Powerless?
2 Timothy 1:1-14[1]
We are living in times that can leave us feeling powerless
over the forces at work around us, and helpless to do anything about it. I
don’t usually do this, but I can’t not say something about recent events. At
least some American citizens have at times been detained without a warrant
simply because of the color of their skin, or the language they speak, or the
part of town in which they live.[2] They have had their constitutional rights stripped from them by federal agents.
And when they can do that to anyone, they can to it to anyone—literally! Rev.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said it far more eloquently: “injustice anywhere
threatens justice everywhere.” When men with guns can strip anyone of their
civil rights, rights guaranteed by the constitution, they can literally do that
to every one of us.
It can leave us feeling powerless and helpless. And when we
feel powerless and helpless, we tend to convert it into something negative.
Fear that retreats from the public square, that refrains from speaking out or
taking action because of potential consequences. Like losing your job over your
opinion about an issue or a particular player in the cultural debate. We also
tend to convert feelings of powerlessness and helplessness to anger. But as the
Scripture teaches us, “If you are angry, you cannot do any of the good things
God wants done” (James 1:20, CEV). In fact, when we’re motivated by
anger, we’re more likely to do harm than good. Of course, there are different
kinds of anger, but in my experience, anger has a way of taking over everything
else, until we can’t really see a situation for what it is.
Our Scripture reading from Timothy addresses early
Christians who felt powerless and helpless. As I’ve mentioned before, they
lived in a world where the Roman empire had the first word, the last word, and
all the words in between. Roman officials could pretty much get away with
whatever they wanted because they had legions of armed troops at their
disposal. That’s what empires do when anyone objects: they respond with force. Like
Pontius Pilate did when the Jewish people objected to his offensive actions. He
sent armed soldiers to quell the crowds of protesters. When faced with that
kind of brutality, it’s no wonder that people felt powerless and helpless.
Unfortunately, part of what happens when we’re in that kind
of situation is that we go into a “defensive” mode. When we go into this
“defensive” mode, one thing we do is pull back from engaging at all with people
who are “other.” People who look different from us. People who speak a
different language. People who live in different places. People whom we
perceive to be “different” or “other.” We retreat to the safety of our “own”
group. And we have certain “litmus tests” to be able to make sure someone
really is a part of our group. Whether it’s a list of beliefs, or certain
stances on social issues, or sheer tribalism (where we trust only those of our
own race, creed, and nation), this kind of stance makes it hard to live out the
gospel in the world at large.
That was the situation to which 2 Timothy was addressed.
Timothy and the believers in his care were discouraged. They found themselves
in a setting where the challenge of living the Christian life was getting them
down. As a result, they were retreating into a mode of “guarding” themselves,
of “avoiding” those who were perceived to be a threat, and of drawing lines to keep
out those who were on the “outside.” It’s hard to understand why they turned in
on themselves this way, but when you think about our experiences, maybe not so
much. When you read 2 Timothy, it would seem that at least part of the
underlying problem was that they were struggling with feeling ashamed of the
gospel (2 Tim. 1:8).
This may seem strange to us. The early Christians weren’t
supposed to feel ashamed of the gospel! Apparently Timothy and the band of
struggling believers he was serving were feeling ashamed because they were
losing out to competitors preaching a different “gospel.” We don’t know all
that these “impostors” stood for, but what we do know is that they wormed their
way into congregations and then milked the people for money. It would seem
Timothy and his flock felt ashamed of the gospel because these “impostors” were
much more successful at gaining converts, while they were struggling to
survive. As a result, they had gone into a kind of “defensive” mode.
Unfortunately, there are aspects of 2 Timothy that seem to
positively encourage this retreat into a “defensive” mode. The Scripture
actually uses language that I would say only reinforced their natural
inclination to withdraw from perceived threats. It advises believers to “guard”
themselves, to “avoid” and “shun” others, to mark off those who are not a part
of the “chosen,” and to effectively “consign” them to their fate. It can be
hard for us to deal with a situation like this. We’re used to looking to the
Bible for direction. But here the humanity of the biblical authors may get in
the way of that. The problem is that this approach is reactive, not proactive.
It doesn’t sound very much like Jesus’ challenge to courageous discipleship!
But there are other ideas here that are more helpful. Timothy
is encouraged to “rekindle the gift of God” (2 Tim. 1:6). The image here is of
fanning the embers of a fire that is no longer burning. There is still heat in
the coals, but they have to be coaxed into actively burning again. In the face
of discouragement, Timothy was challenged to “tend the fire” of his calling and
his gifts. I think at least a part of that meant for him to remind himself who
it was who called and gifted him in the first place. And that’s true for all of
us: God has called us and gifted us all!
As we read together earlier, Timothy is also reminded that
“God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and
[sound judgment].” (2 Tim. 1:7, NLT). This is one of those passages
where I think the King James translators did a better job than many modern
translators: the spirit God has given us is one of “power, and of love, and of
a sound mind.” In other words, the charge to Timothy was to recognize that it
was the Spirit of God who gave him the power and love and wisdom he needed to
face the challenges that came his way. He didn’t face these hardships alone,
but rather the way for him to fulfill his life and his service was “with the
strength God gives you” (2 Tim. 1:8, NLT).
I think that this advice to Timothy can help all of us. The
Bible tells us that every one of us has been given a “gift of God” with which
to serve others. That means we do not fulfill the life of discipleship to
Christ in our own strength alone. Rather, central to the idea that God has
chosen us as his beloved children is the promise that we have all received the
Spirit of God, who gives us more than enough power and more than enough love
and more than enough good sense to be able to follow the path of faith no
matter what we may face along the way.
One way to get through the challenges of the times we’re experiencing
is to remember the wisdom of the Scriptures. It’s a wisdom many of us have
relied on our whole lives. It’s the wisdom that reminds us that we cannot “do
any of the good things God wants done” (James 1:20, CEV) through our
anger. In fact, we may do more harm than good. It’s also the wisdom that
reminds us that despite what the empires of this world may claim, God is the
one who truly has the first word, the last word, and all the words in between.
And as our Psalm lesson for today reminds us, the evil that powerful people do
to the vulnerable among us will be their undoing (Ps 37:1-10). That
principle is found throughout the Bible. But perhaps one of the most important
pieces of wisdom to remember when we feel powerless and helpless is the lesson
that St. Paul learned: “when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor 12:10, NLT).
We learn that lesson as a direct result of following as our Savior and Lord the
one who gave his life in the weakness and humiliation of the cross. Even that
seemingly most powerless act, was not truly powerless at all. Rather through
the power of God’s love, it changed the world, and it continues to change the
world to this day. As we find ourselves living in challenging times, times that
can leave us feeling powerless and helpless, perhaps afraid and angry, may God
fill us with his Spirit of power, and love, and wisdom. And may we respond in
ways that are helpful, in ways that are consistent with the gospel, in ways that
are true to our commitment to following Christ.
[1] ©
2025 Alan Brehm. A sermon delivered by Rev. Alan Brehm PhD on 10/5/2025 for
Hickman Presbyterian Church, Hickman, NE.
[2] On
this matter, see: “Lawsuit filed against immigration authorities after U.S.
citizen’s arrests in raids” Associated Press, 1 Oct 2025; accessed at https://apnews.com/article/trump-immigration-crackdown-lawsuit-courts-citizens-latino-alabama-a6bfae9528e03243ec08e9ade182da2f
; “Inside ICE’s Aggressive Approach to Arresting Migrants,” The Journal Podcast
10 June 2025, accessed at https://www.wsj.com/podcasts/the-journal/inside-ices-aggressive-approach-to-arresting-migrants/
; “ICE Runs Risk of Catching More U.S. Citizens in Deportation Push” The Wall Street
Journal 26 Apr 2025; accessed at https://www.wsj.com/podcasts/the-journal/inside-ices-aggressive-approach-to-arresting-migrants/73d06674-bba3-487b-91e7-db8c51628ebb?
“As More Citizens are swept up in
immigration raids, Democrats demand answers,” Los Angeles Times, 8 Aug 2025; accessed
at: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-08-08/how-many-citizens-have-been-arrested-in-immigration-crackdown
; “ICE agents allegedly fill out
warrants after an arrest; U.S. citizen among those detained,” WBEZ Chicago, 17
Mar 2025, accessed at https://www.wbez.org/reset-with-sasha-ann-simons/2025/03/17/ice-agents-allegedly-making-arrests-without-warrants
.
