In 2 Timothy 4:9.13, we read about the apostolic instruction from the Apostle Paul to his spiritual son Timothy, in which he urged him to come to him quickly. Paul instructed him to bring the cloak, the books, and the parchments that he had left with Carpus in Troas.

 

9 Do your best to come to me quickly, …

13 When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, and my scrolls, especially the parchments.

 

Paul was in distress at that time because he was a prisoner in Rome.

 

 

He let Timothy know that some of his fellow workers had abandoned him because they had taken a different spiritual direction, and one of those brothers in Christ had even come to love the world more than the truth of the Word (cf. 2 Timothy 4:10).

 

… 10 for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia.

 

This process could be described as an ‘apostolic melting’, which resembles the principle found in John 3:30 in conjunction with Galatians 2:20. This ‘apostolic melting’ is connected to a shift in perspective among those in one’s immediate environment. In this process, the LORD examines whether their free will aligns with His will (cf. Proverbs 21:2).

 

‘… 30 He must become greater; I must become less.’

 

20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

 

2 A person may think their own ways are right, but the Lord weighs the heart.

 

Paul also made it clear to his spiritual son, Timothy, who was also a leader that Luke had been with him during his time of distress and remained with him, and he urged Timothy to bring along Mark (cf. 2 Timothy 4:11).

 

11 Only Luke [Note: means ‘light’] is with me. Get Mark [Note: means ‘man’] and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry.

 

From these passages, a strategy emerges that we, as God’s people, may apply and pay attention to in times of distress and facing challenges.

 

 

First and foremost, it is essential that we have within us the power of the revelation of God’s Word —symbolized by Luke— and that we cultivate it through the guidance of the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of Truth (cf. Psalm 119:105 i.c.w. 2 Peter 1:19; John 16:13).

 

105 Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.

 

19 We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.

 

13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.

 

This helps us, when we find ourselves in distress, not to lose hope, but to break through the sense of hopelessness in each situation with greater authority in faith, symbolized by Mark (cf. Romans 10:17).

 

17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.

 

The example of John the Baptist, who was thrown into prison by Herod, reveals that oppressive circumstances can cause revelatory truths to be forgotten, and this can lead to giving rise to hopelessness (cf. Matthew 11:1-3).

 

1 After Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in the towns of Galilee.

2 When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples 3 to ask him, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?’

 

Because of his distress, John could no longer remember God’s visitation at Jesus’ baptism, when the heavens had opened, the Holy Spirit had descended upon Jesus like a dove and remained upon Him, while God’s voice resounded. As a result, he could no longer remember the revelation he received.

 

In challenging circumstances, we must apply the power of remembrance to persevere through the challenge and ultimately break through into a new freedom (cf. Psalm 103:2).

 

2 Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits – …

 

Because our God has a scroll of remembrance, we are encouraged to draw on the power of memory —through the experiences we have gained in times of challenge— in order to break through to find comfort and encouragement in it (cf. Malachi 3:16).

 

16 Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honoured his name.

 

The apostle’s reference to his cloak, the books, and the parchments—which represent the ‘fruit’ symbolized by Carpus—makes it clear to us that we are applying anew in the present the anointing and established revelations that have already been given to us. We have gained these through our study of God’s Word and through life circumstances that, in the past, required us to make willing sacrifices for Jesus’ sake (cf. Psalm 54:6).

 

6 I will sacrifice a freewill offering to you; I will praise your name, Lord, for it is good.

 

As a result, we apply this truth through the power of God’s revelation available to us in the form of knowledge, so that we may grow in spiritual authority for the future. We can do this only when circumstances require us to apply the truth of the Word by believing in the truth of God’s Word more than in our own thoughts or past patterns of behavior.

 

Our authority involves maturity that cannot exist without acts of faith, so that we may live with integrity and faithfulness, thereby contributing to breakthroughs within the ecclesia.

 

 

In this regard, we place particular emphasis on the accelerated transmission of spiritual values and experiences from the past into the present. We apply our past experiences in Christ, combined with God’s values, to our ‘now’ as a moment, since this is linked to a future timeframe. This principle is evident in the Apostle’s instruction to his spiritual son Timothy to be sure to come to him before winter (cf. 2 Timothy 4:21a).

 

21a Do your best to get here before winter. …

 

Many interpret this to mean that, due to the physical circumstances of that time, this instruction was linked to travel, but that would be too superficial. Spiritually speaking, it concerns the influence of apostolic freedom from the realm of sonship, which acts upon the realm of the ‘stagnation’ of apostolic fatherhood in order to contribute to a divine momentum. In this way, this convergence is a circumstance that brings about the breakthrough and heralds a new era of the glorious freedom of the sons of God (cf. Romans 8:21).

 

… 21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children [Note: sons] of God.

 

This glorious freedom of the sons of God marks the end of one apostolic era and the beginning of a new one.

 

It leads from a life of humility to a life of reverence for God, in which worship is like an elevator that ascends us to a new spiritual level of authority and governance (cf. Psalm 100:4 i.c.w. Revelation 4:1-2).

 

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.

 

1 After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, ‘Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.’

2 At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it.

 

Amen and Amen.

 

In His Wisdom,

 

Daniel Glimm