Vol. 4, No.3
But I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, so that I also may be encouraged when I learn of your condition. For I have no one else of kindred spirit who will genuinely be concerned for your welfare. –Philippians 2:19-20
For Paul, there was no one quite like Timothy!
When a tree’s branches go out farther than the roots go deep, the tree will topple! Paul did not make this mistake with Timothy. He gave Timothy time to get his roots down and then enlisted him for the work. Personal instruction balanced by experience.
In American churches today, there is a grotesque waste of gifted pastors and people who attempt to minister where God moves them. When a person’s gift(s) are not used, God eventually moves their gifts on to a church that has effective leadership and ministry. The church the gifted leave then suffers because of their arrogance, selfishness, and adherence to the way things have always been. It is sad to see.
Paul is addressing how he uses his friend Timothy. He made sure that Timothy had the necessary gifts and experience to make a major contribution in his ministry; then he sent him on to do the ministry God had selected for him.
Experience without teaching can lead to discouragement, and teaching without experience can lead to spiritual deadness. Not using people’s gifts leads to discouragement, and not using people with teaching and ministry gifts makes for the church not accomplishing what God expects. (Note, it is the same in all walks of life!)
Courage is a man who keeps on coming on! Yes, you can slow a man like that, but you cannot stop him. The man who keeps coming on, is either going to get there himself, or he is going to make it possible for others to get there. –Captain McNelly, TexasRanger
Timothy had four terrific things going for him; (1) parental upbringing, (2) spiritual foundations; (3) God-established gifts, and (4) a deep personal drive. –R.W. Stott
The kind of man that God makes is a fearless man. God does not have a history of using cowards or one with a craven spirit. God is in the business of making the crooked places straight; often he uses a natural defect become a strength. A reed shaken by the wind becomes a pillar of boldness.
God’s man is powerful! Not necessarily having a powerful personality, but strength; first in character. He yields his softness into firmness. Effective leaders and ministry servants have had a shot of steel imbedded into their character system. Sadly, some churches are so governed by traditions (and a few managing families) that the church will never have the good experiences of the gifts God has given to the new arrivals He brings to the church.
God loves; He brings His gifted person to exude His love.There is an indispensable quality of leadership the church will sorely miss, should a church fail to use the gifts God has bestowed upon those coming into the church.
Grace had come to Timothy. It affected his heart and entered into the core of his thinking. Timothy was bold, self-controlled, and willing to help others so that they too could serve in church ministry.
Are you like Timothy?
Do not hide behind what and who you are. Expose yourself to be what God expects of you.
Be on your guard, stand firm in the faith, live like a man, be strong. Let everything that you do be done in love. –1 Corinthians 16:13-14
