Timothy

TIMOTHY

Scripture references:
Acts 16:1; 17:14–15; 18:5; 19:22; 20:4;
Romans 16:21; 1 Corinthians 4:17; 16:10;
Philippians 1:1; 2:9; 1 Thessalonians
1:1; 3:2; 2 Thessalonians 1:1; 1 Timothy; 2 Timothy

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TIMOTHY’S ROLE IN SCRIPTURE

In the early church, itinerant ministers who traveled from place to place maintained communication between the apostles and local congregations and between congregations. Timothy frequently fulfilled this role as he went to various churches on missions for Paul.

Timothy is named with Paul in the salutation of four New Testament letters (Philippians, 1, 2 Thessalonians, and Philemon), but most of what we know about Timothy comes from the two letters of instruction and encouragement Paul wrote to him. Indeed, the letters to Timothy have had a more lasting impact on the church than did Timothy himself.

TIMOTHY’S LIFE AND TIMES

Paul enlisted Timothy as a companion on his second missionary journey. Luke noted that Timothy was the son of a Jewish woman and a Greek father. According to Jewish custom that traces Jewishness through the mother rather than the father, this meant that Timothy was a Jew. Timothy became a believer at an early age, taught by his mother Eunice and grandmother Lois (2 Tim. 1:5). Timothy may have been in his early twenties when he began traveling with Paul, who would have been closer to fifty. Paul obviously valued Timothy, and referred to him as “my fellow worker” in Romans 16:21, and three times mentioned sending Timothy to churches as his representative (Phil. 2:9; 1 Thess. 3:2; 2 Thess. 1:7).

At the same time it is clear from the letters Paul wrote to Timothy that Timothy lacked the confidence and the powerful presence of the apostle. In urging Timothy to let “no one despise your youth” (1 Tim. 4:12), Paul seems to have had Timothy’s timidity in view, as well as the fact that in the first century wisdom and authority were associated with age. It must have been difficult for the relatively youthful Timothy to represent the apostle Paul and expect churches to respond to his authority.

In a real sense, anyone who is expected to step into the shoes of giants, as the second generation of Christian leaders surely was expected to do, faces a daunting task. Yet Timothy, Titus, and others like them maintained the integrity of the church, helped to preserve its deposit of truth, and continued the spread of the gospel throughout the world.

For a deeper insight into Timothy see the discussion of Paul as a mentor of young, future leaders, on page 180.

TIMOTHY: AN EXAMPLE FOR TODAY

Timothy can be a great encouragement for young men and women who appear to be thrust into leadership before they have matured sufficiently. God not only calls but also enables those whom he intends to serve him.

•     Timothy reminds us of the importance of having a relationship with a mature believer who can mentor us in the faith.

•     Timothy encourages us, for in Timothy we see that even the young can play an important part in carrying out God’s purposes in the church and the world.

•     Timothy challenges us to provide young people with opportunities for truly significant ministry. When youth are denied opportunities to put their faith into practice, they will not catch a vision for what God is able to do in and through them. Young people may need guidance, but they canminister, as Timothy surely did.

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