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Beloved in Christ, 

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Greetings to you in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

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I am glad to be a part of the St Thomas CSI congregation Belfast. Moreover, I’m grateful to God for enabling us to stand as His witnesses in the land of CMS missionaries who came to our land years ago and helped us come into His light.

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2 Timothy 2:3 “Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus”. Firstly, Here Paul emphasises on two words which pictures how a believer’s Christian life should be!  ‘Join with me in suffering or Share in suffering’. Paul wrote this while he was suffering in prison. He expected Timothy also to join him in his suffering for the Lord. Secondly, Paul focuses on being ‘a good soldier of Christ Jesus’. Here Paul highlights the attitude of a well-trained soldier. Ephesus was a Roman military city during this time. The image of a soldier would have been very familiar to Timothy as to other believers in Ephesus. That is why Paul used this imagery. This imagery depicts that the life of a soldier is a life of hardship, exposed to numberless hazards and dangers. As a Christian and as a good soldier of Christ, it’s important to be prepared for the danger and trials in our life. A good soldier does not quit because of a difficult task. Furthermore, a good soldier is obedient, loyal, self-disciplined, and bold in speaking out. These qualities should be there in each one of Christ’s servants. A soldier in warfare demands courage, commitment, and sacrifice. Every Christian is a soldier in the army of Christ with the lord as our captain. As a soldier we fight on the Lord’s side, serving under him, remaining focused to our task, obeying his orders and seeking to please him in all things. 

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As I conclude, I thank God for the wonderful ways in which He led us last year. As we look forward the next year with hope, we should not just focus on the materialistic growth of the church, but  primarily on our spiritual growth as a church. May the good Lord help us to join our hands together and live in love and communion as his good soldiers in this new year.

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Yours in Christ

With Love

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Rev. Sabi Mathew