Solitude and Fellowship of a follower of Jesus
Andy Nagahara
11 And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher.
12 That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.
13 What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus.
14 Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you--guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.
15 You know that everyone in the province of Asia has deserted me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes.
16 May the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains.
17 On the contrary, when he was in Rome, he searched hard for me until he found me.
18 May the Lord grant that he will find mercy from the Lord on that day! You know very well in how many ways he helped me in Ephesus.
1. Things that Paul wanted to teach us (11-14)
1) Reason why we should not be ashamed (11, 12)
11 And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher.
12 That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.
2) Guard the good deposit with the help of the Holy Spirit (13, 14)
13 What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus.
14 Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you--guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.
2. If you are following Jesus gladly, (15-18)
1) You can keep your hope even when almost all of friends desert you (15)
15 You know that everyone in the province of Asia has deserted me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes.
2) You always have special friends (16-18)
16 May the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains.
17 On the contrary, when he was in Rome, he searched hard for me until he found me.
18 May the Lord grant that he will find mercy from the Lord on that day! You know very well in how many ways he helped me in Ephesus.
Summary
Solitude and Fellowship aren’t inconsistent for the followers of Jesus. Rather, these are closely related. The only person who stands alone in front of God can have real fellowship. And the only person who has real fellowship can stand alone in front of God. Our solitude means that we have no one whom compares with Jesus. Our fellowship is only based on Jesus.
For Discussion
1) What is the good deposit?
2) How did Paul feel when he wrote the verses 15-18?