Paul+and+Timothy

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“Timothy was the son of a Jewish mother and a Greek father which made him a unique asset to Paul’s ministry to the Jews and the Gentiles.”[|[1]] His mother was a believer and when Timothy is mentioned in Acts 16 Scripture refers to him as a disciple. “It was Timothy's mixed percentage that made Paul decide to circumcise him before taking him along as a travel companion. In the eyes of the Jews, Timothy was a Gentile because he was the uncircumcised son of a Greek. In Gentile eyes, however, he was practically a Jew, having been brought up in his mother's religion. Paul therefore regularized his status (and in Jewish eyes, legitimized him) by circumcising him.” [|[2]] Scripture also tells us that the church in Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him and he was obviously highly regarded by the leadership. All of this recommended him to Paul, who after meeting with him in Lystra wanted Timothy to join him in ministry[|[3]]. Because Timothy’s father was a Greek he had not been circumcised and therefore Paul thought it best that he be circumcised before accompanying him in ministry to the Jewish people. The Jews would have not only been offended but uninterested in what Timothy had to say had he not been circumcised. Being circumcised made him culturally relevant and understandable with the Jews. Paul understood this and Timothy was willing to obey Paul even at this early stage of their relationship. I believe this shows a great amount of wisdom and humility on Timothy’s part which I am sure did not go unnoticed by Paul. Timothy traveled with Paul for many months, getting the opportunity to see him in action and learn a lot from this older man of the Lord. In Acts 19:22 Paul sends Timothy and Erastus to Macedonia, sending them out from his immediate presence and discipleship but as is seen in first and second Timothy Paul continues and steady and strong discipling relationship with Timothy as his father in the Lord.

Paul commanded Timothy, he encouraged Timothy, and he instructed Timothy. Timothy responded in obedience and wisdom to Paul's commands and instruction and in humility to his encouragement. In order to to be a good disciplee one must have the qualities which Timothy portrayed in his response to Paul.

How are we to disciple other? Paul gives us a shining example in I Timothy 1:3-5 where Paul orders Timothy to love, teach the truth, and promote unity within the church. Their relationship was that of which we call 'sharpening iron with iron.' Paul and Timothy went through a lot together; and they were equally engaged and equally understood of one another and their role in this discipleship relationship. Then in I Timothy 5:21-25 he commands him to avoid favoritism, impurity, and rash decision making. In chapter 6:11-21 of the same book Paul tells Timothy to not be tempted by the love of money but to ‘pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith.’

In his letters Paul is constantly encouraging Timothy through the gospel and through the proclamation of truth, which is God’s Word and His faithfulness to His church [|[4]]. Paul also instructs Timothy on worship [|[5]], leadership in the church [|[6]] , the care of widows, elders and slaves[|[7]] , money, and personal growth[|[8]]. We then look at Paul's second letter to Timothy. Like a good discipler should, Paul kept in contact with Timothy far long after his departure to Macedonia in around 55 A.D.. It is while Timothy is away that he writes to him, pursuing the strong friendship they had developed over the years by doing the three main necessities listed above (commands, encourages, and instructs)[|[9]]. In Paul's second letter to Timothy in chapter 2, Paul commands Timothy to pray for everybody and explains the reason why he should. Paul orders him to 'be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others. Endue hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus'[|[10]]. It is amazing to see the confidence that Paul has in Timothy because of the way he commands him to do things; he is always giving him specific things to pray for, certain things to tell people, and certain things to stay clear of. Paul exemplifies a disciple beautifully by the way he graciously and patiently orders Timothy.

On that same note, Paul also doesn't want to leave Timothy discouraged and unable to cope with all the work Paul is having him do, so he encourages him in his own walk with Christ, and also wants him to spur others on with their own walks. In chapter 1 in Paul's second letter to Timothy, Paul encourages him to be faithful in preaching the Word, for 'God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but of power, love and of self-discipline' [|[11]]. Paul and Timothy understood that in order to have joyful outlooks on their ministry, they must first be involved in their ministry—proactively seeking others and witnessing to their lost souls. Paul knew a very effective way to encourage people, and that was to challenge people in their walks with objectives that can be conquered. In other words, being confronted with sin that you know you will struggle with until the day you die can be frustrating at times, and very dragging. But, Paul is aware of Timothy and his spiritual and physical needs; so he writes him a letter explaining a little bit of what he (Paul) had gone through and how much he is going to have to face the same persecution wherever he goes just because they were doing the work of the Lord.

After Paul finishes with the tough stuff (things Timothy has to obey because it is the Lord's law) and the encouraging stuff; he instructs Timothy and shares of the wisdom he's gained through his missionary journeys in sharing the gospel and dealing with many Gentile. In chapters 3 and 4, Paul tells Timothy of the people he is going to eventually deal with while doing God's work in Macedonia (since Paul was recently there) and reminds him of his duty as a discipler to others. In chapter four in Paul's second letter to Timothy, he asks Timothy (specifically) to come as soon as possible to aid him in his ministry. But he doesn't just ask Timothy for him alone to come, he asks Timothy to get Mark and some of his belongings (i.e. his cloak, scrolls and parchments). Paul wouldn't just ask for anybody to bring those kind of things to him, especially when he is in danger (“Alexander the metalworker did me a great deal of harm.” [|[12]] . It is this Alexander that Paul instructs Timothy to be careful of considering Timothy is still an amateur in this kind of ministry in comparison to Paul.

Paul and Timothy went through a lot together and they went through a lot apart from one another. But the fact remains, they still kept it a priority to communicate (especially Paul to Timothy) and encourage one another; keeping each other posted on the latest happenings in their lives. Whether Paul knew it or not, he definitely took Timothy under his wing and Timothy was more than obliged. It is obvious from Paul's letters to Timothy that he cared deeply for Timothy and sought and prayed the best for him. Timothy was a great disciple of Paul considering he did whatever he was told, and did it well! If Paul needed him to do something, he did it. If Paul needed Timothy to get him something, he went and retrieved it. If Paul corrected or rebuked him, he responded with humility. This relationship that formed over the course of Paul's second and third missionary journeys beautifully demonstrates what a discipleship should look like.

Bibliography F.F. Bruce, //Commentary on the Book of The Acts//. Michigan: WM. B. Eerdmans Publishing CO., 1973. John B. Polhill, //The New American Commentary: Acts//. Tennessee: Broadman Press, 1992. Jerome D. Quinn and William C. Wacker. //The First and Second Letters to Timothy//. Michigan: William B. Eerdman’s Publishing Company. 2000. Ronald A. Ward, //Commentary on 1&2 Timothy & Titus//. Texas: Word Books. 1974. John MacArthur, //The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: 2 Timothy//. Illinois: The Moody Bible Institute. 1995. Philip H. Towner, //1-2 Timothy & Titus//. Illinois: InterVarsity Press. 1994.

[|[1]] F.F. Bruce, //Commentary on the Book of The Acts// [|[2]] John B. Polhill, //The New American Commentary: Acts// [|[3]] Jerome D. Quinn and William C. Wacker, //The First and Second Letters to Timothy.// [|[4]] I Timothy 1:15-17 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13px;">[|[5]] I Timothy 2:1-15 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13px;">[|[6]] I Timothy 3:1-16 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13px;">[|[7]] I Timothy 5:1-20, 6:1-2 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13px;">[|[8]] I Timothy 6:3-10, 4:1-16 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13px;">[|[9]] Ronald A. Ward, //Commentary on 1&2 Timothy & Titus// <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13px;">[|[10]] II Timothy 2:1-3 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13px;">[|[11]] II Timothy 1:7 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13px;">[|[12]] II Timothy 4:14

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