2 Timothy 2:3-7

Ministers of the gospel are special. Special does not mean better, but it does mean different. Full-time ministers of the gospel make up a category separate from, but still within the whole body of Christ. Paul wanted Timothy to fully understand the ways in which his life as a minister was different from the life of a Christian who is not a minister. To help him understand. Paul compared a life of ministry to the life of three civilian vocations.

Paul first compared ministry to the life of a soldier. Anyone who is ever served in the military understands what it means to suffer. Even in peacetime, soldiers have to make sacrifices in order to be prepared for the greater sacrifices that will be needed in times of war. Being a soldier means that one is not free to take on civil commitments. Soldiering is not a 9 to 5, five days a week occupation. A soldier has to be willing to commit every minute of every hour of every day of his enlistment.

Paul also compares ministry to the life of an athlete. Athletes followed separate rules, and requirements from non-athletes. A non-athlete can take medication for a cold that will cause an athlete to be disqualified and have his victory nullified. Athletes training for the marathon in ancient Rome had rules regulating training hours, when and what they ate, and when and where they slept. The training was often more intense than the contest.

Paul’s final comparison was to that of a hard-working farmer. He made the point that the farmer was the first to receive a share of the crops. He was making the point that a full-time ministry requires some material reimbursement in order to be possible.

Nobody should want to be a minister. They’re required to suffer and they surrender their free time. They have stricter rules than most Christians, and just like farmers, they make enough to survive but seldom enough to get ahead. Ministry isn’t a choice; it’s a calling.