Paul came to Derbe, then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was Jewish, and a believer, but whose father was a Greek. The believers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him. Paul wanted to take him along on the journey... Acts 16:1-3
Can you think of a day when your life changed for ever?
Probably most of us can. If we are Christians the most obvious moment will no doubt be the day we decided to follow Jesus. But other days also may have great significance - starting a new job, getting married, moving to a new location. Losing somebody precious to us, of course.
What about the day we met somebody whose influence was so great that it shaped everything we have done since...?
Timothy is a young man living in a quiet town called Lystra in what today is Turkey. We know nothing about his father, not even his name, only that he is a “Greek” - that is, not a Jew. His mother, on the other hand, is a Jewish Christian (we learn from 2 Timothy 1:5 that she is called Eunice).
Some months earlier their town had been visited by two strangers called Paul and Barnabas, who came preaching about a man called Jesus. There had been a dramatic healing of a man lame from birth - a healing which had sparked opposition and rioting by people who didn’t like what Paul and Barnabas were saying. (You can read about this in Acts 14). But Eunice and her mother (she is called Lois) were persuaded by the message and became believers in Jesus. Young Timothy also believed.
And now Paul and his companions have returned, though this time Barnabas has been replaced by Silas. They probably weren’t around long - but long enough for Paul, one day, to take Timothy aside and drop a bombshell: “Timothy, how would you feel about joining our team...?” I imagine Timothy will have been, if you will pardon the expression, absolutely gob-smacked. Nothing was ever the same for him again...
In telling Timothy’s story I’ve done a bit of reading between the lines; but it must have been something pretty like what I have described. (Is it time somebody turned Timothy’s story into a novel? - how’s that for a challenge for someone?)
There are many things we can learn from this episode in the life of the early church. Let me pick out three.
First, it speaks to us of the excitement of the unknown future.
Trace Timothy’s story in the rest of the New Testament and you find that he occupies an important place in the spread of the gospel. The last we hear of him is as pastor of a congregation in Ephesus (1 Timothy 1:3) - so he has developed from being a sidekick to Paul to being a leader in his own right.
We may sometimes look at the sheer ordinariness of our lives and think that nothing will ever be different. And so indeed it may be: just faithfully serving God in our locality. But - who knows? - God may have other ideas! The question is: How open am I to new possibilities?
Second, Timothy’s story has much to say about the preciousness of relationships in Christian service.
When he joined Paul’s team Timothy entered a network of companions. Paul describes him as “my fellow-worker” (Romans 16:21), “my son, whom I love” (1 Corinthians 4:17),”our brother” (2 Corinthians 1:1), my true son in the faith” (1 Tim 1:2), “my dear son” (2 Timothy 1:2) - and there are more where they came from!
Paul’s letters make very clear how important to him his fellow-workers were. You could do an interesting Bible-study under the heading of “Friends of Paul”: lots of quite obscure names mainly tucked away in his letters. He was anything but a one-man band!
To be part of the church is a massive, precious privilege. Do we value as we should the men and women God has placed us among? Are we enjoying their fellowship, sharing their troubles and co-operating with them in their work? If the answer to that is “To be honest, no not really” then we are missing out on so much...
Third, Timothy’s story has something to say about the need for people of the highest character when it comes to Christian service.
When Paul invited Timothy to join his team he didn’t just think “Mmm, seems a nice young man - yes, he’ll do.” No. Luke tells us (Acts 16:2) that “the believers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him.” Paul “took up references”, if you like.
True, Timothy never became one of the “stars” of the early church: he was no Peter or Paul, no John or James. He had weaknesses, and needed encouragement (why else did Paul write him two letters?). But he was solid and reliable - the kind of person God builds churches with.
And this, surely, has something to say about the kind of people we should be looking for to serve in church life.
And also, of course, the kind of people we ourselves should aim to be...
Thank you, Lord, for the unsung heroes - the Timothys and Phoebes - of the church. Help me to value and encourage them, and, by following their example, to become more like Jesus. Amen.
Can you think of a day when your life changed for ever?
Probably most of us can. If we are Christians the most obvious moment will no doubt be the day we decided to follow Jesus. But other days also may have great significance - starting a new job, getting married, moving to a new location. Losing somebody precious to us, of course.
What about the day we met somebody whose influence was so great that it shaped everything we have done since...?
Timothy is a young man living in a quiet town called Lystra in what today is Turkey. We know nothing about his father, not even his name, only that he is a “Greek” - that is, not a Jew. His mother, on the other hand, is a Jewish Christian (we learn from 2 Timothy 1:5 that she is called Eunice).
Some months earlier their town had been visited by two strangers called Paul and Barnabas, who came preaching about a man called Jesus. There had been a dramatic healing of a man lame from birth - a healing which had sparked opposition and rioting by people who didn’t like what Paul and Barnabas were saying. (You can read about this in Acts 14). But Eunice and her mother (she is called Lois) were persuaded by the message and became believers in Jesus. Young Timothy also believed.
And now Paul and his companions have returned, though this time Barnabas has been replaced by Silas. They probably weren’t around long - but long enough for Paul, one day, to take Timothy aside and drop a bombshell: “Timothy, how would you feel about joining our team...?” I imagine Timothy will have been, if you will pardon the expression, absolutely gob-smacked. Nothing was ever the same for him again...
In telling Timothy’s story I’ve done a bit of reading between the lines; but it must have been something pretty like what I have described. (Is it time somebody turned Timothy’s story into a novel? - how’s that for a challenge for someone?)
There are many things we can learn from this episode in the life of the early church. Let me pick out three.
First, it speaks to us of the excitement of the unknown future.
Trace Timothy’s story in the rest of the New Testament and you find that he occupies an important place in the spread of the gospel. The last we hear of him is as pastor of a congregation in Ephesus (1 Timothy 1:3) - so he has developed from being a sidekick to Paul to being a leader in his own right.
We may sometimes look at the sheer ordinariness of our lives and think that nothing will ever be different. And so indeed it may be: just faithfully serving God in our locality. But - who knows? - God may have other ideas! The question is: How open am I to new possibilities?
Second, Timothy’s story has much to say about the preciousness of relationships in Christian service.
When he joined Paul’s team Timothy entered a network of companions. Paul describes him as “my fellow-worker” (Romans 16:21), “my son, whom I love” (1 Corinthians 4:17),”our brother” (2 Corinthians 1:1), my true son in the faith” (1 Tim 1:2), “my dear son” (2 Timothy 1:2) - and there are more where they came from!
Paul’s letters make very clear how important to him his fellow-workers were. You could do an interesting Bible-study under the heading of “Friends of Paul”: lots of quite obscure names mainly tucked away in his letters. He was anything but a one-man band!
To be part of the church is a massive, precious privilege. Do we value as we should the men and women God has placed us among? Are we enjoying their fellowship, sharing their troubles and co-operating with them in their work? If the answer to that is “To be honest, no not really” then we are missing out on so much...
Third, Timothy’s story has something to say about the need for people of the highest character when it comes to Christian service.
When Paul invited Timothy to join his team he didn’t just think “Mmm, seems a nice young man - yes, he’ll do.” No. Luke tells us (Acts 16:2) that “the believers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him.” Paul “took up references”, if you like.
True, Timothy never became one of the “stars” of the early church: he was no Peter or Paul, no John or James. He had weaknesses, and needed encouragement (why else did Paul write him two letters?). But he was solid and reliable - the kind of person God builds churches with.
And this, surely, has something to say about the kind of people we should be looking for to serve in church life.
And also, of course, the kind of people we ourselves should aim to be...
Thank you, Lord, for the unsung heroes - the Timothys and Phoebes - of the church. Help me to value and encourage them, and, by following their example, to become more like Jesus. Amen.
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