I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you. 20 I have no one else like him, who will show genuine concern for your welfare. 21 For everyone looks out for their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. 22 But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel. 23 I hope, therefore, to send him as soon as I see how things go with me. 24 And I am confident in the Lord that I myself will come soon. Phil. 2:19-24
Paul met Timothy at the beginning of his second mission trip prior to the famous Paul and Silas imprisonment and earthquake in Phillipi, the church that he is several years later writing to while being imprisoned again. Paul saw in Timothy a worthy apprentice who was like a son to him, that he trusted to lead churches and be his voice for the gospel to encourage and teach the believers in cities he had passed through. When the great commission commanded going into all the world and make disciples, not just believers, Timothy was the "discpler". Sure, when Paul was able, he spent a good deal of time in cities discipling. I think it was Ephesus where he even set up a school and stayed several years. But quite often, like in Phillipi, he left fairly soon and was unable to teach. Remember, he couldn't just leave them with a Bible, they didn't have those yet.
What made Timothy so special? First of all, he served. He didn't desire the spotlight but let Paul do the preaching. Just the fact that Paul and Silas were arrested and not him in Phillipi in Acts 16 implies that he was in the background serving and even in Paul's letters to him, Paul encourages Timothy to not be timid. Beware of teenage preachers. I've never seen any "pan out". They can't handle the spotlight and kudos to Timothy for not wanting it.
Second, he had Godly upbringing. He was steeped in the Word from childhood and well grounded. I'm worn out watching 11 grandchildren. Everyone always says, "Grandchildren are great. You play with them, spoil them, then send them home." My wife didn't get that memo - she wants to keep them! The good thing about that is that we get to Biblically disciple them. Just this week my second son was named campus pastor and baptized Yul's two kids. (Yul won Survivor- Cook Islands) My third son led devotions at his kids' Christian school playing guitar and sharing a message that when he recounted it with me, incorporated passages from throughout the Bible and was great! What a blessing! I give my wife 70% of the credit, maybe 65%. haha
Lastly, an overlooked passage in scripture that we should all memorize, " For everyone looks out for their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ." Phil. 2:21 What a telling verse! Paul doesn't qualify it and say, "I'm just talking about unbelievers here." No, he has seen enough believers by now and says, unlike Timothy, everyone still puts themselves as number one priority, it's our default mode. We have to work on that! This is what set Timothy apart - somehow he had managed to succeed in the area that Paul mentioned earlier in the chapter, "Consider others as more important than yourselves." I haven't succeeded at that, have you?
Let's be Timothys. Let's raise Timothys.
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