Timothy – His Life and Lessons in Leadership - A New Beginning
In Acts 16, Timothy begins a new chapter in his life as Paul witnessed in him traits essential to propagate the gospel message. He possessed the necessary disposition and temperament required, and this is first observed in his willingness to be circumcised as to be more accepted by those with a Jewish background. This is lesson one: “God only gives out assignments when we have the character to match it.”[1] The elders in the church of Lystra and Derbe knew Timothy’s character, and God chose in his timing the next step in his spiritual journey. Paul ordained him into service as noted in 1 Timothy 4:14. A lesson to busy pastors especially in a larger church is to pay attention to your elders and people as through interaction and observation, they may know of a Timothy in your midst, a godly man possessing a love for Jesus, a passion for souls and compassion for the lost
As Timothy embarks on his journey with Paul, it really began years earlier from lessons learned in childhood to becoming an adult. It was a culmination of lessons which developed his character. Timothy’s spiritual education undoubtably was accelerated each and every day in his travels, as Paul and Silas mentored him in the knowledge of God through the Word, their conversations, engagement and interactions with those they met. A lesson for the spiritually hungry seeking God’s will for their life is to engage in a mentoring relationship with others. This is why an Above Reproach Group is so vitally important for men to connect with others seeking to discern their call to ministry. It provides a safe place to interact with others, grow in their faith and to be mentored and strengthen one’s faith. An additional caveat is for pastors to realize the significance of this process for their own spiritual growth providing a place to raise up leaders in the church. Paul brought Timothy along to be of service, in the spirit of his example, today’s pastors should also identify men and raise them up for service. These leaders young and old based upon their skill-sets can assist a pastor in spiritual work. It allows these men to grow spiritually through active participation in the areas of member care, discipleship and evangelism.
This was Paul’s Second Missionary Journey as these three men took the gospel message to Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, Athens and Corinth. As a young man, this would have been quite the adventure for Timothy as they traveled from Troas across the Aegean Sea to Neapolis and then to Philippi. This is where the Scriptures pick-up their encounter with the woman Lydia. Since there wasn’t a Jewish synagogue there, the men went outside the city along a nearby river to find a place to pray. It is there they encountered a group of women and spoke to them and upon hearing the gospel message Lydia and her whole household were baptized. This makes a good point for modern Christians, make an impact wherever you are and it is not necessary to have what most consider perfect conditions for worship, God is with you everywhere.
It is not in the Scriptures, and only conjecture that while Paul and Silas were encountering the crowd in Philippi, Paul may have sensed the inherent danger and to protect Timothy sent him away, or perhaps Timothy could have still been ministering to individuals they met along the river. This we do know is that Paul had a paternal affinity towards Timothy and in the situation in Philippi would have been protective of him. Paul and Silas were beaten with rods, thrown in jail and were able to be set free due to the providence of God. Later when Paul was imprisoned in Rome, he wrote to Timothy, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of power, love and sound judgment” (2 Tim 1:7 Christian Standard Bible). The point to be made is as one discerns the call to ministry to realize it will not always be easy, hopefully no one encounters the situation Paul and Silas faced in Philippi or impending martyrdom like Paul in Rome. The significance of persevering in faith is clear not to be ashamed of the gospel. Paul wrote: “He has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began” (2 Tim 1:9). God has a calling for you!
[1] Bob Burton, The Spiritual DNA of a Church on Mission, (Nashville, Tennessee: B&H Publishing, 2020), 59.
