May 16, 2023 | Be On Mission
Paul Takes Timothy for Training
Scripture: Acts 16:1-5(NIV)
1 Paul came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was Jewish and a believer but whose father was a Greek. 2 The believers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him. 3 Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. 4 As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey. 5 So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers.
Devotional
Early in Paul’s second missionary journey he returned to Lystra. This was now his third visit to the city. On the first visit, an angry mob stoned him to within an inch of his life (Acts 14:19). Later, he returned to the city to encourage the believers and to appoint elders to lead them (Acts 14:21-23). Now, on his second missionary journey, Paul returned to Lystra for a third visit. Being on mission is risky business.
Much to his delight, Paul discovered a network of faithful disciples in Lystra. One was a young man named Timothy, who was raised in the faith through the influence of his mother Eunice and grandmother Lois (see 2 Timothy 1:5). Eunice was a Jewish Christian, but her husband was a Greek non-believer. Paul saw something in Timothy worth the investment of his time and energy. So he asked
Timothy to join him for the remainder of his missionary journey.
One of their jobs on the journey was to deliver “the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey.” One of those decisions was that Gentiles did not have to be circumcised in order to become Christians. Yet Paul asked Timothy to be circumcised in order to join him and Silas on the missionary trip. Since Timothy was part-Jew and part-Greek, they wanted to remove one of the barriers to Jews hearing the good news of Jesus as the Messiah.
Sometimes a person needs to go beyond the minimum requirements in order to successfully be used by God. It is tempting to ask, “What is the minimum I can do, the smallest I can give, the littlest I can serve, the shortest I can pray, the least I can sacrifice?” Timothy could have invoked his rights to not be circumcised. Rather, he was circumcised so that he could travel to other lands and tell people they didn’t have to require circumcision. That’s going all in.
Are there any areas of your spiritual life where you are trying to get by with the minimum? Is God raising the bar, in order to give you greater faith and influence? What is a specific way the Lord is challenging you to go all in?
Poem
Necessary? No, But Wise
Acts 16:3
When you’re called to serve the people
There are things you lay aside
Blocks which cause others to stumble
Necessary? No, but wise
For you see, although the Gospel
Is full strong as it can be
It is oft times people’s weakness
Which prevents them Christ to see
So, if teaching be your calling
Or if preacher be your name
You are held to higher standards
As the good news you proclaim
So be righteous in your speaking
Let your dress not cause a glance
Strive for excellence in all things
Give the weaker ones a chance
Later on, when God’s own fullness
Comes upon His kingdom wide
There will be no legalism--
Stumbling blocks which cause divide--
But ‘til then, don’t be hard-hearted
Don’t insist on your own way
On the prideful things, be humble
Let the Gospel win the day
