II Timothy 2:3

“Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.”

‭Paul exhorts Timothy to join him in taking on the lifestyle of ‘a soldier’. Here he begins to clarify what he means when he writes that he will need to be ‘strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus’ (v 1). 

Paul doesn’t just direct Timothy to go out there and live life as a soldier, but rather invites him to join him in this way of life.  He makes it clear that ‘hardship’ comes with this choice. He calls him to choose ‘hardship’. Other translations (ESV, NIV) are ‘endure or share in suffering’. 

And just as Paul calls Timothy to join him in a lifestyle that welcomes hardship so Timothy will need to call his faithful men to join him and to do the same – and then those men to invite others to join them. 

So here is spiritual multiplication at work. Paul puts it this way… ‘Follow me as I follow Christ’ or ‘Imitate me as I imitate Christ’ (I Corinthians 11:1).