Be Strong in Grace:

The Call to Endure Together

Women’s Study Round Up with Faith Jarvis 29 April 2026

2 Timothy 2

This week, Faith led us into a hard hitting and deeply sobering message — 2 Timothy 2, is a letter written by Paul during his imprisonment in Rome. It’s easy to forget that some of the most hope-filled, strengthening scriptures were penned from a prison cell. Paul wasn’t writing from comfort, clarity, or ease. He was writing as a man who had been radically changed by an encounter with God — a man who once hated the very people he was now called to serve. Sometimes the thing we resist, the thing we feel least suited for, becomes the very place God uses us most.

This letter is both instruction and encouragement to Timothy, his spiritual son. And that word son/child matters. Paul isn’t speaking to a casual believer; he is speaking to someone who has chosen complete dependence on God. Someone teachable. Someone willing to be shaped.

And into that relationship, Paul speaks the words:

“Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.”

But this is one of those misinterpreted scriptures in the church.

What Does It Mean to “Be Strong in Grace”?

We often imagine strength as holding it together, putting on a brave face, pushing everything down so we can be “strong for others.” But that is not biblical strength.

In this passage, strength means something very different:

• To be made able

• To be empowered

• To stand in rest even while suffering

  
  

Strength in grace is not denial. It is not pretending. It is the courage to face the suffering, acknowledge it honestly, and still show up anyway.

Faith shared a story from her own life — a moment when her eldest son became incredibly ill. Everything in her wanted to hide away, to isolate, to carry the fear alone. Instead, she gathered people. She called for prayer. She took communion and declared God’s promises over her son. And in the middle of that ward, a new nurse came on shift, rechecked his diagnosis, and found nothing wrong. They were sent home.

Strength in grace looks like that: not doing it alone.

Grace: The Benefits, Gifts, and Joy of God

Grace is not vague kindness. In scripture, grace means:

• benefits

• gifts

• joy

• credit given in liberality

  
  

Grace is something you step into. It is received from a posture of gratitude — “Enter His gates with thanksgiving in your heart.”

To be strong in grace means:

• standing on the promises

• walking in the benefits God has already given

• living from gratitude, not striving

  
  

And remember — these instructions come from a man in chains. If Paul can speak of strength, grace, endurance, and joy from a prison cell, then surely, we can hold onto the promises of God in our own circumstances.

How often do we forget the grace of God? How often do we give up before we see the promise fulfilled? Can we look back at our lives and count it all as joy — not because it was easy, but because God was faithful?

The Call to Faithfulness - “Commit These to Faithful Men”

Paul tells Timothy to entrust these teachings to faithful people. This is where Faith challenged us deeply.

Many people say they feel unincluded or out of the loop in church life. But Paul makes it clear: to be brought into the integrity of the fold, you must be faithful.

Faithful means:

• trustworthy

• loyal

• showing up in adversity

This is not a passive belonging. It is an active posture.

Proverbs 27:6 says, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend.” A real friend will walk into the pit with you. They will sit in the dark places. They will correct you — not criticise you. They will cut away the flesh that is harming you. An enemy isolates, but a friend gathers.

Jesus says in John 15:14, “You are my friends if you do what I command.” We often repeat the phrase “Jesus, friend of sinners,” but that exact wording isn’t in scripture. Jesus loved sinners, welcomed them, ate with them — but friendship is reserved for those who follow Him.

Faith broke down the relationships we often confuse:

• Brotherhood — I will go down with you; loyalty; comrades; brothers in arms

• Friendship — followers of Christ with a common goal

• Acquaintance — friendly, but you don’t reveal your heart

• Enemies — those against you

  
  

And she warned us: Do not go to an acquaintance or even a friend for counsel. Only a brother will point you back to Christ. They may give good advice, but not biblical advice.

Share in Suffering — Endure

Paul continues:

“Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.”

We long for an idealistic life, but it doesn’t exist. Life is not all roses. There will always be issues, but we can be transformed by the renewing of our mind. God may not change the situation, but He will change you.

Faith reminded us:

• Be faithful to God and He will provide.

• There is endurance required.

• There is transformation required.

• God is not a slot machine — there is process involved.

  
  

We are a community who suffer together. But we often avoid those who are suffering because we don’t have answers. Yet scripture calls us to sit in the suffering with them.

Can we put down our pride and say, “I am in need”? A community will gather — but only if we are honest.

The Good Soldier – called to be active

Paul doesn’t say endure as a friend. He says endure as a soldier — a warrior — a brotherhood.

Faith explained the mean of the word used in scripture, a “camper out” which is like an SAS soldier. Someone who sleeps outside of comfort. Someone disciplined, fearless, trained, skilled, will not avoid danger.

A soldier is:

• active, not passive

• engaged, not idle

• focused, not entangled

  
  

Christ has enlisted us. So why are we tangled in the problems of life when He has already provided everything the soldier needs?

The process of becoming a soldier often feels like being crushed like grapes — but crushed grapes become sweet wine. There is sweetness in the crushing.

The Athlete — Discipline, Boundaries, Honour

Paul then uses the image of an athlete:

• You can run the race, but you cannot win if you ignore the rules.

• Preparation is required.

• Discipline is required.

• Pain and suffering builds resilience and character.

  
  

To be crowned means to be honoured — to receive the victor’s wreath. Honour is not demanded; it is earned through active service.

There is always sowing and reaping. We cannot reap honour if we do not sow faithfulness.

Friendship, too, must endure. It is built on love, grace, and truth — like the father of the prodigal son, who welcomed him home with open arms, but still allowed the lessons to remain.

The Elect - “Choose to be chosen”

In verse 10, Paul says he endures everything “for the sake of the elect.” The Greek meaning is “those chosen to be chosen.”

God calls — but you choose whether to respond. It is active service in the everyday. A deliberate decision.

How much of our lives do we chose to waste on meaningless things? The reality is death is sobering and I’m positive if you asked people at the end of their lives what they regret, they will say “they should have prioritised being with people”. The answer will never be I should have had more alone time. Isolation is not of God; community is necessary and a gift from God. We need each other. Yes, a bit of peace and quiet is great to focus now and then but in small doses.

Mary and Martha — Honour in Every Form of Service

Faith closed with Luke 10:38 — Mary choosing the “good part” which refers to being ‘part’ of the Body of Christ. An arm, a foot, an eye, a nose – they all functions differently but with the same aim; to live a full life and be active. One sister served. One sister sat and listened. Both were serving God in their own way.

There are biblical boundaries, but no single pattern for how you serve in the Kingdom. Stop comparing. Stop judging. Everyone has equal value in the Body and a different call. What God has asked you to do is unique to you, no one can do it the way you do.

So, honour those who work hard in active service. And serve those in need.

The Appeal Renewed

2 Timothy 2 is titled “The Appeal Renewed.” It is a call to take up the position of the soldier — to lay down identity, emotion, and preference, and choose obedience, endurance, and unity.

A soldier doesn’t fuss over the small stuff. A soldier doesn’t have an identity outside of service. They look the same, move together, and are ready at a moment’s notice. They each have a task, a duty and a service unique to them.

Paul’s appeal is both legal and personal. Both suffering and joy. Both discipline and grace.

And the question left with us is simple:

Will you take up the appeal? Will you be strong in grace?