How God’s Grace Strengthens Everyday Heroes

In this timeless message shared on Memorial Day weekend, Pastor Chris Teien shares how God’s grace empowers ordinary people to become everyday heroes. Drawing from 2 Timothy 2:1–7, the message challenges listeners to live with focus, endurance, and faithfulness like a soldier, an athlete, and a farmer, trusting in God’s grace to equip them for a life of impact.

Key Points:

• God’s grace strengthens you to reproduce your faith (2 Timothy 2:1–2) – Be strong in grace, share the gospel, and disciple others.
• God’s grace strengthens you to remain faithful with focus and purpose (2 Timothy 2:3–6) – Live like a soldier for Christ, an athlete who trains, and a farmer who works hard.
• God’s grace strengthens you to reflect, grow, and use your time well (2 Timothy 2:7) – Think deeply about your calling and pursue a life that glorifies Jesus.

Personal Stories from Pastor Chris:
 Pastor Chris reflects on Memorial Day heroes, Paul’s imprisonment under Nero, and personal examples of sharing faith in everyday life.

Notable Quotes:

• “Many heroes don’t know they’ll be heroes until the time comes.”
• “Be strong in grace—because it’s grace that saves you, strengthens you, and empowers you to endure.”
• “We live for the audience of One—our commanding officer, Jesus.”

Actionable Takeaways:

• Reflect: Where is God calling you to invest your time and faith?
• Apply: Look for opportunities to share your testimony and disciple others.
• Step: Pray for the courage to stay faithful like a soldier, disciplined like an athlete, and diligent like a farmer.
• Next: Examine if distractions are keeping you from focusing fully on Christ.

Scripture References:
 2 Timothy 2:1–7; John 15:13; Romans 10:9–10; Ephesians 2:8–9; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Philippians 2:13; Hebrews 11:6; Ephesians 5:15; Colossians 3:17

Keywords:
 grace, faith, endurance, soldier for Christ, Memorial Day, 2 Timothy, discipleship, Christian life, focus, spiritual growth

Challenge:
 This week, ask God to strengthen you by His grace to live as an everyday hero—sharing your faith, persevering through challenges, and glorifying Jesus in all you do.

Listen Link:  Listen & Subscribe: wellfaith.buzzsprout.com
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The WELL Faith Podcast offers encouraging, Bible-based messages from Pastor Chris Teien and guests. New sermons are released every Sunday. Replay episodes are marked with an asterisk. Find us online at ChrisTeien.com and Rockwell.Church in Virginia, MN. Email comments to wellfaith24@gmail.com

Transcript

Chris T 0:16

Today, I want to talk about how God's grace, how God's grace strengthens everyday heroes. When we think of Memorial Day, we think about people who laid down their lives, people who we consider to be heroes. And I don't know if you're going to lay down your life to protect a loved one, if you're going to lay down your wife to protect freedom. Maybe you won't lay down your life. But how are you spending your life when Jesus evaluates your life? When your life is spent, how will it be evaluated? What are you doing for Jesus? What sacrifices are you making? Paul, the apostle Paul, wrote to Timothy in 2 Timothy, an important kind of last words, because he knew that he was about to die. And so what he writes in 2 Timothy is when he's harshly being imprisoned by Nero, and life is difficult, and he has lots of needs. And so Paul needs someone to carry that on. Paul needs someone to carry on what he was doing, because he was like a super apostle. He wrote much of the New Testament. He was very faithful once Jesus got a hold of him to follow Jesus. And so Jesus also set the example. Jesus said, Greater love has no one than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. And Jesus laid down his life so that we could be forgiven of sin. We need to put others before ourselves when we can, when we have an opportunity to follow the things of the Lord. We need to really think about the spiritual progress of the people around us and the resources that we have and the time that we have and the life that we have to spend and put others first so that they too will find Jesus, because that honors the Lord. Greater love. That's what it is. It's love. Jesus loves us so much. Jesus loves flows into us. And then out of that overflowing of love, love flows out of us. So that we want to make a difference in people's lives. And many times people who are heroes don't know they're going to be heroes until the time comes. Until the time comes for them to fall on that grenade or to protect those people or to hand over their life vest or whatever they did to be considered a hero, to rescue that drowning person, to pull that person out of the fire at risk to their own lives. They don't know that they're going to do it, but something about the time that they spent developing their character and their training and their motivations and the things that they value most brought them to that point that they were willing, that they were able, that they made a difference in someone's life. And that is a good thing. In Ecclesiastes chapter 3, it says there's a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens, a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant, and a time to uproot. And the Bible makes it clear God knows that we are all going to die. God knows the time we don't. We don't know if we get tomorrow or if we're going to be around for a really long time. We don't know. Only God knows. But there is a time to die. And Psalm 116, 15 shows that God cares about this process. The Lord cares deeply when his loved ones die. So Jesus cared deeply that Lazarus had died, even though he knew he was going to bring him back. God is caring, God is compassionate. God cares about the process. God cares about the people. God cares about his loved ones. And in Hebrews 9.27 it says, It is appointed for a man to die once, and then after that comes judgment. So when we have placed our faith in Jesus Christ, we aren't judged whether or not we get to go spend eternity in heaven. We're going to be judged for the works that we do, for the resources that we have, for the time that we had to use, for the choices that we made, for the priorities that we had, for the risks that we took and the way that we spent our life. And so I think that's pretty fitting when we think about how grace makes heroes, how heroes need grace, and how each one of us have an opportunity to be a hero, for the faith, a hero in someone's life. And Paul was trying to pass this on to Timothy. So number one, God's grace strengthens you to reproduce your faith. So grace. We're in a series on grace. We've been talking a whole lot about grace, and so grace is God's undeserved favor. So it not only saves us, but strengthens us daily to live for Him. So we're saved by grace, we're forgiven by grace, we're supposed to show grace to others, and we are supposed to reproduce our faith. Hopefully, we have a strong faith, a solid faith, a strongly rooted faith. We know whom we have believed. We know where we can get resources to teach others. This is why we are constantly suggesting the How to Find God New Testament with all the notes in the front, because it is a place to get started. I have other books and workbooks and things that would make it easy for you to disciple, start to disciple someone, to share your faith. What you want to do is you want to help that new believer get up to speed, teach them the basics that you know, like how to read the Bible, how to pray, how to live the Christian life, how to find great resources, how to be discerning. So many different things, how to be led by the Holy Spirit, what it means to truly be saved so that they can know what their salvation is based upon. And so many times they have questions and they need answers, and you have an opportunity to either give the answers that you know or to say, I don't know the answer to the question. That's a great question. I think I know the answer, but let me get back to you. Get the answer, go back to that person. You've done two things then. One, you've helped educate yourself, and two, you've helped that other person that you're trying to reach also get the answer that they need. It is a great thing to get ready, to be ready to reproduce your faith. So in 2 Timothy. Okay. In 2 Timothy chapter 2, that's what we're going to be, 2nd chapter, 2 Timothy chapter 2, verses 1 through 7. But here Paul writes, you then, my son, so he's writing to Timothy, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses, and trust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others. So Paul is first saying that you need to be strong. What? Not in, Paul's not saying my teaching or strong in your own strength, but you're supposed to be strong in the grace of the Lord. It's the grace of the Lord that gives us the motivation, gives us the ability, gives us the endurance to keep moving forward. We need to be strong in the grace of the Lord. So, like I mentioned before, Millard Erickson says, grace is God's dealing, he's a theologian, God dealing with us with his people, not on the basis of their merit or worthiness, but simply according to their need. And I quoted from Bill Gio the Netty's book on grace last week. I think last week, maybe the week before. Grace is God doing for us what we could never do for ourselves through the infinite work of Christ, applied by the Holy Spirit over and over again every day of our lives. So grace forgives our sins, grace strengthens us when we're weak, and grace empowers us to serve, to endure, to disciple others, and to keep going when we feel like giving up. So then Paul says that you need to take what you learned from me, you need to take what I've written in this letter. Actually, 2 Timothy might be looking at the only copy of 2 Timothy ever in existence when it was being read. And so he needed to share it. He needed to circulate it. If he hadn't done that, we wouldn't be reading it now. So as Paul said, in the presence of many witnesses, to entrust to reliable people. Are you reliable people? It doesn't mean you're a perfect person. It doesn't mean that every that you know everything. It just means that you're going to be faithful to carry it on, that you are gonna answer the call, that you are gonna be faithful to share when you have an opportunity. And so to reliable people who will also be qualified to trust others. If you want to be that kind of person, the first thing that you need to have is a relationship with Jesus Christ. You can't pass on your faith to others if you've never received the faith yourself, if you've never received Jesus Christ yourself. It's not about doing better or trying harder, it's about placing your faith in Jesus and believing upon him. It's about grace, it's about God's grace, admitting that you need a Savior. We've all sinned and fallen short of the glorious standard of God. So Romans 3.23 says we're all sinners. Romans 5.8 says that God demonstrates his love for us in this, that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. And so we need to confess Jesus as Lord. In Romans 10 9, it says, if you declare with your mouth Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. And so many people say, I need to fix myself, I need to clean myself up first, I need to, I need to get this right, and then I'll come to Jesus. And that's a good thing. If you're trying to say, I want to be serious about this, I want to make sure that I do it all right, but it's not a good idea when you're delaying it, because what actually happens is when you receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior and the Holy Spirit comes into you, he helps clean you up. So it's not you're not trying to fix yourself. Jesus can fix you, but you need to come to him first. Other people say, well, that doesn't sound like something that is good for my life, good for my career, good for my aspirations, so I'll wait. I'll wait until I've spent my life, or until I'm retired, or I'll wait. And many times people wait too long and they die without Christ. Ephesians 2.8 says, it's by grace. You've been saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves. It is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast. And when we commit to Jesus, we become a new creation. 2 Corinthians 5.17 says, if any man be in Christ, he becomes a new creation, so we become brand new. And many times we talk about the sinner's prayer, and it's not the prayer that saves you, but it is a good way to enter into a relationship with Christ if it's something that you truly mean. Praying something like, Lord Jesus, I acknowledge that I am a sinner in need of salvation, and that I acknowledge that you came and lived among us, that you died on the cross, that you rose again, and that you ascended into heaven. And hear my prayer now. Lord Jesus, please forgive me of my sin and come into my life and save me. Make me the person you created me to be. I want to follow you. Or something like that is a great prayer to get started. And if you have questions, there's all sorts of notes in the front about who is God, who is the Holy Spirit, what did Jesus do on the cross? How can I be saved? How can I live the Christian life? It's all in the front of this paperback New Testament that we would love for you to take. But for those of us who are saved, by the way, if you receive Christ, we would love to know so we can help you grow in your faith. For those of us who are saved, we need to pass that on. We need to pass it on to our co-workers, we need to pass that on to our kids and our grandkids and our neighbors if we can. When there's an open door in a friendship, when there's an open door for you to make some kind of connection with somebody, the conversation should find its way to Jesus. Have you ever come into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ? Or are you still somewhere along the way? Is a good way to enter into that conversation. And there's many other questions too, but what are you doing and how are you doing it? If we all share testimonies, I'm sure that we could all name somebody who was influential in our Christian life. Sometimes it's multiple people that started to talk to us about Jesus until we finally got it. And then we gave our life to Jesus, and then Jesus started to work in our life, and so we have a testimony, and a testimony is to be shared. So Paul is saying, Timothy, I don't think I'm going to be around much longer. It's super important that you pass this on in training up other people that are ready and able and trusted and qualified to pass it on to others and keep sharing the message, keep sharing the gospel, keep sharing what I'm sharing with you. Philippians 2.13 says that God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him. So many times we look at this and it's like, oh, it's too hard, I'm too afraid, oh, I can't do it. I don't know enough. I don't know what I would say. What if they ask me a question I don't know the answer to? I tried it before and it didn't work. Someone rejected me and I felt it made me feel bad. Here it's saying in Philippians chapter 2 that God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. It pleases him to share your faith. It pleases him to share your testimony. It pleases him to live for God. So therefore, God is working in you. The Holy Spirit is working in you to make it possible and to make it happen. Number two, God's grace strengthens you to remain faithful with focus and purpose. So it's God's grace strengthening you to remain faithful with focus and purpose. I see time, I mentioned this before, but I see times when people are really, they're they're likely to fall away. So sometimes people fall away, they walk away from God when they're disappointed with God. Their prayer didn't get answered the way that they thought, their loved one died, they lost their job, whatever it is. There was something that they were praying for and they didn't get exactly what they wanted the moment they wanted it, so then they're like, God, you let me down, so I'm walking away. Sometimes that happens. Another time that it happens is when you've been so successful, when you've received so many resources, when you have so many opportunities, you have so much money to spend, everything's going perfect at work. There's not a problem at all with your family or your kids. Everything in life is great, and you're just enjoying it to its fullest, and you don't have any time for God. And you get off track, you get unfocused. It's not a priority. You don't feel it to be a need. You think, oh, maybe someday there's heaven, but life is pretty good right now. And so those are two examples. I have Paul had three examples that we're gonna look at. Paul is telling Timothy to consider the life of a soldier, an athlete, and a farmer. First, he says, endure like a soldier. Endure like a soldier. Soldiers that I've talked to say that being in the military is a lot of hurry up and wait, a lot of wait, a lot of sitting around. It's like you did your drills, you raced to your destination, and now you just sit and you wait. Often there are times of risk and sleeplessness and all sorts of hardship, but sometimes it's extremely boring, lacking excitement, and we're to endure like a soldier. We're to endure hardship, we're to endure commands, we're to endure following Christ with Christ-like single-mindedness like a soldier. So Paul writes to Timothy, join with me in suffering like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer. So Paul is surrounded by soldiers because he's been arrested. So last time when we talked, I talked about Paul being imprisoned. I said he was on house arrest. That was in the book of Philemon. So there's a difference between Paul's first imprisonment and this imprisonment now. I just want to highlight that real quick. So his first imprisonment was around AD 60 to 62 when he was under house arrest. He was in a rented home. He was able to have visitors over, he was able to teach and write letters. He might have been chained to a soldier, but it was pretty relaxed. Conditions were comfortable, and he had some freedoms, and that was good. Then he got set free, and then he went and traveled a bit. And during that time, he wrote letters like Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon. But years later, his second imprisonment, around A.D. 66 or 67, he was arrested again under Emperor Nero's brutal persecution of Christians. That guy was insanely vicious towards Christians. He would burn them at the stake. He was a terrible person. And this time Paul didn't get to go on house arrest and said he was in a dark, damp Roman dungeon in chains, cold and isolated. We know that because in 2 Timothy 2.9, he writes, I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. In 2 Timothy 4.6, he writes, The time for my departure is near. He knows his execution is imminent. In 2 Timothy 4.13, he asks Timothy to bring his cloak because he's cold in his scrolls, because he's cut off from resources. In 2 Timothy 4.16, he says, At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone has deserted me, which means he's lonely, abandoned, and awaiting death. So Paul is going through some hard times. He's surrounded by soldiers. He knows what it's like to be around soldiers. He's seen some admirable things in the soldiers, but he also knows that they've been put in charge of making sure that he doesn't go anywhere. So did this soldier decide that Paul needed to be treated under these conditions? No, it was the leader, the emperor, that Nero and his people, and they needed to enforce those orders. But the point here is that there are certain things about soldiers that were admirable, and being a soldier of Christ is a big deal. Paul was living for Christ with Christ-like single-mindedness. No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs. So a soldier, if he is running into battle or whatever, he could get stuck in the mud. He could get entangled in branches or vines that would keep him from getting to where he needed to go. And so we aren't to be entangled. The soldier wasn't to be entangled. He was supposed to stay focused on his order, stay focused on his mission. And we are supposed to stay focused on following Christ, stay focused on doing the things that Christ wants us. So civilian affairs could be the normal day-to-day concerns of life, career pursuits, hobbies, entertainment, financial goals, and even good causes. But they dominate our time and our hearts and they distract us from serving God. So for some people, certain hobbies and things like that might cause them to not be as motivated to serve Christ. Or other people, it might be a way for them to serve Christ. So civilian affairs, this doesn't prohibit us from getting involved in politics or trying to make a difference, but we should first be focused on Christ and make sure that it doesn't entangle us. It doesn't take all of our time, it doesn't take us away from our loyalty to Christ. And then it says, the soldier tries to please his commanding officer. Our commanding officer is Jesus. And just like a soldier wants to carry out his orders and be told that he did a good job, we too want to follow after Jesus. And here, well done, good and faithful servant. So as a boss, as a parent, as a leader, as whatever it is that you're doing, if you're leading people, it's a good thing. If you can be pleasable, if you can tell people what the goal is and when they did it, when they've accomplished it, tell them they did a good job. People are so much more likely to follow you when you're pleasable, when there's a way to make you happy, when there's a way to accomplish the things that you need to accomplish, and then to hear a good job. And so it's not that we want to have personal success for ourselves, but we want to have Jesus glorified. We want to serve the audience of one. We want to glorify God and the things that we do, and that leads, being a soldier for Christ leads to endurance, discipline, obedience. And in Ephesians 6, 10 through 18, a focus on spiritual armor. So on memorial day, we think about people who have sacrificed their freedom, they've given up their lives, they've given up so much, and we remember them. We celebrate what they did because it matters. And if we're doing your memorial service, will people be standing up ready to talk about the sacrifices you made and how that you served Jesus and how that you had a Christ-like single-mindedness? Like a soldier. Hebrews 11:6 says, without faith, it's impossible to please God because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Is there anything in your life that is entangling you, keeping you from following after the Lord? There are certain things that aren't entanglements, they're just life situations. Like if you have a bunch of children or grandchildren, that's people that you can invest in. Not necessarily an entanglement, but you can find time in your schedule. You can find time to follow Christ and to do good. It doesn't mean you have to go to a different place. It doesn't mean that you have to have An official position in a church or anything, it just means that you need to be faithful to carry out our commanding officer Jesus' orders so that we can hear, well done, good and faithful servant. The next one Paul talks about is to train like an athlete, to train like an athlete. So in Paul's day, the people that went to the Olympic Games in Olympia or the Isthmian Games in Corinth drew thousands of spectators. The athletes were the heroes of their day. But glory didn't come easy. From what I read, before they could compete, every athlete had to swear a solemn oath before the gods, small g, promising that they had completed ten full months of disciplined training. They submitted to strict diets, rigorous exercise, and carefully controlled lives. No shortcuts, no excuses, and no exceptions. If they broke the rules, whether in training or competition, they faced disqualification, public shame, and the loss of their prize. And Paul writes, similarly, Timothy, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor's crown except by competing according to the rules. Kenneth Woist in his notes writes, Greek athletes were required to live strictly separated lives, dedicated to their training with singular focus. Their time, energy, and resources were fully invested in preparing for the race. Likewise, followers of Christ are called to live separated lives, not entangled by worldly distractions, but fully devoted to the Lord. So Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 9 24, he said, Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. Therefore, I do not run like someone running aimlessly. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave, so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. So he's focused on training, sacrifice, and endurance. And if you were going to be an athlete, if maybe you did pursue sports at some time in your life, maybe you had a strict diet, maybe you had a training plan, maybe you had goals, maybe you had a coach that was telling you what you needed to change. So if you the coach should be like, Okay, I see that you're doing this, maybe you don't even realize that you're doing this, but if you were to stop doing this, maybe you could run faster or jump higher or whatever it is. Coaches are good for that. As following Christ like an athlete, what is our priority? What is our training plan? What are we doing to guard our heart and mind and our time? Our goal is to win the prize. And again, that's pleasing Jesus. So again, Paul writes to Titus in Titus 2.11, for the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say no to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this present age. So Paul, he really likes these athletic illustrations. 2 Timothy 4.7, I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness. The prize, the crown that they would receive at that time was a wreath, nothing of eternal value, nothing even of great financial value, but it was an honor. And we want to honor Christ. And the next thing Paul chooses is to work like a farmer. Work like a farmer. So I had an opportunity in some different churches to have farmers in the church. And some people think that pastors only work on Sunday and farmers only work in the summer. And good farmers work all year round. So they, after they bring in the harvest and they cash that out, then they figure out they purchase their seed, they maintain and update their equipment, they get their financial books in order, they get all ready for the season, they maybe they get their soil analyzed, they do all this stuff, and then spring comes around and they look for the perfect opportunity, the perfect time to plant. Sometimes those who wait too long don't end up with a great harvest. And they plant the seed and the seed starts to grow and they monitor it for pests and weeds and they do all this stuff until they get to the harvest. They pray a lot. They get to the harvest and then they receive their reward. They receive their reward. And it's this constant cycle. So many farmers I know pray a lot. But it's 2 Timothy 2.6. The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. So what are we doing in our lives? To be like a farmer, to be thinking about what it is we would like to harvest in life, what it is that we would like to see in the future as we plant seeds of faith, as we plant seeds of the gospel, as we show up daily. Farming back then back then was a lot of work. It wasn't like you just hopped in a big tractor and it did all the work while you drove it. They had to do everything by hand. But it was rewarding. The farmer had endurance. The farmer kept doing the hard work every day because he knew of what the goal was. The lazy farmer that didn't do that, his crops were taken over by weeds. He didn't get a great harvest if he got one at all. You really can't be a successful lazy farmer. Number three, God's grace strengthens you to reflect, grow, and use your time well. God's grace strengthens you to reflect, which is what Paul says here, 2 Timothy 2.7, reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight to all of this. So maybe Paul is saying, I know that you just read this, Timothy, but I just want you to just take a minute, and I want you to just meditate and think about what I just said as far as the type of life of the soldier and the athlete and the farmer and how you can apply that to your life. And there's all sorts of things about those three that could be bad too. Soldier could be commandeering and impossible to be around, always shouting orders. The athlete could be so focused on his sport, he doesn't care about anybody else. The farmer could be so focused on the fields, he never talks to anybody, but that's not what Paul's saying. He's like, reflect on the good parts of these character qualities of the people that I just mentioned, and live your life like that. And it's he started the whole thing by saying, Grace. It's God's grace that will enable you to do this. It's God's grace that will motivate you to do this, it's God's grace that will get you through. Ephesians 5.15 says, Be careful how you live. Don't live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. God knows the opportunities that He's given us. God knows the opportunities that we have. How will we use them? How will we use these opportunities? Colossians 3.17 says, Whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to him through God the Father. So soldiers endure, athletes train, farmers labor, but it's God's grace that empowers you to do all of it well and finish strong. So next time we get together, we're gonna hear about the story of John Mark, who Paul basically fired, and then Barnabas retrained him and brought him back when God's grace rewrites your story. But we're gonna watch a quick Memorial Day video, and then we're going to sing America the Beautiful. Let me pray. Lord Jesus, I thank you so much for these people. I pray that this message would be taken to heart. I pray that we would apply it to our lives and that when our lives are spent, that people would look at our lives and see that we did good. That Jesus, you would evaluate our lives and say, Well done, good and faithful servant, that we would make sacrifices in such a way that we would be someone's hero. Thank you for those who gave their lives, and we celebrate that at Memorial Day too, in Jesus' name. Amen.