only concerned with the Gospel itself, but also with its continued proclamation. He who

urges Timothy to "preach the word", and places such stress upon "doctrine"

(II Tim. 4: 2), calls upon him, almost with his dying breath, to "do the work of an

evangelist" (II Tim. 4: 5) and rejoices, not merely because of the spell of freedom his

acquittal from the first charge laid against him had brought, but in the opportunity it

afforded to "preach", so "that all the Gentiles might hear" (II Tim. 4: 17).

In addition to the generally accepted qualifications of a preacher of the gospel, the

work of an evangelist in the perilous times in which Timothy was called upon to take up

the ministry, made great demands upon courage and endurance, and called for

willingness to suffer imprisonment and death itself. Paul did not lose sight of the fact

that they who attempt to teach others should be apt in the work (II Tim. 2: 2), and that

they would have little hope of true success if they neglected the grand equipment of the

Word (II Tim. 3: 17). He knew all this yet, in his opening exhortation, what he stresses

is the necessity of willingness to suffer as a first qualification, "Be thou partaker of the

afflictions of the gospel" (II Tim. 1: 8). When writing to the Philippians concerning this

same characteristic, the Apostle said: "Inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence

and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace" (Phil. 1: 7). Here the

word "partaker" is the word that means "fellowship", as it is translated in Phil. 1: 5. In

II Tim. 1: 8, the Apostle does not use the word meaning fellowship, but a compound of

sun, "together with", and kakopatheo, "to suffer evil".

Preachers of the gospel were under a ban for Roman law now looked upon them as

"evil doers" (II Tim. 2: 9), and it was impossible therefore in such circumstances to

contemplate, unmoved, the call to preach the gospel.

In the last chapter the Apostle once more links together the preaching of the gospel

with the word kakopatheo, "suffer evil", for, while he sought to encourage Timothy in

every possible way, faithfulness as well as kindness did not veil from him the perils of

this calling. To encourage Timothy, and all who are called to follow his steps, the

Apostle elaborates this matter of suffering evil in chapter 2:, where it occurs in the third

and ninth verses, in both of which the immediate context speaks of a crown or of reigning

with the Lord. This is the one grand inducement which the Apostle would hold out to

Timothy, and which had so long been before his own eyes. In Phil. 3: he was running

with the prize in view, in II Tim. 4: he knew that he had finished the course, and that a

crown awaited him, and he knew that what had helped him would help Timothy and

others; consequently he chooses his words with precision.

But before Timothy reached the second chapter, to learn of the possibility or

"reigning", or the fourth chapter and learn of the certainty of the "crown", the Apostle

reminds him of the one thing needful, apart from which neither crown nor prize could of

itself prove strong enough to ensure perseverance to the end, "Be thou partaker of the

afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God" (II Tim. 1: 8). Dunamis,

"power", occurs three times in II Timothy: