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SAVING TIMOTHY!

He stood on the northeast corner of the plaza in downtown Prescott boldly preaching the Word. As people scurried past him most avoided making eye contact as if, by so doing, they could avoid hearing the message. But his message, a message shouted out, was hard to ignore as he preached of the coming wrath and of salvation found only in Jesus Christ.
In the arrogance of my youth I too ignored him and, if the truth be told, though I wasn’t able to verbalize it at the time, considered him a public nuisance. As I look back on it, I suspect the city fathers also considered him a nuisance and did whatever was in their power to silence him. They didn’t stone the messenger, of course, instead they enforced the public nuisance ordinance and effectively killed the message.
In Paul’s day, on his first missionary journey he too, along with Barnabas, boldly proclaimed the word of God. The two grabbed the attention of the good citizens of Iconium, but some of these upstanding citizens considered the two preachers to be a public nuisance. Unlike the city fathers of Prescott, however, they chose to solve the problem in a more deadly manner; they opted for stoning Paul and Barnabas. In Acts 14:1 - 7 we read:
In Iconium, Paul and Barnabas went together to the synagogue and preached with such power that a great number of both Jews and Gentiles believed. 2 But the Jews who spurned God’s message stirred up distrust among the Gentiles against Paul and Barnabas, saying all sorts of evil things about them. 3 The apostles stayed there a long time, preaching boldly about the grace of the Lord. The Lord proved their message was true by giving them power to do miraculous signs and wonders. 4 But the people of the city were divided in their opinion about them. Some sided with the Jews, and some with the apostles.
A mob of Gentiles and Jews, along with their leaders, decided to attack and stone them. 6 When the apostles learned of it, they fled for their lives. They went to the region of Lycaonia, to the cities of Lystra and Derbe and the surrounding area, 7 and they preached the Good News there.
Forewarned, they fled 10 miles south to Lystra where they again spoke the Word of God boldly. In vv. 8 - 20 we read:
While they were at Lystra, Paul and Barnabas came upon a man with crippled feet. He had been that way from birth, so he had never walked. 9 He was listening as Paul preached, and Paul noticed him and realized he had faith to be healed. 10 So Paul called to him in a loud voice, “Stand up!” And the man jumped to his feet and started walking.
Acts 14:11 When the listening crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in their local dialect, “These men are gods in human bodies!” 12 They decided that Barnabas was the Greek god Zeus and that Paul, because he was the chief speaker, was Hermes. 13 The temple of Zeus was located on the outskirts of the city. The priest of the temple and the crowd brought oxen and wreaths of flowers, and they prepared to sacrifice to the apostles at the city gates.
But when Barnabas and Paul heard what was happening, they tore their clothing in dismay and ran out among the people, shouting, 15 “Friends, why are you doing this? We are merely human beings like yourselves! We have come to bring you the Good News that you should turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them. 16 In earlier days he permitted all the nations to go their own ways, 17 but he never left himself without a witness. There were always his reminders, such as sending you rain and good crops and giving you food and joyful hearts.” 18 But even so, Paul and Barnabas could scarcely restrain the people from sacrificing to them.
Now some Jews arrived from Antioch and Iconium and turned the crowds into a murderous mob. They stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, apparently dead. 20 But as the believers stood around him, he got up and went back into the city. The next day he left with Barnabas for Derbe.
I want you to note that they went back into Lystra and stayed overnight, undoubtedly in the home of someone who had responded, positively, to their message. Some scholars believe that the two received shelter and comfort in the home of Timothy, and it was during their overnight stay that Timothy was led into a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
The rationale for speculating that Paul and Barnabas stayed in Timothy’s home is gleaned from such verses as II Timothy 3:10 - 11. We read:
But you know what I teach, Timothy, and how I live, and what my purpose in life is. You know my faith and how long I have suffered. You know my love and my patient endurance. 11 You know how much persecution and suffering I have endured. You know all about how I was persecuted in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra—but the Lord delivered me from all of it.
It is argued that the only reason Timothy would’ve known all about what happened to Paul on that first missionary journey was if Paul and Barnabas had stayed in his home during that period of time. Lystra, however, was a small town and in a small town everybody who is breathing, and is halfway alert, knows everything that happens in town. So we really can’t read too much into Paul’s comment about Timothy’s knowledge of past events.
But, there are other verses that also suggest that Paul led Timothy to a saving knowledge of Christ. For example, in I Corinthians 4:17 we read:
That is the very reason I am sending Timothy—to help you do this. For he is my beloved and trustworthy child in the Lord. He will remind you of what I teach about Christ Jesus in all the churches wherever I go.
Then, in both letters to Timothy, there are a few verses that suggest the same thing. There are also a few verses that suggest another possibility. In Paul’s introductory remarks, in I Timothy 1:2, we read:
It is written to Timothy, my true child in the faith. May God our Father and Christ Jesus our Lord give you grace, mercy, and peace.
Then in II Timothy 1:2 - 5 we read:
It is written to Timothy, my dear son. May God our Father and Christ Jesus our Lord give you grace, mercy, and peace.
Timothy, I thank God for you. He is the God I serve with a clear conscience, just as my ancestors did. Night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. 4 I long to see you again, for I remember your tears as we parted. And I will be filled with joy when we are together again.
I know that you sincerely trust the Lord, for you have the faith of your mother, Eunice, and your grandmother, Lois.
Turning to 3:15 in the same book, we read:
You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus.
Just as Paul is an authentic apostle of Christ, Timothy is an authentic son of Paul. The Greek word translated “true” or sometimes “genuine,” the word gnesios, was used literally of children “born in wedlock.” In other words, it was used of legitimate children. It is possible, therefore, that Timothy was led to a saving knowledge of Christ by Paul. Or maybe, it simply means that Timothy above all others faithfully followed Paul’s teaching and example; that Timothy was not so much his child as his protégé.
The other possibility, the one that is simply assumed by most people, is that Timothy was led to a saving knowledge of Christ by his mother Eunice and/or his grandmother – Lois. Undoubtedly, the two attributed greatly to Timothy’s faith in God for he had been taught the Holy Scriptures from the time he could read. But, his mother and grandmother were Old Testament believers. As such, they probably did not hear the gospel until Paul walked into Lystra and began preaching.
So perhaps what happened is that Eunice and Lois came to know Christ through the preaching of Paul on that first missionary journey. They, in turn led Timothy to Christ. Or, all three of them were sitting in the stadium when Billy Graham was preaching and while everyone sang “Just As I Am” they came forward as a family.
But this latter scenario doesn’t adequately explain why Paul would consistently refer to Timothy as his “true” son in the faith. My best guess is that Paul had the privilege of leading Timothy to a personal relationship with Christ. This may have occurred within his mother’s home or the boy was brought to the apostle by his mother and grandmother. Either way, I suspect Paul met and sat down with Timothy on that first missionary journey.
You and I however, do not meet Timothy until the beginning of the second missionary journey. Picking up the story in Acts 15:36 - 16:5 we read:
After some time Paul said to Barnabas, “Let’s return to each city where we previously preached the word of the Lord, to see how the new believers are getting along.” 37 Barnabas agreed and wanted to take along John Mark. 38 But Paul disagreed strongly, since John Mark had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not shared in their work. 39 Their disagreement over this was so sharp that they separated. Barnabas took John Mark with him and sailed for Cyprus. 40 Paul chose Silas, and the believers sent them off, entrusting them to the Lord’s grace. 41 So they traveled throughout Syria and Cilicia to strengthen the churches there.
Paul and Silas went first to Derbe and then on to Lystra. There they met Timothy, a young disciple whose mother was a Jewish believer, but whose father was a Greek. 2 Timothy was well thought of by the believers in Lystra and Iconium, 3 so Paul wanted him to join them on their journey. In deference to the Jews of the area, he arranged for Timothy to be circumcised before they left, for everyone knew that his father was a Greek. 4 Then they went from town to town, explaining the decision regarding the commandments that were to be obeyed, as decided by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem. 5 So the churches were strengthened in their faith and grew daily in numbers.
Because this is our introduction to Timothy, we assume it is also Paul’s introduction to the young man. Perhaps, but the text doesn’t really tell us one way or another as to whether this is the first time the two of them met. What is clear is that a number of believers we’re saying good things about Timothy.
In this regard, we need to note three things. First, people were talking about Timothy. A good reputation prompts conversation. Behind your back, as well as when they have opportunity to do so publicly, your friends, neighbors, and colleagues give others a good report of you.
Second, it was more than one person doing the talking. A good test of whether or not a person has a good reputation is the number of people doing the talking. After all, most of us have one or two biased friends who will give a good report of us. But what are people saying in general? This is the true test.
Third, people were talking about Timothy in both Lystra and Iconium. That is, they were talking about him in more than one place. When Paul observed that a number of people in two different places gave a good report in regards to Timothy he knew he had found someone worth having as part of the team.
So somewhere in the middle of verse 3, Acts 16, Paul pulled Timothy aside and spoke to him about going on a missions trip – immediately. This wasn’t a proposal to consider going on the missions field someday, it was all about packing your bags and being prepared to leave first thing in the morning.
As we look at it from Paul’s side, he saw in Timothy a young man who was well-grounded in Scripture. A young man who had the blessings of a rich godly heritage. Furthermore, it was more than mere intellectual knowledge. Timothy had absorbed the Word all of his life and his character reflected its high standards.
Yet, as Paul spoke to him he knew he had to address one issue related directly to the ministry. The Jews to whom Paul would be preaching the gospel would be offended if they ever discovered that Timothy, a man with a Jewish mother, was not circumcised. Hence, the only requirement that needed to be met before joining the team was for Timothy to submit himself to the circumcision knife. Ouch!
Mission work always cost the participants something up front. In Timothy’s case, it was the pain and humiliation of circumcision. What would his uncircumcised friends say? What would his father say? If not his father, who may have passed away, what about his uncles on his father’s side or his Greek cousins?
In my case, in deciding to go to Chad, I needed to decide about all the shots, the interminable plane trip, the stress of being in a third-world culture, and the risk of traveling in a dangerous world. Why would someone go to Chad? Some call it the spirit of adventure. I simply call it obedience to the Spirit’s leading.

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