Timothy embodies the journey of the church
I am the third Minister in a family of eight, and one day I and my brothers asked our father whether it shocked him that from one family three brothers are in full time ministry. His response was that it was not strange to him because his grandfather was an evangelist. Through studying the life of Timothy, we will discover God has given us a model of how to pass on our faith to the next generation.Timothy was a young man when Paul revisited Lystra on his second missionary trip, approximately five years after the first. It may be that Timothy's family became Christians during that first visit. During those five years, Timothy matured in his faith under the spiritual guidance of his mother and grandmother. In Paul's last letter to Timothy, Paul notes the family spiritual environment in his last epistle writing, "I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice..." (2 Tim. 1:5).
Children mimic their parents' religious experience: they pray as you have prayed in their presence, they may raise their hands in worship when they see you raise your hands. Timothy was no longer acting a part as the "good" child, he had taken ownership of his faith, as Paul had seen the evidence of this faith in Timothy's actions.
Paul further instructs Timothy to follow the same model of transmitting faith to others as the model for maintaining healthy churches, "And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others." (2 Tim. 2:2) When the church stops to invest in the young people, the new converts and to disciple them to maturity, then the church becomes dependent upon those "patriarchs" of the faith and when they pass on, the church struggles to sustain its life and work.
Every church leadership should tirelessly work towards their own redundancy. Passing on the mantle to the next leaders who will become a rich resource when those in charge are indisposed.
Paul speaks of Timothy as a faithful person in this passage, the word describes someone who always does the right thing even when no one else is looking. This person will always be truthful and true. They're filled with integrity and will hold up their end of the deal no matter the sacrifice. In the N.T faithful may also mean one who multiplies their talents and gifting for the greater good. (Mat25:23). We need to multiply ourselves through the lives of others. We are called upon to be faithful in this cause, passing on our faith from one generation to the next through nurture, example, love and care.
| For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church. (1Corinthians4:17) |
[I am Richard and married to Aretha, and the LORD has blessed us with three kids, two boys Khumbo, Mbawemi and one girl Chimwemwe. I am serving at St. Columba's Presbyterian Church in Kabwe. I enjoy watching soccer and my team is Manchester United.]
