Timothy
But it was not the time to be saddened by it
Preach the Word!
Others had already ridiculed him
For following a poor wretch like Paul
Always persecuted
But it was not the time to be ashamed
Preach the Word!
Some even suggest
That Timothy's own personality
Could also be a barrier, possibly timid and insecure
But it was not the time to be shy
It was time to expose oneself
And preach the word in season or out of season

And it's as if God whispered in Paul's ear
About the days to come
The days of today and there Paul will say
Timothy, the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine
The truth will cause itching ears
People will seek harmless preachings
They will configure preachers who stroke their ego
What an unhappy exchange, the harsh truth for the gentle lie
Fables and myths may stir emotions
But they are unable to save us eternally
And that's why Paul insists
Timothy, they may, you may not
Be sober, preach the true gospel
And come suffer with me
Like a soldier in the trenches of a war

The mass abandonment of the gospel
And the collective failure of a good part of the early converts
Were not the only reasons why
Timothy should stand up for Christ
Assuming his calling
Another reason, offered by Paul
Was his imminent death
Or as he liked to figure his libation offering
The rituals and sacrifices practiced in the Old Testament
Included this libation offering
Which would be the moment when the altar
On which the animals were sacrificed
Would be washed by some liquid
Usually wine or oil
The fragrant aroma of these liquids
Indicated that the ceremony was coming to an end
This was the figure used by Paul to describe his death

He does not paint this picture with dark, dense colors
But with the vivid red of wine being sprinkled
There is no smell of fear or mourning
His death smells of life and celebration
The rhymes are not sour and melancholic, no
His death rhymes with the sweetness of wine
And this is precisely Paul's invitation to Timothy
Come suffer with me

(Alone)

We received
Good treasure
It's kept here

Our chest
Has secrets
Only can be seen

If you look closely
And taste the joy
That is to cry

Come suffer with me
Like a soldier
Anchor in Christ

I know in Whom I believe
I am sure that He has power
And the calling is holy
That He gave us
Believing in the gospel is to go
And walk safely, alone
Believing in the gospel is to go
And walk safely, alone

Come look closely
And taste the joy
That is to cry

Believing in the gospel is to go
And walk safely, alone
Believing in the gospel is to go
And walk safely, alone

Come quickly to meet me
For Demas, loving this world, has forsaken me
Crescens has gone to Galatia
Titus to Dalmatia
Only Luke is with me
Bring Mark with you, he is useful to me
Bring a cloak and my books

See the risk Timothy is running
Paul's solemn call
Looks more like a shipwrecked man adrift
Insisting with a smile
For the sailor to abandon the safety of the ship
And plunge with him into the sea

Hurry up Timothy
Abandon your frustrations
Your insecurities
There is no time to waste on trivial approval issues
Nor expect them to approve you that much
Hurry up

And why the rush?
Paul will say that first and foremost
Timothy should hurry because Demas has forsaken him
Loving the present age
He has forsaken

This is the same Demas
Who was mentioned in the letter to the Colossians alongside Luke
Certainly a companion on Paul's journey
Then he was mentioned again in Philemon
As a co-worker of Paul
And here he ends his journey
Receiving the worst of adjectives for a Christian
Deserter

Now see
If Demas abandoned the gospel
For loving that primitive age
What are our chances?
How can I be sure that I too
Will not be taken as one of those who
Cooperate in the noble cause of the gospel
But flee at the hour of death?
Like those who followed Jesus
But refused to eat of his flesh and drink of his blood
How did Timothy remain?
How could I remain?

Paul reminds Timothy
Even in this letter
That his success would not be guaranteed by the strength of his own arm
But in grace
In the undeserved favor of Christ
It was by this grace that Peter exclaimed
One of the golden statements of the Christian faith
How could I flee?
Where else would I go?
Only you have words of eternal life

And Demas' abandonment
Is not the only reason why
Timothy needs to hurry
Paul will continue to say that
Crescens has gone to Galatia
Titus to Dalmatia
And in this case
It's not about a faith abandonment
It's about stretching oneself
As much as one could
To meet a huge demand

The fields were white
And few were the reapers
And the few who still remained faithful to the gospel
Were stretching themselves
And that's why Paul says

Hurry up Timothy
I know you're taking care of the church in Ephesus
But your presence here is much needed
I've already sent Tychicus to take your place
Come because the fields are white

Although I grew up in the church
I never saw any missionary
Giving testimony that his field of work
Was full of laborers
It's always the opposite that is seen
Because that's how God's work is done
In absolute dependence
Praying to the Lord of the harvest
To send workers quickly
God's work will always be greater
Than I think I can bear

Look at Paul, for example
The great Paul was flawed
And sometimes inflexible
At the beginning of his relationship with Mark
He had no patience to endure
The sensitivities of young Mark
But here
At the end of his journey
As one of his last wishes
He asks Timothy
Bring Mark with you, he is useful to me
God's work is done by flawed people like Paul
But who, following Paul's example
Let themselves be persuaded
By the action of the Holy Spirit over time
Has any Paul hurt you out there?
Forgive
Give time to time
Has any Mark annoyed you?
Wait
And see if he doesn't end up being
Useful to you in the Christian journey

All this Pauline loneliness becomes even more evident
In the next sentence
Bring me a cloak and don't forget my books
Paul is alone, feels cold, misses
And I need to ask you seriously
Do you want this gospel?
Maybe they lied to you
Promising a glamorous gospel
But look here
That the greatest missionary of the church
Is ending his days like this
Imprisoned, cold, and asking for someone to bring him at least some books
Remember Christ on the cross
Missing not anything else
But the lack of the Father Himself
Do you want this gospel?

Even knowing you're at risk
Of taking the same path
And ending your days asking a distant friend
Bring me a cloak and some books
An old voice once said
God, if you treat your closest friends like this
It's no wonder you have so few

This is Paul
Coming to the end of his days

(The departure)

Tired hands
Untying
Knots that hold him here
Release the boat
Waiting for the time to depart
But his song does not carry the pain of one who is leaving

Marked hands
By battles fought without fleeing
Empty the whole boat
Of everything, of himself
For his song does not carry the pain of one who is leaving
And in his heart he keeps the faith that made him find peace

Hands that, seeing the cold of winter
Do not lose their smile
Warmed by grace, they repeat
No pain compares
To the glory to come
No pain compares
To the glory to come
No pain
Naked soul
I'm coming there

Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm
The Lord will repay him according to his deeds
Beware of him
For he strongly opposed our words
At my first defense
No one came to support me
Everyone deserted me
May it not be charged against them

When we keep in mind
That this letter from Paul to his beloved Timothy
Is, in fact, a solemn call
To the ministry work
This section where he talks
About the betrayal of Alexander
And the abandonment he suffered during his first defense
Demonstrates Paul's level of sincerity towards Timothy
There is no intention
To sugarcoat the reality of the ministry
Timothy was not being deceived
Regarding the terrible dangers of embarking on the precious journey
That is the proclamation of God's truth
As for old Paul, he prepares his young successor
For the reality of the pains of the ministry
He could give many advices
When it came to sufferings and losses
No one better to fill the agenda
With personal experiences than Paul
He could talk about the pain of the whips
Or the imprisonments in the stocks there
In the dungeons
He could talk to Timothy
About shipwrecks
Stonings
All this Paul suffered
All this could happen to Timothy
But what Paul considers
Of singular importance in the end
Is to prepare Timothy for betrayal in the field

Timothy, Alexander, that hurts
If even our Christ
Had to go through the bitter twilight
Of a friendly kiss
That led him straight into the arms of his persecutors
Would Paul be free from suffering the same?
Should Timothy deceive himself
Regarding the real possibility
Of also experiencing that friendly kiss on his face?
By all indications
According to some commentators
Alexander would have been an influential person
Whom Paul could have counted on
During his first trial
But instead of offering help in Paul's case
Alexander would have been his main opponent
During the session of his defense
As if that weren't enough, there is old Paul
Thrown like an animal
Tied before his prey
He rises with difficulty to speak in his defense
But when he looks around
He finds the magistrates
His persecutors are there
There are even the curious
But he doesn't find a friendly face

Old Paul is living his most difficult days
In absolute loneliness
He who so desired to share in Christ's suffering
Now sees himself like Him on His cross
Abandoned by his friends
Who among us would bear this pressure?
Without cursing himself
Without disbelieving his own journey?
Was it worth it, Paul?
Look around you
You spent your life in favor of so many
Embraced so many out there
And on the day of your terrible pain
How many are here to give you that embrace back?
Was it worth it, old Paul?

And the question comes back to you
Do you want this gospel?

Look closely at this text and answer me
Do you really want to take the risk?
Of reaching the last days of your journey
Like old Paul
Like your Christ?
Look closely
See well, if you start getting too involved
With this church business
With Christ
With the gospel
You will have to start losing some things
That anyone considers highly esteemed
If your involvement reaches your neck
It's possible that you lose some friends
Maybe that long-awaited career promotion
Because the gospel ideas
Will mess up your head in a very strange way at first
And you run serious risks
Of having to adjust your posture and privacy
Do you want this gospel?

If you get to the point of getting involved
Until you submerge in the ocean of this gospel
And no longer know who you are and who is Christ
Where Christ begins in you
And how far you go in Christ
You can indeed reach the point of being alone
Writing to some distant friend
Hey, send me a cloak and some books
But the scriptures guarantee that
It is not possible in any way
That you reach your last day
Without the presence of the same Christ who found you
With the same compassionate look that welcomed you
Paul continues the text saying
But the Lord stood by me
And gave me strength so that through me
The message would be fully proclaimed
The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed
And bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom
To Him be the glory forever and ever
Amen

Old Paul's invitation to his beloved, Timothy
Was not to throw himself into absolute insecurity
Into the turbulent sea after all, no
It was the opposite
Paul's invitation was for Timothy
To climb aboard the firmest ship
In fact, to climb on the unshakable rock
That is Christ
That's why the insistence

Timothy, they may regress
It may happen that one there betrays you
And the other hurts you
In fact, it will happen
That many will turn their backs
On the gospel you proclaim
But you, stand firm
Timothy
They may
You may not

(But you)

In the twilight of times
The truth will see
In freedom, ambition
Dancing with its masters
On holy ground

Each one, in contempt
Abandons the other
Each one, despair
Only hugs and is little

There is no sky, roof, ground
Truth trapped in darkness
In the darkness

But you
Remain in me
But you
Keep what I said
But you
Strengthen yourself
It's enough
The Grace I left

But you
I know about the others

But you
They may
But you
There will be many
But you
Be faithful until the end

Just come
Bring the cloak as well
Book, friends
And just come
I'm alone
But you
Be faithful with me

And if you lose everything you have there
Rejoice then to know: God is there!

(In Losing)

If I lose everything I gathered here
I will rejoice, for I know I have You
I lay on the ground to thank
Your love for me, Your blood over me

Every day
My beauty will be
Every day
My wealth will be
Every day
My glory will be the Lord
Will be the Lord

If I lose everything I have here
I will rejoice, for I know: I have You
I prostrate on the ground to thank
Your love for me, Your grace over me

If I lose everything I gathered here
Remind me just one more time: I have You
I bow to the ground to thank
Your love (hey oh)

I go to the ground to thank
Your love (hey oh)

I go to the ground to thank
Your love

It is the Grace that ends me
And after I gathered so much
And after so many times
It is the Grace that ends
And destroys
Nothing remains
Only Grace!